Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

Ed:

Thanks for the reply. I bought the set new last year (less than a 
year ago, so I'm hoping the warranty will cover it), the DTXpress 
II, so it would be the kick pad that shipped with that. Your 
explanation seems logical. I'll try the simple (WD-40) before I 
tinker with it and void the warranty. Never dealt with Yamaha 
before, we'll see how they are. 
Mark

> 
> Hi Mark,
> 
> Is the offending kick pad a KP60 that you bought secondhand? If 
so, 
> forget about a warranty; it must be three or four years old. I 
long 
> ago threw logic out the window with that particular pad; 
relatively 
> speaking, yours seems to have led a long life; not too many KP60s 
> lasted that long. I've opened up a few of them looking for why 
they 
> were misbehaving and never found an obvious reason. In your case, 
> you'd be lucky if the problem were simply a matter of assigning a 
new 
> pad type. But I don't think so. My guess is that some connection 
is 
> loose on the board, whether visible or not. When you strike the 
pad 
> moderately, the connection remains generally stable, but when you 
> hammer it hard, it gets disrupted. The best you can do might be to 
> open it up--which is simply a matter of unscrewing the plate and 
> pulling the elements apart--check the wires and resolder 
everything 
> regardless of appearances. You might also spray some WD-40 into 
the 
> jack and on the connector. You'll be surprised how uncomplicated 
the 
> insides are. If you're unable to improve triggering and have to 
buy 
> another kick pad, you'll find the new one, whatever it is, 
superior 
> in every way. That's all that occurs to me. Please feel free to 
get a 
> second opinion.
> 
> Ed