Does anyone know how to find a proper service technician to repair a faulty encoder? Having an issue with the Track Level knob when pressing it to select a menu in global settings. Thanks for any help.
Hi, can I ask where you are located geographically? What is the behavior of the encoder and what is the specific model of your concern? thanks
Hi. Thanks for the reply. Really appreciate it. So Im in south central Wisconsin. As far as the encoder is concerned, when I press the [global settings] button and scroll to a menu then press the [track level] knob, it USUALLY works, but sometimes I have to press it two or three times. There is no rhyme or reason when it won’t work - completely random. The weird thing is - the encoder works fine when I press it to increase the increments for the level setting. Plus, there is no issue scrolling with the knob. Its just that one behavior. I wonder if its a dust particle. I hope it’s not a system issue. The model is the A4 MKII Thanks
Ok well I’ll just be clear that I’m not an A4 owner so I’m just going to give you general information but hopefully it will help - first, regarding your model, my understanding is that MKII encoders are difficult to self service, unless you have soldering experience and are confident you can fix it I think you have the correct idea looking for a professional repair. Second, I’d like to ask if you have ran the self test mode by holding the function key while turning your A4 on to reach the pre-start up menu and then selecting the self test option? encoders which the firmware reads as bad (getting a data error) or system bugs which the self diagnostic recognizes as data errors will display after running the self test, if there are no errors it may be a physical issue with the encoder.
The behavior you are describing as I’m understanding has to do with the secondary function of the encoder, that is when you use it as a button, it’s unlikely to be dust related - it is possible a solder joint is no longer making proper contact, but the way it’s only doing it on one function sounds like that is less likely.
First thing I might suggest is verify your firmware version is at the most recent, I assume it is because I’m not aware of a recent update for A4 but just to be certain I would check. I would also do the self test mode and then the button test afterwords where you press buttons and encoders and it will tell you on the screen if it has registered as being pushed so you can get actual feedback from the device as to whether it believes the parts are working.
I would verify the build date on the bottom of your machine, the upper right hand corner (usually upper right) of the serial number sticker on the bottom should have the build year listed first, then a “W” which stands for week, and a number which is the week of the year. If it said for example 2021W48 it’s the 48th week of 2021 that it was built. If you are within 3 years of that date, you are within warranty and Elektron will probably service it with no cost, they have a service center in Los Angeles ca.
If you are out of warranty and want to pay elektron for servicing the device, they will quote you a price when you create a trouble ticket on the website, if you have registered an account there already you can log in and create a ticket.
If you want to have it independently looked at and worked on (warranty or no warranty) that is also an option, you can buy the encoder from elektron and I am estimating the cost would be under $10 but shipping would probably cost $15. They ship fast so you would get it relatively quickly.
You are unlikely to find anyone who is an “authorized service center” near where you live, but there are bound to be certified electronics repair shops, if you look online you should be able to find customer reviews and if necessary you can always check the better business bureau website to see if a business has any complaints.
On the positive side, an encoder is not a difficult thing to replace for any qualified service person, It is likely to cost you more than a couple bucks to have the service done however because people don’t like to work for free.
I don’t feel like what you’re describing is something that can be remedied with cleaning, but if you decide to try and clean or re-grease the encoder be careful with what you use and how you do it so as not to damage anything else. I’ll see if I can think of anything else, but why don’t you take a look at the test menu by holding function while starting your A4 up and make sure to only select test mode.
If it came down to it, as long as all your projects are backed up on a computer or whatever, you could possibly try a factory reset from within the same pre-start menu, but I would save that for after you’ve exhausted the other options we discussed. I know this is a lot to casually look over, so tell me if anything I said doesn’t make sense to you.
edit: also if you bought your a4 new, and you have the receipt for it still, the 3 years warranty will go from the date of purchase - the 3 years using the build date on the bottom is only if you no longer have your receipt, so depending on when and how you got your mk2, that may be something to verify.
For what it’s worth, I also did a search here on the forum for info about A4 mkII encoders and saw a lot of people had issues that were deemed software or bug related issues, but I did not see your specific issue described. Most of them were things like the encoders themselves being jumpy or overly sensitive when turned, and usually only on specific pages. Since yours is so specific, it made me think that it could easily be an odd behavior due to bug or software but I don’t have a lot to go on other than what you have shared about the issue.
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Fantastic! Thanks for all the great info. Really appreciate it.
So the os is current. Machine works perfectly, outputs are working nice, functionality is perfect, etc. I did not run a diagnostic. That is my next step.
I just bought it used. It was listed as excellent condition. And I would say it is in excellent condition there’s not a scratch on it. The plastic protector for the screen was still on the OLED.
The guy said that if I find out how much it would cost to service, he would reduce and give me a partial refund. Which is super cool. You’re right, soldering an encoder is probably basic stuff for an experienced electrician.
Also yes it is the secondary functionality of the knob the button function. The weird thing is that it works as a button for its other functions such as in increasing the level in larger increments (this is done by pressing and holding down while you turn). And that works just fine. But simply just pressing down and lifting up causes a weak connection.
Well let’s hope that it’s not a system problem. Perhaps just reinstalling the update could help. I’ve had instances where I’ve had to reinstall to fix functionality (the new sp404).
I’ll let you know how the diagnostic goes when I get a chance.
Thx again!
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hope it works out for you, and just so you don’t waste your time, what you would want is an electronics repair technician, someone who fixes things like tv’s computers, maybe even phones or tablets. however someone established.
An electrician is the guy who wires your house 
It’s nice of the seller to make a concession like that, I would say if you do a search on the forum here for a4 mkII encoder and read whatever looks interesting you might see that the issue could be software related. Either way, if the guy will pay for it wouldn’t hurt to get a quote from elektron also.
anyways good luck and if anything happens you can add to this post so you don’t have to start a new one.
Thanks for distinguishing between between electrician and someone who repairs electronics. Big help
So I ran the diagnostic. Good news - no errors! Whew.
BUT I did a manual test of en orders, potentiometer, buttons…all went went well until I got to trig button 1 & 2. Not sure what I am supposed to see when I press trig buttons 1 & 2 when I’m in Test Mode for the A4 MKII. I’m guessing (Hoping) these test the OLED because 1 just gives me a very faded out lit screen and 2 gives me a black screen no indication or feedback. All other trig buttons (3-16) give me indications/feedback and test colored led lights. Hmmm 
that’s going to show you if any pixels are dead (fully lit screen) or any pixels are stuck on (fully dark screen), as long as the screen is all lit for the first and all dark for the second, then you’re in good shape there.
And no problem, it’s just the kind of thing you want to know before you call a guy who would hook up an air conditioning unit asking about replacing encoders.
It’s a bit of a risk to replace the encoder without a guarantee that the problem will go away, but since the guy you bought it from is willing to pay for it - it’s probably also not going to hurt anything and might end up fixing the issue. I wish I could give you a conrete answer about if it’s a software bug or not, but I just don’t know - something like a bug may not always give an error because the machine would think it’s doing everything correctly. You’re on the right track though, for sure.
You’re awesome! Ya, that was my intuition about the screen test. Boy, spending 900.00 on a piece of gear and finding its got an issue isn’t the best felling in the world. That being said, the test mode came up roses. Must just be a very small encoder quirk or something went weird in the software install. Think I’ll reinstall the latest firmware and see what happens. Either way I’m feeling pretty good the machine is in fine shape apart from this minor encoder hiccup I can go to sleep now with a peace of mind. Thanks again for taking th time to answer my questions. Really appreciate it! Ciao!
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Open a ticket with elektron. Even if it is out of warranty you can get a quote to have it repaired.
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UPDATE: Elektron got back to me and informed that this is a known issue and they are working on it in future update
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unfortunate but at least now you know exactly what is happening and you know that you can relax a bit so that you can make an informed decision about what to do, also to not waste your time or money on a repair. Hope it’s something you can live with and that you enjoy your new synth.
check out @eaves youtube channel for some nice analog four tutorials and content.
I’ve definitely decided to keep the A4! It’s very assuring to know that nothing’s wrong with the unit which was my main concern - especially when buying used as you never know how it was treated no matter how nice it looks on the outside.
Thanks for the links. Yes Ivar has some great tutorials thanks. Looking forward to using the probability function … A whole lot! Ciao!
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