GumiElectronic

The buttons on my R-100 were rather fussy. Sometimes they required multiple presses and other times they’d trigger several times upon a single press, so it was frustrating to program the machine. But I was able to clean them and now they work like new. Here are the materials I used:

• • miniature flat-head screw driver
• • cotton swabs
• • isopropyl alcohol
• • DeoxIT

These are the steps I took to clean the buttons (pictures are below). The process might seem like overkill, but since it can be a little tricky getting the control board in and out of its housing, I only wanted to have to tear it apart once:

1. The button assemblies can be taken apart by removing the metal ring that holds the button together. Use the screwdriver to pry outward on the tab of the metal ring. It will pop off (and sometimes fly away, so be careful).
2. Remove the metal ring, blue plastic plunger, and copper plate.
3. Use the screwdriver or similar tool to lightly scrape away any oxidation on the contacts of the button housing (the part that’s soldered to the board).
4. Pre-clean these contacts with alcohol.
5. Pre-clean the copper plate with alcohol.
6. Clean the assembly contacts with DeoxIT and wipe dry.
7. Clean the copper plate with DeoxIT and wipe dry.
8. Spray a small amount of DeoxIT into the assembly and re-assemble the button while it’s still wet.
9. Operate the button a few dozen times and wipe away any excess DeoxIT.
10. Wait for the DeoxIT to dry before turning on the R-100.
11. Repeat for each button.

Here is the control board that houses all of the buttons. It can be a little tricky getting the board out and in again, so work carefully so you only have to do this once.

Here is a close-up of the disassembled buttons. The ring, plunger, and copper plate are to the right. Note that I did not clean the up/down buttons (seen on the left). I'm not sure these types of buttons can be cleaned, as I saw no way of getting them open. But mine worked fine so I left them alone. If yours have gone bad, I think these buttons are still readily available. I'm pretty sure I've seen them at RadioShack before, so perhaps they could just be replaced.