Custom 2500

phx_chronic wrote:yeah, thats dope..... are you gonna tryn make the leds green too?

Yeah I have had the green LEDs for a long time now but havent installed them beacause Im scared to solder them myself. lol

Down the line I will pay vst to do it unless I find somebody to do it for free that know what they are doing.

Menco wrote: Pink pussy tight man.

not to change the topic but this ^ right here is a WIN

Explicit- wrote:

phx_chronic wrote:yeah, thats dope..... are you gonna tryn make the leds green too?

Yeah I have had the green LEDs for a long time now but havent installed them beacause Im scared to solder them myself. lol

Down the line I will pay vst to do it unless I find somebody to do it for free that know what they are doing.

dont be too scared, you can get the q link and the sample bank pcb boards replaced. What I'll do is buy the pcb boards just in case you mess up, but even than you should practice soldering on junk electronics sitting around or you can pay someone local whos good at soldering. Getting a company to do it is always going to end up being expensive.

Redsox00 wrote:

Explicit- wrote:

phx_chronic wrote:yeah, thats dope..... are you gonna tryn make the leds green too?

Yeah I have had the green LEDs for a long time now but havent installed them beacause Im scared to solder them myself. lol

Down the line I will pay vst to do it unless I find somebody to do it for free that know what they are doing.

dont be too scared, you can get the q link and the sample bank pcb boards replaced. What I'll do is buy the pcb boards just in case you mess up, but even than you should practice soldering on junk electronics sitting around or you can pay someone local whos good at soldering. Getting a company to do it is always going to end up being expensive.

yup thats why Im still waiting to find somebody to do it for alot cheaper.

Im in no rush you know...

got the blue pads and did a mock up on the 2500, didn't look good (to me) so I didn't install them and since I bought them for the 3000, that's where they are...anyway-here's a pic, sorry to taint the 2500 forums with the 3000...as you can see, they are really dark-like a navy, look nice on a 3K and maybe a 2500 with blue screen?

those look real nice on the 3000... great choice!

damn that 3000 looks dope .... it looks like it is a white 3000 ...is it ?? thanks for sharing the pic

Deta!L wrote:got the blue pads and did a mock up on the 2500, didn't look good (to me) so I didn't install them and since I bought them for the 3000, that's where they are...anyway-here's a pic, sorry to taint the 2500 forums with the 3000...as you can see, they are really dark-like a navy, look nice on a 3K and maybe a 2500 with blue screen?

Yeah those blue pads look sick!!!

Damn cant wait to get home and install my glow in the dark green pads.

Not really feeling the pads. I wonder how they are gonna look at night?
They look okay to me...

Now I got 3 sets of pads.
Grey, Black and Glow In The Dark Green



















I will most likely go back to the black pads.
Still gonna work on getting green ones.

i'm feeling those glow in the dark ones... does the material feel any different than the other pads [softer/rougher]?? i'm asking since you've got plenty to compare with

Pads lookin good!

I might have to grab a set, cause I make a lot of beats late night and I like the room dark when I'm dolo..

Explicit- wrote:Not really feeling the pads. I wonder how they are gonna look at night?
They look okay to me...

Now I got 3 sets of pads.
Grey, Black and Glow In The Dark Green



















I will most likely go back to the black pads.
Still gonna work on getting green ones.

it aint THAT bad.. i would keep them on.. they look dope

I gotta agree with Ex on this one.. The idea is cool, but the green being so different aint vibin right wit the rest of the mpc. I think the black pads allow the green parts to stand out more. it looks less detailed and more "kiddy" or less "classy" with the glow in the dark. It would be SICK if the glow pads were actually Green like the buttons and sides and not that translucent gitd green.

as for the CF card cover, glad to see u finally yanked that thing off and painted it. it looks GREAT! nice detail.

As for the LEDs and fear of soldering them.. you have every right to be cautious.
The contact points on the pcbs that akai uses in the mpcs are VERY FRAGILE.
you basically have 2 attempts at applying heat to them before they separate from the pcb board. (and u use both of those installing new ones since you have to count the oem led removal as one application of heat.)
its the excess heat that causes this to happen.
you also have to use a dull soldering iron that doesnt exceed more than 200-300 deg Fahrenheit.
anything more than that can melt and displace or completely remove the stems from the LED lense as well as cause the circular contact point on the pcb to come away from the pcb itself.

the problem with this is you need to use a 15w soldering iron to keep the heat at a minimum, no problem there right?
wrong.. the lower heat the iron is the more difficult it is to solder with. it will take longer to remove the oem leds first off. then getting the new ones in and soldered well to the contacts can be a ****.

I have a butane soldering pen that ranges from 200 to 1800 F that I used first and experienced first hand the contacts separating from the pcb on one of the four leds on the q-link board even after reducing the heat as low as possible.

Basically its more than possible to get it done, but use the RIGHT tools for the job, and EXERCISE CAUTION!
if your not confident ir your soldering abilities.. get someone who IS!!



anyway ....
NICE looking mpc EX!!!!
My all blacked out 2500 wit all white leds is comin soon!

^^^ Spot On

If you are serious about modding/soldering etc... Buy the proper tools. Invest in a Good Soldering Iron with Temp Control. Also, a De-soldering Braid and/or Iron

I reccomend A Hakko 936/937 ESD Safe Soldering Iron

crossings wrote:i'm feeling those glow in the dark ones... does the material feel any different than the other pads [softer/rougher]?? i'm asking since you've got plenty to compare with

The pads feel the same.

master-ceo wrote:Pads lookin good!

I might have to grab a set, cause I make a lot of beats late night and I like the room dark when I'm dolo..

yeah alot of beat sessions I have are during the night so im curious to see how they look at night.

Triple-X wrote:I gotta agree with Ex on this one.. The idea is cool, but the green being so different aint vibin right wit the rest of the mpc. I think the black pads allow the green parts to stand out more. it looks less detailed and more "kiddy" or less "classy" with the glow in the dark. It would be SICK if the glow pads were actually Green like the buttons and sides and not that translucent gitd green.

as for the CF card cover, glad to see u finally yanked that thing off and painted it. it looks GREAT! nice detail.

As for the LEDs and fear of soldering them.. you have every right to be cautious.
The contact points on the pcbs that akai uses in the mpcs are VERY FRAGILE.
you basically have 2 attempts at applying heat to them before they separate from the pcb board. (and u use both of those installing new ones since you have to count the oem led removal as one application of heat.)
its the excess heat that causes this to happen.
you also have to use a dull soldering iron that doesnt exceed more than 200-300 deg Fahrenheit.
anything more than that can melt and displace or completely remove the stems from the LED lense as well as cause the circular contact point on the pcb to come away from the pcb itself.

the problem with this is you need to use a 15w soldering iron to keep the heat at a minimum, no problem there right?
wrong.. the lower heat the iron is the more difficult it is to solder with. it will take longer to remove the oem leds first off. then getting the new ones in and soldered well to the contacts can be a ****.

I have a butane soldering pen that ranges from 200 to 1800 F that I used first and experienced first hand the contacts separating from the pcb on one of the four leds on the q-link board even after reducing the heat as low as possible.

Basically its more than possible to get it done, but use the RIGHT tools for the job, and EXERCISE CAUTION!
if your not confident ir your soldering abilities.. get someone who IS!!



anyway ....
NICE looking mpc EX!!!!
My all blacked out 2500 wit all white leds is comin soon!

Yup Im most likely just gonna clean my black pads then put them back on and keep the glow in the dark ones for extra.

As for soldering there aint no way I will do them myself.