QChord Maintenance / Repair Procedure : How To Clean Chord Button Contacts
This procedure is used to correct the condition of chords not changing or slow to change due to excess rubber build-up on circuit points.
READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS FIRST TO BE SURE YOU WANT TO ATTEMPT THIS
Items Needed:
1. Medium sized Phillips Head Screwdriver
2. Bestine or similar cleaning solution. This is a solvent / thinner
generally used to thin or reduce rubber cement.
It can usually be found in Craft/Art Supply stores.
Rubber gloves are recommended when using Bestine.
NOTE: Bestine will be hard to find - it may even have been discontinued.
In it's place you can use 90%+ Isopropyl Alcohol - you won't need rubber gloves for this.
3. Q-Tips
Instructions:
Caution - Although this procedure is relatively easy, it requires someone who is handy with taking small things apart, keeping parts organized and reassembling them correctly. Familiarity with various types of electrical plugs and connectors is helpful.
Turn the QChord upside-down on a soft towel with the speaker side closest to you and loosen the 10 screws from the bottom half.
As you gently lift off the bottom half you will notice that it is connected by a power cable plugged into a circuit board on the top half.
Pull up on the plastic connector to remove the cable. Then set the bottom half aside.
Next you need to remove the long circuit board:
Now remove the 14 screws from the circuit board that connects to the chord buttons. Lift and remove this board.
The rubber sheet of chord buttons should now be loose and can easily be removed.
You are now ready to clean both the 36 black contact points on the circuit board just removed, as well as the 36 black contacts on the rubber sheet of chord buttons.
You won’t need much, so only pour a small amount of Bestine into a small container. Wear rubber gloves and dip a Q-tip into the Bestine.
Rub a wet Q-tip vigorously on each of the 36 contact points on the circuit board as well as on each round rubber contact on the sheet of chord buttons.
NOTE: the tip of the Q-tip will turn black very quickly. Be sure to start each contact with a clean Q-tip.
When all contacts are clean, reassemble the QChord. If assembled correctly, all chord buttons should work like new!
Don’t forget to plug the cable back in to connect the top and lower half of the QChord.
This procedure is used to correct the condition of chords not changing or slow to change due to excess rubber build-up on circuit points.
READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS FIRST TO BE SURE YOU WANT TO ATTEMPT THIS
Items Needed:
1. Medium sized Phillips Head Screwdriver
2. Bestine or similar cleaning solution. This is a solvent / thinner
generally used to thin or reduce rubber cement.
It can usually be found in Craft/Art Supply stores.
Rubber gloves are recommended when using Bestine.
NOTE: Bestine will be hard to find - it may even have been discontinued.
In it's place you can use 90%+ Isopropyl Alcohol - you won't need rubber gloves for this.
3. Q-Tips
Instructions:
Caution - Although this procedure is relatively easy, it requires someone who is handy with taking small things apart, keeping parts organized and reassembling them correctly. Familiarity with various types of electrical plugs and connectors is helpful.
Turn the QChord upside-down on a soft towel with the speaker side closest to you and loosen the 10 screws from the bottom half.
As you gently lift off the bottom half you will notice that it is connected by a power cable plugged into a circuit board on the top half.
Pull up on the plastic connector to remove the cable. Then set the bottom half aside.
Next you need to remove the long circuit board:
- Unplug each of the four flat ribbon wires by pulling up on the ribbons themselves, not the plastic connectors.
- Now pull up on plastic connectors of the 2-wire and 12-wire plugs to remove them from the long circuit board.
- Remove the 7 screws to release the circuit board and lift it out of the way.
Now remove the 14 screws from the circuit board that connects to the chord buttons. Lift and remove this board.
The rubber sheet of chord buttons should now be loose and can easily be removed.
You are now ready to clean both the 36 black contact points on the circuit board just removed, as well as the 36 black contacts on the rubber sheet of chord buttons.
You won’t need much, so only pour a small amount of Bestine into a small container. Wear rubber gloves and dip a Q-tip into the Bestine.
Rub a wet Q-tip vigorously on each of the 36 contact points on the circuit board as well as on each round rubber contact on the sheet of chord buttons.
NOTE: the tip of the Q-tip will turn black very quickly. Be sure to start each contact with a clean Q-tip.
When all contacts are clean, reassemble the QChord. If assembled correctly, all chord buttons should work like new!
Don’t forget to plug the cable back in to connect the top and lower half of the QChord.