Just picked up a used ARmk2 and it has this strange damage on the faceplate - there are 10-14 ‘indents’ in a hex shape, distributed somewhat haphazardly across the unit’s case, causing the paint to chip slightly. Seller was transparent and the price was fair, I’m just wondering if anyone has seen this before and what it might be? Manufacturing defect, or damage from PCB screws underneath? It’s out of warranty so presumably Elektron would not send out a new enclosure…
I’ve seen that loads but usually on the bottom of gear, rarely the top.
The presence of those stand-offs is normal - they are rarely ever this visible - they can perhaps be seen, just
That suggests to me it’s had a hammering (the pads are stiff of course!!) or maybe a shunt from top or bottom, thus flexing teh stand-offs - that could manifest like this
It does not mean your device won’t function impeccably - but it is unusual and it raises questions
here’s what the underside of my nord rack looks like, it has circular stand-offs (steel to steel) - the rytm is aluminium iirc
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My OT mk2 is the same. It’s not great finishing on a premium product IMO. As others have said it’s the spot welded standing offs. A couple of thicker coats of paint/some metal finishing/filling and sanding wouldn’t have gone amiss. I’d politely disagree with @avantronica about it possibly having a hammering… mine was like that new out of the box
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i am surprised that the flakiness of the paint should be so apparent, not so much the impression of the connection process
if it was just the shape, and the paint coated it i’d not look twice, i think the break in the paint was what caught my eye
but if they are sometimes like this in the field, then damage suspicion shouldn’t be a concern for the op despite the suggestion
i’m gonna look at mine in a moment as a sanity check
i’m used to seeing those marks onthe base, but not with paint ridges along the edges
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To be fair mine didn’t have the broken paint layer that the OP’s looks to have but there is deffo a pronounced shape on mine. I wonder whether there was a phase of Mk2 production where the finishing of the enclosures and/or face plates wasn’t what it could be? That said, the OP’s unit is black so later in production than my early grey OT Mk2.
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i looked along along teh surface of my grey Mk2 and i couldn’t fins any blemish or ‘impression’ - but as i was about to give up i could see a faintest hint of the corner of a hex
I think it may just be different on some batches and perhaps less so for the older batches - just speculation, but i have seen it elsewhere on newer gear on the bases
I was getting confused. The marks are on the base
The face plate issue with mine it two humps that I suspect are stand offs. I’ve circled them as it’s hard to photograph them. It was like that out of the box
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I’ll guess it’s a manufacturing defect, I’m sure on most units those signs are invisible, but due to manufacturing tolerances some units are going to show that more than others. That looks like WAY out of tolerance though!
Also I’d like to point out this warning I’ve read on this forum which saved me from indenting my units:
The bottom screws on AR and A4 MKII must never be tightened more than with the torque of two fingers on a screwdriver or you’re going to end up with the opposite problem of indenting the faceplate by pulling the standoff from the opposite side.
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Yours looks more reasonably within the tolerance margins I guess… although you’re right to be bothered by that, I would be bothered.
Looks like poor quality control. I’m surprised that they didnt catch that before it went out.
I would probably email elektron support and ask them if they can hook you up. Even if you’re out of warranty on the device I’d still send them the pictures and see what they can do for you.
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100 years from now this manufacturing defect will 10x the value of your machine.
Unironically, you can think of the “defect” as part of the “soul” of your machine - what makes it unique. It would drive a lot of people mad, though.
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nahhh… more like “dayum they didn’t give a shit about production quality back then”
It’s from late 2020… maybe there was a little covid going around the factory
You lot. Seriously.
Hardly a manufacturing defect.
Cosmetic blemish maybe, but manufactoring defect??
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Just means it happened at the factory rather than caused by a user. A defect can be minor or severe, it’s not a value judgement.
It’s unlikely that this is a blemish or damage introduced post-production, like handling damage or “shelf wear” for example, this looks like an issue with the housing itself which is then highlighted by the finishing process. I still feel that this is a quality control issue and could reasonably be called a manufacturer’s defect due to the cause being something unintended by the original vision of the manufacturer, unless of course elektron intends for their devices to look this way.
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