Buying 'broken' Kontrol S4 to Repair, difficult?
Buying 'broken' Kontrol S4 to Repair, difficult? Posted on: 07.02.2013 by Gaynell Rydberg I'm seeing some relatively cheap S4s and other controllers and whatnot go for pretty cheap on eBay with the caveat of being broken or not known to be working.Currently looking at an S4 that doesn't have its lights turn on. Has anyone done their own hardware repair such as soldering and whatnot and can tell me what I'm getting myself into? I'm relatively capable with a soldering iron so I'm not worried about that. More worried about finding out parts cost way more than just buying used controllers that do work. I realize this is hard without knowing what part is actual broken, but any insight would be helpful. Thanks | |
| Doreen Schurle 08.02.2013 | Not necessarily; PCBs can be cleaned off with lighter fluid and dried out at a low temperature (40-50 degrees C) in an oven; it all depends on whether or not any of the components on them have fried. If it was me, and we're talking REALLY cheap here (< |
| Doreen Schurle 08.02.2013 | Not necessarily; PCBs can be cleaned off with lighter fluid and dried out at a low temperature (40-50 degrees C) in an oven; it all depends on whether or not any of the components on them have fried. If it was me, and we're talking REALLY cheap here (< |
| Doreen Schurle 08.02.2013 | Not necessarily; PCBs can be cleaned off with lighter fluid and dried out at a low temperature (40-50 degrees C) in an oven; it all depends on whether or not any of the components on them have fried. If it was me, and we're talking REALLY cheap here (< |
| Doreen Schurle 08.02.2013 | Not necessarily; PCBs can be cleaned off with lighter fluid and dried out at a low temperature (40-50 degrees C) in an oven; it all depends on whether or not any of the components on them have fried. If it was me, and we're talking REALLY cheap here (< |
| Doreen Schurle 08.02.2013 | Not necessarily; PCBs can be cleaned off with lighter fluid and dried out at a low temperature (40-50 degrees C) in an oven; it all depends on whether or not any of the components on them have fried. If it was me, and we're talking REALLY cheap here (< |
| Doreen Schurle 08.02.2013 | Not necessarily; PCBs can be cleaned off with lighter fluid and dried out at a low temperature (40-50 degrees C) in an oven; it all depends on whether or not any of the components on them have fried. If it was me, and we're talking REALLY cheap here (< |
| Doreen Schurle 08.02.2013 | Not necessarily; PCBs can be cleaned off with lighter fluid and dried out at a low temperature (40-50 degrees C) in an oven; it all depends on whether or not any of the components on them have fried. If it was me, and we're talking REALLY cheap here (< |
| Doreen Schurle 08.02.2013 | Not necessarily; PCBs can be cleaned off with lighter fluid and dried out at a low temperature (40-50 degrees C) in an oven; it all depends on whether or not any of the components on them have fried. If it was me, and we're talking REALLY cheap here (< |
| Ara Tima 07.02.2013 |
Originally Posted by SlvrDragon50
I've been believeing of picking up a broken one for a while, I work for a consumer electronics supplier and we have quite a skilled warranty department staffed by technicians who love the chance to fix something other then the same old broken amps/speakers/cameras etc... |
| Nedra Fresneda 06.02.2013 |
Originally Posted by SlvrDragon50
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| Gaynell Rydberg 07.02.2013 | I'm seeing some relatively cheap S4s and other controllers and whatnot go for pretty cheap on eBay with the caveat of being broken or not known to be working. Currently looking at an S4 that doesn't have its lights turn on. Has anyone done their own hardware repair such as soldering and whatnot and can tell me what I'm getting myself into? I'm relatively capable with a soldering iron so I'm not worried about that. More worried about finding out parts cost way more than just buying used controllers that do work. I realize this is hard without knowing what part is actual broken, but any insight would be helpful. Thanks |
| Gaynell Rydberg 08.02.2013 | Exactly what I was believeing. I offered him no more than 150 dollars. NI apparently won't do any repairs or sell me parts and they will only replace the whole controller for 750 (which is honestly a rip off..) Wish I ahd it in hand so I could just voltmeter my way through. |
| Doreen Schurle 08.02.2013 | Not necessarily; PCBs can be cleaned off with lighter fluid and dried out at a low temperature (40-50 degrees C) in an oven; it all depends on whether or not any of the components on them have fried. If it was me, and we're talking REALLY cheap here (< |
| Gaynell Rydberg 08.02.2013 | Well, isn't water damage going to be pretty much replacing the whole thing? That's what I'm really worried about. |
| Doreen Schurle 08.02.2013 | Ouch... if you get it, try some percussive maintenance? :P Worst case scenario, depending on what sort of deal you get on it, you could theoretically even pay to have it repaired and STILL get a better deal than a used S4. |
| Gaynell Rydberg 08.02.2013 | It is capable of being bus-powered though. He said he has another working S4 so I'm sure he's tried the bus power already. |
| Doreen Schurle 08.02.2013 | It could be a buggered DC port on the back tbh... if the S4 isn't capable of being bus-powered, a dry or cracked solder joint on the DC input could cause it to appear DOA. |
| Gaynell Rydberg 08.02.2013 | I read that IKU. That was actually one of the reasons why I wanted to pick one up! :P This guy is just asking quite a bit considering it may be liquid damage. No lights with AC power is scary. |
| Roderick Gehr 07.02.2013 | SlvrDragon50: I was in a very similar situation as you and I took the plunge. I bought a "broken" S4 and was sucessfull in getting it to work. You might be interested in looking at my previous post describing the highlights of the process: http://community
.djranking
s.com/showthread.php?t=65523 Of course your specific hardware problem might be different than the one I had but I had fun and now I'm enjoying the S4. |
| Gaynell Rydberg 07.02.2013 | From what I've read, the S4's power supply is pretty rugged. I believe it can go up to 20V. That's the other thing. I just love going into things and trying to fix them. The challenge and puzzle is fun. I just don't want it to be a stupidly expensive puzzle :P |
| Ara Tima 07.02.2013 |
Originally Posted by SlvrDragon50
I've been believeing of picking up a broken one for a while, I work for a consumer electronics supplier and we have quite a skilled warranty department staffed by technicians who love the chance to fix something other then the same old broken amps/speakers/cameras etc... |
| Gaynell Rydberg 06.02.2013 | Thanks! I'm assuming with the wrong power supply though nothing would happen. I don't even know why I want an S4 so badly. It just looks so much cooler than my APC40 haha. I regret not bidding on the S4 that went for 230 bucks last week. Guess I'll just have to pry more information out of this guy. |
| Nedra Fresneda 06.02.2013 |
Originally Posted by SlvrDragon50
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| Gaynell Rydberg 06.02.2013 | Haha, no worries. Don't see why anyone would but from my digging, it appears that you should still have lights turn on when you turn on the S4 with just AC power. Maybe they were just using the wrong power supply :/ I don't wanna end up with a 200+ dollar paper weight haha Patch: My thoughts exactly. I'm trying to get pictures from this guy. |
| Brunilda Kora 06.02.2013 | If I was you, I'd check if an elephant has stepped on it. 'Cos if it has - a simple USB fix MIGHT not work... |
| Random X 06.02.2013 | EUhm... haven't ever tested that tbh... |
| Gaynell Rydberg 06.02.2013 | Cool! Well I just asked the seller and he told me that the only testing done was plugging in the power cord, no USB. The controller should have turned on without the USB shouldn't it? |
| Random X 06.02.2013 | I believe so. Just know that if you're going to replace the USB-B connector by yourself, you will be voiding any warranty left on the S4. |
| Gaynell Rydberg 06.02.2013 | I believe I read your USB-B port mod tekki. For the most part though, I can order typical components and won't be screwed by marked up OEM costs? |
| Random X 06.02.2013 | Most probably the USB-B port has died. This can be solved within 10 seconds with my ninja mod, or you can take the S4 apart and solder in a new USB- B connector. |
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