Case foam melting onto Taurus Pedals...

[RetroSynthAds]

As you can see in the photo below, the blue foam that surrounds the inside of the anvil case has very recently decided to melt/disintegrate around the pedals. Luckily, the control window was closed, and the bottom feet and pedals kept foam from entering the actual unit. There may be a minimal amount of foam that entered through the foot controls. Haven't checked yet.

You can't really tell from the photo, but the foam has left a sticky substance all over the pedals. The stuff really digs into the rug and also sticks stubbornly to linoleum.

I'm going to do some research tonight and see if there are any sites out there with helpful info, but I thought I would post here in case any kind souls would like to let me know what I'm in for when I open it up or suggest a few tips on removing this stuff.

Plus I figure it is a good warning to others that may have foam like this protecting their valuables.

Figured I would start by vacuuming as much as I could off the unit first. Then start cleaning. Or maybe time for a complete overhaul...

[valis]

Greetings,

I love your blog. Anyway, I'd say slow and steady is going to win the race here. That foam may be conductive so I'd make sure it was all removed before turning the machine on. If it were me, I'd probably be using the tweezers, compressed air, and a little distilled water to attack that mess. If the foam is as sticky as you say, 99% Isoprophyl Alcohol and some Q-tips may also be something that you'd want to use sparingly if the material is sticking to the circuit board or sliders.

You could also wash the board if needed. You can google Kevin LIghtner cleaning an Arp Oddyessy for info.

I've utilized all of these methods before to remove various kinds of gunk from synths.

Good luck! A multimeter is your friend.

[EdGs]

Hi,

Had the same problem with my Prophet 5 and E1. After 15 years of storage in a garage here in Florida, the foam was stuck everywhere. The distilled water and/or 99% isopropyl alcohol should do the trick on the stubborn spots, though. Hopefully not much has migrated to the inside.

Definately remove as much as you can beforehand, and be careful with the alcohol around the lettering and such, just in case. Make sure things are fully dry. +1 on the meter being your friend.

It seems these old anvil cases are famous for this problem. Best of luck to you.

[RetroSynthAds]

Well. Round one of cleaning is complete. Thanks for the advice - appreciated!

I started by removing as much foam as possible by hand, and then removed the pedals from the case onto the floor (not on the rug!)

Next I used an old vacuum to suck up as much of the foam from the outside of the machine as possible. Then, used household surface wipes to try and get as much of the stickiness from the outside of the machine. I tested the wipes on a small part of the surface first - seemed okay, so carried on. I'd say those wipes removed about 85% of the stickiness.

The hardest part was trying to get the blue foam out of the undersides of the pedals themselves. Used q-tips with the wipes to get in those grooves.

Then I opened up the machine to look for blue foam on the inside. Luckily, the only foam that seems to have entered the machine is from me tipping the pedals onto their backside when I was cleaning the underside (doh! ) Circuit board look okay from the bottom - but that was to be expected.

I've included a few photos below. And one extra-special one.

Next step - look at the top of the circuit board and get the broken pedals replaced. Anyone know a brand of pedal that is compatible?

[cryabetes]

could always just try molding your own from casting resin.