Spare MOTU Ultralite parts online?

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rbmonosylabik
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Spare MOTU Ultralite parts online?

Post by rbmonosylabik » Wed Mar 21, 2012 6:13 pm

So my Ultralite's power/main out level knob plastic stem is broken and I'm looking for a replacement. I've tested the interface and the knob electronics still work perfectly, I can turn it on with something like a clip and use what's left of the knob to conrol the output level, so I just need to replace the plastic stem. I've contacted MOTU support and they charge a flat fee for repairs plus shipping, which might be ok for a more serious issue, but for this it's ridiculously expensive.

Does anyone know where I could get spare parts for it online?
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hacktheplanet
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Re: Spare MOTU Ultralite parts online?

Post by hacktheplanet » Wed Mar 21, 2012 8:20 pm

Personally, I'd just sell it on eBay and pick up a different one. The difference would probably be better than paying to have it repaired. Those knobs are definitely sketchy.

Otherwise if you are adventurous and know how to solder, the part is a "push button encoder." You could crack open the unit and solder on a new one. The part itself should only be a few dollars. Maybe pay a local electronics repair shop to do it for you... Might be a little cheaper than MOTU.
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rbmonosylabik
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Re: Spare MOTU Ultralite parts online?

Post by rbmonosylabik » Wed Mar 21, 2012 9:06 pm

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking of doing. The circuit part works perfectly, it's just the plastic shaft that's broken. Right now I'm trying to repair what's left of it with a bit of wire and see what happens, but in doing so I found the plastic is incredibly brittle and have no idea why they picked those awful encoders when everything else in the interface feels so well made.

If it comes down to it, I'll just desolder the encoder and go looking for a new one. They do say sending it back for repair is pretty much like getting a new one up to factory specs, but for such a dumb issue the price is too steep. I could probably find a used mk3 for not much more than what they charge.
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rbmonosylabik
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Re: Spare MOTU Ultralite parts online?

Post by rbmonosylabik » Wed Mar 21, 2012 11:29 pm

lol, just got it working with a piece of paper clip and duct tape. 8)

I'd still like to replace it, but now it's not so urgent.
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hacktheplanet
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Re: Spare MOTU Ultralite parts online?

Post by hacktheplanet » Thu Mar 22, 2012 2:55 am

Heh, sometimes kludgy ass solutions are the best. I once "repaired" a shitty plastic fader part on a shitty DJ mixer by melting the two plastic pieces back together with a lighter. :)
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bicarbone
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Re: Spare MOTU Ultralite parts online?

Post by bicarbone » Thu Mar 22, 2012 6:18 pm

rbmonosylabik wrote:lol, just got it working with a piece of paper clip and duct tape. 8)

I'd still like to replace it, but now it's not so urgent.
Hi, I've got the same issue with mine. Would you care to explain how exactly you did it? Cheers!
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cotdagoo
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Re: Spare MOTU Ultralite parts online?

Post by cotdagoo » Thu Mar 22, 2012 6:37 pm

I've got a firewire ultralite I'm debating selling in the near future if you are in the market for a working/used one :)

rbmonosylabik
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Re: Spare MOTU Ultralite parts online?

Post by rbmonosylabik » Thu Mar 22, 2012 6:54 pm

bicarbone wrote:
rbmonosylabik wrote:lol, just got it working with a piece of paper clip and duct tape. 8)

I'd still like to replace it, but now it's not so urgent.
Hi, I've got the same issue with mine. Would you care to explain how exactly you did it? Cheers!
Sure, both of the stem's legs had broken off, so I cut them out leaving just the cylinder part. Then, using a soldering iron with a point tip I burnt a hole at the bottom of the cylinder (be careful, the plastic is very brittle). Then, I measured and cut a piece of paper clip of about 1.5 cm length. Measure it so it goes all the way into the pot and hole in your plastic stem and the plastic stem still goes a bit into the post hole. Use the strongest glue you can find to glue the paper clip piece to the plastic post hole, let it dry thoroughly and keep it upright while it does.

When done, cut a thin strip of duct tape a bit shorter in width than the clip piece and wrap the clip in tape. Test that the post goes in the knob hole, can turn on your interface and adjust the volume. You can add extra tape width to further secure it in place.

I bought a few of these to try replacing it, but seems like they won't get here for about 4 months, so this fix should do for the time being. I'll let you know how replacing the pot works for me when I get them.

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Bou ... SJgA%3d%3d
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bicarbone
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Re: Spare MOTU Ultralite parts online?

Post by bicarbone » Thu Mar 22, 2012 7:31 pm

rbmonosylabik wrote:
bicarbone wrote:
rbmonosylabik wrote:lol, just got it working with a piece of paper clip and duct tape. 8)

I'd still like to replace it, but now it's not so urgent.
Hi, I've got the same issue with mine. Would you care to explain how exactly you did it? Cheers!
Sure, both of the stem's legs had broken off, so I cut them out leaving just the cylinder part. Then, using a soldering iron with a point tip I burnt a hole at the bottom of the cylinder (be careful, the plastic is very brittle). Then, I measured and cut a piece of paper clip of about 1.5 cm length. Measure it so it goes all the way into the pot and hole in your plastic stem and the plastic stem still goes a bit into the post hole. Use the strongest glue you can find to glue the paper clip piece to the plastic post hole, let it dry thoroughly and keep it upright while it does.

When done, cut a thin strip of duct tape a bit shorter in width than the clip piece and wrap the clip in tape. Test that the post goes in the knob hole, can turn on your interface and adjust the volume. You can add extra tape width to further secure it in place.

I bought a few of these to try replacing it, but seems like they won't get here for about 4 months, so this fix should do for the time being. I'll let you know how replacing the pot works for me when I get them.

http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Bou ... SJgA%3d%3d
Brilliant, thanks heaps!!! I might give it a go eventhough think I'm gonna order the replacement part eventually. Cheers :D
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rbmonosylabik
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Re: Spare MOTU Ultralite parts online?

Post by rbmonosylabik » Fri Apr 27, 2012 5:01 am

Just replaced the faulty knob with one from the mouser link above and it works perfectly! It feels smoother and sturdier than the stock knobs, and if I wasn't so bad at soldering I'd consider replacing all of them. I had to cut about 5 mm off the new stem, but the stock knob cap fit perfectly on it.

Hardest part was desoldering the knob support stems. They use a single soldering point for contiguous knobs, so you have to be careful not to damage the other pot and clean up properly so the new knob fits. Other than that it wasn't that hard.
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