I’m curious about the internals of the X1… anybody taken theirs apart yet?
I’m wondering if it’s possible to move the physical buttons around… I’d like to swap my cue and sync buttons since I’m used to having cue and play beside each other, not above.
I know I can easily just remap the buttons to do what I want, but then the label on the button doesn’t match it’s function.
If the buttons are just individual piece of rubber, it should be trivial to move them around… but if it’s a single sheet of rubber w/ say, 2 x 4 buttons, it would require some surgery…
I’ll take a peek this weekend I guess… can’t be any trickier than the laptop I ripped apart to replace the screen the other week, w/ no service manual.
You could just go to your local copy shop and get some small decals to go on top of the buttons. Might not light up the same but you wouldn’t have to break your X1 trying to get it apart.
I thought about doing the same thing, but decided to go another route.
I took the unit apart with little problem. The likely reason you had trouble disassembling it was due to one screw. On the back there are two labels, One white with the serial #, and another black with NI info and model. There is another screw below the black label. To easily get to it, press on it and you should feel the hole then use a razor and cut enough to get your screwdriver through.
To answer your question, the rubber pads are connected, but they do not rely on this to retain each pads location. Each pad button and button slot has alignment pins, so even if the pads were seperated, they are held in place by the pins.
For me, there are buttons labeled with functions I never have or will use. I never use Sync, and I never use Cue up for one. So what I did was use a Dremmel with a fine sanding disc at high speed to remove the text from each button. The high speed with little pressure creates enough heat to bring the text off easily with no scarring or marking to the rubber button surface. Even
with the button lit from the LEDs it shows no marks.
Now using the NI made overlay (I ordered extras) I can label each button with its main and modified control similar to the encoder labels. Also now I can create mappings that would allow me to use it in a horizontal config instead of vertical.
I took pictures of the process and results, and in the next few days I will get them up and posted.
I was thinking something like this would work. I think before long guys will be complaining that they can’t read the writing on their buttons because it’s worn off. Can’t wait to see the write up.
Wow … Boykott. Your input was enlightening, but then again your user name says it all. Nice use of your time, and waste of mine. But since I am here…
Why adapt if it can be adapted?
Why bend to use someone else’s design when I can bend it to my needs?
Why be a sheep and follow when I can be the sheep herder and lead?
So, if growing a sack and adapting to the gear is your way of working, why in the hell are you reading a thread about modding?
Now for why I am really here…
Thanks sj03w4t for the props.
Sorting out my hosting account for the pictures. I should have them up in the next day or two. I will create a new thread for them as well as link to it here.
Until then…
After a lenghty delay, here are pictures of the teardown process, the parts and assembly, and showing the final look after the control labels were removed from the pads. The blank overlay from NI is used on the front plate. I am very happy with the end result, as I had said before, it allows for much more flexibilty since I can use it sitting horizontally as well as the intended vertical position. (Great Ableton device controller this way).
Was it particularly difficult getting the print off the buttons? How about getting the thing back together? It’s be ace to do the same thing - was thinking of getting a printed overlay done too …
