simon forbes Posted June 26, 2022 Report Share Posted June 26, 2022 Hi Folks, DISASTER! I believe I have a grain of sand in a pan pot on my 664, preventing me turning it in either direction. I've tried wiggling it, talking sternly to it. Inserting a pin whilst holding it upside down. Vacuum cleaning it. Has anyone overcome this issue successfully and would like to share? Thanks in advance, Simon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PMC Posted June 26, 2022 Report Share Posted June 26, 2022 By saying "pan pot" i am assuming you are talking about the L-R pan control. Dies that cintrol push in and pop out normally? Have you tried holding the mixer upside down and spraying an aerosol called Tuner Cleaner up into the pot in an effort to wash the wee grains of sand out? Have you tried sneaking up on it and scaring it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon forbes Posted June 26, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2022 Hi PMC, Thanks for your reply. Yes that's the one I mean. It doesn't pop out any more, so It's stuck in the middle L+R position, which isn't ideal. I haven't heard of Tuner Cleaner, but it interests me strangely. Possibly it's similar to that isopropyl alcohol spray that engineers use to de-carbonise faders etc? I did, as you suggest, try sneaking up on it and scaring it. I also tried intimidation and flattery, but the results were uniformly disappointing. Luckily it's rare that I need 6 channels at once. All the best, Simon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Norris Posted June 26, 2022 Report Share Posted June 26, 2022 I once sent mine to the mother ship while on a scheduled vacation for this fix and a general check-up and cleaning. It was home when I was and once again in new condition. Cheers, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon forbes Posted June 26, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2022 I'd definitely do that if I was based in the U.S. Tim. And I might do it in any case. Thanks Simon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olivier Leger Posted June 26, 2022 Report Share Posted June 26, 2022 Use a very thin metal blade like the one the mechanics use to check the clearance of the valve in an engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAB414 Posted June 26, 2022 Report Share Posted June 26, 2022 This is probably a stupid idea but when I had a swollen AA in my 552, putting it in the freezer shrunk the battery a bit to where it came loose. Maybe something similar would help here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronFilm Posted June 27, 2022 Report Share Posted June 27, 2022 7 hours ago, BAB414 said: This is probably a stupid idea but when I had a swollen AA in my 552, putting it in the freezer shrunk the battery a bit to where it came loose. I have the same problem with my 552. (haven't been in a rush to fix it, as I can still externally power it, and I rarely use my 552 these days anyway) But putting it in a freezer wouldn't risk causing other damage to the 552? Is there a better method to getting out a stuck AA?? (I honestly don't understand why Sound Devices went with this tricky tube design... I have the same worry always with my Sound Devices MM1 preamps as well!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted June 27, 2022 Report Share Posted June 27, 2022 Battery extract via drill and an easy-out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mungo Posted June 27, 2022 Report Share Posted June 27, 2022 Had similar issue, but I fear it was less worse. That helped: *Very* thin watchmaker's screwdriver into the rim, pushing and wiggling and pressure air at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom E Posted June 27, 2022 Report Share Posted June 27, 2022 I had the same thing happen with my 664. I was able to pull the pop up pan knob out using a toothpick with a drop of hot glue on the end. Could work for a stuck battery too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Justice Posted June 27, 2022 Report Share Posted June 27, 2022 Putting a grain of sand in the 664's fader unlocks "Shure FP33 Mode" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osa Posted June 27, 2022 Report Share Posted June 27, 2022 8 hours ago, Tom E said: I had the same thing happen with my 664. I was able to pull the pop up pan knob out using a toothpick with a drop of hot glue on the end. Could work for a stuck battery too. Genius tip i will file away for future use! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edward chick Posted June 27, 2022 Report Share Posted June 27, 2022 Buck it up, send it in. SD goes over EVERYTHING.. as T. Norris said it will come back as like new. I’ve sent both my 664 and 633 in over the years and they have always done a great job. I don’t know if they have a UK service shop or not. If you can spare it for a few weeks, it’s worth shipping in to SD US. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAB414 Posted June 28, 2022 Report Share Posted June 28, 2022 22 hours ago, IronFilm said: I have the same problem with my 552. (haven't been in a rush to fix it, as I can still externally power it, and I rarely use my 552 these days anyway) But putting it in a freezer wouldn't risk causing other damage to the 552? Is there a better method to getting out a stuck AA?? (I honestly don't understand why Sound Devices went with this tricky tube design... I have the same worry always with my Sound Devices MM1 preamps as well!) It was definitely a concern and I don't know if it is recommended but it did the trick without doing any damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek H Posted June 29, 2022 Report Share Posted June 29, 2022 On 6/27/2022 at 4:09 PM, edward chick said: Buck it up, send it in. SD goes over EVERYTHING.. as T. Norris said it will come back as like new. I’ve sent both my 664 and 633 in over the years and they have always done a great job. I don’t know if they have a UK service shop or not. If you can spare it for a few weeks, it’s worth shipping in to SD US. This is all true but just be prepared for a $600 bill. SD service is no bargain. But they do a good job of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pontec Posted June 29, 2022 Report Share Posted June 29, 2022 I had a similar issue a few years ago. I brought my 633 to my retailer and after a short but strong blast of pressurised air, the knob was easily released. Since then, I always use my blower bulb after a sandy working day, before the grains go too deep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lachlan Coles Posted July 2, 2022 Report Share Posted July 2, 2022 When this happened to me I was able to pry the pan-fader up from the side using a toothpick after first pushing down on it to activate the spring release - it requires some effort but then you should be able to access the Allen key slot and unscrew the fader to remove it and vacuum the sand out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conor Posted July 6, 2022 Report Share Posted July 6, 2022 You're probably going to need to send it in unfortunately. If the sand gets in too far then it needs to be disassembled. And you essentially have to tear down the entire machine to get inside to pot assembly. Here's a pic from the last time I had to do this procedure (albeit with a different pot). You can see how all of the pots have a very tightly fitted plastic cup around them to prevent matter from getting through to the PCB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy Bakewell Posted July 17, 2022 Report Share Posted July 17, 2022 On 6/27/2022 at 4:09 PM, edward chick said: Buck it up, send it in. SD goes over EVERYTHING.. as T. Norris said it will come back as like new. I’ve sent both my 664 and 633 in over the years and they have always done a great job. I don’t know if they have a UK service shop or not. If you can spare it for a few weeks, it’s worth shipping in to SD US. Yep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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