MPC Live v1 randomly turns on

My MPC Live v1 has been acting up lately, which all started happening after updating to latest firmware, however not sure if it’s software or hardware related.

The first issue I had:

-boot loop issue where I push power button, MPC screen would turn on then the MPC would turn off and repeat and re-boot again in an endless cycle.

With all the info/button sequences that everyone has posted on this forum I was able to resolve this issue by reinstalling firmware via USB cable with Mac updater.

Next issue:

-MPC randomly boots up and powers on with pushing the physical power button.

I tried to resolve this issue by rolling back firmware to 2.12 but it’s not fixed.

On battery power, my MPC turns on automatically in an endless loop (unit turns on, I start it, shut it down correctly, unit turns back on, repeat)

With the power adaptor plugged in, the unit automatically powers on less often, but still not behaving correctly.

I contacted Akai, they put me in touch with a local service center who said this could be PCB board related, a $500 + CAD fix. I can pick up a used MPC Live 2 for around $900 CAD so I’m hesitant to drop money on this repair, but I paid full pop back in 2019 at release….

Anyone have these issues? Do you think swapping out the power button could help? Is the power button user replaceable or do I need some soldering skills.

Thanks in advance.

J

Buy contact cleaner, spray the hell outta the power button. sounds like its sticky / dirty.

Thanks for the quick reply Ultros. have a can of D5 and I will give it a shot and report back.

I thought I had the issue solved by spraying Deoxit in and on the power button, but a few hours later my MPC turned back on again by itself and now it continues to turn itself back on as described above.

Any other ideas?

That’s not firmware/software related. It’s hardware failure (likely the PCB). Sorry man! That said, have you tried resetting Preferences and reinstalling 2.12.2 just to be sure?

Hey thanks for the reply. Ya I tried resetting preferences and I will try to reinstall the latest firmware to see if that helps, but it looks like it's hardware related.

Pretty bummed out; my 2500, 1000 and 500 all lasted 10 plus years. My MPC Live V1 lasted around 4 years.

Not sure if I should shell out the ca$h for the repair and take the hit or cut my losses and wait for Akai to drop a new unit.

The only good news is that all my tracks and samples are on my external SSD so at least I can save my data.

I appreciate everyones help

My vote is to repair it, or find a cheap Live v1 or One. Not my money though so easy for me to vote

Thanks for your advice. I’m leaning more on the repair side as I’m sure I will get some kind of warranty for my repair, but if I buy second hand i may encounter the same issues months/years down the road.

Based on my issue and the issues others have mentioned here on the forum, there is no doubt that these newer MPC’s have more QC issues than the legacy units. And many of the issues I had with the legacy units were serviceable by the average user (Screen on 2500, switches, pads on 500 etc) where as these newer units not so much….

My local music shop offered extended warranty on my unit that could be renewed on a yearly basis for like $40 CAD. In hindsight, I should have dropped the money for it. Lesson learned.

It's a tough one, I'm not sure you're going to find much audio gear these days that has either the longevity or repairability of the old stuff. In the UK you can legally try to argue that a product should have a reasonable life span beyond the manufacturers warranty, but 4 years is probably pushing it for an MPC (fine for washing machines and TVs).

Maybe think about a s/h Live mk 1 and keep the old Live for spares (e.g. battery, pad sensors, screen etc)? Otherwise maybe find a retailer with free extended warranty and grab yourself a newer model, some offer up to 3 years with all purchases, for example Thomann. Sell the existing live on Ebay as 'parts/not working' you'll probably still get around $100 for it.

Thanks for ideas Tutor. Agreed, most newer electronics are designed with built in obselences and selling extended warranties/subscriptions is part of the new business model to squeeze even more $ out of the consumer.

Ironically, the same businesses that design these modern disposable goods are the same business that try to bolster their ESG scores to help attract new investors. And where I live, the Government has a hand in the raquet by charging Consumers Environmental Disposal fee at the time of purchase.

My MPC still fires up and the issue I'm having only occurs when i turn the unit off so I think I'm going to keep using it until it completely dies and then consider a new unit with extended warranty.

Thanks for everyone's insight.

If your MPC is still working and you can fire it up, and this thing only happens occasionally, maybe it's just a defective power switch? Wondering if it would be cheap just to have the power switch replaced to see if that corrects the issue. Can't be that expensive to desolder and solder in a simple switch, can it? That said, it's a gamble - if it turns out that it's not the switch and the problem continues, then that's money down the drain.

Try contacting Mike at mpcstuff.com, he repairs MPCs and sells the parts, he'll probably be able to help one way or another, even if it's just advice.

Thanks for the advice guys. All signs point to a power switch issue. I will reach out to Mike at MPC Stuff for some advice. I have zero soldering skills but maybe this will be a good opportunity to learn...

Cheers.

jian wrote:I have zero soldering skills but maybe this will be a good opportunity to learn...

Cheers.

Honestly, it's a lot easier than you think. Plenty of YouTube tutorials demonstrating how, and you can practice on some old spare computer parts (for free, if you're resourceful). Biggest obstacle is just buying the gear, as a good soldering iron, ancillary tools and items, magnifying viewer if you've got crappy eye site like me can add up in cost. But if you're not mechanically inclined and don't possess a basic understanding of electricity/electrical circuits, then it might be best to leave it to an actual tech.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpkkfK937mU

That's good advice., especially the magnifying viewer! I have repaired a bunch of stuff around the house/car via YouTube videos so I will give it a shot. I would rather buy for additional soldering gear that I can use in other projects than pay a repair tech, especially if the repair is a simple one. (leave the complex repairs for the pros)

I have soldered pipes in plumbing projects before switching over to Pex, so I have an understanding of the basics. Of course soldering electronics is much cleaner and more precise than copper pipes.