Cleaning dirty contacts...

Discussion relating to the Korg M3 Workstation.

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Cathy
Junior Member
Posts: 82
Joined: Mon Aug 26, 2019 1:04 am

Cleaning dirty contacts...

Post by Cathy »

The M3-M I bought has some dirty sliders, has anyone on here cleaned their pots and sliders?
If so, what did you use to clean them and how hard was it disassembling the synth?
Any chance of finding new buttons?

Sorry about all of the questions,we don't have a repair shop nearby.
voip
Platinum Member
Posts: 3974
Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2014 2:07 pm

Post by voip »

Using a clean unused (at least for painting) 1" paintbrush, with a vacuum cleaner nozzle held close by is quite a handy way to get rid of dust from the surface, and the slider grooves. Follow this with an airduster directed into the slider grooves, again with the vacuum nozzle held close, to get rid of deeper dust. After that, work the controls back and forth a good many times, maybe 10 or 20 times. This should get rid of contact oxidation and reduce electrical noise and intermittency from the controls. If the sliders are still noisy after this, try squirting a little Servisol Super 10, or Deoxit contact cleaner/lubricant into the slider slots (not too much though), and work the sliders back and forth 10 or 20 times more. Rotary potentiometers and switch contacts are harder to get at with the contact cleaning spray, and would normally necessitate getting access to the back of the rotary control. If the controls are still noisy after this bit of TLC, then they will probably need replacing. Buttons benefit from use. With the M3 module turned off, give each switch and the 8 pads a good "workout". Hopefully it will help.

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Cathy
Junior Member
Posts: 82
Joined: Mon Aug 26, 2019 1:04 am

Post by Cathy »

Thank you for the information, it's appreciated.
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