Akai MPK Mini MKII

22 March 2025

Recently my dad gave me his old Akai MPK Mini MKII MIDI controller with a few dead keys. I found this helpful guide by EducationAboutStuff who, having the same issue with his keyboard, fixed it using copper tape to reinforce the conductive contacts which power the keys. I only followed the first step which is cleaning the membrane layer and underlying circuit board, but it worked like a charm. No more dead keys and the keyboard seems to be working as good as new.

Hooray for easy-to-repair electronics. I even found a third-party alternative to the MPK mini editor software (which is unfortunately not compatible with Apple Silicon Macs) so I can edit all the button and knob mappings. Just like that, I've saved $229 from not needing to buy a brand new MIDI controller. More than ten years after its release, the MPK mini mkII lives on.