SFX-6 repair in Germany

I can feel you tIB …

also good thought process peter hanes…

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to Elektron: thanks for jumping into the conversation and be clear and open about it!
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This kinda sucks. I worry about my SFX-6 getting old, flaking out and having to go in for repair. Now I’m really worried.

The difference here being that they have the parts to fix this guy’s SFX6 (the encoders) but apparently don’t trust their techs to do the work without breaking the PCB.

That’s a frighteningly short lifetime for a relatively recent product.

My second SFX-6 was the last mk1 MD/MNM unit Elektron sold. That’s not even 8 years ago.

Sorry to hear about your situation, OP, but I’m sure if you’re able to get the spare parts, someone will be able to help you solder them.

As a synth-DIY guy, I’m curious: Has anyone taken apart their SFX-6 and taken pictures?

EDIT: found one
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5257/5415646291_b4b70813e0_o.jpg

The encoders don’t look very exotic.
The PSU is clearly marked, but I’m not sure how to procure one.
The through-hole chip in the middle with the sticker: is that an MCU or just some ROM?

I’m just “talking out loud” here because I, too, have an SFX-6 and might have to repair it myself, eventually (not without contacting support for guidance, of course!)

There was a guy doing the repairs in the US, but that was a while ago…

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it seems weird to both refuse to support the product or provide repairs, and also to not provide schematics to those hardy souls who should choose to perform said repairs. if the internals are totally different from the MK2 production models, then we are just talking about a legacy product that nobody is making money off of. why hide the details?

Ha, that pic posted was when I fixed mine a few years back, I replaced the LCD and some encoders, it was quite difficult to remove the old encoders, after some trial and error I found the best way was to use a heated solder sucker - it might have been Duncan who suggested this to me on the old forum.

AFAIK the encoders and switches from the mkII are the same/compatible, So if you can buy them from Elektron then any decent tech should be able to fix it - strange that Elektron refuse to do it though IMHO, the point raised by Simon could be mitigated by stating to the owner that the repair carries some risk and might not solve the problem if other parts that are obsolete are required, then at least the customer can make a choice, we all understand that products go obsolete, but often products that come with premium prices are supported by the manufacturer for as long as possible, so if encoders are available then why not?

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here is a suggestioin: Elektron offer exchange MK1 for MK2 for a reasonable discount…

this way you clear the streets of faulty MK1’s, you collect spare parts for repairs, and rid your stock of non analog gear :stuck_out_tongue:
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also decrease demand on support, and make early adopters happy with the newer models.
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.just my 2ct

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good idea, at least if you care more about customer satisfaction than current cash flows. they seem to be changing their strategy. 1 cent (or minute) invested in early adopters means 1 cent less available for entering a new, probably very profitable market.

people disagree on this point. my experience, based on bad experience :smiley: is that you should be very careful with those knobs, like with any knob that is not screwed on the top plate.

The difference here being that they have the parts to fix this guy’s SFX6 (the encoders) but apparently don’t trust their techs to do the work without breaking the PCB.
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@Olle – forgive me, but it seems to me that tIB has a point here. No one can expect an aging device with irreplaceable components to be serviceable forever, but if the encoders are available, it appears the issue is with the training of the service techs.

I agree with MK7 that TrabanT makes a reasonable suggestion. Based on what you say above, perhaps you could continue to accept mk1 models on a case-by-case basis for those repairs involving encoders and other mechanical parts you still have. But do so with a warning that the work is NOT guaranteed, and if an irreplaceable component breaks during the repair process, you reserve the right to either compensate the owner for the value of the unit’s usable spare parts, or sell him a mk2 unit for the equivalent discount.

I’m with Tib on this one as well. I think the support policy should be changed, especially if parts are there.

+1 for TrabanT’s suggestion, makes sense to extend the life of machines this way. Straight up upgrade.
As for the life of the knobs of machines, I would estimate at around 4 years in average of heavy use. My OT is probably around 5th year now and its fine fingers crossed!
‘Wobblyness’ seem to very from batch to batch. On my MnM MK2 they were solid for ages. Then slowly one knob started to loose values. While on MD MK2 +drive they were wobbly straight away. I was using both as heavily at the time.

Can’t say bad word about Elektron support myself. Been solid for me. Had all the knobs replaced in warranty period without charge on MD. I just sent it before it run out. Machine felt like new after that. Recently had some weird errors on the screen and again fixed straight away. I just had to pay for the postage which is fair enough.

Something has to be put in place to sort the old machines tho and help out the long time users, and as Nils is saying these are not that old!

I like that idea, too … :+1: