Worked for me as well. A bit of helpful advice though: there’s really no need to disconnect the ribbon (arguably the most difficult part of the procedure). Just find something heavy to lean the back of the keyboard against (I used a stack of books) and go from there. Huge time and stress saver. Also, if you’re going to take the time to pull everything apart I’d suggest cleaning ALL the terminals and keys. Why not? It’s super easy and if you don’t you many be running into the same problem with a different key later. Thanks for the tip though! You truly saved my keyboard! :)
Can confirm that this worked! There was a small piece of dust in the copper connection under my D# key and after cleaning it, it works like a charm! Thank you ❤️
After not using my MPK mini for a while, I was disappointed when the low E key was not working. Looking at your video, did as instructed, really no dirt (solder flux) in mine but I did find a suspect dog hair over the contact. As others had mentioned, I did not disconnect the ribbon. There was enough slack to not need to do that. Cleaned everything off real good, viola, working as normal. Thank you for sharing this. As much as these are fairly cheap, I did not want to buy a new one as I am only a casual / hobbyist musician. So pleased that this worked for me!
So glad I've actually found this vid...bought a brand new one last year and three 3 keys were dead straight off. Tried emailing got no reply back that was almost 10 months ago 😂🤦🏽♂️ Edit:almost finished the video, just discovered it was dirt causing the problem?!? How strange I bought it brand new online...deffo got mugged off 😂
Thank you so much! I bought one used on Craigslist and I get it home and multiple keys don't work! Aghhh. Then I watch your video and get to work - it is now as good as new! Thanks. I got a killer deal on it - $30!
This also works for the MPK261. Unscrew the back, and you have to disconnect the two black ribbon cables from the keys back board (just pull it up and it'll disconnect) also disconnect the thin black and red wire from the main board (this comes off easy just pull it out) , then unscrew the board for the keys to get to the sensors. Use 99% Isopropyl alcohol and clean the gold sensors just like instructed in this video. (Use q tips, and scrub them good with the alcohol, also clean the black rubber tips underneath the rubber part. Boom, worked like a charm. Almost half my keys were dead and they are now working like new
this worked. I also used rubbing alcohol with small pieces of cotton. Took out extra dirt that a brush couldnt take it. Very easy to do. You wont damage your keys or anything
so! there actually arent any kind of pressure sensitive sensors under these keybeds? it looks to me the keys hit the contacts in an angle, and the velocity is computed from the time difference of the two switches closing? if this works properly theres probably the same scheme in even mid priced keyboards so cleaning must be easy...?
It's split into sections so they can use the same parts for larger controllers. It's divided into one octave per section, so MPK mini has C - B for two full octaves, and then back to C hence a single key in the last section.
Thanks, so much, for posting this. You saved me from having to return my keyboard and it potentially ending up in a landfill. The "dirt" is solder flux that wasn't fully cleaned away. I'm disappointed with Akai's quality control. Rubbing alcohol cleans it, nicely. Mine didn't look dirty, but cleaning the pads fixed it. Cheers!
Thank you so much for this! Fixed my brother's Akai MPK Mini - followed your tips. The contacts needed a good clean, had to try twice before some keys worked. I used an alcohol swab x 2 to clean the contacts. Anyways, all working fine now - thrilled. Apparently stopped working after they had rain during a gig. Also realized the lip of the top section needed to be folded around the edge of the keys when putting the 2 pieces back together. And also to be careful not to crimp/sandwich the ribbon cable inbetween two edges of the 2 pieces when putting back.
I got a new LPK25 with a dead key, it would have been a pain to return it since I ordered it from abroad. Opened it up as seen here (it's very similar). Mine wasn't even dirty that I could tell but when I put it back together all the keys worked. Thanks for this video!
4:27 I know why. It's a thing called "octaves" idk if you ever heard of it. jk but more seriously shoutout to Akai for not making their device unrepairable, not a screw under a rubber foot/warranty void sticker, the ribbon cable has reasonable slack, really pleased to see this considering the music making industry is generally very "apple-like".
Hello TD CatTech, thanks for video! I tried it, and it's worked, but the next day I ran into some kind of magic. The keys I cleaned started working worse again. I don’t think that in less than a day everything could get so badly polluted again. I tested all the pins and tracks of the keys and the midi keyboard cable with a tester and showed that everything worked. I also checked the cable, which also turned out to be working. As a result, it turns out that if I clean the keys on Monday, on Tuesday they start working worse again and by Thursday the problem returns completely. I play for about an hour a day, simple melodies, that is, the keyboard is used poorly. I am completely confused, maybe you have come across a similar one?
I just did this, but when I put it back together, the keys don't work at all. The buttons and knobs still work, just not the keys. I have the ribbon re-inserted as far as it will go and clamped down. Any suggestions would be appreciated
This might sound obvious, but you put the rubber inserts in before the keys? And is the button depressed that makes you send CC notes instead perhaps? Anyways, hope you come right.
@@MikeScottAnimation Thanks for your reply. For whatever reason, the ribbon insert wouldn't fully register the sound (sound would go in and out while holding down a key) and eventually the plastic clamp broke and I just smashed the whole thing out of frustration.
worked for me as well. didnt have any visible dirt dust or grime... but after wiping with alcohol wipe and reassembling. it did the trick! works perfect now.
2022 and this worked for me! Even if there is no "visible dirt" just clean it! Yes you can clean with alcohol :) My low and high c stopped working, this got the job done. Thanks!
Awesome! I hadn’t used this controller in a while and was frustrated when I took it out to use and had a dead key. Luckily found your vid and it totally worked. FYI I skipped the step of removing the ribbon. It was long enough to just carefully lay it out while attached, use an alcohol wipe to clean the dirt and then reassemble. Ten min fix worked great!
Thanks for video. For mine the little rubber spacer thing was what was causing a note-on to only register 1/127 volume...and adding a little cork on it to make sure the key fully depressed fixed it.
This was very helpful. I just bought one of these used yesterday, and I noticed today that one key did nothing. I opened it with these instructions and the problem was immediately apparent. A small white fleck of what looked like paper, right on one of the rubber pads. I blew that out and now it works fine.
Worked very well for me :) thanks for that (although i didn't find the circuit particularly dirty when i opened it, it totally solved the issues :) ) (little tip : also use some air blowing can thing to get rid of dust and possible coton particles:)
Thanks for this video! I didn't disassemble anything, I just carefully lifted the keys enough to make a little opening underneath them and then blew into it on the affected key and that fixed it. The dust is still in there though so it's prolly better in the long run to open it up and clean it out, but still. 😅 Quick fix if you don't have the time/tools at hand.
Great Job and excellent choice for a do it yourself video.. and BTW, nicely done.. I get an upset stomach thinking about taking the cover off of my instruments.. next gig is when I find out I overlooked something - Thanks !
I have the newer model, the MPK Mini play, with the samples and instruments in the device itself. The C key all the way on the left wouldn't work out of the box, cleaned it with the help of this video and now it works perfectly. Although I'm pretty confused as to why it was dirty. It was brand new, maybe I just got unlucky?
Amazing, was about to buy a new one. Did this and it kinda worked. Repeated the operation until it all worked properly. Be careful putting the keyboard back.
That's really nice, thank you!!! I'm actually trying to open up the upper section (with the pads and knobs) but the sustain output it's like...fixed. It won't let me open the machine to have the internal access. Any tips???
Just fixed my own Acorn Masterkey 61 thanks to the example and encouragement of this video. Thank you! I followed the advice of your commenters and cleaned all the terminals while I was at it, not just the ones in the sector with the dead key.
Thank you 🙏🏻 Worked like a charm for my top C key, now restored to life. I cleaned all the contacts while it was disassembled. I used eye make-up remover, because it's what I had 🤷🏻♀
It was not easy to open the MPK, in fact impossible. I damaged some of the keys before trying to open it from the USB, not blaming you, but as I say, hard to impossible to open. Perhaps you were lucky?
Thank you for posting this, I fixed my dead key after finding this video. I will add for anyone reading this that the high C is a seperate piece, but you still have to remove the middle set of keys to be able to remove the high C. I'd recommend cleaning them all anyways, I was shocked at the amount of stuff on the inside of mine. I used compressed air to dust the board, and then used a cotton swap/q tip with alcohol to actually clean it.
BUT WHAT ABOUT MY WONKY KNOB THOUGH, PARDNER? forgive me if this has already been asked and answered i just need help; i overused the k8 (bottom-right) knob and ive popped it on and off and messed with it in the editor to no avail; i fear i may have caused an internal wiring issue. PLEASE SEND HALP
I had this issue with my MPK249. It was really new and not functioning properly. After several cleaning attempts, the only effective solution was using electrical contact cleaner on all of the electrical contacts for the keybed AND on the rubber pads (the black contact dots). This completely fixed a very dodgy board will loads of dead spots and velocity inconsistencies. I believe that rather than dust, mine may have had a very thin (invisible) layer of mechanical oil (perhaps from the keyboard spring mechanism on the MPK249) masking the contacts. I highly suggest doing this if you can't solve the issue from regular dusting.
I bought a second hand Akai MPK mini. After fiddling for a first few minutes in Garage Band, I realized the C2 key (the one in the middle of the entire keyboard, labeled "Order") is not working. I am not sure wether I messed some configuration unknowingly, or wether the key is dead. Any ideas before dismantling my Akai Mini for dead key surgery?
I got a used Axiom pro 61 with unresponsive pads. Only 1 pad works and the others are completely dead. I opened it up and saw no oxidation, but just a little tear on the strip that connects to the circuit board. Is there a fix?
hey your video is great! I've got the LPK25 and my problem is the opposite... Like when I press one key it plays the note multiple times in a row instead of holding the note for as long as I am pushing that key- it sounds oversteered and it sucks so bad... Maybe you've got a solution for that too. Thanks anyways!
Thank you! This solved the issue. It wasn't as dirty as yours but I loosened the screws and carefully cleaned things up a bit. Then put it back and... voila!
will give this a try as it was my first keyboard and there's a semi dead connection, so its hardware. I used scaler to help me meanwhile to make chords from the dead key meanwhile :p
My connection issue was in the grey rubber strip cover, not the actual conact. If you have this issue and this solution isn't working, check the other side of the contact underneath the removerable rubber strip. Great tutorial!
hi, my issue is my drum pads dont work if i tap like 10-15 times on the left most drum pad it blinks a lil i can see a red light but then thats it it stops working. the other piano keys are working fine . its a brand new midi keyboard too. wat should i do since i can not return it as i live in 3rd world country and had it brought in from abroad
My mpk 3 mini had also dead keys, but with you tutorial it was easy though the structure changed a little bit... just take care of the strap between the keys and the motherboard... i couldnt remove it like you but i could lift up the board and the keys seperate to get into the spots needed to be cleaned
It's split into 3 sections for manufacturing basically the first two sections are the same and don't need different molds and the last key can be made in a much smaller cheaper mold.
Thanks! Mine had some gunk as well, and while I was in there I cleaned up the other bits as well, it looks like they used a "no clean" flux, and I've found over the years it still needs cleaned, gunk all over the place where they hand soldered the through hole components.
thanks your video help me , some scammer sold me one as working and when I test it was missing 3 death keys, I clean it and is working the only thing is 3 of my drum pas still not working but is fine for now
if this still dont work try to stick conductive copper tape on the membranes little dots it will allow to creat an extra layer and copper will transport electricity better
