Using contact cleaner on the Q-Links

My first and second (mainly second) Q-links can be a bit jumpy and erratic. I don't have the status showing when the Q-Links are touched (that's been suggested as a problem in the past) . When I remove the knobs and turn the shaft directly, the issue still occurs.

I have some DeoxIT D5 contact cleaner, has anyone tried this on the Q-Links or any other continuous controllers? I've used it on normal potentiometers, but these may be more sensitive.

I was thinking of applying with a syringe (obviously not poking it in there), as the can can blast away a bit too much.

It seems I fixed the issue, and it seems just surface dirt. Even though it looked pretty clean and had been wiped down with a soft cloth, and guess something was there. Took a couple of cotton buds (I think Americans call these cue tips), and went all over the surface and inside the knobs and a dry paint brush around the opening of the pot shaft. The cotton buds looked pretty clean after, it seems to have done the trick.

Still if anyone has used contact cleaner it would be good to know if this is an option.

Pull your qlinks off broski, then take tinfoil and stick it on the pegs then cram your qlinks back on. it sounds crazy but iirc you work for viewsonic? you get the idea of what i'm saying. it works too.. my mpc one was a cock always jumping around... acting eratic until i got fed up with it. Shouldn't hose them with cleaner, they are grease packed.

Neodymium wrote:I've used it on normal potentiometers, but these may be more sensitive.

nah… same rule apply, these are essentially regular pots but with 2 wipers shifted in phase.
As Ultros said - try to clean the actual plastic cap first and make the shaft of the pot sit tight as this will increase conductivity between cap and the pot.

They are working now, but they were still jumping around without the caps on, until I cleaned down with cotton buds. So something must have been clogging the shaft (god that sounds wrong), or something.

Good to know I can try deoxit in the future.

Q-tip in the clogged shaft!

Off topic a bit but how is your encoder knob holding up? does yours rock around the christmas tree as well? Mine feels all loose and chitty, still works but im kinda waiting for the day i reach down give it a spin and it falls apart on me.

Fine, I do remember them being a lot stiffer to remove the first time, to the point I was wondering if they were actually connected. Now they just give a little resistance, so I can see that getting worse with time after more cleans.

My 2 jittery Q-Links started again, even without the knobs controlling with just the shaft. So gave another clean and used a litter pump to blow away any particles) So I grabbed a syringe with a hypodermic needle from the pharmacy and sprayed deoxit into the needle cap (to use as a container), sucked it into the syringe and the applied just a few drops where the shaft goes through the bushing (No need to remove the bolt) and gave lots of turns to help the fluid work its way inside. Repeated for all 4 q-links

So far the jitters have gone, and the q-links feel smoother to turn. I hope it last this time.

I've seen a few post of people having problems with Q-Links so this may be worth a try.

Neodymium wrote:I've seen a few post of people having problems with Q-Links so this may be worth a try.

What brand & kind do you use?

But I just noticed doing an image search, they do one with a needle dispenser, which may be more available in the Europe and the US

I asked because they also make one that made for faders which might be better for knobs.

That was the only one they sold here in a store that focuses on studio equipment only. Just google the the Fader option (F Series) and it is available, but at 30 dollars a can I'll have to think about it when this one starts getting low. Although saying that, my can looks like it's already 30 years old with all the corrosion on the outside, despite being pretty full.

Neodymium wrote:That was the only one they sold here in a store that focuses on studio equipment only. Just google the the Fader option (F Series) and it is available, but at 30 dollars a can I'll have to think about it when this one starts getting low. Although saying that, my can looks like it's already 30 years old with all the corrosion on the outside, despite being pretty full.

I got the fader one for way cheaper than that, but that was like 2 years ago, but you should still find it cheaper than that. Also, I got one of the smaller cans. Good luck. I'm surprised MPC-Stuff don't make & sell thier own.

B-Wise wrote: but you should still find it cheaper than that.

Not in Vietnam. Lots of things are cheaper here, but things they don't use are more expensive.. Many things are are also much harder to find. You couldn't find WD-40 when I first came here. I saw a can a few years ago, and grabbed it, but now I need to replace. I have to order it from another city.

When I got my MPC I had to order from Germany, now it's available in Vietnam. So much has changed in 11 years. Even Behringer didn't have mush stuff here, unless it was mixers and gear aimed at Karaoke and Function Bands, but now I can buy a some of their new synths and modular.

Damn that sucks. I hope you find it.

This reminds of a guy I knew that married an Ethiopian woman. When they visited her country he said he could've made a fortune selling can-openers