MPC-X pads light up for 5 seconds then machine shuts off ...

Hello fellow Akai MPC owners. I'm a newbie here on this MPC forum, so please bare with me. I purchased a nice condition "non-functioning" MPC X and hopefully someone here can help me get this awe-inspiring machine fully working again. When I press and release the power button, the pads light up from left to right, then they all stay lit for about 3 seconds before going out, but then nothing else happens. The touchscreen does not come on and no other buttons light up either, not even the LED meters light up. There's no sound and no function what-so-ever. It's as if I turned the power back off. The machine simply goes dead after the pads' initial sequential lighting goes out. This whole process only takes maybe 5 seconds from the time I press and release the power button to the time all the pad lights all go out. I suspect that the power supply, as it is definitely not the original Akai factory power supply. It's one of those cheap gray colored "ONN." brand power supplies that can be found on Amazon for around $20 and it has absolutely no electrical specifications or factory sticker with it's input/output power rating printed on it anywhere. I have a hunch that this Akai MPC X might not be getting enough juice from the power supply to boot up. So, I'm thinking about buying an "FSP O65-RBBN3" 19 volt, 3.42 amp, 65 watt brick style switching power supply to see if this solves the problem. Any ideas and/or advice will be greatly appreciated as I attempt to try and revive this non-functioning MPC X machine!

Definitely don't ever try to switch on your X with that power supply and seek to get an original one from AKAI. That's the kind of experiment that'll get you a fried brick to hold a door or keep books in place on a shelf.

HanHuman wrote:Definitely don't ever try to switch on your X with that power supply and seek to get an original one from AKAI. That's the kind of experiment that'll get you a fried brick to hold a door or keep books in place on a shelf.

Well, I am assuming the previous owner was using this same "ONN." power supply numerous times, as he claimed he bought this MPC X back in 2019 from American Music Supply, but I can't be sure of this. I only tried turning it on a hand-full of times (maybe 5 at the most) since I've had it. The thing is, being the optimist that I am, because the pads light up after pressing the power switch, I'm hopeful that this MPC X is simply not getting the 3.42 Amps it requires to work properly. And correct me if I'm wrong, but the mere fact that the pads begin their sequential lighting upon startup for the brief first few seconds makes me want to believe that, with the proper Akai FPS 19 volt, 3.42 amp, 65 watt switching AC to DC brick style power supply, this MPC X should spring into action. But to be sure, can someone out there please provide a photo of the factory original power brick with the brand and model number that they know actually came with their MPC X from Akai so I know for certain what to look for? This would help a lot!

A few months after I bought it new, my MPC X started to randomly shut down. To make it short, I tried switching power supplies between the X and a ONE and they both worked…
The only difference I could verify was that the X power supply output was 19.5v instead of 19v. Got a new ps from Thomann, but this shows a small variation can kill the X. Maybe testing the ps output beforehand would be a good idea.
(BTW, before that, the One literally caught fire when connected to a powered USB hub!)

Here is the picture of the replacement one, but this an EU version and Akai uses different brands, probably depending on what they can source at the time.

Make sure the Machine Powers Off after those 5 Secs. Bcz if the LCD Screen is Good, the Pads will light up for 5secs or so, like Normal, then the splash screen appears, with the Pads dimming out. If the LCD Screen is Shot, It will appears as tho the Unit is turned off after the Pads Fade out. I've experienced that a Couple times

fredb wrote:A few months after I bought it new, my MPC X started to randomly shut down. To make it short, I tried switching power supplies between the X and a ONE and they both worked…
The only difference I could verify was that the X power supply output was 19.5v instead of 19v. Got a new ps from Thomann, but this shows a small variation can kill the X. Maybe testing the ps output beforehand would be a good idea.
(BTW, before that, the One literally caught fire when connected to a powered USB hub!)

Here is the picture of the replacement one, but this an EU version and Akai uses different brands, probably depending on what they can source at the time.

Thanks a lot for posting a photo of your EU MPC X power supply. This helps me determine what I need to look for. Thank you very much. Does anyone else on here happen to know what brand power supply Akai shipped with the MPC X here in the United States? A photo of it would be much appreciated as well, if possible.

40Beatz wrote:Make sure the Machine Powers Off after those 5 Secs. Bcz if the LCD Screen is Good, the Pads will light up for 5secs or so, like Normal, then the splash screen appears, with the Pads dimming out. If the LCD Screen is Shot, It will appears as tho the Unit is turned off after the Pads Fade out. I've experienced that a Couple times

Hmmm, well now you've got me worried that I might have a bad screen. You say that you've experienced a couple of shot LCD screens so far??? Wow! You mean that you've actually had to replace your MPC X screen more than once on your Akai MPC X This is absurd. Why would Akai put out such an expensive device with touch screens that don't last very long? This is very disturbing. Are the MPC X touch screens prone to failure that easily? What you describe is precisely what my MPC X does. When I press and release the power button, all of the pads light up, do their cute little sequential light show from left to right, then quickly dim out, followed by no splash screen what-so-ever! Could it be that my touch screen is dead? I hope not! That thing alone is over $300 to replace. Has anyone else had to replace their MPC X touch screen? Please let me know. Maybe mine simply has a bad ribbon cable connection or something? If a proper power supply doesn't fix it, I guess my next step will have to be dismantling and inspecting the connection to the touch screen. I'll be very surprised (and disappointed) if the touch screen turns out to be shot, that's for sure! I'm hoping it's not. Any suggestions or ideas from anyone out there who have experienced this will be greatly appreciated.

You may check with an LED light for screen patterns. Hold the light close with different angles. The image would be very faint, though.

Put in headphones and turn volume up. There might be background noise from activity when the MPC boots.

Connect the MPC to a computer and check for USB devices.

Do the initial key sequence during power up to put the MPC into controller mode.
If the MPC is non powered, the software will complain that it‘s not connected.

davelee3 wrote:Hmmm, well now you've got me worried that I might have a bad screen. You say that you've experienced a couple of shot LCD screens so far??? Wow! You mean that you've actually had to replace your MPC X screen more than once on your Akai MPC X This is absurd. Why would Akai put out such an expensive device with touch screens that don't last very long? This is very disturbing. Are the MPC X touch screens prone to failure that easily? What you describe is precisely what my MPC X does. When I press and release the power button, all of the pads light up, do their cute little sequential light show from left to right, then quickly dim out, followed by no splash screen what-so-ever! Could it be that my touch screen is dead? I hope not! That thing alone is over $300 to replace. Has anyone else had to replace their MPC X touch screen? Please let me know. Maybe mine simply has a bad ribbon cable connection or something? If a proper power supply doesn't fix it, I guess my next step will have to be dismantling and inspecting the connection to the touch screen. I'll be very surprised (and disappointed) if the touch screen turns out to be shot, that's for sure! I'm hoping it's not. Any suggestions or ideas from anyone out there who have experienced this will be greatly appreciated.

Yes...The Live's are more prone to LCD Failure. InMusic installs parts that are on the Average between High End and Cheap. Helps Keep cost down. If they put all High End Parts/components, you would've paid $3000-$4000 for your X.
$300 for the LCD Repair is a Lot better than $700+ for a Board replacement.

But it does sound like its the Screen. Pad Light Up and Dimming is the Normal procedure on start up. If you stare at the Screen on start up, you may/may not notice the LCD Backlight is very dim.