WirelessDJ
after serveral months of use I have noticed that the Hercules DJ Console buttons have become less responsive. Pressing play did not always start the track playing. It was literally messing up mixes!
Well, A quick trip to the auto parts store, and 1 hour of disassembling and re-assembling, I painted the rubber buttons with conductive paint.
I used a windshield repair kit, brownish paint similiar to this http://www.frostfighter.com/ff_pdt_2100.htm
So far, it works 10x better pressing cue starts it every single time. There is still some latency but that is VirtualDJ
I don't know how long this will last but i am happy I did it. this will hold me over until I figure out how to put REAL switches in this damn thing
WirelessDJ
Well, A quick trip to the auto parts store, and 1 hour of disassembling and re-assembling, I painted the rubber buttons with conductive paint.
I used a windshield repair kit, brownish paint similiar to this http://www.frostfighter.com/ff_pdt_2100.htm
So far, it works 10x better pressing cue starts it every single time. There is still some latency but that is VirtualDJ
I don't know how long this will last but i am happy I did it. this will hold me over until I figure out how to put REAL switches in this damn thing
WirelessDJ
Inviato Mon 31 Jan 05 @ 1:18 am
WirelessDJ
WHAT HAS NOT BEEN CURED: with the deck paused, and the cue set, if you press the cue and tap it to the beat, it sometimes gets confused and starts playing even though I let go.
example:
phrase is "rock steady"
(tapping with the cue to a beat) rock, rock, rock
(sometimes it continues to play) rock steady
This is NOT the button but VDJ getting confused. It has also happened on the dac-2
example:
phrase is "rock steady"
(tapping with the cue to a beat) rock, rock, rock
(sometimes it continues to play) rock steady
This is NOT the button but VDJ getting confused. It has also happened on the dac-2
Inviato Mon 31 Jan 05 @ 1:45 am
Spockie
I was considering doing this as well after finding my Herc Buttons gradually decreasing in sensitivity as well.. I might head off and get a bottle of the conductive paint now..
I also tried wiring up a lever microswitch to the proper tracks in parallel with the rubber button, (its easy, you just need to follow the tracks back from the pad contacts and find a suitable point to solder to) and found that it was 10x better as well, but it *still* missed the occasional play press. Approximately 1 out of 20 would be missed. This is strange, because these microswitches have very good quality contacts inside them.
I dont think its Virtual DJ, since it always responds to the keyboard without a miss, unless there is some difference in the way it processes commands received via the USB port. Perhaps the keyboard input has a buffer and the USB port doesnt ? More likely, I suspect the button-scan electronics in the hercules is missing the key-press. Their scan/debounce software may also be a bit slow.
Pern said he has used an external USB keypad to add extra buttons (for more keyboard shortcuts) to his setup, so I am going to try one of those.
If it works, I will try disassembling the keypad and mounting the extra buttons around the hercules, and wiring the rubberised buttons from the hercules into the keyboard of the keypad, since I want to use the original lighted buttons on the hercules if I can. I'm hoping the external keypads scan electronics will be able to more reliably sense the keypresses than the hercules internal electronics do.
I also notice that using the track-search buttons on the Hercules to fast-forward and rewind through the tracks, they often "Stick" and VDJ continues to fast forward or rewind after you have let go of the button, sometimes for quite a while. Have you seen this behaviour ? Is there a keyboard shortcut that is equivalent to these buttons ?
Other than these button issues, I quite like the Hercules "toy" so far.. B-) Good to see someone else is working on ironing them out too..
I also tried wiring up a lever microswitch to the proper tracks in parallel with the rubber button, (its easy, you just need to follow the tracks back from the pad contacts and find a suitable point to solder to) and found that it was 10x better as well, but it *still* missed the occasional play press. Approximately 1 out of 20 would be missed. This is strange, because these microswitches have very good quality contacts inside them.
I dont think its Virtual DJ, since it always responds to the keyboard without a miss, unless there is some difference in the way it processes commands received via the USB port. Perhaps the keyboard input has a buffer and the USB port doesnt ? More likely, I suspect the button-scan electronics in the hercules is missing the key-press. Their scan/debounce software may also be a bit slow.
Pern said he has used an external USB keypad to add extra buttons (for more keyboard shortcuts) to his setup, so I am going to try one of those.
If it works, I will try disassembling the keypad and mounting the extra buttons around the hercules, and wiring the rubberised buttons from the hercules into the keyboard of the keypad, since I want to use the original lighted buttons on the hercules if I can. I'm hoping the external keypads scan electronics will be able to more reliably sense the keypresses than the hercules internal electronics do.
I also notice that using the track-search buttons on the Hercules to fast-forward and rewind through the tracks, they often "Stick" and VDJ continues to fast forward or rewind after you have let go of the button, sometimes for quite a while. Have you seen this behaviour ? Is there a keyboard shortcut that is equivalent to these buttons ?
Other than these button issues, I quite like the Hercules "toy" so far.. B-) Good to see someone else is working on ironing them out too..
Inviato Mon 31 Jan 05 @ 2:25 am
WirelessDJ
my FFWD buttons don't stick
Not sure hw long the paint will last. all I did was put a tiny drop on the back parts of the rubber buttons
so the browish conductive paint presses down on the pcboard and completes the circuit
The paint appears to be removable so it is not a permanent modification
Dont use the accelerator to dry the paint it made it worse.
Not sure hw long the paint will last. all I did was put a tiny drop on the back parts of the rubber buttons
so the browish conductive paint presses down on the pcboard and completes the circuit
The paint appears to be removable so it is not a permanent modification
Dont use the accelerator to dry the paint it made it worse.
Inviato Mon 31 Jan 05 @ 3:04 pm
pern
"If it works, I will try disassembling the keypad and mounting the extra buttons around the hercules, and wiring the rubberised buttons from the hercules into the keyboard of the keypad, since I want to use the original lighted buttons on the hercules if I can"
A problem with that is if the keypad and the console is not in 100% sync, then VDJ could read it as 2 pressed. Like: ON - OFF .
BTW: I'm working on a "small" website at the moment for my DIY projects, so images etc will be available soon.
A problem with that is if the keypad and the console is not in 100% sync, then VDJ could read it as 2 pressed. Like: ON - OFF .
BTW: I'm working on a "small" website at the moment for my DIY projects, so images etc will be available soon.
Inviato Mon 31 Jan 05 @ 3:31 pm
anewsome
I have the same problem with my FFWD and RWND buttons on my HDJC also.
Inviato Mon 31 Jan 05 @ 6:33 pm
digimixer
I hear that Hercules sometimes cruise this forum, hopefully they will be taking this all in and will produce a succsesor to the console that matches or exceeds our expectations. As i've mentioned before maybe they could release a budget and a pro version so as not to isolate those with less funds.
Here's hoping!
Here's hoping!
Inviato Tue 01 Feb 05 @ 11:11 am
Spockie
>> "wiring the rubberised buttons from the hercules into the keyboard of the keypad,
> A problem with that is if the keypad and the console is not in 100% sync,
> then VDJ could read it as 2 pressed. Like: ON - OFF
I would disconnect the tracks from the hercules electronics first, so only the USB keypad will send the start/stop signals.. the hercules wont know they have been pressed.
I'm surprised the rubberised buttons give so much trouble actually.. its a technology that has been around for a long time and is used in nearly every keyboard out there, you would have thought they would have had the bugs ironed out by now.. I wonder if some simple changes to the keypad scanning circuitry would be possible.. they might just not have compensated for the variable resistance of the rubber contacts well..
> A problem with that is if the keypad and the console is not in 100% sync,
> then VDJ could read it as 2 pressed. Like: ON - OFF
I would disconnect the tracks from the hercules electronics first, so only the USB keypad will send the start/stop signals.. the hercules wont know they have been pressed.
I'm surprised the rubberised buttons give so much trouble actually.. its a technology that has been around for a long time and is used in nearly every keyboard out there, you would have thought they would have had the bugs ironed out by now.. I wonder if some simple changes to the keypad scanning circuitry would be possible.. they might just not have compensated for the variable resistance of the rubber contacts well..
Inviato Tue 01 Feb 05 @ 1:47 pm
pern
I agree that it is strange, I think that the problem is one or both of these
1 - De-bounce hardware incl button construction.
2 - Hercules DJC internal/driver software.
There are to many that have problems with it just to ignore it.
1 - De-bounce hardware incl button construction.
2 - Hercules DJC internal/driver software.
There are to many that have problems with it just to ignore it.
Inviato Tue 01 Feb 05 @ 1:57 pm
DJCannonball
hello? anybody listening?
read this:
http://www.virtualdj.com/forum/display.html?topic=9608&page=3
read this:
http://www.virtualdj.com/forum/display.html?topic=9608&page=3
Inviato Tue 01 Feb 05 @ 3:26 pm
Spockie
That would be nice if it was available yet. (assuming you mean the Behringer Unit)
Or did you mean something else in that thread ?
Or did you mean something else in that thread ?
Inviato Wed 02 Feb 05 @ 4:50 am
apopsisdj
I think he means that console buttons work better in Bpm studio, i'm curious at this too...
i will test tomorrow with mixvibes to see if it is any better.
i will test tomorrow with mixvibes to see if it is any better.
Inviato Wed 02 Feb 05 @ 5:01 am