i dont think the ultrasonic will help. its way too sticky. i guess you have to put in the annoying work of rubbing intensly the coating away using a bit of soap and warm (not too hot) water. the top is not so bad but all the angles of the buttons dont make it easier. did it for the digitone but wouldnt do it for bigger machines.
look, someone here got (edit: and payed) sticky buttons from elektron as replacement.
I observed that mine got sticky after 7 years.
I am very cautious with my gear, systematically use a decksaver on each piece of gear, wash my hands and don’t sweat much.
We can replace the buttons, it’s true.
But it would be nice if a different material was used, we can all accept this.
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I’m not sure if I’ve made myself clear. Ideally:
a) The buttons would never become sticky.
b) Elektron would offer replacement parts at a reasonable price through major retailers.
I really appreciate the tips and creative ideas shared here, but sometimes repeated posts about sticky buttons make it difficult to keep track of the helpful solutions.
We have known since 2017 that buttons can occasionally stick, and depending on the cause, there are usually effective solutions.
If someone is dissatisfied with Elektron’s performance, it is definitely more effective to contact them directly to resolve the issue. It is unlikely that Elektron systematically installs sticky buttons during repairs—why would they? So this is a fault, probably caused unintentionally by a person. The probability that it is a system-related failure is close to zero—otherwise, we would have heard about it more often. From different people.
i think its best to not engage. this can go on forever
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Why Soft-Touch Coatings Become Sticky
Soft-touch coatings for Bakelite handles are typically made from thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) or rubber-like polymers. Over time, environmental factors and material degradation cause the stickiness. Here are the primary culprits:
1. Plasticizer Migration
Soft-touch coatings contain plasticizers—chemicals that keep the material flexible. When unused, these plasticizers can rise to the surface, creating a sticky residue. Humidity and heat accelerate this process.
2. Oxidation and UV Exposure
Oxygen and sunlight (UV rays) break down the polymers in the coating. This degradation causes the surface to lose its smoothness and develop a tacky feel.
3. Dust and Oil Absorption
Stored handles can accumulate dust, grease, or oils from the air or nearby surfaces. These particles bond with the coating, amplifying the sticky sensation.
4. Material Breakdown in Humid Conditions
High humidity or moisture exposure weakens the coating’s structure, leading to a gummy texture.
It is a well-known problem with this kind of material.
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I did not (from a company’s perspective) hold a user responsible for the failure of an order, but pointed out that there is an effective way to communicate with Elektron. And that this is certainly an isolated case of human error on the part of an employee, which Elektron will certainly be happy to correct.
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Taken out of context and misquoted—it was about the return process with sticky buttons, not about the fact that the buttons can become sticky. (Which they can, as we know.)
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he misquoted you but you blamed the users earlier.
you dont know how long you have your devices
remember:
Not only we have all the rights to complain about this issue on their “non official” forum but I think is a pretty effective way of getting some attention on the issue.
For sure some people is going to second guess their purchase based on this issue alone, if they’ll ever take a survey on “why don’t you buy Elektron” the sticky disgusting buttons might be the most voted after the high price, and would make sense, isn’t paradoxical paying top dollars for a device with 80+ damn buttons only to find they’re getting disgustingly sticky after a few years of use?
It’s insane, really… no matter what the price of the product is, putting that shit on any product should be illegal, but putting it on all the buttons of an expensive button operated device is frankly just STUPID.
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I have too much silly pride not to at least stand by my work here. No animosity, everybody is entitled to their opinion and these discussions actually drive me to improve my work, but I feel the need to show results for the world to see. I’m eager to do this because I’ve seen blanket statements being made where the person was referring only to my wild frosted option without knowing that I also offered a normal black version, and others where they were only referring to my 8-bit font and weren’t aware that I offered a more standard font as well. And hey in the end, if they still say “no Winston, they’re all shit actually” well at least I know I’ve given it all the beans.
(Left, factory / Middle, smooth / Right textured)
I fail to see how these would be construed as “funky”. They’re surely different, the font is larger because I am bound by the limits of FDM printing, and I confidently stress that I am right up against those limits. I can certainly make the lettering more grey to match factory, but 1. haven’t received any feedback/complaints to conclude that it is more favorable* and 2. have found that the extra bit of contrast is actually helpful in practice. And as far as feel goes, I’ve been very proud to hear that users find my keycaps to feel far better than factory. The middle keycap also serves as an example of one that I will not send out as it has a small flaw in the outer ring, but I am out of these so printed it just for this side-by-side. For those curious, this single keycap took 2 hours to make.
All in good spirits, I challenge you to prove this and would love to see your results. Not only because competition like this is what leads to even more options for the community, but I have asked at least 4 others with this claim to simply show their work and have yet to see their results. I’ve concluded that I could likely make the text much finer through the process of screen printing or something like waterslide decals, but those are just more examples of methods that can lead to premature wear as well as much more added cost. I was blown away by that recent custom faceplate shared on Reddit. It came out pretty nicely although there were minor flaws here and there, but that screenprint work cost them something like $500. As far as my design goes, the lettering is fully embedded into the keycap, as the old ratchet strap adage goes “this puppy ain’t goin nowhere”.
Outside of FDM manufacturing, we have the SLA option that has been around before my time, but also has a far higher pricepoint as multi color resin printing is very prohibitive. And the end all be all highest quality would of course be a double shot solution as is found throughout the keyboard world, but the pricepoint would likely be astronomical. Custom molds, custom font, custom symbols, across what like 10 devices would be asinine.
I do believe this is something that Elektron should’ve addressed very very long ago, and absolutely don’t think this is a case of “you’re using it wrong”. If a random hobbyist like myself can make better keycaps out of a condominium bedroom then their multi million dollar company can handle taking a loss (that would be a drop in the bucket with their revenue mind you) to fix their flawed product. Not to mention that it seems to be a lottery even in its current state whether you can even get replacements through them, and those replacements are just the same damn thing that will have the same damn problem in the future.
-* I had to insert this here because I chuckle every time it crosses my mind, but to this day my worst review on etsy involves my keycaps. It is not due to a flaw or overall quality issue, but it is a criticism that I made the keycaps too much like the factory lol
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Hey come on, don’t take it personally. My intention wasn’t to offend you or your work and if I did then my apologies.
As I said I moved house recently but I think I’ve kept the prototype button which I claim it’s better than yours, and yes I still think it is, and was printed entirely with FDM (somewhat not conventionally though).
I’ll post the picture and tag you if I can find it, else I’m gonna print another one which is great because today I’ve just unpacked and plugged and lubed my printer.
Anyway even though I think the button I’ve made is better than yours, I still think it’s “funky” just as yours (no offense), simply because FDM cannot compete with double shot injection molding, it is meant for prototyping and who wants a 1699$ device with FDM printed buttons on it, not me, no matter how good they are.
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As I said, no animosity and all in good spirits. Competition is a wonderful thing and it solely leads to greater possibilities for the entire community. If you show a better outcome, I’m not going to be pissy or complain. I’m going sit back and figure out how the hell you achieved it. Everyone wins in that scenario.
This is absolutely not the case anymore and this method is being used more and more throughout entire industries.
This only proves the above. If they are better, why does it matter what they are or how they were created? I can’t see a realistic situation where a user enjoys the tactility and improvement that these keycaps provide and then go “ugh, but they’re printed :/” They are better, plain and simple.
In all seriousness, I don’t want to create any competition, not on these buttons anyway, but I’m also very passionate with FDM and 3D printing in general.
Reach me out by message and I’ll be glad to share my process with you, if that would be helpful to you good, otherwise that’s good too!
I don’t think you’re gonna use my method though as I said is “non conventional” and not so easy to pull off repeatedly!
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I speedread and totally misunderstood the context of that part of your post, my apologies.
You have previously said “if I can afford such an expensive device, I can also take care of it by washing my hands”, so my reference to the whole ‘you’re holding the iphone wrong’ debacle still applies, as does the subsequent information about the actual factors that cause the degradation.
Whenever the sticky buttons issue crops up in a thread here it’s quite common for someone to chime in with the old “just wash your hands lol” comment. It’s really tiresome at this point.
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Sorry if my comment came across the wrong way — that wasn’t my intention. I agree that Elektron should offer different button materials. Dirty fingers are definitely not the cause of the issue, and I never meant to imply that. My point was simply that clean hands can reduce the amount of grease and acids that come into contact with the surface, which might help the buttons last a bit longer. (And somewhere on this forum there was even a picture of very dirty fingernails in a post about worn buttons.)
Mentioning this is meant as a small workaround, not as a way to absolve Elektron of responsibility.
One thing that rarely gets brought up: soft-touch coatings used to be a nightmare. Many devices felt like they were covered in a thick greasy layer that quickly became sticky, and I’ve thrown away a few MP3 players because of it. Elektron’s buttons aren’t perfect, but they’re definitely not on that level.
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I have a funny feeling Elektron likes the aesthetic of their buttons/knobs this is why they have not changed them…yet
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Thus the problem is literally a meltdown spread out in the whole industry and Elektron is not the only company hit, just some examples - Moog Sub37/Subsequent (7y): PB & MODwheel, melt apart into large chunks when even slightly touched. Push2 (6y): the whole housing can be used as fly-trap, everything sticks to it. Eventide (7y): all knobs sticky apart from H9 Series. Korg Minilogue (6y), all knobs become sticky. An lets not be just depressed here, there are also products not affected, classic made - Vermona (6y): no sticky stuff found yet. Dave Smith (6y): no sticky stuff found yet. Faderfox (6y): no sticky stuff yet.
And if by any luck Elektron would actually read this thread… there are companies that would be thankful to get a contract producing smal series with specific properties and forms, in example one that teaches young people how to manufacture with injection molding from start to finish. And because they teach, they offer different price models.
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Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but a few years ago I replaced the wheels on my infrequently-used Mopho Keys after they went super sticky. Sadly, the replacements (from DSI) have the same coating/compound so it’s probably only a matter of time before they go. I’ve no idea about how the Sequential-era units fair, however, as I don’t own any of those.
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Next Elektron will be The Printer. You’ll need to replace consumables (keycaps) every year and they’ll print (money).
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