Broken Cursor Left Button + Questions

Hello fellow MPC lovers...
Been waiting to find an MPC around where I live (Switzerland) for 6months, finally got one for 600usd yesterday.
Now everything seems to be working fine, except for the left cursor button.
Apart from that I also found out I only have 2mb ram (10.9s sampling time), and the original floppy disc reader.
(But weirdly I have 8 outs, thought this was an upgrade)
FOR THE CURSOR :
Opened the MPC front panel, and there's a weird dark red-ish liquid around the cursor buttons and resistances. Look at the picture... How can I repair it (obviously a new cursor button won't fix the problem cause mine still "clicks")

FOR THE RAM and FLOPPY :
Is it easy to change the ram myself, and also install a cf reader ? Where can I find those in Europe ?

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR HELP !!!!

mradrieno wrote:Hello fellow MPC lovers...
Been waiting to find an MPC around where I live (Switzerland) for 6months, finally got one for 600usd yesterday.
Now everything seems to be working fine, except for the left cursor button.
Apart from that I also found out I only have 2mb ram (10.9s sampling time), and the original floppy disc reader.
(But weirdly I have 8 outs, thought this was an upgrade)
FOR THE CURSOR :
Opened the MPC front panel, and there's a weird dark red-ish liquid around the cursor buttons and resistances. Look at the picture... How can I repair it (obviously a new cursor button won't fix the problem cause mine still "clicks")

FOR THE RAM and FLOPPY :
Is it easy to change the ram myself, and also install a cf reader ? Where can I find those in Europe ?

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR HELP !!!!

if the image doesn't work here's the url :
http://www.hostingpics.net/viewer.php?i ... image2.jpg

Looks like someone spilled coke on it.

Get some contact cleaner and spray it on top of the left tact switch. Just because it makes a click sound does not mean it is actually activating man.

Be careful with ordinary contact cleaners. Use DeoxIT instead!

Took me pretty much all afternoon to gather what I needed and get it done..
Found the same button on an old printer, took out the broken one, welded the new one on the board.
Cleaned the board with nail polish remover.
Everything is working now !

mradrieno wrote:... welded the new one on the board.

JUKE 179r wrote:

mradrieno wrote:... welded the new one on the board.

I believe that's the right word for it.
You unscrew the whole board where the buttons are and from the back, "unweld" the 4 parts of the tact switch(heat it up and suck the metal sticking it to the board) and then replace it with a new one with the reverse process..

mradrieno wrote:

JUKE 179r wrote:

mradrieno wrote:... welded the new one on the board.

I believe that's the right word for it.
You unscrew the whole board where the buttons are and from the back, "unweld" the 4 parts of the tact switch(heat it up and suck the metal sticking it to the board) and then replace it with a new one with the reverse process..

the correct word is 'solder'
'welding' is more for big machinery / automotive applications.

**** wrote:Be careful with ordinary contact cleaners. Use DeoxIT instead!

i have had fine results with regular contact cleaner (crc brand). what is supposedly wrong with it?

@ tapedeck:

You should be aware that most ordinary contact cleaners have a greasy base and tend to leave an oily film on the surface being treated. So, although you may notice an improvement in the short term, you often find that dust builds up on the sticky surface and may eventually make the problem even worse than before. My preferred treatment for awkward connectors is to use Caig's Deoxit D5 spray, a contact enhancer that reacts with the metal surfaces of the connectors to improve conductivity, but without leaving a sticky film.

Taken from http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul08/a ... 0708_2.htm

**** wrote:

You should be aware that most ordinary contact cleaners have a greasy base and tend to leave an oily film on the surface being treated. So, although you may notice an improvement in the short term, you often find that dust builds up on the sticky surface and may eventually make the problem even worse than before. My preferred treatment for awkward connectors is to use Caig's Deoxit D5 spray, a contact enhancer that reacts with the metal surfaces of the connectors to improve conductivity, but without leaving a sticky film.

Taken from http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul08/a ... 0708_2.htm

right but i actually use it and it doesn't leave any sticky film.
the crc is cheaper and to me this sounds like marketing at work to be honest.
edit: after looking at the article closer i think they are talking more about wd-40 type stuff (hence why they are talking about 'lube' which definitely fits this description) for fader cleaning.

I use a variant that is the same as Deoxit but half the price. You ideally don't want to leave anything that leaves residue on it as that' could be a catalyst for corrosion.

If you want to neutralize an area then get some white vinegar, put it on a piece of paper towel and clean and stabilize the area. Then use some 90% or higher isopropyl to clean the area again.

richie wrote:I use a variant that is the same as Deoxit but half the price. You ideally don't want to leave anything that leaves residue on it as that' could be a catalyst for corrosion.

If you want to neutralize an area then get some white vinegar, put it on a piece of paper towel and clean and stabilize the area. Then use some 90% or higher isopropyl to clean the area again.

THIS!!!!

I'm a cheap bastard and prefer using a $5 gallon of 90% isopropyl alcohol than a $12-$22 5.5 oz can of Deoxit.

Juke, check this out. This is what I use http://www.performanceaudio.com/item/ma ... oz-/50709/