Micro BR80 Scroll Wheel Problem

[strummer10]

It's been a while since I last posted a topic, but this is one thing that has been bothering me for some time. I've had the unit pretty much since it was released but recently (last 6-12 months) i've had real difficulties with the wheel not being at all reliable. I'm sure others have encountered this too. It is very frustrating.  I have seen one chap recommend dismantling the unit and applying alcohol to the wheel but not being techniclaly gifted I worry that I would do more harm than good. Does anyone have any other suggestions, or is this quite safe? Also, does anyone have any idea how long Boss usually waits to release a new version - there are certain features of the original Micro BR which I wished they'd retained and I am hopeful that a new one will have the best of both)?

As always, I do appreciate any replies.

[chip]

Hi. Sorry to here about the wheel. I believe this has happened to another member? There may be some info about this problem on the forum somewhere and, a how to fix it. No doubt someone will respond who may remember. I do know this is quite a common problem with the 80, I have one but it is rarely used now and yes the wheel is a little bit of a concern.

[adheesive]

I bought a BR 80 second hand and was alarmed when I found the Rotary dial doing crazy things.
It initially felt like the unit was a write-off

I searched and found this YouTube link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umc2qmaiDKc
I recommend looking at it. It shows that other people have found the same problem.
The video nicely illustrates the fault.

The nice part for me was in the comments section.
If you sift through the comments (and ignore the idiot remarks) you can deduce that...
a) this unit is (mercifully) assembled in a way where dismantling for repair is feasible (can't say that for all modern devices)
b) a viable fix is to take the unit apart and clean the rotary switch with electrical contact cleaner.

So I did just that.
It's very fiddly work, but after an hour (I'm careful and very slow) of careful disassembly
(you have to remove the main circuit board to really get at the dial)
then cleaning and reassembly - it now works! With much relief - 'problem solved' - phew!

[Geir]

Hey adheesive !! Welcome to the site !!

Nice find !! I've been lucky so far with my BR80, but quite a few have had this problem. Now I know what to do if it happens to mane as well.

Thank you !

[Jim1970]

I just started having problems with the wheel and I took it apart also, I found out that there us a tiny screw that you can adjust with a very tiny screwdriver that actually solved the problem without taking apart the circuit board.
It's now working great. I did take it apart but you have to be very Carefull and the screws are so small.
I would have list my mind if I damaged it.
it's still my #1 recording device.
Jim

[Dosydotes]

I also had this problem Grrr!
I fixed mine by very carefully following the steps in this video (however the video doesn't go into detail much about the disassembly of the unit SO BE CAREFUL,GO SLOW,and keep track of the tiny chassis screws and parts! It took me about 1.1/2 hours to do this and I went very slow
GOOD LUCK
HERE IS THE LINK http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsClN_aSHZU

[Magicaldog]

I am quite scared that this will eventually happen to my BR-80 that I just got the other day.
Wonder how many owners of this otherwise fantastic little gadget has experienced this problem ?

I have a 3 year warranty on mine so I will see what happens.

Wonder why they changed this feature from the original who just had 2 buttons for scrolling ?

[64Guitars]

Wonder why they changed this feature from the original who just had 2 buttons for scrolling ?

A scroll wheel is probably more convenient to use than a switch. And buttons aren't immune to problems either. Check out this topic:

https://songcrafters.org/community/index.php?topic=10330.0

[Magicaldog]

Wonder why they changed this feature from the original who just had 2 buttons for scrolling ?

A scroll wheel is probably more convenient to use than a switch. And buttons aren't immune to problems either. Check out this topic:

https://songcrafters.org/community/index.php?topic=10330.0

Hi 64Guitars

Yeah a scroll wheel is definitely more  convenient !
We are living in an age where companies actually design things to NOT last !
However I really like what the BR80 can do for me and hope it'll work for 3 more years before the warranty runs out
By that time I'll bet BOSS has come out with a new 16 Tracker with the same size

Cheers M8

[64Guitars]

We are living in an age where companies actually design things to NOT last !

That's probably true to some degree but another part of the problem is that people want tiny, portable devices and all that miniaturization often means tiny, fragile parts that aren't easily repaired. Personally, I prefer larger, desktop recorders as portability isn't important to me and larger devices are usually much easier to repair. Plus the parts are usually larger and sturdier so they last longer. My BR-864 is over 12 years old now and I've never had a problem with it. Its scroll wheel still works perfectly.

However I really like what the BR80 can do for me and hope it'll work for 3 more years before the warranty runs out

It probably will if you look after it. I suspect that most of the issues with the BR-80 scroll wheel might have happened with earlier units. They've been making BR-80s for over 5 years now, so I would hope that they've addressed this issue by maybe using a slightly different part or altering their manufacturing procedure to ensure that the scroll wheel lasts longer. Although, I can't say for sure that this is the case. It's just what I would expect after 5 years. Suppliers change, for example, so I doubt that the BR-80s being made in 2016 have exactly the same parts as those made in 2011 when the BR-80 debuted. Of course, it's always possible that some parts in the newer BR-80s are cheaper than the same parts in the original, but I hope that's not the case.

By that time I'll bet BOSS has come out with a new 16 Tracker with the same size

I doubt it. Boss seems to have abandoned the multitrack recorder market. There's been nothing new from them since the BR-80 was released in 2011. I hope they will release another multitrack recorder someday, but I doubt that they will.