303 DEAD PAD FIX

[Euclid Ov Oåklånd]

http://www.shopjimmy.com/itw-chemtronic ... ir-kit.htm
THIS IS ALL YOU NEED, YOUR CONTACTS HAVE LOST THEIR ELECTRICAL CONTINUITY, YOU CAN ALSO PROBABLY JUST ORDER A 404SX PAD MAT AND CUT IT DOWN TO 8 PADS AND USE THAT. SORRY ROLAND CAN'T LET SP FAM DEAL WITH NLA 303 PARTS FOR SIMPLE REPAIRS.

[wax inspektor]

good hint on the rubber repair kit...

SX pads won't fit into the 303 though - but you could put SX pads into an OG.
(just cut below the banks)

Roland still offers pads for the OG - 16€ incl. shipping; really fair!

[Euclid Ov Oåklånd]

Okay, thanks wax I was not sure about the 404sx pads fitting the 303 faceplate. The contact repair fixed my 303 like new and it was a very simple repair.

[monstermanchild]

Depending on whether you like the resampling method or sequencing method you could just buy an mod 16 for cheap and connect it through midi. You can't resample with them, but you can use it with the pattern sequencer and have velocity. This probably wouldn't help seeing as you couldn't get a sound on that pad, (though I've never tried that really, just played around with having 2 banks on one set of pads.) But it beats having to replace all of them all for one.

[Euclid Ov Oåklånd]

Thnks I know but I had like 5 dead pads because I've beat my 303 pads since 2005. I've owned a padkontrol since it came out but I wanted to fully repair the unit because I only resample on my 303.

[monstermanchild]

good god man. that would drive me insane. i can see why you need new pads.

[Mowgh]

My pad nr 1 just started to not respond as the other 7 pads..
It works but I need to push too hard and it wont respond as the other pads.. That sucks.!


Will try this kit, I have no idea how to do, But I hope I can figure it out. haha

[Mowgh]

Btw.. It will cost me 81.38 USD to get it to Europe.
Which is a bit too expensive .. I'll have to check if I can find any other site,
with a smaller delivery path

[Euclid Ov Oåklånd]

I'm quite sure multiple products would work, I liked the one I posted because I researched other products to renew conductivity but many are known to flake off fairly quickly due to the fact that they are essentially paint impregnated with metal. The product I used makes note of this and has some flex to it so it does not get stress fractures when tapped repeatedly. As for application you need to mix both compounds completely in the jar they give you and paint it on the black contact lines under each pad. Try and keep it clean and paint only on the black contacts, I believe I used a toothpick to clean away the edges. Just make sure it's not super messy, you could potentially fry a circuit board if the conductive material shorts out the circuits near the application. I've had no issues and all my pads fire off crisp, but still have the worn in 303 pad feel that is noticeably sweeter than 404 pads. Also bonus side note if you really wanted fresh pads for a 303 and money is no object(which i assume it is for most folks) you could order three 404 pad mats for approx. $20 each from Roland and cut out the hold, ext. source, and sub pad buttons and place them inside you 303 faceplate/case and have two extra. Correct me if I am wrong but it appears as though they are exactly the same size as the 303 buttons, they are noticeably different size than the regular 404 sample pads.

[jron2008]

I recently traded for a 303 and found some of my pads not working due to bad connections and was able to fix them at home with a little tlc so before you buy anything try this:

1) take out pads from the unit (if its your first time taking your 303 apart make sure you first take off the knobs and get all the screws out before trying to yank it apart. if you have to pull anything hard, you probably missed a screw so double check!)
2) scrub the connections on each individual pad with rubbing alcohol using a q-tip until they are no longer shiny. (make sure pads are on a hard and even surface when cleaning and ONLY apply pressure to the stiff part of the pads. Mine were very old and i ended up ripping a pad out fiddling with it too much)
3) dry the connections with a new q-tip
4) test pads before putting everything back together

BAM! didnt have to buy anything and its all working like new

[Euclid Ov Oåklånd]

cool beans, i should have tried this first

[LO-]

hi,
cleaning the board and pads contact is a good temporary fix, but if the contacts are worn they will not 'CONTACT'

im not shure if this is a safe fix, but you can try using aluminum tape , roll it so it's sticky on both sides, then slap it between the contacts, make sure you dont cross any contacts, now if someone can confirm this as safe, You can try it. but as ueclid said you don't want to short anything out. I read all over the net this is a good way to fix membrane buttons for remote controls and stuff.

peace.

[eddwhat]

i used a keypad repair kit and it worked perfectly.

but today i ended up getting some dead pads and opened it up to reapply contacts on some buttons. annnnd now i realize that pad 7 is worn out and its completely ripped off of the mat.

if i got a 202 would the keys fit on a 303??

[Mowgh]

hi,
cleaning the board and pads contact is a good temporary fix, but if the contacts are worn they will not 'CONTACT'

im not shure if this is a safe fix, but you can try using aluminum tape , roll it so it's sticky on both sides, then slap it between the contacts, make sure you dont cross any contacts, now if someone can confirm this as safe, You can try it. but as ueclid said you don't want to short anything out. I read all over the net this is a good way to fix membrane buttons for remote controls and stuff.

peace.

I did this! And the pad that didn't work at all is like brand new now!

I didn't roll it so it was sticky on both sides, I just cut small pieces that fit the black mark and placed it over!..

It's really great contact now! I was surprised how well it worked. It reacts instantly!

[ryba]

Oh, I hate you. It took me about a half hour to get that f...ng secret code for registration. wtf.
Anyway. I'd like to say hallo from 303 newbie.
And because I also love you, I'll share a little secret with you.
I actually didn't have my SP303 opened and I didn't find any photo of it's pads from the bottom side. But I think It's standard rubber pads with graphite layer which switches contacts on PCB.
So, same as on my Korg Polysix (and other keyboards).
I fixed all my dead keys on my Polysix this way and it works:

Just take a pencil and draw new layer of graphite across that old one!

Good luck, guys