Blah Blah Cafe, the Jean-Michel Jarre forum

[Dr. Who]

The resonance knob on my MS-20 is giving me fits. It seems like it's a pretty dirty pot. What do you (owners of vintage synths) clean your pots with (there's probably a bad joke to insert here)? I figure if I'm going to open it up I might as well give the thing a thorough cleaning. But I'm not sure what to clean it with. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[Nico_Noyau]

I don't think you should use any liquid in such a synth.
Just use an antistatic tissue which can release all the dust, a hoover for computer's keyboard if you have (it is very little and it is very good for this kind of things)

I hope I helped

[Dr. Who]

Nico,

Many thanks, wondering what I will find when I open up the MS-20.

I just realized I submitted this in the covers remix section. I should have submittd this in the intruments section. Ooops

[radek tymecki]

I found in my SH-09 and 301 U some dead spiders on their webs I left them there

[GeeJee]

I used alcohol for my MS20. Works great.

[jarrekid]

I'd just buy the same pot but new, take a soldering iron to it and replace it.

[VinceBlood]

All I can say is that I can't use any cleaning liquid on Odyssey sliders without distroyed it.
It works very well at first but later the result is worth because liquid cleaned more that expected.

So be careful and ask a real electronician instead apprentice electronicians.

Advantage with MS-20 is that you can find new pots (that's not the case of all vintage synthesizers).

[Dr. Who]

Many thanks guys. It looks like the new pot is the way to go. I'm not great with a soldering iron. My soldering work won'[t

[PHASEREFFECT]

Nico,

Many thanks, wondering what I will find when I open up the MS-20.

Not much cause there is not much inside....but i don´t knwo if the MS20 uses a Plate for the Pots or has direct wiring onto the board...

I know about a sort of contact cleaner for potentiometers from mixing consoles, but not for round (and closed) ones. I think the pot is simply weared out.

I do it in that way: I use for cables approx. 250°C temperature. Move a bit of solder wire onto the potentiometer contacts while the solder point is on the pot contact itself and fill the entire contact with solder wire (forget the hole...). If the cable itself needs some solder wire: Drill the copper cable a bit, take the solder iron, point the solder iron onto the cable and move a bit solder wire (thin, not fat!) onto the copper while moving the solder iron a bit (do this all in a relative fast speed, before the cable isolation begins to shrink). Never put solder wire -directly- onto the solder iron and let the cable take a bath in it! It won´t work, if the solder wire begins to smoke.

Stef

[synthx]

Actually you can reuse the old pot.

Just desolder it from the PCB, open the pot and clean it with isopropylalcohol (IPA) (Get it from your local drugstore or from a hardware store). clean it a second time with oxide removal chemicals for electronics, use cotton buns or pins. When the black surface is shiny
it is clean as it can get. Before you reassemble the whole pot clean the housing and add new grease like white lithuim grease on the moving parts and in the metallic housing of the pot reseal the pot and solder it back into place. Your pot is now as good as new.

[jarrekid]

Actually you can reuse the old pot.

Just desolder it from the PCB, open the pot and clean it with isopropylalcohol (IPA) (Get it from your local drugstore or from a hardware store). clean it a second time with oxide removal chemicals for electronics, use cotton buns or pins. When the black surface is shiny
it is clean as it can get. Before you reassemble the whole pot clean the housing and add new grease like white lithuim grease on the moving parts and in the metallic housing of the pot reseal the pot and solder it back into place. Your pot is now as good as new.

I'd rather just replace the pot. It'll be quicker, easier, and most probably cheaper.

[synthx]

I'd rather just replace the pot. It'll be quicker, easier, and most probably cheaper.

Quicker, yes. Easier, depends. Cheaper, not really you can use the chemicals for a lot of pots. Divide the cost of the chemicals per pot restored and I think it will be cheaper to restore it.

Anyway, it sounded by the discussion as if you can not restore old pots, that is actually not true. It is possible to clean pots with chemicals provided you do it the right way (Not just spray oxide solvent into the pot, which will eventually ruin it).

Not trying to be a smart ass, just saying it is possible

[Pete]

I'd rather just replace the pot. It'll be quicker, easier, and most probably cheaper.

Quicker, yes. Easier, depends. Cheaper, not really you can use the chemicals for a lot of pots. Divide the cost of the chemicals per pot restored and I think it will be cheaper to restore it.

Anyway, it sounded by the discussion as if you can not restore old pots, that is actually not true. It is possible to clean pots with chemicals provided you do it the right way (Not just spray oxide solvent into the pot, which will eventually ruin it).

Not trying to be a smart ass, just saying it is possible

You are right, Synthx. The Isopropylic alcohol is very good for cleaning dirty pots aswell as tape heads. I am not as skilful as some of you in this forum in restoring synthetizers, I just do some little maintenance to my gears.

I knew the Isopropylic alcohol was the best option for this purpose, but it's quite hard to find it in some countries (like here in Italy).
I have found a shop that sells Isopropylic alchohol in a spray can with its thin straw; I used it to clean the dirty sliders on my Synthex and it did its job very well.

I read a long time ago on Sound on Sound (or Future Music Mag, I don't remember) to use it also to clean the jack connectors with it, to "restore" the cable performance - I mean, if you used that cables for some time-.

P.