Avid S1 - Stuck Encoder

[Mixmaster Rick]

All,

Three months ago I purchase an S1 and a Dock. In one of my first posts I asked if anyone else experience loose encoders on their S1 and I commented that I preferred the smoother feel of the encoders on the Dock.

Here I am, three months and a few days later and encoder 6 (Channel 6) is stuck. It won't move at all. So I went from mentioning how loose they are and now one is actually frozen, stopped, won't budge...

Any ideas? Has this happened to anyone else?? This S1 may have as much as forty hours of use, more specifically that encoder has less than an hour of use. Unreal.

[its2loud]

Originally Posted by Mixmaster Rick

All,

Three months ago I purchase an S1 and a Dock. In one of my first posts I asked if anyone else experience loose encoders on their S1 and I commented that I preferred the smoother feel of the encoders on the Dock.

Here I am, three months and a few days later and encoder 6 (Channel 6) is stuck. It won't move at all. So I went from mentioning how loose they are and now one is actually frozen, stopped, won't budge...

Any ideas? Has this happened to anyone else?? This S1 may have as much as forty hours of use, more specifically that encoder has less than an hour of use. Unreal.

You’re within the first year of ownership. Contact Avid support, they’ll help you out

[Mixmaster Rick]

Understood. Last week I bought a second one. The encoders are just as loose. Honestly, I would have been happier paying more money (if necessary) to have them build the S1's with the same feel of the encoders on the Dock.

Thanks!

[anason-records]

what do you mean by loose? i have 2 S1s and a Dock. I agree also that the encoders feel nicer on the dock and yes, they have more resistance than the s1 encoders but when you say loose, it sounds as if it is damaged or so, which ofcourse should not be. Mine are all fine.

[Mixmaster Rick]

Hi,

By loose I mean there is a whole lot of wiggle and play with all of the S1 encoders on my two units. This past November I asked the question:

https://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?t=417732

You described it perfectly by saying the Dock has more resistance which is what my S1's lack. It just feels cheap. I'm not trying to offend anyone that may like that feel but I just expected a bit more from Avid. As I turned it I felt it grab as if it wasn't seated properly or that a small piece of plastic from the knob was hitting the surface. After rotating it twice it just froze up on me.

I know it's possible I just don't know the steps to take in EuControl in order to use the Dock encoders for my plugin changes.

I've contacted Sweetwater and will see how they approach this. Of course it comes at the worst time when I'm mixing an album for a client.

Thanks for your response.

[anason-records]

i just checked, you are right S1 encoders wiggle a little bit. Though i am not sure if it is just a gab between the plastic knob and potentiometer. I feel like it's not the potentiometer itself.

But here is the kinda good news, Dock potentiometers wiggle just the same amount, same way. I literally just checked.

The only difference is the resistance which for me also makes dock feel as if it is a better quality compared to S1.

[Mixmaster Rick]

I ended up gently pulling the plastic knob off and don't think there's a gap between it and the shaft of the pot. I couldn't however even move or wiggle the frozen pot of the encoder. I'm now wondering if the pot is frozen because of some electrical component tied to it. When it froze there was absolutely no force applied to it.

Maybe I'm lucky with my Dock but I couldn't ask for better encoders. There is absolutely no wiggle on any of the eight and they all are consistently very good with the same resistance.

I was promised by my Sales Engineer at Sweetwater that their Service Team will contact me tomorrow. I can post a follow-up with you if you'd like.

Best

[its2loud]

Originally Posted by Mixmaster Rick

I ended up gently pulling the plastic knob off and don't think there's a gap between it and the shaft of the pot. I couldn't however even move or wiggle the frozen pot of the encoder. I'm now wondering if the pot is frozen because of some electrical component tied to it. When it froze there was absolutely no force applied to it.

Maybe I'm lucky with my Dock but I couldn't ask for better encoders. There is absolutely no wiggle on any of the eight and they all are consistently very good with the same resistance.

I was promised by my Sales Engineer at Sweetwater that their Service Team will contact me tomorrow. I can post a follow-up with you if you'd like.

Best

You might wiggle your way out of warranty coverage if you continue to do further investigation and tear down of your equipment. I strongly advise against taking apart any components of the S1 before you make a warranty claim, unless advised to by a representative.

[Mixmaster Rick]

Update:

Sweetwater immediately setup an exchange for a new S1 that will be here within two days