Remote - Cannot Unplug Ethercon ?!?!

  • Hello all,


    I saw another post about this topic, but it was old and recommended to make a new thread.


    I received my Remote from Sweetwater back in January/2020, it works great and have had no issues. However, I recently tried to unplug the Ethercon (armored RJ45) connector from the back of the Remote for the first time and it simply will not come out..

    • I am holding the push-button in all the way, the entire time
    • It seems to slide out about 1/4" but will not come out the rest of the way
    • I've used reasonable force in an attempt to remove it, but it is stuck fast.
    • I've unscrewed the the black end-cap of the connector and pulled on the cable a little. but it will not slide through (the RJ45 is front fed most likely)

    So, I can most likely live with this, as I am going to mount the Remote in a PedalTrain Novo 24" (holds Remote & 2 Mission Exp's). But ideally I would like to have that option of disconnecting it, if for any reason I would need to do so.


    My questions are:

    • Have any of you experienced this with latest run of connectors/Remotes?
    • I'm guessing the cable manufacturer goofed and did not remove the plastic tab on the RJ45 male end? :wacko:
    • Does the internal guts of female connector have any accessibility (opening up the Remote of course) to attempt inserting something to depress the RJ45 tab?

    The other post had tales of RMA and sending back to Germany, I really want to avoid that as I use the Remote regularly.


    Thanks:/

  • Correction, RJ45 does not front fed..


    I just took it apart it fully, removing the inner plastic circular pieces. But there is still not enough enough room to get at the plastic clip on the RJ45... I've made a very small shim from an old pair of electronics tweezers and bent the very tip to an L shape, but it will not catch the plastic tab. My guess now is the cable manufacturer cut off only some of the plastic clip, as there is none of it in there to grab it, and only the wider locking piece remains tucked inside it's female counterpart.


    Here is the diagram/instructions from Neutrik, for the exact type of connector that came with my Remote FYI: (Damn you step B1 :cursing:)


    [Blocked Image: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71CkJ88TKyL._SL1500_.jpg]


    Called SW, they recommended a semi-local authorized repair place. X(


    Guess I'll just live with it, not going to have someone basically destroy the male jack and charge me time & parts. Or worse charge me to replace the female end or the whole internal board. :rolleyes:


    For any future people with this problem, at least someone else (me) is feeling your pain.

  • I mailed my Remote to US Repairs and it turned into a nightmare rather quickly...


    Read on for the email exchange and the WORST customer service I have every experienced in my life!

    • Parker stated first:
      • "Hey unfortunately we are unable to save your Remote Frame. The latch that holds the ethernet jack in place is broken so you will need a new frame. They are $110.00. Sorry for the bad news! Do you have a PayPal email address we can send an invoice to?"
    • I replied:
      • "Why wouldn't this be covered by warranty? That is how I got it (new from Sweetwater), all I did was plug the jack in and it never got moved from my studio since I tried to unplug it.This is a factory issue, I should not be paying anything because it is under warranty still.."
    • Parker:
      • "Unfortunately the main board inside the Remote was damaged as well. The ethernet port on the remote was damaged beyond repair. What we can do is send you a B-Stock remote. But you will be responsible for $110.00. Let us know how you would like to proceed."
    • Me:
      • "WHAT!!!! My Remote worked fine when I sent it out, except the connector would not unplug, and you're saying you destroyed it now?Again this should be covered under warranty. My Remote was brand new, not a scratch on it... You broke it, you bought it man.. I wish to escalate this to a higher level, I am thoroughly dissatisfied with this experience. Please provide me with contact information to speak to someone regarding this, and I'll also be submitting an inquiry to the main site, anywhere I can. This is unacceptable..."
    • Parker, conveniently ignoring my request to escalate replies:
      • "There is no physical way of removing the Cable from the Remote Frame without damaging the board. The Remote did not work when we tested it before opening it up. Sorry for the bad news."

    :cursing::thumbdown::cursing::thumbdown::cursing::thumbdown::cursing:


    My Remote was in perfect working order when I sent it out, minus the cable unable to unplug. Yet Parker conveniently states after they destroyed it removing the network connector, that it was not working when they received it. (what comes out of a bull's rear end?) I am %100 livid with Kemper US Repairs right now. I KNOW my Remote was WORKING FINE when I mailed it out. I cannot fathom how I am being charged for an issue that was defective from the factory.


    I have attempted escalating this with Parker in email, he flat out ignored me... I also sent the details via the website contact form to Sales Inquiries, as I cannot call to German HQ, so waiting to hear back from there. Also I am posting this here to warn others that the US Repair Service out of Colorado is doing some nasty deeds and trying to charge me for some B-Grade replacement..


    So I also called back to Sweetwater (btw, David Merkosky is the man!) and they have my back %100. I forwarded the email chain to them to see. They couldn't believe the level of disrespect in how Parker is handling this. Ultimately they wished that I had returned it to them and they would have simply replaced the whole thing with a brand new one right off. But unfortunately I was steered into sending to service through here.


    Sweetwater has offered to reimburse me the $110 if that is the only method left, but I would then be stuck with $610 sloppy seconds? ($500 out for mine originally, then an additional $110 for a B-Grade replacement) I had an A-Grade remote minus an inconveniencing factory issue with the cable. Hindsight, I should have stuffed it in a pedalboard and forgot about the issue, instead now I have a disgusting situation that is turning my stomach, I'm so mad.X(

    Kemper HQ in Germany, please hear this madness and step in to rectify this situation.

  • I can think of a half-dozen ways to remove a permanently latched Ethercon plug without damaging the unit. If need be, just saw through the barrel with a Dremel cutting wheel and disassemble the innards from the outside. If I managed the US Kemper repair group that person would disciplined or dismissed.

  • I can think of a half-dozen ways to remove a permanently latched Ethercon plug without damaging the unit. If need be, just saw through the barrel with a Dremel cutting wheel and disassemble the innards from the outside. If I managed the US Kemper repair group that person would disciplined or dismissed.

    Right! Thanks for backing me up, I was wondering how posting this here would go and it's great to see supporting logic like yours. I talked with my guy from Sweetwater last night, both of us were saying how we could have repaired this on our benches ourselves. An ounce of ingenuity is all that would be required to fix this without any damage.


    Even more alarming is that the frame supposedly is damaged? Umm, how exactly? The frame has ample pass-thru space for the male end of the connector. The female end is definitely fed to the hole in frame from inside, and is a larger O.D. than the barrel of the male end. Let alone the main board being damaged, which at worst case could have had the Ethercon female connector de-soldered and removed & replaced afterwards. The only reason I can think of to "destroy" the frame and inner board (if they even were destroyed :/) is to justify charging for the remnants of other repairs/mistakes that were botched there. Something is nefariously fishy about this whole situation.

  • Guys,


    First - there is nothing fishy going on here. Parker has been doing repairs at Kemper for YEARS, and is a fantastic human being. He has helped hundreds of customers, and we have a corkboard with thank you notes customers have sent, thanking him for getting them sorted out. BUT - he is also the guy who sometimes has to give bad news.


    Parker escalated this to me as soon as the unit came in. The jack and the chassis were broken. We have no way of knowing HOW they were broken, we just see what we receive when the units come in. Normally - yes, we can get the jack out without damaging anything, but THIS jack had bent a part of the chassis and taken a piece of the PCB with it. We have seen this before when people accidentally step on the cable on the floor. Not saying this is what happened, but this is what we have seen. We could have just swapped the PCB and jack, but the jack would have always been wiggly and not snug. So, not ideal.


    As for the offer of the B-stock unit. It is a Remote from NAMM that was never used, so it was totally untouched, just open box. There was no charge for labor, no charge for the broken PCBs, no shipping charge, and we were only going to charge COST for a chassis, and in return, send a perfect new unit.


    Of course, we will work with the customer and find an amicable solution.

  • Hi, Mountainman.


    Thanks for taking the time to give us the other side of the story.


    "THIS jack had bent a part of the chassis and taken a piece of the PCB with it. We have seen this before when people accidentally step on the cable on the floor."


    Was that with the Ethercon connection (metal barrel) or just a bare RJ45 connector?


    Thanks,

    ST