Arcade Modding a Gemini cdmp 6000

[GreenSpade]

Just wondering if someone has maybe some experience with this model or modding in general, I have zero exp modding, but I am a computer savvy kind of guy and soldering is something I've done before.

This is what my unit looks like:


I'm not "overly" modding it, the only two things I would like to replace is the cue and start, as they're wobbly and after using my buddys cdj 400s for the last month n a half.. I just can't find this fun to use anymore due to the horable cue/play buttons that hold or stick or don't click right or wobble.. I want something that is more like the cdj 400s, you click it or you don't, theres no "half way" or almost clicks.

I was looking around for replacement buttons and it looks like this is the lowest profile ones I can find:
http://www.arcadeshop.de/Sanwa-Butto...-blue_736.html

My buttons are roughly 25-26 mm wide (The hole) so I figured this 24 mm would fit perfectly inside and the 27.3mm cover would prevent it from "falling in" the hole, as it would sit ontop.

My decks, when opened, have what looks like a green circuit board (like a computers mother board) under both cd-players, as long (tall wise) as my decks, that has the wheel and all the buttons on it.. this becomes a problem due to that board being screwed to the top face plate of the top of the deck, then connected down to the bottem board that has the actual cd-drives on them (So thats 4 boards in total, one screwed to the top of each deck, one screwed to the mixxer and one at the bottem plate with my back hookups and cd-drives, that the mixxer and cd-player boards are both pluged into.)

So why this is a problem is cuz the board is screwed right to the top faceplate, so really theres next to nothing for room under there.. half a inch at best... I'm wondering if these low profile buttons will actually do the job for me, 2.8mm is pretty small (The size of the button that actually goes inside) so I'm asuming this "might" work.. But really I have no experience so I don't know if what I should be doing is risking to take these buttons out (As they apear to be right on the board, not by cables I could snip/replace) or if I should just leave it as is.

Has anyone done anything like this on a unit anything like this? I would really like to get this done, but I don't want to just start taking things apart before I know a general durrection of what I'm doing.

[Philippro]

My opinion is that you should stay away of it in general. I'm a -not so proud owner- of it, and I must say it is not a good unit especially quality-wise. I had several problems with it and open it to resolve them. You can see the lack of quality and proper engineering from the first sight. You should have noticed that the cd-playyers are actually pc-dvd drives from lite-on corp and run over IDE bus... Although if this is the only thing you can have at the moment and you don't have the intention to upgrade just try it. Low profile buttons willdefinatelly be needed but if you manage to find them you will definatelly be satisfied with the results.

[GreenSpade]

My opinion is that you should stay away of it in general. I'm a -not so proud owner- of it, and I must say it is not a good unit especially quality-wise. I had several problems with it and open it to resolve them. You can see the lack of quality and proper engineering from the first sight. You should have noticed that the cd-playyers are actually pc-dvd drives from lite-on corp and run over IDE bus... Although if this is the only thing you can have at the moment and you don't have the intention to upgrade just try it. Low profile buttons willdefinatelly be needed but if you manage to find them you will definatelly be satisfied with the results.

What issues did you have with this unit?

As far as I can tell the only "quality" issue has been in the cheap cue buttons (That they humorously advertise as great quality in their release video on this unit) I have yes opened it and seen the cd-drives... But am I supposed to be suprized about that? Stanton use's the exact same drives among many other decks that don't have a trayless, suck the cd in kind of drives.. Kinda to be expected out of a unit that costs 400 bucks, but really, even tho they're normal cd drives, I don't see how it matters as they work the same anyways... and I don't even use them, I bought this unit cuz it has USB so I could use it as a training unit at home for when I played on the pioneer cdj400s in the club or at raves.

Did you ever try modding yours? What problems did you try and fix? Did you actually fix anything or just gives up on the unit itself?

Really.. aside of the cheap cue/start I have no issues with this unit, its done everything I've ever asked it to.. So whats wrong with yours if its not the lame cue/start?

[GreenSpade]

I got a msg back from gemini about their lame buttons finally.. But it was automated..

Hi Mike,
Please contact:

Audio Distributors International (ADI)

1275 NEWTON, UNIT 6
BOUCHERVILLE, Quebec
450-449-8177
WWW.ADI-ONLINE.NET

For warranty support within Canada.

Regards
Sam

I called ADI and they said they didnt even know about gemini being under warenty for them.. she also told me how if I sent in my unit they would be replacing it with the same lame ones, I suggested I could send her my arcade ones and if she could put those in and she said they might not be able to under warenty and it would be a custom job that would cost me like 90 bucks a hour to do plus I'd have to pay shipping both ways and thats "if" they can even do it.. she told me they did pioneer decks, mixxers and other audio gear so I suggested putting a pioneer button on my deck and she said it would be a custom thing still and would be custom ect and I'd have to pay alot.. thats "if" they could even do it..

Sounds like a do it myself job.. just wish I had a blue print or something to work from..

[GreenSpade]

Still haven't modded these.. I've since ordered the low profile buttons.. Have to wait for them to show up still but hopefully they will work out.. Still wish someone had some info on this or a general deck button replacement video or something..

Only other thing I can think of doing is taking it apart to the point where I could take some pictures of the buttons and the welds from it, maybe someone would be able to make more sense of what I'm trying to do if they seen what the board is already using..

[HerbStrike]

Have a look inside the unit check if the buttons have two wires or are they mounted to the board. IF there are two wire's one will be the ground and the other live or signal what ever you want to call it that should make it easy for swapping buttons over, just a quick solder job.
The Space where the buttons are looks a bit large for the sanwa 24's you will probably wanna look at the OBSN-30 they are the largest low profile midi fighter style one's with the same fitting as you have in you first post, but obviously i don't have the dimensions but i think its worth a check before you buy anything.

[josh@firestorm]

Have a look inside the unit check if the buttons have two wires or are they mounted to the board. IF there are two wire's one will be the ground and the other live or signal what ever you want to call it that should make it easy for swapping buttons over, just a quick solder job.
The Space where the buttons are looks a bit large for the sanwa 24's you will probably wanna look at the OBSN-30 they are the largest low profile midi fighter style one's with the same fitting as you have in you first post, but obviously i don't have the dimensions but i think its worth a check before you buy anything.

you may be able to find some large washers at a hardware supply store to compensate for the hole diameter difference. you could always drill/file the centers of them out so the button's shaft will fit through if the opening isnt big enough...

[GreenSpade]

I've re-looked at the hole and its just over 27mm.. so the obsn 24s look like they would work for me, they're 28mm wide, so sounds like it would be a perfect fit.. the obsn 30s however are 33mm wide and I'm pretty sure I'd have to file out some bigger holes or something...

Or is that just the mesurements around the orange bit? I can't really see 33mm being small enough to fit, unless the actual screw in part is more around 26-28mm and.. thats like 5mm or more then the site says its mesurments are.

@josh
You figure it would be better to grab bigger buttons and try n make them fit by fileing ect? or the smaller ones that are more close to the hole it already has? I was thinking if theyre not as snug as I'd like (the obsn 24s not 30s) then I could always toss a washer in or some crazy glue, was thinking a washer would prob be a good idea regardless just so I can reduce the hight profile of it.

Was just checking the buttons out a bit more and.. on this site it has it in cm:
http://www.arcadespareparts.com/arca...4_o/13024.html
But it says the mounting hole should be 24mm? The screw in part under the orange washer looking bit is 4mm less then the orange bit?
In that case I might need the 30s:
http://www.arcadespareparts.com/arca...0_g/13031.html
The 30s say that they're 33mm overall and 30mm mounting hole.. so its 3mm or more bigger then the hole I've already got.


Guess I should re-think what buttons I'm gona use.. but the washers should still work with the 24s I'd asume, even as they are they're bigger then the hole, but I guess the screw in threads are smaller?

When I get my unit back home I'll open it up and take some pictures.. I'm pretty sure the buttons are on the board, it looked that way when I opened it up last time, but I'll open it up and take some pics when I get it back, so I can find out for sure what is actually there, I just didnt see any wires, just a plastic mounting bit that the button sits in, thats durrectly on the board itself.