I'm new to SK & blown away. This content is so generously thorough, yet concise & engaging, that I always leave with a deeper practical understanding of even the most familiar concepts. This subscription is a real treasure, Thank you!!
The soaking in IPA worked well for me with these all plastic Mallosliders from a Moog Taurus 1. I could not see a way to open them, so I'm glad I ran across this video and tried that method. Worked like a charm. I've desoldered, opened, cleaned, lubed, re-assembled, and re-soldered a few ARP Odyssey slider sets. Lot of work.
As we're not in the business of repairing other people's gear, spending the time to clean each pot is a labor of love. I have no problem spending the time to maintain my vintage gear. This video was a good review of best practices. I'd like to see something regarding a method of detecting caps that are aging before they go. Typically, gear just fails and you go about changing all the caps, or finding that one bad one.
Of the 22 Faders in my 1978 Soundcraftsmen PE2217 Preamp-Equalizer, most were extremely difficult to move, and some were making no electrical contact at all, while others were intermittent. Your video is the only one I have found where the same type of Faders come into the picture. Anyhow I blasted them with Deoxit, and that fixed the electrical contact problems. I then spent lots of time carefully re-lubricating each Fader with a silicon lubricant. The good news was that I did not have to remove any of the Faders for cleaning, nor for re-lubricating.
This is a wonderful resource Keith, thanks for sharing. Currently restoring some gear that's been in storage since it's touring days, and this showdown style has helped triage methodology. And given me some increasing desire for a quality oscilloscope!
Awesome. I have a Realistic Mg-1 that has some slider issues. I replaced some, but they are pricey. I'm going to try to take one apart and see how it goes. Thanks! Your videos are extremely helpful.
I'm curios what the results would be for the rotary potentiomenters in a showdown such as this, including a cleaning by ultrasonic method. Thank you. Awesome video, very professional.
Best preventative maintenance I've found for faders (my AMEK has 44) is vacuuming once a month & keeping the console covered (I use a large sheet of vinyl) when not in use..
Wow, great vid! I've always used MG 404B contact cleaner with silicones, but that's only because that how I was taught to do it. This video is great for explaining how the pot actually performs, rather than "hmm, well it feels smooth, so it should be good enough." I suspect that using contact cleaner alone only buys time, as the gunk inside the wiper doesn't actually go away, it just gets moved around. But if buying time means another 10 years, I'd cal that a good repair!
***** Hi Scott. Even after making this video, I still find that cleaning potentiometers effectively requires a bit of magic. Once you find an approach that works well for you, just keep doing that!
I have an Ekosynth P15 which is in pristine condition, but has a slightly scratchy volume pot. Other pots work fine but they don't 'feel' great across the full motion, my plan is to desolder and clean all of them with 99% alcohol and Q tip. Thanks for the informative video.
Very good video. I'm having issues with both linear and rotary. The rotary can be fixed for short times.. i will try to spray into the hole but its soldered with pins down.. why do I try to keep old junk running? Bravo
the carbon track in my piano volume slider is worn out and causes a loud ground noise when moved to near zero volume. The replacement Korg volume slider is no longer available. How can I fix this slider? Thanks for your help.
This is a really, really well-done video. Thorough yet straightforward. Great work! Quick question: What function on the scope (at least, that's what I assume) are you using to trace the cumulative voltage output as you sweep the pot? Are there ways to go about this if our equipment does not come with this feature by default?
I was thinking the same thing. I believe you set the scope up to do a single trigger, but you may have to extend the time base to capture the signal so it gives you enough time to slide the pot.
Very helpful, thanks for this. I've got a Mk1 Odyssey that needs a little love, so I'm tryna get a grasp on how to revitalize the faders, but have poor soldering skills
If there was ever a worthy inspiration to tighten up those skills, it's that wonderful Odyssey you have there. Especially thinking about the great talent that hand soldered those parts. What a beautiful piece of history. Good luck refreshing it!
Hey, excellent video. i have cleaned mine with isopropyl alcohol and they became like more dificult to move. what should i do ? they had some dust cover and i guess maybe the alcohol made it worse by loosening that and ended up inside those faders ? any advice?
As far as i know, there isnt any lubrication on the resistive tracks because it would interfere with conduction. Only on the the rails where the wiper moves along you can or have to apply some lubrication but be careful not to get it between contacts.
Thanks for the info, very informative, tho i wanna know if you could , apart from cleaning faders, also talk about fader lubrication and the difference of a 5% lubricant spray cleaner and a 100% spray lubricant (Example: DeoxIT F5 vs DeoxIT F100S/F100L)
NB: On gear with pots that don't respond to cleaning you can carefully open pots with tabs, by bending the tabs just enough to allow the pot to be disassembled. You then clean and reassemble the pot, bending the tabs back into position. Take care, you can only do this a very limited number of times before those tabs start breaking due to metal fatigue. Luckily, you should only need to clean a pot every 20 years. PS: If you find yourself always cleaning your pots... stop smoking ;-).
i guess i would criticize the 'clean bill of health' on No.6, the 'isopropyl alcohol' cleaed fader insofar as it only has a useable range of just around 50% of the track length as it is misleading at best to calibrate the synth based on that kind of behaviour (unless i am misunderstanding and there was just a mismatch or synch problem between the movement of the wiper and the osc. tracing range)
Hi Tom. Some pots are just impossible to take apart, and you'll probably have to find a suitable replacement. However, you can also try drilling or boring a small hole on the back of the pot, and injecting some contact cleaner into the hole. Be careful though, if any metal filings get into the pot, you'll definitely have to replace it.
Hi John. Yes, oil in compressed air can be a problem. If you are using compressed air from a can, it's best to read the label. If you are using an air compressor (the type you plug in, with a reservoir tank), then you should have an air filter installed.
Isopropyl is not a suitable cleaner for pots as it can leave an unsuitable residue. Use 100% denatured alcohol instead, then a suitable lubricant as in Caig products because a completely dry wiper will hasten track dereriorization.
I'm new to SK & blown away. This content is so generously thorough, yet concise & engaging, that I always leave with a deeper practical understanding of even the most familiar concepts. This subscription is a real treasure, Thank you!!
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Now that is how a video should be made , no stupid background music very clear well spoken English thank you !
Thanks Keith, Your videos win hands down in the areas of magical synths and clarity.
I'm new to SK & blown away. This content is so generously thorough, yet concise & engaging, that I always leave with a deeper practical understanding of even the most familiar concepts. This subscription is a real treasure, Thank you!!
Awesome video! Appreciated 🍻🍻
Bravo! Very informative.
The soaking in IPA worked well for me with these all plastic Mallosliders from a Moog Taurus 1. I could not see a way to open them, so I'm glad I ran across this video and tried that method. Worked like a charm. I've desoldered, opened, cleaned, lubed, re-assembled, and re-soldered a few ARP Odyssey slider sets. Lot of work.
Fantastic video! I'm about to open my W30 to fix some sticky pots and found this very informative and well produced!
I'm glad to help.
As we're not in the business of repairing other people's gear, spending the time to clean each pot is a labor of love. I have no problem spending the time to maintain my vintage gear. This video was a good review of best practices. I'd like to see something regarding a method of detecting caps that are aging before they go. Typically, gear just fails and you go about changing all the caps, or finding that one bad one.
Thank you for sharing these "often needed" information.
Of the 22 Faders in my 1978 Soundcraftsmen PE2217 Preamp-Equalizer, most were extremely difficult to move, and some were making no electrical contact at all, while others were intermittent. Your video is the only one I have found where the same type of Faders come into the picture. Anyhow I blasted them with Deoxit, and that fixed the electrical contact problems. I then spent lots of time carefully re-lubricating each Fader with a silicon lubricant. The good news was that I did not have to remove any of the Faders for cleaning, nor for re-lubricating.
Great video as always. Very informative. Keep them coming!
Excellent information. Very well done. Always wondered about the pot cleaning. Thanks
You are welcome Electron. I'm glad you found the info useful.
This is a wonderful resource Keith, thanks for sharing. Currently restoring some gear that's been in storage since it's touring days, and this showdown style has helped triage methodology. And given me some increasing desire for a quality oscilloscope!
Awesome. I have a Realistic Mg-1 that has some slider issues. I replaced some, but they are pricey. I'm going to try to take one apart and see how it goes. Thanks! Your videos are extremely helpful.
Great video, fantastic explanation!
Thank you.
Awesome video, congratulations for all the work here!!
I'm curios what the results would be for the rotary potentiomenters in a showdown such as this, including a cleaning by ultrasonic method. Thank you. Awesome video, very professional.
Best preventative maintenance I've found for faders (my AMEK has 44) is vacuuming once a month & keeping the console covered (I use a large sheet of vinyl) when not in use..
That is excellent advice.
Very well Explained with Osciloscope. Nice Sir. Keep it up.💐
excellent information with proof !!! thanks for sharing !!!
You're welcome Kunal. Thanks for your comment.
Wow, great vid! I've always used MG 404B contact cleaner with silicones, but that's only because that how I was taught to do it. This video is great for explaining how the pot actually performs, rather than "hmm, well it feels smooth, so it should be good enough."
I suspect that using contact cleaner alone only buys time, as the gunk inside the wiper doesn't actually go away, it just gets moved around. But if buying time means another 10 years, I'd cal that a good repair!
***** Hi Scott. Even after making this video, I still find that cleaning potentiometers effectively requires a bit of magic. Once you find an approach that works well for you, just keep doing that!
Hi Keith. Brilliant video and explained very well. Thankyou
I have an Ekosynth P15 which is in pristine condition, but has a slightly scratchy volume pot. Other pots work fine but they don't 'feel' great across the full motion, my plan is to desolder and clean all of them with 99% alcohol and Q tip. Thanks for the informative video.
Thanks for the video. Could you please explain how to make oscilloscopes showing graphs like that?
Great job, thank you for taking the time to do it right.
Excellent video. Very informative and thorough.
Very helpful, thanks a lot!
Incredible content.
Really good video, instructive & useful! Thank you.
Very good video. I'm having issues with both linear and rotary. The rotary can be fixed for short times.. i will try to spray into the hole but its soldered with pins down.. why do I try to keep old junk running? Bravo
the carbon track in my piano volume slider is worn out and causes a loud ground noise when moved to near zero volume. The replacement Korg volume slider is no longer available. How can I fix this slider? Thanks for your help.
Nice video and nice scope
Excellent video
Wow, really enjoyed this. Thank you so much. Off to tackle a Sansui 5050. :)
This is a really, really well-done video. Thorough yet straightforward. Great work!
Quick question: What function on the scope (at least, that's what I assume) are you using to trace the cumulative voltage output as you sweep the pot? Are there ways to go about this if our equipment does not come with this feature by default?
I was thinking the same thing. I believe you set the scope up to do a single trigger, but you may have to extend the time base to capture the signal so it gives you enough time to slide the pot.
Ronnie Augeri any other thoughts on this? How do you trigger?
Thanks, very helpful!
You're welcome Pieter. Glad to help.
Wow thanks for sharing!
very informative and shot very well! thank you!
Can a digital oscilloscope be used to see
Nicely explained
Thank you.
Great video, thanks!
Very helpful, thanks for this. I've got a Mk1 Odyssey that needs a little love, so I'm tryna get a grasp on how to revitalize the faders, but have poor soldering skills
If there was ever a worthy inspiration to tighten up those skills, it's that wonderful Odyssey you have there. Especially thinking about the great talent that hand soldered those parts. What a beautiful piece of history. Good luck refreshing it!
David Ryan right you are sir! Thanks for pointing it out
Very informative.
Thank you
Great video. Subbed.
Hey, excellent video. i have cleaned mine with isopropyl alcohol and they became like more dificult to move. what should i do ? they had some dust cover and i guess maybe the alcohol made it worse by loosening that and ended up inside those faders ? any advice?
Firdous, you can find fader cleaner that has a lubricant in it, and that might help.
excellent job dude
Thanks a lot Keith! How much air pressure would you advise?
Very helpful. Thank You a lot!
Great video!!! I guess the alcohol soaking option can also be a bit expensive.
Super video, thank you!
Thanks for the comment, I'm glad you found it useful.
great video
Thank you.
VERY informative, thank you!
Invaluable information. Tell me, is there actually any type of conductive lubrication or heavier grease used in linear potentiometers?
As far as i know, there isnt any lubrication on the resistive tracks because it would interfere with conduction.
Only on the the rails where the wiper moves along you can or have to apply some lubrication but be careful not to get it between contacts.
Thanks for the video - Intersting . Any thoughts on Ultrasonic Cleaning baths?
If you use contact cleaner, move the fader/pot back and forth at least 50 times. More is better. It really does the work.
Great video! Is it important to lubricate the carbon tracks of potentiometer?
For some potentiometers, it's best to use a cleaner that includes a lubricant.
That MG chemicals contact cleaner is pretty good and its made in Canada, but its very hard to get here in NB, so i use Deoxit. D5.
Now, WHICH contact cleaner?
great video!! thank you
Thanks for the info, very informative, tho i wanna know if you could , apart from cleaning faders, also talk about fader lubrication and the difference of a 5% lubricant spray cleaner and a 100% spray lubricant (Example: DeoxIT F5 vs DeoxIT F100S/F100L)
Sometimes it can help to warm old brittle plastics a little with a hair dryer if you're working on something that would be hard to replace.
That's a great tip!
NB: On gear with pots that don't respond to cleaning you can carefully open pots with tabs, by bending the tabs just enough to allow the pot to be disassembled. You then clean and reassemble the pot, bending the tabs back into position. Take care, you can only do this a very limited number of times before those tabs start breaking due to metal fatigue. Luckily, you should only need to clean a pot every 20 years. PS: If you find yourself always cleaning your pots... stop smoking ;-).
i guess i would criticize the 'clean bill of health' on No.6, the 'isopropyl alcohol' cleaed fader insofar as it only has a useable range of just around 50% of the track length as it is misleading at best to calibrate the synth based on that kind of behaviour (unless i am misunderstanding and there was just a mismatch or synch problem between the movement of the wiper and the osc. tracing range)
Since you are very smart, do you know how to repair damages plastic threads on a Kurzweil K2000? Thanks.
Sledge hammer!
Cleaning is easy....restoring the original tactile feel / smooth movement is the tricky part.
Good video! :-)
how to clean sealed metal small pot from my Focusrite board?
Hi Tom. Some pots are just impossible to take apart, and you'll probably have to find a suitable replacement. However, you can also try drilling or boring a small hole on the back of the pot, and injecting some contact cleaner into the hole. Be careful though, if any metal filings get into the pot, you'll definitely have to replace it.
I've contacted focusrite they send me a pot free of charge
free pot 😅👍
I have a feeling that putting that in an ultrasonic cleaner first would do it wonders.
Excelent
FAIR PLAY GREAT POST MAN
Good video brother :)
Don't compressed air cans often have oil in them and are not good for electronic contacts?
Hi John. Yes, oil in compressed air can be a problem. If you are using compressed air from a can, it's best to read the label. If you are using an air compressor (the type you plug in, with a reservoir tank), then you should have an air filter installed.
Filter at each wouldn't hurt.
Subscribed. Too bad my TR-505 will probably need to be taken to someone else to repair its dirty volume and tempo knobs.
"This was not a boating accident" xD
I was hoping you'd hit one with WD40. That's what works best for me.
Isopropyl is not a suitable cleaner for pots as it can leave an unsuitable residue. Use 100% denatured alcohol instead, then a suitable lubricant as in Caig products because a completely dry wiper will hasten track dereriorization.
Amateur and little gammer !!!
I'm new to SK & blown away. This content is so generously thorough, yet concise & engaging, that I always leave with a deeper practical understanding of even the most familiar concepts. This subscription is a real treasure, Thank you!!
Thanks for the great comment Naked Bob. I really appreciate it.
Great video! Thanks!