D-command ES sticky faders

[Sndnerd]

I have a 24 channel D-command that I bought used and I have bad case of sticky faders. Here's what's going on: random faders on random given days don't register touch. If I cajole them enough, tap, wiggle, caress them.. they start to work again. Popping the caps is usually the first course of action. but sometimes that doesn't work. At first I thought I had dead faders.. bought 4 new ones from the avid dealer and they promptly stopped working. way to waste 500 bucks.. anyways I thought it might be a grounding issue- tried plugging into different circuits (that have different grounds) and same thing. I guess next step would be to get ground tested (not sure how to do this?) aside from that has anyone gone through this before? it's happens both equally in main unit and fader pack. It's driving me crazy.

[Darryl Ramm]

tried all this? http://avid.force.com/pkb/articles/e...ility/en210819

[Sndnerd]

Yes! thank-you. standing up seems to be the solution. Hopefully i'll still be able to sit in my Aeron...

[Darryl Ramm]

Yep if your feet don't touch the ground then you are insulated. A grounded mat and feet deliberate touching it may be all you need. Check the desk is properly grounded as well.

I would not give up an Aeron for anything, esp. with the later posture fit back design...

[Sndnerd]

I'm still struggling with sticky faders on my D-command.. standing up only occasionally works, I always have between 3-6 dead faders. I think it's safe to say I've eliminated grounding from the equation, installing new faders also doesn't help. Anyone out there have any other suggestions? I'm starting to think I have a lemon on my hands..

[kdramsey]

Originally Posted by Sndnerd

I'm still struggling with sticky faders on my D-command.. standing up only occasionally works, I always have between 3-6 dead faders. I think it's safe to say I've eliminated grounding from the equation, installing new faders also doesn't help. Anyone out there have any other suggestions? I'm starting to think I have a lemon on my hands..

What type of flooring do you have where the D-Command is located? I had laminate wood flooring on concrete and it caused the same issues you are describing. I would have to stand up and be barefoot to get all of the faders working reliably.

Kevin

[Sndnerd]

Thanks. It's wood on concrete, I've tried barefoot too..
I do think I've had a revelation though with these faders. it's simply the way they are designed, they require positive lateral pressure for the contacts to be always touching the strips. for whatever reason some of them have lapses where they loose contact. If you give them a good sideways wiggle you can get them to behave. I've also started pulling them out and placing copper tape in between the contacts to give them some extra material in between so they always stay in touch. Still experimenting with this. Huge relief though to FINALLY understand what's been causing this headache for 2+ years. I'm surprised the design of these faders hasn't been brought up before.

[TFH]

Originally Posted by Sndnerd

Thanks. It's wood on concrete, I've tried barefoot too..
I do think I've had a revelation though with these faders. it's simply the way they are designed, they require positive lateral pressure for the contacts to be always touching the strips. for whatever reason some of them have lapses where they loose contact. If you give them a good sideways wiggle you can get them to behave. I've also started pulling them out and placing copper tape in between the contacts to give them some extra material in between so they always stay in touch. Still experimenting with this. Huge relief though to FINALLY understand what's been causing this headache for 2+ years. I'm surprised the design of these faders hasn't been brought up before.

Hello Sndnerd,

Have you found a solution? Did you put copper tape under the caps?

[YYR123]

Interesting, I've heard about the upgrade to carbon fiber faders(?) but I didn't know what that was supposed to fix.

[Sndnerd]

Originally Posted by TFH

Hello Sndnerd,

Have you found a solution? Did you put copper tape under the caps?

Yes I've done a couple rounds of fixes now on both consoles (to be clear I have both the older and newer versions of the carbon faders found in the D-command ES). The copper tape appears to be holding up well on the 6 faders I had that were completely non-responsive, they work fine now. I still have occasional dropouts on other faders, I'm finding a firm 'tap' to the left fixes this. So I'm more or less 100% on all 48.. hoping it stays that way.