Sad. Aeros has mechanical fault on play/stop all button

[kingofthejaffacakes]

My Aeros today suddenly started misbehaving. The “play/stop all” button has suddenly stopped responding reliably. It’s been fine for the few months I’ve owned it and hasn’t left it’s place on the living room floor since.

I’ve gotten in touch with the supplier; and so now am on that treadmill.

In the meantime I’m left without my favourite toy.

I mention this to (a) document a fault in case others experience it (b) to be sad near people who will understand and commiserate © recommend to singular that they implement MIDI proxies for the physical buttons – at least I’d have a chance of making it work in this situation if that were a supported feature.

[BlueSkyIS]

Much of the functionality is available via midi, although no direct replacement of the existing buttons.

Aeros MIDI Commands

Commands Aeros currently responds to: MIDI Clock (BPM) Time Signature (BeatBuddy sends this when a BeatBuddy song is loaded, for format see BeatBuddy MIDI Commands) Start (Real Time) Stop (Real Time) CC-102 (Next Part: This triggers changing song parts to the selected part in 6x6, or the part not currently playing in 2x2) The next MIDI commands we will implement is to support the Aeros Mode in the MIDI Maestro, which will consist of: CC-33, value 0: Save song CC-34, value 0: Start new 2…

[MarkF48]

A carefully directed short squirt of DeOxit contact cleaner into the switch from the topside ‘might’ bring it back to reliability if the moving part of the button is actually part of the switch where the contacts are located.
https://www.amazon.com/Hosa-D5S-6-DeoxIT-Contact-Cleaner/dp/B00006LVEU

[kingofthejaffacakes]

@MarkF48

A carefully directed short squirt of DeOxit contact cleaner into the switch from the topside ‘might’ bring it back to reliability if the moving part of the button is actually part of the switch where the contacts are located.

Brilliant idea. I’ll do exactly that.

[mooncaine]

How’d that turn out for you?

[kingofthejaffacakes]

Thank you for enquiring. I’ve been meaning to update this post and forgot.

Good news. The advice from @MarkF48 was perfect. Ordered some WD-40 contact cleaning fluid, put paper towel in appropriate place, then gave a couple of blasts in the tiny gap around the button shaft. Worked the button a few times, then repeated. Then I left everything to dry for an hour or so.

Magic. One working unit. One cancelled rma to supplier.

I should say that Thomann, the supplier, were very good in all save one ways. I told them about the fault. They asked for a video demonstrating it. Then sent me a return label. The only downer was that they estimated at least 5 weeks to even look at it. Who knows what it would have been in the end? When it started working I let them know and they said “good, the return label is valid for 30 days, if the fault returns you can still send it back”.

In case anyone is interested, the video I made for Thomann is below.

demonstrating faulty play/stop all button on aeros loop studio