Mod Wheel Connector Soldering.

[DJKeys]

Hi-

I wanted to know if any of you had any experience soldering on the motherboard of your Stage 3 keyboard. The Mod Wheel connector is now actually pressing down on the low C on my Compact. It was an inherent problem in the original design, as they put the connector right over the end of the key instead of further up on the motherboard. I still have the original Mod Wheel problem, but would like to take care of this permanently. There are no Nord Service Centers here in Las Vegas, and I don't want to ship the unit to California.

How difficult is it to solder those wires permanently to the motherboard?
Is it possible to just solder the wires to the three pin male connector instead?
Can it be done by any electronic technician?
Can I do it myself without screwing it up? I have soldered lots of cables but am hesitant to try this.

Any and all input appreciated-

-dj

[pterm]

Hi dj,
I don't have Stage3 soldering experience but have been soldering personally and professionally for the last 25 years or so.

I don't have good pictures of the Stage 3 interior showing the Mod Wheel. So I have these questions:
1. Why did Nord use a connector here in the first place? Will you be able to reassemble and disassemble your Stage if you permanently solder? You might need to replace the wiring with a longer wires to allow this.

2. To resolve the issue do you need to remove (de-solder) the existing connector from the Front Panel or Motherboard? This adds complexity.

3. Is the connector "through-hole" (pins through the board) or surface-mount?

I think any electronics technician could make this repair.

I think the greatest risk doing this yourself is in the de-soldering of the connector from the board (assuming you require this). Too much heat can cause the copper traces and pads to pull out of the circuit board substrate. If through-hole, it's often difficult to get the solder to melt.

Ultimately, your decision to attempt this yourself depends on your experience, equipment, and comfort level. If you want to proceed or want to consider if to proceed, please don't hesitate to ask. Any pictures would help with this.

-pterm

[Schorsch]

Hi DJKeys,

I haven’t done it myself but this thread my help a bit: nord-stage-forum-f3/loose-contact-on-ns ... 17775.html

[DJKeys]

Hi DJKeys,

I haven’t done it myself but this thread my help a bit: nord-stage-forum-f3/loose-contact-on-ns ... 17775.html

This is excellent, thanks! Since the male connector on the board is intact, I feel confident to solder the wires to the pins, just getting rid of the bulky female connector. I like Pablo's solution.



-dj

[DJKeys]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I pulled the connector and cut the wires off it one at a time and soldered them to the pins on the male connector, as per Pablo's instructions in the provided thread. Pretty sloppy job (I am not as steady as I used to be and my eyesight is pretty poor now, even with glasses) and I was able to not get any solder across the connections ( a miracle)! Reassembled the unit, connector is gone, mod wheel function works perfectly! Hopefully it will last awhile.

-dj

[Schorsch]

[Elias]

I think any electronics technician could make this repair.

Definitely. If you know and trust a professional electrician, they will have no problems doin this properly. Best case scenario: you wont need to think about this again. Lets hope so.