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in fact this very very nice controller CME bitstream 3x, has bad sliders. the knobs are fine and moove very smoothly, but the 8 slders except th small slider of crossfader which mooves smoothly, run in a sticky way.

Is there an idea to do, spray or something to improove this feeling, or at least i could open the box and change the sliders. Any ideas and reccomandations of were to get midi sliders of good quality... if there is no other way to smoothen these.

try contact cleaner...

it could be time (and moving) will solve your problem
Atom(ic) knows a good adres for electronic parts in UK, but others will too.

(why not tried this post in the problem forum?)

like I said

no. contacy cleaner has made it worse.
in fact the sliders suck.

i have opened the box, which means no guarantee from 1st day, but i do not care.
where can i find midi sliders???
sory for posting in general discussion. can someone move the discussion?

i would think a cleaner with a silicone lubricant would help, but you have to check to make sure that the cleaner won't wreck the fader...

Sorry if you know this already but you need to move the fader up and down a lot after spraying. I've cleaned a lot of pots and faders this way with no issues. I've heard of people using things like WD40 but I think there's the danger of it leaving residue behind.

dont use WD40.


Theres a product called Servisol.

Its quite expensive, but it sure is the stuff to use

well, thanks i will try out, but i do not think that will change the construction problem of the faders.

unless i am completely wrong and the only difference from nice smooth faders is the silicon or good appropriate spray

no, the difference is the design of the faders. some silicone might really help, though.

there is of course a huge difference in quality of faders...
in case you want to exchange them, you're lucky if they are connected by wires.
if the faders are directly mounted to the circuit board, an exchange can be extremely complicated and potentially could damage the board - it depends on the circuit (board) design

cheers, Tom

astroman unfortunatelly these are on the board, in the whole filosophy of bitstream, strong hard quality of construction, but in that case it is a problem.

i wonder what these silicon sprays might do? ruin the contacts???

Arco,

The 3X has ALPS faders. Current product range :- http://www3.alps.co.jp/indexpdf_potentiometers-e.html Don't know which ones.

The company view here :- http://www.waveidea.com/en/support/foru ... c.php?t=83

Mine work well, no problems.

Some folks with hints on cleaning ALPS faders :- http://forums.musicplayer.com/ubbthread ... 855/page/1

ns

A few years ago we had a discussion about cleaners for contacts, and someone posted up a 'space age' solution that escapes me. I should search for that thread sometime because I'd be interested in checking it out, but whatever it was It was more for insuring contact in your studio connections than cleaning.

For less anecdotal and more helpful ideas: I usually use Caig Deoxit to clean my faders and contact switches (and studio connections). The 100% spray is for cleaning contacts only (balanced and unbalanced) or heavy cleaning of faders in a smoking environment perhaps. The 5% solution also has lubricating oil which will help insure that your switches and faders don't get 'sticky' as your contact cleaner did, but it also has propellants which might affect the faders. (In fact most "Tuner/Radio" style contact cleaners are enough of a solvent that they've usually made my gear worse even after going back and using Deoxit, so I hope that the faders on that unit are ok.)

The larger Deoxit spray cans (like the 5% can I have) seem to lose pressure after about a year, the small bottles last a fair while longer I think. I usually order off of Caig's website about once a year just to make sure I have some on hand for my aging gear when I need it.

Caig also makes 'fader grease' which I have found invaluable on my analog mixers and various other sliding studio bits (cdj units, turntables, midi controllers etc). I haven't tried using it on motorized faders mostly out of fear but for non motorized it should help even more if 100% Deoxit alone still doesn't make the action smooth enough. The fader grease has to be custom mixed and bought from Caig though. Also note that I always use Deoxit BEFORE the fader grease, as the grease itself doesn't actually clean it only helps lubricate.

[EDIT.....]

I just read the linked threads in the post above mine and I see that the Caig fader lube is NOT recommended (though Caig is), so please be aware of that and refer to my information as more general use. In fact I'm willing to bet you could just take my post above as an endorsement of any Caig related info you find in those apls threads, read them instead.

i'll second the Caig endorsement.

valis wrote:A few years ago we had a discussion about cleaners for contacts, and someone posted up a 'space age' solution that escapes me. I should search for that thread sometime because I'd be interested in checking it out, but whatever it was It was more for insuring contact in your studio connections than cleaning.

That may have been me. If so, the product is, "Stabilant 22." It was developed for an early missile program and later sold to audiophiles under the name, "Tweak." From what I've read, Ferrari recommends it. One post I just saw on the web says it's available in the US at NAPA stores under ECH part # CE-1.

best,

john