DMX Operator Slider problem

Well, try this:
Rapidly move the faders full up and down many times. Do this to ALL faders.

How old is this fixture and what sort of use/abuse has it seen? Does this live in a rack? Does it move covered? How often do you use yours?

Another idea is to use Caig's De-Oxit to spray into the fader(under the fringe, use the straw) and repeat. Short of that, the Radio Shack TV Tuner cleaner works good as well. Spray a little bit and move the faders a lot. If using the Caig's De-Oxit, it comes in a kit with a second "after" spray, so then use that afterwards and move the faders again.

But, I suspect that it's not just dirt, crud or wear if your observations are so exact. This would mean either mechanical failure or electrical failure. Either would require replacement of the faders.

Is it repairable? Yes, it's also a current active item in the catalog as well. There have been a few versions, but it's all "lipstick and mascara" type stuff: new paint or branding, but same core and control location and functionality. The real question is not just is it repairable, but is it worth repairing vs. Replacing. That's really the big question. If you're concerned about saving built-in programming, you're boned. The best way to preserve that is to document all your settings as you program. But if you're not concerned about your programming, you're fine. Contact ADJ Support about repairs and estimated costs, then before you send it in, check retail pricing or whatever your good buddy at a retail place can get one of these for you. THEN make your decision. Typically, if repair is 50% more than what you can get a new one for, the suggestion is to replace the item.

Wow! Thanks for all the info, Chris!

This controller has led a pretty boring life. It lives in my well-sealed home studio. It's only use is to occasionally drive a set of Octopod's that i have mounted for "ambience". There's almost no dust or dirt in the studio, since it's so well sealed. It's a standalone controller, so it's not mounted in a rack. I'm not positive on the age, but I think it's about 4 years old (the mfg date says it was made in 2004).

I'll go ahead and give the ADJ support guys a call and see what they say. I think a new DMX Operator is about $200. As you say, if the repair cost is $100 or more, I'll probably just suck it up and buy a new one.

Thanks again for the input!

Wow. Maybe you should abuse it. Mine's been through hell and back and it carries on like a trooper!

I've had mine since beginning of 2002 or end of 2001. I can't recall. Either December of 2001 or January of 2002. Either way, it's lived in a rack, then moved around bounced around in a plastic case with cables, before going back into a rack again. The power supply was dropped and replaced by a Radio Shack unit of the same specs. Mine has been used at darn near every event you see on my web site, as well as a few that never made it(before I started taking pictures). It's also NOT been used at some shows, but still was powered up. Now, it's in a rack with other phased out gear, but isn't lost or forgotten.

I'll still say try those "home solutions" if service gives their blessing. I use these solutions myself on my mxiers, keyboards and other MIDI controllers to clean out dirty faders and knobs. I also use it to clean out other dirty contacts. Of course, disconnect power before doing anything!!(very important!). Spray, move back and forth slowly at first, then gradually faster, say 2 per second at most. The main thing is just to get that stuff all the way through the fader contact strip before it all evaporates. You may have to do this twice.

I have 3 units(64 LED Pro's) in with Service right now. I expect to get them back at the end of next week. The service folks are great. The service is great.

I'd say excercise your controller more often. The lack of use can also contribute to problems because stuff isn't being moved around enough to knock crudd off. As clean as your studio may be, it's still exposed to dirt, dust and moisture, just people being people.

Best of luck to you. Let us know how it goes.

Hey Chris,
I called Elation (ADJ) support like you suggested. Looked like it was going to end up costing about $80-$100 to have them fix it. The tech I spoke with indicated that the problem I was having was indicative of a loose connection. So, I decided to just debug it myself...at the board level.

After about an hour of looking at the board, I discovered that the mux (which all 8 of the sliders feed into) had gone south. So, I ordered a replacement mux chip from DigiKey for 69 cents and that totally fixed my problem.The board is working perfectly again.

Anyway...thanks again for all your help.

Well, now we apparently know the hourly rate they charge for repairs.

Regardless, glad to hear all is better. Another thing to keep in mind when it comes to repair issues. But I'm not anxious to crack open gear for no valid reason in my environment.

My recent similar thing was with my truck. Replaced batteries(needed it), still wouldn't start. Either a bad starter relay or solenoid. Got both parts for like $60, which was $20 less than the mechanic said the relay ALONE would be. Replaced the starter relay, truck starts again. $25 repair! Returned the starter solenoid. Saved me the $80 part fee and another $80 to install it.

We can all save lots of money if we can do SOME if not most or all of our own repairs.