Touch Sensor Level Knobs

[djkleen]

@zaq - thanks for the tip!

...as for the status update on my email to Vestax support... today I actually received a reply message from them:

"Hi Thong,

Good morning. Here is a list of service centers across the U.S. Thanks.

Regards,

Ron

http://help.vestax.co.jp/en/detail.p...4&parent_id=11


Ron M.
Customer Support
Email: csg@vestax.jp
Phone: 888.498.4788"


....Well... looks like calling the service center's near you and paying for replacement parts is the only way to fix your VCI-100. Hope this helps save some people from wasting time trying to go through the various routes.

---Thong

[NewManSoon]

Sorry guys, I can't remember any of the details from the soldering ... but I don't remember it being that bad.

I don't have much solder experience so if I can pull it off, so can you. Just make sure to have a solder sucker and you should be fine.

it is only a few solder joints per pot.

Also to those who are wondering These Guys are the main distributor (North America) for for Vestax parts. They can get you the part #'s needed and who supplies them. They will only sell to dealers , however.

Hope that helps.

[fitzyp]

Do you have to buy the part from vestax or is it somewhat of a generic knob?

[NewManSoon]

The replacements on mine are not Vestax, but they work 100% and a thousand times more durable.

Sorry I don't know the specs on them.

[djkleen]

UPDATE:

I FINALLY FIXED MY VCi-100!!! =]

---ok... so since nobody (yet) has really answered this on-going topic (well... not with answers regarding replacing the pots with non-vestax parts that is...), I thought i'd help everyone who is in need of replacing these crappy pots but don't have enough info to do it. Here's what I did:

So... after getting back the email from Vestax stating that I should go buy some replacement parts from the service centers... I decided to go down to my local electronics store (specifically Fry's Electronics as I live in the Bay Area, California). I knew that I had to look for some pots that were 10KOhm (10000 Ohm)... I also wanted to get the pots that had the actual dial handle thingee that you could adjust with your finger instead of using a screwdriver (similar to the crossfader curve adjust on the VCI). When I got to Fry's... I did find a few different 10KOhm Pots...

1] one was similar to the crappy one that came originally with the VCI...
2] another was in an enclosed plastic box (which I remembered an earlier poster describing a similar-sounding description of a pot he received from the actual service center)....
3] another in an enclosed box but only had a thin adjusting rod that came out from the side

Although they did have a few in the 'finger-dial' variety... I was disappointed I couldn't find a 10KOhm version and none I saw were small enough to fit in the VCI comfortably anyways. I decided to get the 2nd one I described above (which I will also post a picture of the packaging showing clearly the specs of to help clear any confusions). Seems like they are sold in pairs since the ones I saw (including mine) came with 2 pots each. The pots I picked up were priced at $2.99 US dollars.

***NOTE: there's two types of pots----- single-turn & multi-turn. The one's I picked up was the 'single-turn' type.

So when I got home... I took the VCI apart...
(for info on taking apart the VCI: find the vids of Ean opening the case to update the firmware... this is how you would also get to the pots)

Each pot has 3 legs that need to be heated with a soldering iron and then have the solder removed with a solder-sucker. I wanted to be careful not to burn the board so I took my time heating each leg... rotating the sides I heated with the soldering iron... just to be safe. There's not that much solder on them...so it wasn't too difficult.

Some tips: At first... I worked on each leg... heating them and trying to use the solder-sucker to remove the solder... it worked on leg number 1 nicely... and that leg clearly was loose and ready to be extracted. I tried to do the same with leg number 2 & 3 but couldnt seem to suck the solder away cleanly. I was really afraid to keep reheating the leg & solder so then I changed my method. I used my right hand to heat the leg & solder while my left hand used a needle-nose plier to basically start pulling & wiggling each leg out from the other side of the board. I'm not really sure if this is a safe method but it worked for both the remaining legs. I strongly suggest doing the first method with the solder-sucker since the second method might leave you with a half broken leg still in the board, due to the excessive pulling & wiggling. ----but to each their own!! =]

Once I removed the broken pot... I took the new pot (which I had to bend the legs to make them fit on the board) and stuck the legs back through the board. One problem I ran into was that it was hard to solder the legs back on since the pot wasnt sitting flush with the board. To remedy this... all I did was fold some paper napkins so that it would push against the pot/board and hold it in place while I soldered the legs on the other side of the board. ----I'm pretty sure you can have someone hold the pot with some pliers while you soldered the legs on the backside... probably be a lot easier... but I didn't have anyone at the time so I had to go MacGuyver on that *ss! lol

Anyways... once I had one leg soldered back onto the board... it pretty much held the pot in place and soldering the rest of the legs was smooth sailing. You have to be careful and not put too much solder on the legs since it might come in contact with the other tracks on the board. I only did one pot... since I wanted to put back the VCI and make sure that it was working properly (testing the crossfader adjustments) before attempting it again. Tested it and to my relief got it working PERFECTLY!!! I decided to hold off on replacing the other pot since the second one still worked. ---but now I am stress free knowing that I will be able to replace them when needed.

I've always been sort of a leecher in various forums and never one to spend time giving help back... but I felt this was the time I might be able to help someone else who was/is in the same position I was in. Hopefully this might be you!! Thanks for all the help Ive received here at DJTECHTOOLS.COM and cheers!!

---Thong

[fitzyp]

Awesome post DJkleen! just what I wanted to read. Seems like it isn't such a daunting task afterall. and cheap too!

[djkleen]

Awesome post DJkleen! just what I wanted to read. Seems like it isn't such a daunting task afterall. and cheap too!

Thanks! I added a little extra tip in there just now... hopefully it helps you a little more!

[derek]

Thanks DJkleen. After reading your post i bought new pots (exactly the same) and just used soldering gun to replace them. It's working!

[djkleen]

Thanks DJkleen. After reading your post i bought new pots (exactly the same) and just used soldering gun to replace them. It's working!

glad to hear my write-up helped you solve your touch sensor pot problem... and really appreciate you taking the time to let me know your successful outcome!! ----NOW... let's get back to making sweet music again! CHEERS!!

----Thong Nguyen

[versionist]

djkleen,

I'm sorry, I don't understand..

• The circuit board is horizontal
• The pot in the pics have pins that come out of the opposite side of the dial (rather than perpendicular).
• If connecting the pins to this horizontal board, the dial would face downward or upward.

How did you overcome this? Did you bend the pins to make an L shape?