Topic: R-09 input jack weather strip compression fix

[dabbler]

I hit a problem with the R-09 on Friday the 13th during Iron Maiden (after Megadeth) in San Bernardino.

The left channel cuts out unless the jack is pressed into the PCB inside.  I took it apart and saw one jack solder point looked loose under the  epoxy (which was probably added by the previous owner).

The top/bottom halves of the R-09 frame should ideally clamp down on the input jack, but removing one built-in mic: I could see there was a small gap between the R-09 frame extrusion fin and the jack.

I got an extra piece of silicone weatherstripping and cut it so it sits in between the jack and the frame.  This presses the jack into the PCB, fixing the contact for now.

side view of R-09:

_______________________
              |        \     <-- R-09 frame + extrusion fin
              |________|
              =========|     <-- weather stripping added, this was a gap
              +--------+
              |        x     <-- line-in jack
--- PCB ------+_----U--+
               ^    ^------- (hopefully) good solder point
               \
                `------------ weak-looking solder point


This seems to do the trick, for now (2 shows under my belt with this setup).

I'm not sure how long it'll last, silicone lasts a long time for weather stripping but the extra pressure could strain the plastic R-09 casing.

Anyways, I've made two recordings with this setup so far:
http://archive.org/details/gybe2013-09-15.dab.flac24
http://archive.org/details/gybe2013-09-14.dab.flac24

...but I'll likely switch to an M10 sometime soon anyways.

[Gutbucket]

ASCII art diagram! Nice.

Keep in mind that if it acts up just before a show, you can switch to using the mic-input jack and turn down the gain to compensate for the difference in sensitivity.   When the original R-09 weak jack problem was just starting to surface around here years ago I did that after the jack's solder joints failed on my way into the venue and was able to make the recording.