Hi Guys,

I just sat down with my XF6 and was going to edit a performance. I’m not a heavy handed individual and I really make it a point not to mash the buttons on my board.
Well. today the edit button wasn’t responding with my normal light pressing (still clicking). I thought there was an electronic malfunction but I pressed the button again, slightly harder and it worked.

Has anyone else had buttons require increased pressure for them to operate?  Like I said, it doesn’t require excessive pressure, but a little more than it used to.

Tact (short for “tactile") switches can get contaminated, which then require more than the usual pressure to make contact. Exposure to cigarette smoke, for example, can cause that sort of condition.

The switches can also just wear out from usage, whether or not the user is “heavy handed”. Rarely, a bad solder joint is the culprit.

Hasn’t had any smoke exposure. Would some electronic contact cleaning spray be appropriate to try on the button (sprayed on/around it)?

apico - 19 May 2013 03:03 AM

Hasn’t had any smoke exposure.

The tact switches have a thin silver plating on the contact surfaces. Silver is used because it’s a good electrical conductor, and because it’s relatively soft so that the “click” action of the switch causes a solid low-resistance connection to be made. However, a problem with silver is that it can tarnish - the darkened surface that can develop is typically due to a chemical reaction with sulfur compounds. The tarnishing changes the silver from a good conductor to a semi-conductor, which makes a poorer electrical contact.

Tobacco smoke was just an example of an air pollutant that could be troublesome. Sulfur compounds are added to the air by things like car exhaust, coal-fired power plant emissions, and even sulfur mining operations like those at Porterville, California.

Also, sulfur isn’t the only culprit. Chlorine is another possible source of damage - for example, “salt air” from proximity to the ocean can be a cause.
 

apico -

Would some electronic contact cleaning spray be appropriate to try on the button (sprayed on/around it)?

The tact switches are located under the buttons that you actually press - some considerable disassembly of the Motif would be required in order to expose a tact switch so that it could be sprayed. Even then, the switch construction doesn’t lend itself to readily being cleaned that way. Once the Motif is disassembled to the point that a switch can be sprayed, the switch probably might as well be replaced.

Unless the unit is still under warranty, I’d suggest waiting until the button requires more pressure (or number of presses) than you’re willing to put up with, and then deal with it and any others that might develop the problem.