Nord Drum 3P pad problems solved! - Everyone needs to read and be aware!

[Naughty Nord 4P]

Sup,

So Ive had a faulty ND3P and its needed service many times due to faulty pad connections.

Dealing with Clavia has been................frustrating.... yet smooth....to put it that way. Swedes arent good at customer service and it comes off lazy and appears work ethics lacks. Ill just say that.

However its confirmed now buy them that this issue is recurring in many units and it is in fact a design flaw.

The pads float and are subject to move when packed or while playing (if you see some units the pads are too far apart or close together or one pad is smashed all the way to one direction).

This shorts the wires out from the pads to brain! They are confirmed to be too short and tight! Make note of this! Ive suspected this to be the case for years but has now been confirmed.

No wires have been lengthened in the whole unit so to e will tell if this solved the issues and I suspect it will.

Only took more than 4 times of broken pad wires for this to be a solution......

Ive been so fed up with this unit but unfortunately seems to be the only thing like it in existence. Was looking at perkons hd1 and vermona drum but it lacks clear info if input trigger pads can be used and only 4 voices. Im craving a unit with editable physical knob controls and trigger inputs. Its 2024 and I have no clue why not one has made this stuff......

Good luck everyone. Lets pray for a 4P soon thats got external inputs and a plethora of other features!

[littletinymonkey]

Hi! Thanks for sharing! That does indeed sound frustrating.

So, there’s a deign flaw that Nord has confirmed, but I’m not entirely clear on how this was resolved for you. Did they (eventually) repair your unit by replacing stuff and reimplementing the same faulty design and are therefore just “kicking the can down the road” as they say, or have they revised anything to make your unit more durable so that you’ll no longer need to worry?

I bought my Nord Drum 3P new about 8 months ago, so my hope is that they resolved this deign flaw in later units. If not, I’m very curious how I can prevent this from happening.

Do you have pics of the pads before and after?

[Naughty Nord 4P]

Hi! Thanks for sharing! That does indeed sound frustrating.

So, there’s a deign flaw that Nord has confirmed, but I’m not entirely clear on how this was resolved for you. Did they (eventually) repair your unit by replacing stuff and reimplementing the same faulty design and are therefore just “kicking the can down the road” as they say, or have they revised anything to make your unit more durable so that you’ll no longer need to worry?

I bought my Nord Drum 3P new about 8 months ago, so my hope is that they resolved this deign flaw in later units. If not, I’m very curious how I can prevent this from happening.

Do you have pics of the pads before and after?

This all came about because I have had many recurring issues with wires and pads in my unit. And Clavia confirmed that the wires are too short and tight this creating this problem. In my unit they fixed it and elongated all wires. Not too sure if they plan on updating the design. I say this because its over 4 times my unit has to be repaired by Clavia for the same issues and over 2 years later NOW they make the corrections to the wires.

I brought this up with them years ago about it possible being the wires are too short and tug, because when you look between the pads the wires are taught. Not good.

I really dont think they sold many nord drums of all series and will not make another. They seem to be flooded in the keys market (synths and drum synths) are a thing of the past for them.

[Naughty Nord 4P]

Hi! Thanks for sharing! That does indeed sound frustrating.

So, there’s a deign flaw that Nord has confirmed, but I’m not entirely clear on how this was resolved for you. Did they (eventually) repair your unit by replacing stuff and reimplementing the same faulty design and are therefore just “kicking the can down the road” as they say, or have they revised anything to make your unit more durable so that you’ll no longer need to worry?

I bought my Nord Drum 3P new about 8 months ago, so my hope is that they resolved this deign flaw in later units. If not, I’m very curious how I can prevent this from happening.

Do you have pics of the pads before and after?

To be more direct. No i really doubt they adjusted anything in their production. Time will tell if your unit succumbs to the wire failures. Hope not!

They are in fact seeming to kick the can down the road. Its been confirmed too that they repair this issue in units sent back a few times a year. So its definitely not uncommon issue.

[littletinymonkey]

To be more direct. No i really doubt they adjusted anything in their production. Time will tell if your unit succumbs to the wire failures. Hope not!

They are in fact seeming to kick the can down the road. Its been confirmed too that they repair this issue in units sent back a few times a year. So its definitely not uncommon issue.

Dang. Again, thank you for sharing all of this and responding. Hmm... Maybe I'll just use the TRIG and CH SELECT buttons to play drums on it from now on! Oh! ...and surround it in padded foam.

[wartaler]

Hi Naughty Nord 4P,

So, the pads can move over time (which indeed has been reported on this forum before) and you're saying the wires underneath the pads are too short and/or fragile, and they will short(?)
How would you describe the problems that you were having as a result of all this? Did some pads suddenly stop working so that they couldn't be triggered anymore, or did you also experience other changes, like (an increase in) crosstalk between the pads? What were the first signs?

I checked my Nord Pad (of the ND2), luckily the pads are still aligned properly. I can see that the wires of the bottom row of pads (piezos) go straight up, underneath the first row, to the board in the top bezel. So, together with the wires of the top row, there are 6 neatly spaced pairs that connect to the board. I can imagine that if the pads would move/slide, the wires could break. If pads physically touch, it may cause crosstalk, perhaps also if the wires of 2 different pads are in close proximity.

Cheers,
Albert

[Naughty Nord 4P]

Hi Naughty Nord 4P,

So, the pads can move over time (which indeed has been reported on this forum before) and you're saying the wires underneath the pads are too short and/or fragile, and they will short(?)
How would you describe the problems that you were having as a result of all this? Did some pads suddenly stop working so that they couldn't be triggered anymore, or did you also experience other changes, like (an increase in) crosstalk between the pads? What were the first signs?

I checked my Nord Pad (of the ND2), luckily the pads are still aligned properly. I can see that the wires of the bottom row of pads (piezos) go straight up, underneath the first row, to the board in the top bezel. So, together with the wires of the top row, there are 6 neatly spaced pairs that connect to the board. I can imagine that if the pads would move/slide, the wires could break. If pads physically touch, it may cause crosstalk, perhaps also if the wires of 2 different pads are in close proximity.

Cheers,
Albert

Hey albert.

The pads just stopped working, or triggered other pads around the pads that was failing and generally not triggering and over 4 times it was the same issues, wiring to the pads and brain.

Sure we can see the wires to the pads and Theres no give in them. This creates a problem if you play the unit primarily with sticks or hands. Eventually it seems the wires pull and the soldiers get weak.

Thankfully my unit has been fixed and adjusted to accommodate these oversights in the construction of the production of the nord drum 3p. We will see how long it lasts.

The wires are too tight and short and over time with playing or moving around they will get weak at the solder joints. Thus creating false triggers and pads that dont work properly.

[Naughty Nord 4P]

In the picture you can see wiring bunched up. This allows for some wiggle room. I wont take the unit apart so see how much they lengthened the working but it is noticeable now.

[JazzJohn55]

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On my Nord Drum 3p three of the pads do not work, the left most pad on the top and the center and rightmost on the bottom. I removed the hex screws and other connections holding the “brain” in place and lifted it out to view the wired connections to the pads.
The six pairs of wires seem attached to the brain. Photos attached. I assume the wires have pulled loose on the pad side but I have no idea how to see under the pads as they seem to be glued down. Is there any way to view the pad/wire connections for a solder repair? Thank you!