BEWARE: screwing into ear-rack holes

[acemonvw]

I have broken both of my monomachines today.

Beware screwing into your monomachine (or probably any other elektron unit). If the screws are too long, they may hit the PCB board and cause extreme damage to the unit.

I can attach a photo so you can see what little damage can go a long way.

The screws came with some ear-racks that I bought from someone. I assumed the screws would not cause any damage because… why would a PCB board be in the way of the ear rack holes? Well, my assumption was bad. Now, I have two monomachines where I can’t press the ‘track 5’ button and the pattern/song LEDs do not light up.

Using two monomachines was a fun ride for a while…

[OSCar]

Ouch - I just scored a second MkII (non +plus Monomachine today). My other is a SFX60+ MkII - don’t think I’ll rack then after seeing this.
Got the second unit for $650 and its in sexy minty condition I might add.
The one on the right is my second unit.
Analog Four is to the left.

[TrabanT]

really sorry to hear you wrecked your MMs … thakns though for sharing your (horrible) experience …sound like a good excuse to get a OT for external sequencing?

[J_C_Selector]

I’m sure this would be an easy fix, you probably cut some of the circuit board which can be repaired with some soldering.
Or sell it to me in Australia for a bargain deal (lol).
Hope all goes well.

[t]

I know this won’t help you now, but using the correct screws is explicitly mentioned in the manual (“use the included M3x6mm screws”).

This actually not only applies to Elektron gear, but to most rack mountable units where the ears are optional or removable.

As J_C_Selector said, the damage can probably be repaired pretty easily by someone who has some experience with a soldering iron. Let me know if you’re thinking of selling one of these cheaply.

[namnibor]

@acemonvw–THAT SO SUCKS! So sorry to hear of your dismay and (possible loss)!

Interestingly, when I bought my Mk 1 non-+Drive MnM from someone off previous forum and it arrived, I was concerned because the two black screws on each side were only partally screwed-in so upon seeing all worked as it should, even with limited knowledge then, contacted seller and asked before even thinking of screwing them all back to being flush for very fear of what you have experienced.

The seller told me they were specifically for rack ears AND were the official screws that came with the rack ears from Elektron (which I did not have nor do currently and opted to not buy), and he kindly warned me of this disaster that could happen and also apologized for not placing a note qualifying why they were about a 1/4" out consistently, all 4 of them. Definitely in the MnM Reference Manual, this warning.

Your rack ear screws appear to be shiny stainless steel rather than the black in my Mk 1. ALSO, note that the Mk 1 MnM is a taller/thicker unit box than the MkII MnM and perhaps your screws were intended for a MkII instead??? Just a thought.

Glad you did not end-up getting a dose of electrical shock from compromised ground-to-unit…so perhaps it’s not as bad as you think and certainly could have resulted in worse things happening.

Peace.

[twyce]

@acemonvw : Thank you for sharing this info ! I was interested not to use rack ears, but create my own stand, I will take care about this important point !

[afroglitch]

oh!!thanks for sharing the info.
sorry for yours mnm 8-((

[acemonvw]

Thanks guys.

I guess I hadn’t read that part in the manual to use these exact screws. Since I ordered it from someone on eBay who said it worked, I thought they would be fine. And… really, why the hell would the company put the screw holes in that spot?! It makes no sense to me!

So… yeah, I guess it’s my fault. Whoops.

Anyway, here are the photos along with the warning so you can see the damage (even as slight as it is):

[Album] Damaged Monomachines

[tsv]

Sorry to see this man!

Interesting it doesn’t look like either screw hit anything besides the ground plane of the PCB.

[Uturunku]

I really hope these issues will be fixed easily.
Thanks for sharing your experience.

[avantronica]

that’s a shame and indeed, thanks for the heads-up - just commented on a related thread about avoiding this very issue - i was very very cautious about sizing bespoke screws for bespoke end cheeks

i’m a little surprised about the damage though, my take on this is that it’s no coincidence that the holes line up with the edge of the pcb in an area where there’s no components, so i figured it was not a ‘huge’ risk - i’m no expert !!

so i’m wondering, has there been excessive force used on screw entry and could that have led to dry joints at a dodgy bit of solder if there was unusual flex

just curious (and a little anxious) ?! (i know my screws are well clear of the pcb though as i used a depth guage)

and might that help you narrow down the issue, i’m surprised it’s gone so bad just from that easily made mistake

---

edit: on second thoughts, if it’s same faults for both devices then it’s more likely an electronics issue that elektron may be able to shine some light on, might be fixable, good luck with it

[tsv]

That’s a good point about the solder joints. Wouldn’t hurt to reflow those and see.

Also test the switch for continuity and see if The LED’s are actually blown or not.

[acemonvw]

Well, there’s a technician I bring my stuff too. The guy seemed unimpressed with the problem and said ‘this will be an easy fix’.

So…

Here’s hoping!

Thanks for the tips.

And yeah, I suppose I should’ve thought about damage in advance… but hindsight is a bitch and rarely works in your advantage. So, hopefully this helps other people!

Elektron should have damn warnings printed right next to each screw hole!

Ugh. Well, there goes some cash…

[apoc-2012]

This is a nasty story. I just bought some stands myself and reading this made me sweat, it seems my screws are just safe. (10mm screws for 6mm of perspex) I’m kind of lucky I used the spacers I was given.

It looks to me like the screws should never go more than 4mm into the machines. Avantronica what did your depth gauge show?

Should this thread be stickied to avoid others ever making the same mistake? Note: This is the same for my MD mkii and A4.

Good look with the Mono’s acemon.

[tonight]

theres only about 2.5 mm of thread in most gear

and the thickness of the mounts to add

the right length is not always easy to source

i usually hand screw them in to see how far they can go before hitting anything

had to cut and file some to avoid the ops prob

bad luck there

[avantronica]

It looks to me like the screws should never go more than 4mm into the machines. Avantronica what did your depth gauge show?

That sounds about right, but do not quote me, given the nature of this issue. The official screws are 6mm long and they need to accommodate a 2-3mm plate so it sounds about right. It’s trivial to check (when unplugged) with a cocktail stick !

[acemonvw]

I don’t even like visiting this thread… reminds me of what a dumbass I was!

Ugh…

@avantronica, good call on the cocktail stick for measuring lengths. I wish I had thought of that.

[BLOKE]

Hi acemonvw - i fixed this very issue for a friend of mine. The lower righthand screw cuts through a fine PCB track and causes the problem you describe. Its actually a fairly easy fix - you can bridge the damage with a strand of copper. All is not lost with you’re mono!! Its an odd fault because it affects two buttons but is only one track that is cut.

M

[acemonvw]

@Bloke,

Wow, that sounds great! I brought it in. The person who is going to be fixing it said it wouldn’t be too difficult to fix (no way could I do it!

Thanks for that info