My old Novation Xiosynth’s keys sqeak or crackle while playing. This is caused by the friction of the spring in its channel in the key. What would you suggest to do? Shall I use some kind of grease to eliminate it?
Can silicone grease be used?

By the way, is it good idea to clean contacts and switches with a cleaner like Kontakt 10 Super when I have my synth opened? Is it safe for its electronic?

PS. I have read that silicone grease and WD40 can be harmful for plastic.

 

Last edited: Dec 4, 2023

Hi mates. Doesn’t anybody maintain his synth? Hmm… Or had my post been lost in the jungle?
The one-of-the-world-worst-built synth gives me the headache. I am going to open it and remove every key and treat its spring with oily cloth.

 

Yes it's a good idea to maintain your gear. As you've noted, better choose the right kind of grease depending on the material.
For plastics, I'm using white grease containing teflon which won't harm most kinds of plastic materials. It's most likely overkill in your case but I'm using it for many different things and it does a good job, also you don't need much of it if you only apply it at the right spots.
For metals, I'm using a high viscosity, sea water resistant grease - not that it's really needed in a synth (hopefully!) but it's also heat resistant and will stay in place well.

A general tip: Make sure you find out first what exactly causes the squeaking or crackling noises. It's not always what you think it is and please start fixing it consistently on one key first before continuing to work on the many other keys.

Regarding contacts, I've found multiple issues leading to high contact resistances:
- Dirt and dust entering the switches and potentiometers (can be cleaned)
- Oxidation on contacts (can be cleaned)
- Weak (worn) spring contacts (harder to fix because carefully bending them might not last forever, but worth a try)

Cleaning with alcohol and compressed air always worked well for me. As for oil on contacts, I would suggest to only apply a minimal amount of it to contacts because it will usually help attracting more dust to stick to the contact again.
There are oils that work on metals like on plastic and I'm sure that WD40 is not one of them (besides it's much too thin anyway).

 

Last edited: Dec 6, 2023