Technical questions for the MPC2000xl and the MPC2000
By KRM Sat Jan 12, 2013 5:51 am
I have searched and read most of the posts here relating to pad and audio issues and so far none are quite the same as mine, so i am going ahead with my post. Please excuse me if i missed something in my searches.

I recently acquired an MPC2000XL here in Japan. It was fully functional except for the fact that several of the "F" buttons and the directional buttons functioned only intermittently.

Yesterday, i opened up the MPC and replaced all the tact switches that were not functioning. They all tested fine after replacement so i buttoned up the unit and went about my business. As soon as i tried to sample i realized that there was a problem however.

As it stands, the pads are not being recognized at all AND there is no audio output from the unit.

THE PADS
FYI: everyone of the pads worked perfectly well before i opened up the unit.
I am testing the pads via the internal diagnostics (Shift + 5, Shift + F1, MEMCHK then PADCHK) and have yet to get any response. No matter what, it just reads "PAD: 70".

I have removed and reseated the ribbon cable at least twenty times, in some cases with cardboard shims under the cable in an attempt to give it added pressure against the contacts. Still no response whatsoever. I have examined the cable as best as i possible can and cannot see any cracks in the ribbon (it would be nice if whomever designed the pad sensors left some small holes in the protective covering near the actual pads to allow for continuity testing).

I did notice that all the leads on the ribbon were a blackish colour and tried to use an eraser to clean them a bit. This produced no noticeable results.

THE AUDIO OUTPUT
FYI: my unit lacks the eight output module, so i am working with the stereo and phones outputs only.
At the same time as i noticed that the pads where not working, i noticed that i had no audio output either. I have tested this using both the phones output and there L/R outs. I have tested using both "PLAY X" in trim mode and with "Monitor:L/R" during sampling.

If during sampling i crank my main volume all the way up and crank my sample source output all the way up along with record gain cranked, then i can hear a very slight crackling version of the input signal (massively clipped of course), but i can actually hear this even if i turn off monitoring (Monitor: Off) so i think this is just bleed through in the unit. The record input/gain seem to be fine (as shown by the level indicators) and i can sample at correct volumes, i was only turning these up to get the absolute most output possible from the unit as a test. I just cannot hear any playback/monitor from the MPC.

So it would appear that i have definitely done something wrong to my unit. I pursuit of fixing this, i have removed the bottom cover and looked at the main board, i have removed and reseated just about every cable that i could find and i have reseated the pad ribbon over and over again.

So i have no pad response and no audio output. Finding a place to take this in Japan (and communicating with them) would be a nightmare and the cost would probably exceed what i could buy another MPC for (labor is expensive in Japan).

If anyone has any recommendations, i would be more than happy to hear them.

Many thanks (especially if you've read this far into my huge post),
Kevin
User avatar
By mr_debauch Sat Jan 12, 2013 8:03 am
I am sure you must have done this already.. but did you go over every trace on all PCBs to make sure there are no broken traces?

Do you have any other midi controller type gear you can use to run midi in to see if it triggers a sample that is assigned? That is, if there is no problem with the midi in port.

Maybe you have a bad board somewhere in there....


hopefully the mpc is not dead... I guess the main board is working since it boots and runs... maybe one of the other parts has an issue.

As for being in japan, I dont know what to say... but lukemorse1 on youtube who is into gaming and arcade boards fixes arcade main boards... it's shocking the terrible condition busted boards he is able to revive. But one time a month or two ago he wound up with one arcade board he couldn't fix so he did this video of him bringing it into a repair place. He didn't film inside, and I forget if it got fixed in the end... but he showed where the spot was from outside... check him on youtube to find out where that was. (PS. he is an american who can speak a bit of japanese... not sure how well though.. also, he is really a cool guy who likes helping out others, especially when it comes to getting around in japan)
By KRM Mon Jan 21, 2013 6:50 am
Sorry to all for the late reply, been out of town for the past week. Thanks for the responses.

I looked over the board fairly well the day i replaced all the tact switches, but i was pretty burnt out with it after four hours so it is defiantly possible that i missed one.

I was pulling up a lot of pads (solder pads, not MPC rubber pads) during the replace so maybe something got bridged during my fixes (all of the replaced switches work perfectly however).

I have not yet tried to trigger any sample via MIDI (very new to the MPC and do not know how to setup programs as of yet), but i will try that soon.

I figure that for both the pads and the audio to go out on the same day that i go in there and start monkeying around, it has to be related to what i did, so i first plan to go in there and go over my trances with some fresh eyes soon.

Thanks for the info on lukemorse1. I checked out his youtube page, seems like a knowledgeable fellow.

/KRM
User avatar
By SimonInAustralia Mon Jan 21, 2013 7:17 am
KRM wrote:I was pulling up a lot of pads (solder pads, not MPC rubber pads) during the replace so maybe something got bridged during my fixes (all of the replaced switches work perfectly however).

F'ing hell, take it to someone that has the gear and skills to do it properly!!!
By gray Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:57 pm
Same problem here after replace note varation slider.

The note varation slide is working now... but pads i have not answer from pads and audio output is broken... i hear the cranck.

Some solution?
By kerussm Tue Mar 29, 2016 8:12 pm
Hi, did You solved the problem with Your MPC? I have the same issue, found couple of topics opened here but none with any solution... :|