JX3P - Sounds change on their own when PG-200 is connected

[adamscotty92]

Hey All!

Whenever I have the PG-200 programmer connected to my JX3P, whatever preset is on will slowly change. First it will start wobbling like and LFO is being turned up, then slowly just devolve to basically a pure saw-wave. It doesn't do this if you start the synth with the programmer disconnected. But it you start it with programmer connected, and then disconnect it, it will still have issues.
I've had the synth and programmer for over a year and it just started doing this a few months ago. Any ideas?
Thank you!
Adam

[commodorejohn]

Probably dirty sliders glitching out and changing parameters on you. My PG-800 does this a little.

[adamscotty92]

Probably dirty sliders glitching out and changing parameters on you. My PG-800 does this a little.

Thanks!
Do you just spray some contact cleaner in there? Rubbing alcohol and qtips? I'm seeing lots of different suggestions across the internet.

[commodorejohn]

I haven't actually done mine because it's not bad enough to be an issue.

[crochambeau]

Probably dirty sliders glitching out and changing parameters on you. My PG-800 does this a little.

Thanks!
Do you just spray some contact cleaner in there? Rubbing alcohol and qtips? I'm seeing lots of different suggestions across the internet.

Cleaning pots is becoming a lost art, it seems. There is a lot of "misinformation" in part because there are several different types of potentiometer and what works optimally on one can degrade another.

I would avoid rubbing alcohol and Q-tips, as unless you are disassembling the component to expose the conductive track all they will accomplish is cleaning of the shroud which is not your problem.

I would guess that the PG200 predates conductive plastic pots, so you *probably* do not need to worry about the cleaning agent too much (please do not take my assumption as research though, I do not know for sure these are carbon track).

You want to FLUSH the pot with a spray to carry any particles away from the conductive track, and work the pot movement to interrupt any oxidization that may be giving you grief. In order to flush the pot you want access to the back side of the pot and an "open" pot that has ports to allow spray to reach the inside.

Avoid chemicals that do not leave a lubricating film, unless you are following up with a lubricant of some sort - again, the composition of the potentiometer matters here with the selection of chemical.

Some stuff is residue free, so it's great on switches or tube sockets, but can leave pots in a friction vulnerable state. Generally speaking, rubbing alcohol is residue free.

TL;DR something like Deoxit D5 or F5 applied to the backside of dodgy controls followed by an exercise regimen should sort you.

Sometimes pots are too far gone and replacement is the appropriate solution. Good luck!