going over bumps triggers the top control button

so i've had my empeg mk2 for ages now and i adore it. the rotary encoder went on me a while back, but the folks at Eutronix made fast work of that repair.

now, however, going over bumps makes the unit behave as if i pressed the top control button. even basic highway seams will often cause the player to pause and resume multiple times while i travel down the highway. this all started about a week ago and has gotten progressively worse (the unit has become more sensitive to bumps) as the days have passed.

has anyone else experienced this? is it likely just the button circuitry? i couldn't find any previous threads with searches for "vibration" or "bumps" that dealt with this specific matter.

i hope that whatever it is, Eutronix can handle it easily and quickly.

Well, so can you too - most likely you have got some crud between the button and the fascia moulding. Either loosen off the allen screws on the front by a 1/4 turn, or remove it completely, clean buttons and apertures, and then refit.

You aren't by any chance sitting on your remote, are you? (my trick!)

Dixie, are you sure that the player is actually pausing, or is it just going quiet and dark for a moment and then continuing to play?

The difference is that if it's pausing there will actually be a pause symbol on the screen. If it's going dark, it might be have a battery icon appear on the screen when it lights up again.

So. If it's just going dark and not actually pausing, I'll bet it's a wiring problem on the harness area behind the sled, such as this problem. It could also be something related to the wiring of your installation, such as having used substandard methods to join wires like crimps or twists instead of proper solder and shrink tubing.

If it's genuinely pausing, do what Rob said and check that the fascia isn't binding against the button. Also check to see that the player isn't getting any stray IR or stalk signals.

no, it's definitely pausing and playing, pausing and playing, pausing and playing, ad infinitum as bumps jostle my truck. (pause and play icons are visible throughout the process) no stray IR signals are interfering with it. i removed the faceplaces to see if anything looked awry... it did not. when i put the empeg back in tomorrow i'll see if things have improved. if not, my guess is i'll have Eutronix replace the switch piece below the top control button.

Possibly the displayboard ribbon cable. This is an internal part that often gets damaged or punctured, possibly causing all kinds of strange behaviours.

Just a guess, but something to check out. It's probably in the FAQ somewhere with photos.

-ml

Good call. Even if it merely worked loose from the header, you would see strange behavoir.

hmm... the cable to the display panel seems well in place, but when reassembling the unit just now i seemed to encounter some difficulty fitting the top control button flush and true into the faceplate. after adjusting it and lining things up perfectly, all is smooth again.

perhaps it was just a physical problem, with vibrations being transmitted from the case to the switch, as opposed to anything internal electronically. we'll see when i get it back in my truck later today.

well, that didn't work. it still plays and pauses over nearly every damn bump. looks like i'll be shipping it out for a replacement of that switch below the button.