Welcome to the FlexRadio Community! Please review the new Community Rules and other important new Community information on the Message Board.
Need the latest SmartSDR or 4O3A Genius Product Software?


SmartSDR v4.0.1 and the SmartSDR v4.0.1 Release Notes

SmartSDR v3.10.15 and the SmartSDR v3.10.15 Release Notes

The latest 4O3A Genius Product Software and Firmware
If you are having a problem, please refer to the product documentation or check the Help Center for known solutions.
Need technical support from FlexRadio? It's as simple as Creating a HelpDesk ticket.

Paint Worn Off The ON/OFF Button- FLEX 8600M

Torrey
Torrey Member ✭
edited October 18 in Community Topics
I received my new Flex 8600M recently. It was beautiful. I worked through the weekend incorporating it into my station. After a couple of days on the air, I noticed that black
"paint" on the surface of the on/off button was flaking off. It had been perfect on arrival.

I gently touched the surface with my finger. I was distressed that there were paint flecks on my finger. After my first week on the air, most of the paint was gone. I took one of those lint-free special wipes made to clean camera lenses. After of a couple gentle strokes across the button, ALL the paint was gone. The bright LED light now emitted from the button is intense. A small piece of black tape over the button blocks much of the LED light.

I am very surprized. I had a 6600M for a couple years starting in 2018. There no such problem at that time with the on/off button. I presume the source for the buttons has changed or their process has changed. Have any recent purchasers of the 8600M had a
similar problem? Requesting FLEX service to replace the switch/button might not be a solution if it comes from the same supplier.

Please note that the remainder of the LED illuminated knobs on the front panel are different with an apparent hard clear coating over the color and lettering.

I would like to hear from one of you or from the service department to find a suitable solution.

Thanks!
Torrey N9PY

Comments

  • KD0RC
    KD0RC Member, Super Elmer Moderator

    Hi Torrey, you should submit a help desk ticket.

  • knewberry
    knewberry Member ✭✭

    Torrey's post is interesting. My 2 year old 6400 did the same thing when new. All the black paint or decal is gone. I didn't tell anyone because I thought it would be ignored. All the black came off very quickly. I had to send it back to Flex for another issue but I guess it was overlooked. Wasn't repaired then. Really not a "send back issue" now. I may not keep it much longer, after being thrown under the bus about 4.0.1. Just saying. Overall it's a very nice radio, works very good. Thanks to Torrey, N9PY, for bringing this up. Thanks for listening!! Ken, K5GI

  • KD0RC
    KD0RC Member, Super Elmer Moderator

    Thrown under the bus in what way?

  • knewberry
    knewberry Member ✭✭

    Lost NB and NR that I know of now. As far as the subscriptions for the new features, I'm not interested. Just want what I paid for. I don't think that's unreasonable, is it? It is written in one post that what was included would not be lost. The 6400 already has more features than I'll ever use. It's a fine radio. All this over the paint coming off the on/off switch. It works fine, just ugly. I'm not wanting or expecting anything. Thanks for asking. Ken K5GI

  • KD0RC
    KD0RC Member, Super Elmer Moderator

    Hi Ken, NB and NR are not lost, Flex just changed how they work. We will see if Flex makes any further changes when the 30 day Early Access period is up.

  • knewberry
    knewberry Member ✭✭

    OK. Just forget it. Sorry for this. I had no intention of hijacking Torrey's post. Please take care of him. My apologies to all! Thank you. Ken

  • Gord-VA7GP
    Gord-VA7GP Member ✭✭✭

    @Torrey

    Pleasure to see you here, in addition to your Collins' net-managing!

    I received my brand-new Maestro C, which had some ragged-printing on buttons, a few that were wearing off, and even a couple of different fonts 😯

    I was motivated to send it back to Flex, where they did change the buttons. But I notice that even a whole-new set does feature jagged-font-edges, some thin coverage in what should be solid-black, etc. Too soon to tell how it will wear…

    But this experience and observation cement my belief that the One True Way to make buttons is Two-Shot injection molding. In my Engineering background, I worked for two different telephone-manufacturers, where I got to see some really-old keypads that were still usable even when severely-worn, because they were two-shot. Oh, and all the various Bell phone companies absolutely refused (at that time) to even consider product-quotes from suppliers that did not use two-shot keys.

    So, I guess my summary is a huge <sigh> on this - it's never going to be world-class awesome. But it may be "OK".

Categories