Maxon Payne 2

Well, I tested my original hypothesis of how to fix the Maxon Autofilter tonight, with a roll of duct tape from a $2 shop. Would layers of duct tape on the overly-soft sponge buffer between the miniature switch and the pedal movement get the Maxon Autofilter switching again? Time to cut them up and see!

I first tried applying a 6-layer thick square onto the pedal foam to add enough contact pressure to switch the pedal. No dice. Then I added a further 4 layers of duct tape.

Success!! The pedal switched over - just- at the bottom of its travel. Screwed the switch in, clicked it a few times-then it stopped clicking. Time for more tape. I added another 9 layers, when it started working, then another three more for good measure. It worked, but again, it eventually stopped changing over the switch as the foam block "adapted". Argh.

Another 8 layers of duct tape later, the pedal is now changing over nicely. As I predicted in my earlier post, the foot pedal movement barely moves far enough to disengage the pedal (the deepest travel of the switch) so alignment is critical. I think I will be keeping the pedal in the engaged mode when not in use to minimise switch pressure on the foam.

And of course with all of this insertion and removal of the switch, one of the flimsy wires to the switch carrier board snapped! Murphy's Law in action, and time for more soldering.....