[jerb]

got a rio karma (working) for $20 because the scroll wheel broke. A google/head-fi search didnt bring up any solutions but I've heard of this happening a lot. what are my options?

 

[TenaciousO]

Check out the rio fan site: riovolution.com. If you do a search of the forums, you'll come across a tutorial with pictures for fixing the scroll wheel. It basically involves using epoxy glue to reattach the scroll wheel to the plastic base. I've done it myself so it is definitely doable, but it is a pain in the butt to align just right. My suggestion is to not do anything until you read the tutorial because you have to be careful in taking the karma apart and applying the glue. Good luck.

 

[mr.karmalicious]

Riovolution is down right now... something or another's wrong with the SQL.

 

[TenaciousO]

Well, I'll try to help you out then, although I haven't had a karma for nearly a year now so my memory might not be too great.

Removing the screws
Remove all the screws, and make sure to remove the screws on the bottom as well. You won't be able to remove the handle part unless you get the bottom screw out. After you remove the handle, I believe there are some additional screws you'll have to remove.

Opening the karma
It might be a hard at first, but carefully wiggle it, and it should come apart. You'll want to pry open the karma so that you have access to the front of the circuit board.

Attaching the scroll wheel
The scroll wheel mount will be located at the upper righthand corner of the Karma. You'll notice that it's a black plastic mount that rotates along a metal piece. You'll also notice on either the scroll wheel itself or the mount that there are two very small points. The reason that the scroll wheel breaks off so easily is that these two points are all that attaches the scroll wheel to the mount. When you reattach the scroll wheel, you'll want to realign the wheel so that the points line up with the two corresponding indents. Regular superglue won't work because superglue is not intended for plastic. You'll either want to get a dedicated plastic glue or epoxy glue. Now, you could just put a little bit of glue on the two points and then reattach the scroll wheel, but you're begging for the scroll wheel to break again. Instead, using a toothpick or something similar, put a ring of epoxy on the mount. Use the glue sparingly. DO NOT SIMPLY POUR GLUE ON THE MOUNT. Remember, the mount is attached to the metal piece underneath. If you use too much glue, it'll just seep to the bottom and glue together the mount and the metal piece, and then you won't be able to rotate the scroll wheel at all. The next part is a pain. You need to realign the points with the corresponding indents, but since you won't be able to actually see this, you'll have to feel it out. If you don't align the scroll wheel correctly, it won't lay flat. After you get it aligned, let the glue set for the amount of time suggested on the label. Then put everything back together, and you should be set.

A suggestion
Instead of trying to align the scroll wheel, you might want to consider just sanding down the points. This way the scroll wheel will lay flat against the mount even without proper alignment. If you want to try aligning the scroll wheel and not sand down the points, do the aligning before applying the glue. After you have the scroll wheel aligned, take a pencil, and mark the scroll wheel on the side facing you so that you have a guide for proper alignment.

Hope this helps.

 

[mr.karmalicious]

http://home.comcast.net/~teslaschenk/karma.htm

 

[jerb]

unfortunatly I am without the black plastic base, the bare metal wheel assembly is exposed

guess its gonna be a cool music server