DIY repair: what kind of glue to use? (pics included)

[tvekamp]

Hi,
Recently my FUNCTION button got stuck, so that it acts as if its always pressed down.

Today I opened the MD, and I could see that the plastic socket of the FN-button is somehow broken. The button has now ‘jumped’ upwards in a skewed angle, as in the pic below.

I tried holding the socket down firmly in place with my finger, while having the unit turned on. The FN-button now worked fine:

I’m out of warranty, so the obvious option would be to glue the socket back together. [Putting glue in between the black plastic parts of the socket].
I’m confident that this will work. But what kind of glue should I use? Does anyone have suggestions, thoughts, experience? Please share.

While I was googling the issue, I learned that to glue plastic together, it is best if you know what kind of plastic you’re dealing with. And I have no idea here.

[jeffe]

I usually go with epoxy - the clear kind you mix to make it activate.

This stuff is extremely strong, so be very careful. If there is anyway you can isolate the part away from the board while you work on it, do it.

I can also not comment on if epoxy is the ‘right’ glue, its just what I use all the time.

edit: Looking at the pics, if you can, just replace the whole switch.

[tvekamp]

Thanks a lot, Jeffe.

I might try to replace the switch instead of gluing it.

Does anyone happen to know whether that is a tricky operation for an amateur like me?
(I have zero experience in repairing electronics, but I’m not afraid to try)

[t]

You might want to find a local electronics repair person to do the soldering for you.

[PongFu]

I soldered about five buttons last time, and recently soldered a new button into my monomachine. Glue could work but if you use too much glue the ball and spring in the button mechanism might get stuck. I would advise you to engage soldering procedure with someone who can hold the main board and pull the button out with pliers while you heat the two pins alternately until they move a few mm at a time. When the button is out, clean the holes of excess solder with a solder suction tool, put in a new button mechanism and solder the pins in place. Don’t use too much solder and don’t place the soldering iron on any connections on the board. Only solder the pins.

[jeffe]

It’s probably not a tricky soldering job, but I wouldn’t work on such an expensive piece of gear for my first project.

Especially with all that plastic, a very common mistake to make when you are new is to get the components too hot, and that would destroy all that plastic the switch sits in.

I think the quickest fix would be just basic super glue, but I would be exceedingly careful to not get any between the switch and the actual board. That will make proper replacement even harder later.

edit: Some really good, detailed advice from PongFu above my reply.

[tvekamp]

Thanks Jeffe and pongfu for your helpful advice!
Just wanted to give an update: I chose the glue-solution as I dont know anyone who can help me w/ soldering. The unit now works like a charm. But if I had the soldering skills I would have replaced the whole button. I had to be really careful not to get glue on the print-board or on the spring inside the button (thanks for that warning, Pongfu)
I used loctite precision super-glue. The glue tube has a has a long thin nozzle to allow for precision-jobs. But it wasn’t small enough for, so I had to use a tooth pick to put glue into the tiny crack. Pics included below - thought it might be helpful for others like me who might end up with a broken button and no soldering skills:

I placed a bit of paper around the button in case I would spill glue on the print-board

Had to use a toothpick for this job

The glue I used. Although the nozzle wasn’t thin enough, the glue itself worked like a charm. Cured in a second (which also means you have to make it right the first time)

[Veets]

If it works, it works - congrats!