Exchange tips and tricks for the Akai MPC4000
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By Phonetic Sun Nov 09, 2014 9:44 pm
Hi everybody. I always wanted a 4k so Iv bought a faulty one with the hopes of fixing it up & I need some help.
OK, deep breath............

The unit turns on ok but the screen is blank. The fan starts up ok & all the lights come on & stay on. I tried holding window & shift & I got the message "ROM flash error".
I managed to reinstall OS 1.60 & still the same....
I tried to install OS 1.71 & still the same. Except now my computer doesn't even recognize that the MPC is plugged in.
I have no disc drive or HDD installed. Iv tried it with the RAM in & out.
Iv unplugged all the internal wires & reseated them. Still no joy.
I have removed the internal battery. I have tried leaving the unit turned on for a while in the hopes of charging said battery. Still nothing.
I have the Ak.Sys software installed on my XP computer but as its not recognizing the MP any more it isn't much use.
I know the screen is working ok because it gives me the ROM error message fine.
Any ideas or links to what to try before sending it off for repair would be awesome.
I would love to be able to fix it myself. Im quite handy with the soldering iron if thats what it takes.
Sorry to ramble on, I just wanted to give the full diagnostics so far...
Please guys, any help will be greatly appreciated.
:worthy: :worthy: :worthy: :worthy: :worthy: :worthy: :worthy: :worthy:
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By Phonetic Mon Nov 10, 2014 12:13 am
313 studio tricks wrote:its your flash rom

btw i have a completely working 4k for sale $600 plus shipping. no lines in screen, new fan, max ram, sorta ratty lookin but solid


Ok cool. Flash rom. Can this be fixed? Any ideas how?
Thanks for the quick response.
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By Phonetic Mon Nov 10, 2014 9:11 am
dwayne.kimmis wrote:it's not the flash rom, look at my tread on super MPC 4000 crash!


Hay man, I saw your thread but I haven't got an FX card installed either.
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By Phonetic Mon Nov 10, 2014 9:16 am
313 studio tricks wrote:how good are you with sourcing old memory chips, desoldering and resoldering? oh btw im only guessing.


Sounds like a good guess & would be worth a try. Id love to get thing working.
I'm fairly confident with the soldering iron, or I have a friend who can probably do it for me. Are these chips gonna be rare cos of their age?
Does it have to be Akai specific of could a generic one (If there is such a thing) do the job?
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By Phonetic Mon Nov 10, 2014 11:30 am
dryad-66 wrote:Firstly get a new battery!!!!!!mess around with the wiring and sockets inside.They work loose and cause probs.


That too is an excellent idea. Better try that before messing about soldering ting.
Thanks for the tip homie!
Any body know the model number on the battery by chance?
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By Phonetic Mon Nov 10, 2014 4:26 pm
Yo, managed to cop a battery from our I.T guy at work today. Gonna try it as soon as I get home tonight then I'll report back.
Fingers crossed!!!
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By Phonetic Mon Nov 10, 2014 9:44 pm
Ok. I tried the new battery & still no dice. The battery was the correct size & voltage but a different mo number to the one that was already in the machine (Not to say that was the original anyway).
Would that make a difference?
Also it's strange why my computer isn't recognizing the MPC any more.
Any suggestions on what to try next? Is it worth trying a different battery?
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By Phonetic Tue Nov 11, 2014 10:36 am
313 studio tricks wrote:battery should work as long as its the right voltage.

next step: buy mine and switcharoo then list the leftovers as a pile of junk for sale

and smoke a joint while youre at it


The joint smokery is a darn good idea.
Any other ideas on how to fix this one? The Rom chip idea?