A neighbor gave me this console to keep in exchange for repairing some stuff for him. He said it works, but the volume fader on the left side is kinda wonky and "needs cleaning, like last time you did it". This console has had work done on it in the past, both by me and someone else. I had taken apart both volume and pitch faders on the left side and cleaned them, for the same issue, and also resoldered the USB connector.
First, I took apart the console to replace the RCA jacks on the "booth" output, as the original ones were missing, instead there were 2 ugly ones hanging from pieces of wire soldered to the inside. I don't know who did that but they've been like that for a long long time. I am actually amazed that ugly job didn't break in 3 years. Good riddance.
Then i tested the master output as that was apparently "not working", and the booth output was used instead. I never bothered to actually test it until now. Turns out there was nothing wrong with it, except for the jacks being a little oxidized and making crackling noises when the cable was moved. A bit of cleaning fixed that.
After i'd fixed the jacks and went to test them, the left fader went REALLY wonky for some reason. At 95% travel it would only go up to 3/4 in the software, then as it hit the end it would jump up suddenly.
I desoldered the fader and took it apart fearing the worst. And indeed, it wasn't dirty. The resistive layer was severely damaged - it measured ~56k instead of 10k! It was too far gone.
However, there was something that became immediately apparent. The faders have only 3 legs, so there's just 1 channel (this is a digital console), but on their back it says 10Kx2... Hmm. Also, it only has one brush inside, but it does have 2 resistive layers. The other layer looked brand new (obviously, since there was nothing to scratch it). I measured and whadd'ya know - bang-on 10k. You thinking what i'm thinking?
I cut the connection to the worn layer and wired the other one up. I then flipped the brush around so it slides on this other layer, put a bit of grease on it, re-assembled the fader and soldered it back into the console. It worked a treat, so i did the other one as well. Now both volume faders work like brand new.
The really good news is that all the faders are built like that - so if one of the other ones fails, i can do the same trick. Looks like i will get a couple more years of use out of this console.
Sometimes, economics of scale end up being a good thing.
First, I took apart the console to replace the RCA jacks on the "booth" output, as the original ones were missing, instead there were 2 ugly ones hanging from pieces of wire soldered to the inside. I don't know who did that but they've been like that for a long long time. I am actually amazed that ugly job didn't break in 3 years. Good riddance.
Then i tested the master output as that was apparently "not working", and the booth output was used instead. I never bothered to actually test it until now. Turns out there was nothing wrong with it, except for the jacks being a little oxidized and making crackling noises when the cable was moved. A bit of cleaning fixed that.
After i'd fixed the jacks and went to test them, the left fader went REALLY wonky for some reason. At 95% travel it would only go up to 3/4 in the software, then as it hit the end it would jump up suddenly.
I desoldered the fader and took it apart fearing the worst. And indeed, it wasn't dirty. The resistive layer was severely damaged - it measured ~56k instead of 10k! It was too far gone.
However, there was something that became immediately apparent. The faders have only 3 legs, so there's just 1 channel (this is a digital console), but on their back it says 10Kx2... Hmm. Also, it only has one brush inside, but it does have 2 resistive layers. The other layer looked brand new (obviously, since there was nothing to scratch it). I measured and whadd'ya know - bang-on 10k. You thinking what i'm thinking?
I cut the connection to the worn layer and wired the other one up. I then flipped the brush around so it slides on this other layer, put a bit of grease on it, re-assembled the fader and soldered it back into the console. It worked a treat, so i did the other one as well. Now both volume faders work like brand new.
The really good news is that all the faders are built like that - so if one of the other ones fails, i can do the same trick. Looks like i will get a couple more years of use out of this console.
Sometimes, economics of scale end up being a good thing.
Attached Files
. Economies of scale can indeed give good outcome sometimes.
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