Share your knowledge on these two classic MPCs
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By The Grublet Sat Mar 14, 2009 7:08 pm
The led's ate on telling you that there's a problem. Open just the screws needed to tip the case up... Notice when you do there is a ribbon cable that stretches from the lower section to the upper one ( the part you tipped up ). This is loose. Push the plug back in completely. Problem solved.
By jkanselaar Mon Mar 23, 2009 9:45 pm
Ehh.. like they first said "it could be the flatcable" (cause i saw there was some damiging on it)so i changed it with a new one (but that didn't help)

I even checked all the fuses, but they all seems ok.
but as somebody from this forum told me that it could also be a problem with the powersuply, i now found that the former owner did some soldering on a connector (thats seems a bit old and in bad shape now), some my plan is to redo that, and see what happens then.
By MPCHunter Tue Mar 24, 2009 12:17 pm
Unless you're skilled at electronics repair, I would advise against repairing or even looking at the power supply (besides replacing fuses) -- any mistakes could be lethal. On this forum there's some info on how the power supply works, a tech would be able to determine whether or not the PS was working correctly.

I would inspect the components boards where anything might have bumped into them -- it sounds like something is shorting out on one of the boards.
By Ldizzy Thu May 21, 2009 5:37 pm
mpc3000le wrote:
Manilla wrote:open it up. sounds like the main ribbon that connects the front panel to the mobo


Cosign ...

Open it up ...

Download this file:

http://www.mansell-labs.com/downloads/installpix/SCREWS.zip

Unzip it and look at the pictures showing which screws to remove.

Download this file:

http://www.mansell-labs.com/downloads/installpix/warning.zip

Unzip it and look at the pictures.

Offending cable is circled in red.

Unplug and then re-plug.

All with the power off/disconnected of course.

Rohan.


Thx to all of u.. i tried it... and i know more about my mpc ...

Unfortunately... it didnt work. I unplugged that ribbon that roots the down part to the motherboard (i guess. that enormous thing behind the buttons)... i tried to look if it had some signs of wear.. nothing.. although it was tie-wrapped really hard... (i dont want to undo the tie wrap... then i replugged it... nothing...

i tried it with a couple other plugs.. didnt work neither... diagnosis plz^^

Is anybody willing to make a budget prediction for me.. im really poor.. and i really want to repair that machine..

hopefully its not the motherboard that is dead (as i said the mpc still powers on.. and takes me to the main screen but no button/knob works... and the leds are still lit... )

help really appreciated
By mpc3000le Sat May 23, 2009 2:48 am
Ldizzy wrote:
mpc3000le wrote:
Manilla wrote:open it up. sounds like the main ribbon that connects the front panel to the mobo


Cosign ...

Open it up ...

Download this file:

http://www.mansell-labs.com/downloads/installpix/SCREWS.zip

Unzip it and look at the pictures showing which screws to remove.

Download this file:

http://www.mansell-labs.com/downloads/installpix/warning.zip

Unzip it and look at the pictures.

Offending cable is circled in red.

Unplug and then re-plug.

All with the power off/disconnected of course.

Rohan.


Thx to all of u.. i tried it... and i know more about my mpc ...

Unfortunately... it didnt work. I unplugged that ribbon that roots the down part to the motherboard (i guess. that enormous thing behind the buttons)... i tried to look if it had some signs of wear.. nothing.. although it was tie-wrapped really hard... (i dont want to undo the tie wrap... then i replugged it... nothing...


You should not have to remove any tie-wraps.

At which end did you remove and re-seat the front panel to main board interface ribbon cable ?

The front panel end ?

Or...

The main board end ?

Still reads to me like the ribbon cable is not plugged in correctly.

Rohan.
By Ldizzy Sat May 23, 2009 4:13 pm
At which end did you remove and re-seat the front panel to main board interface ribbon cable ?

The front panel end ?

Or...

The main board end ?

Still reads to me like the ribbon cable is not plugged in correctly.

Rohan.


At the end thats connected to the body of the mpc... (not the front pannel end.. the main board i guess...)

the other one is like.. beneath the big board thats normally lies behind the program and command buttons (motherboard i guess)... its less accessible... so i didnt remove it

is it the right one^
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By Shostakovich Mon Mar 21, 2011 11:26 am
Ldizzy wrote:
concepts wrote:Dont forget be be grounded.


which means^....

reminder : im sadly french, and im sadly poor at repairing stuff.. especially discontinued expensive dope stuff ahaha :) but ill try, thanks guys


Reliee a la terre. You need to make sure you have discharged any static from your person and avoid generating more as you work on the MPC. Some chips could potentially be wiped. Usually, bridging with a radiator should do it, provided the radiator is grounded (usually the case).
By Ldizzy Mon Mar 21, 2011 11:49 am
wtf with the old ass post resurrection..

well... yet... i didnt update this one... so heres my story

this is the story, no pun intended, i dont want to rant off on anyone, i dont want to publicize anyone's work.. ill just state STRAIGHT facts.

After messing around with the interior of my machine, and following the schematics... i realized the problem had to be a bit more serious then the main ribbon being unplugged (yet i wasnt sure)..

i planned on a little trip to new york... and brought the tinbox with me... walked up to armen's...

the man seemed stressed and overwhelmed but willing to help. i gave him my machine.

two days later, he called me, and told me it was a serious problem, and that it would cost me over 600 dollars... for he had to take parts from other mpcs, and swap em over with mine... he told me it had to do with the main computer.

i went to his store, explained to him i could NOT spend that type of money (especially since i was in nyc with my girlfriend $$$---» down the drain). i tried to bargain it down to 500 but he told me it was impossible..

he seemed not to be at ease with my bargaining methods, and seemed somewhat overwhelmed, and basically rushed me out of the store, politely, but still... as he had about 3 ghetto ass producers in line with their specific questions...

his store is very inspiring tho, and he seems to multitask. im sure he couldve helped in another time... but for me.. it didnt cut it.

he charged me 50 us dollars for inspection.(i was aware of it)

--

sad, i went back home... decided id write to moog audio in montreal, nearby where i live and where i usually get my stuff.. they directed me to the closest akai service center... which is fleet pro sound and lighting ... a store located 8 hours west of where i live... in ontario.

sent the unit by ups for about a hundred... the guy got it... couldnt work on it for a couple weeks, then phoned me... he seemed to have very little knowledge of the inner electronics of the unit, but diagnosed the same issues then the one described by armen... main board/ cpu was dead.

he told me he couldnt fix it without a functional main board to swap it with... exactly as armen...

he told me it would be my task to find one.

he charged me 30 canadian dollars for the evaluation.(i was aware of it)

...

we are now a whole year later... for i left my mpc for about 4 and a half months at the service center.. looking for some ideas... or parts..

i then wrote to mpcstuff... for they had a dead mpc being sold for parts on their website...

they answered very quickly and told me they had a functional main board for 400 without shipping.

since most stores shop by ups and not regular mail, the shipping wouldve been around 100 they said..

i phoned at the akai service center again, and they reminded me i had to pay 200 aprox for duty time (installation)...

they still couldnt guarantee it would work...

if u do the math that wouldve went for 730 bucks... which is 130 more then what armen had to offer a little more then a year prior...

it really lead me to believe the value of that repairing was around 600-700 bucks.. and i started reconsidering my need to repair it...

in a last resort... i decided i would contact a man ive always found very inspirational, Rohan..

i described the issue in a rather detailed fashion and Rohan was kind enough to provide explanations on some of the hypothetical issues...

we emailed back and forth for a little bit.. and his understanding of the situation seemed to tend towards the fact that i still had some options left....

he clearly suggested i should call Bruce Forat before making any part-buying move....

which i did...

bruce was kind enough to chill around on the phone, hearing my entire story, calculating exact shipping costs by regular mail, he was also kind enough to promise me he would ship the unit back by regular mail, which a very few professionals ive dealt with do...and he gave me advice on the way i should freight and ensure my machine... always very open advice..

he told me it was my choice, but he said i had made a big mistake sending it back and forth, as it had costed me a lot...

i asked him very clearly : will it work, if i send it that far...

he, as a very humble person, seemed embarrassed but answered with a ''pragmatic'' edge saying ''well... i cant guarantee and every case is different, but ive never come across an unrepairable unit...''

i forced him into evaluating the price (by that time i was very stressed about repairing and ish)... he repeatedly told me he couldnt promise anything and that he wouldnt want to lead me to believe something and then demand something else from me afterwards... but i squeezed an answer out of his brains...

he told me it wouldnt go over 300... if it was what he believed it was...

so i had to bring the unit back from the akai center, which wouldnt not send it by regular mail... 119 canadian dollars...

i was really stressed about that final move... but i sent it.. for 75 dollars + insurance... to Cali...

i called Bruce Forat a couple days later, as the postal tracking told me it had arrived... and he confirmed the item was in his possession... the next day, he called me. i thought he wouldve told me it was unrepairable... but he rather said ''its repaired''...

i couldnt believe it.

he charged 300, as he had said.

he then said, listen, it works (and had me listen to some drum sounds from my very own zip (which i had left in)...

then he told me a couple things were gonna die soon, and had to be replaced eventually...

i felt no pressure from him.. but still wanted to think about it... i called him the next day, thinking about the fact i could invest in a refurbishing while it was there.. at that point the only thing i wanted was this thing to WORK.

so he offered a couple fixes... and discouraged some others... for instance, when i told him about the output boost... he said i should rather run my machine thru some nice preamps, however he told me my screen was dim (which ive always felt)... and that he could sell me anew one for under a hundred... (and install)..

i was not sure, so he sent me pictures of my mpc next to one with a new screen...

also changed some of the buttons and swapped the pads for under a hundred...

i decided it was worth it...

after a couple back and forths, i thanked him , paid with mastercard, and asked him to sign the unit for me ... which he did not not that comfortable about ahahah being the humble person he seems to be..

he still did...

i recieved the unit one week after. fully functional, cleaned, like never before.

the man knows his stuff.

knowledge about these machines seem to fall apart these days and i truly believe some very passionate people are to thank for the fact we can still keep a bit of analog in our lives...

some might even lurk around these forums...

so next time u send a unit around for repairing.. try to get a feel for the person who will be taking care of it...

business models are often kinda like personalities... its about values, and priorities.. and how important the tribulations of others are to you...

im sure there are people on this forum who know a heck more then some business owners..

and im sure some business owners do a great job on certain things... but really, shop around, know ur shitt, and ask for advice before making moves, it helps.. its all im saying...

So spesh thanks to : ROHAN and BRUCE FORAT.

u both are Dons.

1
User avatar
By Shostakovich Mon Mar 21, 2011 3:38 pm
Great story. Glad it's worked out.

Rohan and Bruce are very generous with their time as I've found out recently.

As for Armen, I wouldn't trust him. I brought in a unit for repair (dying caps) and he did nothing to it at all and charged me $125.
By Carl X-Way Sun Jan 09, 2022 10:28 am
Just a quick addition to this discussion.....

I was in a state of panic yesterday reading some of the posts on this thread after the majority of the buttons on my mpc stopped working apart from the row that has the tempo-syn , transpose etc. I reseated the main ribbon...nothing.

The solution was to screw EVERYTHING back together before turning the unit on. It was a grounding issue.

Just in case anyone else is flapping around in a state of despair.
By Paulau Tue Jan 24, 2023 1:08 am
Carl X-Way wrote:Just a quick addition to this discussion.....

I was in a state of panic yesterday reading some of the posts on this thread after the majority of the buttons on my mpc stopped working apart from the row that has the tempo-syn , transpose etc. I reseated the main ribbon...nothing.

The solution was to screw EVERYTHING back together before turning the unit on. It was a grounding issue.

Just in case anyone else is flapping around in a state of despair.



Hey everyone, Hey Carl,

It seems that I'm having the same issue but I can't solve it...

I've just bought on Ebay those tact switch because there was my "soft key 1" broken.
So I've decide to change the 4 soft keys, and the cursor section (left, up, down, right)

When I screw everything back together this is what happen when I plug on the MPC :

-Only the row that has the tempo-sync, transpose, simul seq is functioning.
-Soft Key 1 is now working but weirdly enough now Soft Key 2,3 are not working and Soft Key 4 does the same reaction as if i'm clicking on Soft Key 1.
-If I click on play + play or weird combinaison like play play start + Locate button for exemple, it is directing me again on the row that has the tempo-sync, transpose etc

I've checked multiple times the solders I've done and it seems allright... The ribbon cable seems to work as well, please let me know your opinion and what I could do. Everything was working fine and since i've changed those swich tacts I cannot do anything now :Sigh:

:worthy: