TN 559 – Cleaning and replacing faders - All consoles Page 1
TECHNICAL NOTE
Date: 22
nd
November 2022
Ref: 559
Raised by: TS
Distributed to: as required
DiGiCo (UK) Ltd. Unit 10 Silverglade Business Park, Chessington, Surrey, KT9 2QL, UK
Tel: +44 1372 845600 email: support@digiconsoles.com
Replacing and Cleaning Faders on SD, Quantum, and S-Series Consoles
Symptoms:
Dirty or worn faders may jitter or jump, and randomly and inaccurately respond when moving to a position.
This is easiest to see when a bank is recalled and the faders should be positioning themselves at 0dB, but
instead they miss their target position and stop, or they quickly bounce until they reach their target position.
These symptoms are usually found on old and worn faders, and while cleaning may help, they will ultimately
need to be replaced.
Faders that are stiff or running rough are usually dirty and will require either careful cleaning or
replacement. It is often quicker to replace faders rather than individually clean them.
You will need:
• 2mm Hex driver for the fader panel retaining screws
• 5mm Hex driver for SD9/10/11 end cheeks
• 1.5mm Hex driver for the fader retaining screws
• PZ1 screwdriver for M3 screws
• Compressed air
• Vacuum cleaner
• Clean paint brush
• Specialist electronics cleaner-lubricant such as Deoxit F5 or Servisol S10 with a thin nozzle applicator
• Paper towels
• Antistatic wrist or ankle strap, connected to an electrical ground/earth
Which console? Click the console type to jump to the appropriate section
Quantum 2/3 or SD12
SD7Q/SD5Q/SD7/SD5
SD9/10/11
SD8
S-Series
IMPORTANT: Fader Calibration never fixes faulty fader operation, and can often
make the situation much worse, by calibrating to moving dirt!
Do not calibrate faders unless instructed to do so by DiGiCo Support