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Any advice for dealing with a dead/malfunctioning pad?
xap
USBeta Tester Posts: 17
in Deluge Help
Got my Deluge a few months ago and all the pads were working wonderfully, but recently the very bottom right pad has become mostly unresponsive. If I put a lot of pressure across the whole pad, I can still get it to trigger, but it's way less sensitive than the others, basically unusable.
Is this a problem anyone else has encountered? I'm wondering if there's just some dust under there or something, and if so what repairing it would look like. I'm comfortable taking things apart, but wanted to check in if there are any other options first.
Best Answer
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Ian_Jorgensen
Wellington, New ZealandPosts: 614
Replacing the pads would be the first thing to check before we determine if there is a fault to get repaired. Drop us a line.
Post edited by Ian_Jorgensen on
Answers
same here. unfortunately it’s the shift button (and a few mire) which aren’t sensitive anymore. i need to press with a lot of pressure. i guess soon this buttons will not work anymore.
You can always contact us. We have replacement pads on the website. If you have an older deluge and looking at replacing the front panel, replacing the pads/shift button at the same time is easy.
Will replacing the pads fix the problem of pads not triggering?
Thanks Ian for the info about the replacement pads, I didn't know that was available, could be helpful!
But I still have the same question as pfrf - in your experience (or anyone else chime in), has pad unresponsiveness been solved by replacing the pads? Other possible causes I can imagine would be a dirty interface between pad and traces, or damaged traces/PCB components.
I know it's impossible to diagnose my specific problem via forum post, I'm just wondering if there are any common patterns to be aware of.
Short story, you were right! The pad needs replacement.
Longer story, in case it's helpful to anyone else:
I opened up the Deluge to take a look at the pads. Which, for those who don't know, involves following the disassembly instructions for replacing the battery, and then also unscrewing the screws which hold the PCB against the top panel and sandwich the pads between (I should've made a video of doing it).
Looking at the traces on the PCB for the misbehaving pad, I saw a bunch of gunk on there (see the black stuff on the right "sun ray" traces)
I thought for sure this was the problem, took a Q-Tip and some isopropyl and swabbed it clean:
Reassembled and the problem was not changed at all!
Disassembled and took the two 2x4 pad sections (for the mute&demo pads) and switched them around. I had to flip them both 180 degrees to make them fit properly.
Reassembled and the offending pad worked fine! And as expected, the working pad I had swapped with now had the problem.
So this proved that in my case what I need is a replacement pad, which fortunately is easily available from Synthstrom at a reasonable price
. My guess as to what caused the problem is just a high amount of wear on that pad caused its conductive surface to rub off on the PCB, which both gunked up the traces and removed the conductive material from the pad.
@xap Awesome post, thanks!
bookmarked for later use, thanks xap
How common is this issue with pads? Is there any expectancy about their lifetime?
i d say it is a rare issue, had zero issues and didnt see much talk about this problem. of course it depends on how u treat ur gear, keeping clean, travel protection, ..at least for a swiss guy i am rather messy i guess, so i am confident about the pads 😀
Silly question, but did you try cleaning the bottom of the pad with alcohol? The trouble with this is there must be a conductive coating on the bit that touches those gold contacts - that's what happens when you hit a pad: the conductive surface shorts those gold contacts. There's a chance washing the pad will take the conductive material off, but not a huge deal as replacement pads aren't very expensive.
For anyone else with this sort of problem - like, if you spill liquid into the deluge keypad - DON'T switch the Deluge on before you open it and get all the liquid out! Powering the unit may cause components to short and burn out. Cleaning a board is relatively simple, removing and replacing surface mount components is a total PITA.
In this case take a good hard look for any other signs of debris on the board. It looks like it's just a bit of gunk in there, but since you have it open it's good to check.
I did clean the pad as well and in my case it didn't help. But for anyone else with pad problems, it does seem like a good thing to try before replacing the pad.
In retrospect, my best guess is that this pad got worn as a result of transporting the deluge packed tightly in my luggage without a protective case. I think maybe that pad got pressed down pretty firmly and then vibrated around while in transit.
@amiga909 and @xap thanks for your answer. I try to keep the device as safe as I can (currently a case + cover for traveling)
+1
This is happening to my Start button
Will order replacement pads ASAP
Cheers!
You must be mashing the shit outta that shit eh?
(ooor its just a bad one)
~ Distinguished Delugate ᕕ( ◎_◎)ᕗ
I’ve had a deluge for a couple of weeks and the shift pad is constantly sticking on. Which is a pain. Anyone else had this issue and have advice on how to sort it out?
You can try cleaning it with a contact cleaner. https://www.muffwiggler.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=51262&start=25
I also got a new deluge last week and I think the shift button and record button are slightly misaligned with respect to the front panel, causing the button to get stuck due to friction.
I've contacted Synthstrom by email. Really hoping for a simple solution as shipping NZ <-> UK isn't the quickest
I also have a similar problem - also only after a week - but with the UNDO button. I'd be curious to hear/read what the end of your story was, did Synthstrom make any suggestions?
Send a mail to ian@synthstrom.com regarding your particular issue
~ Distinguished Delugate ᕕ( ◎_◎)ᕗ
We tried a workaround with silicon lubricant but in the end I had to get a replacement.
The replacement works great though and the Deluge is certainly my most inspiring piece of equipment
Noice!
~ Distinguished Delugate ᕕ( ◎_◎)ᕗ
decksaver is a must have if you move your deluge.
Late reply, but I am having the same issue. My "C" pad on the piano roll is probably the most used pad and it is now dead after 3+ years of usage. My gold encoders are also almost done and do not really respond to my inputs. I wouldn't call myself a heavy user but I have used the Deluge the most out of any of my gear and the C pad, and gold knobs are probably the most used inputs so I guess it makes sense they are wearing first.
Love my Deluge a lot but I'd love a 2.0 version with higher quality buttons and knobs, and of course a proper goddam screen. Thinking Elecktron, the clicky buttons are a little polarizing but they are good for 50M clicks. I know that sounds excessive, you'd need to click a button 27,378 a day for 5 years to wear one out, but I am a big fan of over engineering for professional gear.
Anyways, I've been putting off the task of disassembling the Deluge so it's kinda sitting on my desk feeling neglected. I know once I replace one thing I'll need to start replacing other parts as they begin to wear out too, so I'll probably order all new knobs and all new pads and do everything in one go. Just not looking forward to soldering the knobs on my beloved Deluge.
I totally agree with you about 50 millions clicks Elektron buttons.. They feel as if an alien civilization discover earth in 100000 years and find a Digitakt, it would still work, and they would have fun pushing that buttons with their 3 fingered hands 🙂 But I guess 172 buttons like that would raise the cost of Deluge a lot..
Have you considered a Deluge Refresh? It seems a reasonably priced option once every 3/4 years...
Hmm having this one too, the pads on the bottom right started to behave flaky.
It’s kind of unexpected for medium usage of not even two years. I mean it’s a 1000+ €, I guess I wanted this to last way longer. Think 10 years or so.