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Electronics Repair (sci.electronics.repair) Discussion of repairing electronic equipment. Topics include requests for assistance, where to obtain servicing information and parts, techniques for diagnosis and repair, and annecdotes about success, failures and problems. |
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#1
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sometimes things work out okay...
Take a look at this tuner..
http://www.niji.or.jp/home/k-nisi/5t50.html I bought one of these (and the associated Lux LRS amplification) over 30 years ago. Some months back I pulled it out and set it up in my bedroom to drive a pair of Mission speakers. This equipment had been sitting unused for almost 20 years, and it had (and still has) quirks that need fixing. Most of them are related to dirty switches and controls. One of the worst problems was the Tuning buttons on the 5T50. As with many dirty or aging switches, a single press caused multiple closures. Tuning was extremely clumsy, as the frequency would jump multiple channels with a single press. "Look! Up in the sky!" So I pulled the lid off to clean the switches. Uh-oh. They were sealed and there was no obvious, simple way to remove or open them. What to do? Working on the principle of "try anything", I pulled off the buttons. This isn't difficult -- they snap into place -- but there's this huge, weak spring that provides the restoring force. You don't want to lose it. I guessed that the button's shaft directly poked the switch contacts. So I squirted some cleaner into the switches. Bingo. The switches now work correctly. Sometimes things work out just fine. -- "We already know the answers -- we just haven't asked the right questions." -- Edwin Land |
#2
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sometimes things work out okay...
On Oct 31, 4:54*pm, "William Sommerwerck"
wrote: ....snip... I guessed that the button's shaft directly poked the switch contacts. So I squirted some cleaner into the switches. what brand of cleaner? |
#3
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sometimes things work out okay...
I guessed that the button's shaft directly poked the switch
contacts. So I squirted some cleaner into the switches. What brand of cleaner? Clorox Toilet Bowl. No, seriously... M G Chemical's Super Wash. When you buy toilet bowl cleaner, look at the list of ingredients for hydrochloric acid (or some strong acid). Cleaners without it don't do a very good job. I kike Sno-bol. |
#4
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sometimes things work out okay...
On Nov 1, 8:24*am, "William Sommerwerck"
wrote: I guessed that the button's shaft directly poked the switch contacts. So I squirted some cleaner into the switches. What brand of cleaner? Clorox Toilet Bowl. No, seriously... M G Chemical's Super Wash. When you buy toilet bowl cleaner, look at the list of ingredients for hydrochloric acid (or some strong acid). Cleaners without it don't do a very good job. I kike Sno-bol. Thanks. The last cleaner I used forgot to mention some type of acetone like product in there that played havoc with some of the new plastics. Needless to say wasn't just angry at the clowding, but with the softening/melting. |
#5
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sometimes things work out okay...
Thanks. The last cleaner I used forgot to mention some type
of acetone-like product in there that played havoc with some of the new plastics. It's amazing such products are still made. I look for a "safe on plastics" claim, as well as a list of things the cleaner is (supposedly) good for cleaning. |
#6
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sometimes things work out okay...
"William Sommerwerck" wrote in message ... Take a look at this tuner.. http://www.niji.or.jp/home/k-nisi/5t50.html I bought one of these (and the associated Lux LRS amplification) over 30 years ago. Some months back I pulled it out and set it up in my bedroom to drive a pair of Mission speakers. This equipment had been sitting unused for almost 20 years, and it had (and still has) quirks that need fixing. Most of them are related to dirty switches and controls. One of the worst problems was the Tuning buttons on the 5T50. As with many dirty or aging switches, a single press caused multiple closures. Tuning was extremely clumsy, as the frequency would jump multiple channels with a single press. "Look! Up in the sky!" So I pulled the lid off to clean the switches. Uh-oh. They were sealed and there was no obvious, simple way to remove or open them. What to do? Working on the principle of "try anything", I pulled off the buttons. This isn't difficult -- they snap into place -- but there's this huge, weak spring that provides the restoring force. You don't want to lose it. I guessed that the button's shaft directly poked the switch contacts. So I squirted some cleaner into the switches. Bingo. The switches now work correctly. Sometimes things work out just fine. -- "We already know the answers -- we just haven't asked the right questions." -- Edwin Land The 'way in' to sealed square shafted selector switches is often, as you have discovered, the gap around the shaft. Decent switch cleaner / lubricant seems to have good creep and penetration characteristics, and a good squirt up the shaft gap, will, in most cases, find its way into the switch body, and do a decent job of restoring contact. Arfa |
#7
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sometimes things work out okay...
The 'way in' to sealed square shafted selector switches is often,
as you have discovered, the gap around the shaft. Decent switch cleaner / lubricant seems to have good creep and penetration characteristics, and a good squirt up the shaft gap, will, in most cases, find its way into the switch body, and do a decent job of restoring contact. These were not that type switch (they're pushbuttons), but I appreciate the insight. |
#8
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sometimes things work out okay...
"William Sommerwerck" wrote in message ... The 'way in' to sealed square shafted selector switches is often, as you have discovered, the gap around the shaft. Decent switch cleaner / lubricant seems to have good creep and penetration characteristics, and a good squirt up the shaft gap, will, in most cases, find its way into the switch body, and do a decent job of restoring contact. These were not that type switch (they're pushbuttons), but I appreciate the insight. The ones I was referring to are pushbuttons ... Arfa |
#9
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sometimes things work out okay...
I've been using an attachment for guitar pots that screws atop the pot
and allows the cleaner to squrt down the shaft. Saves a lot of time in some cases and can be used on anything with a similar pot. Where do you find these? I assume they're "custom" and won't work as well on a smaller shaft. |
#10
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sometimes things work out okay...
I've been using an attachment for guitar pots that screws atop the pot
and allows the cleaner to squrt down the shaft. Saves a lot of time in some cases and can be used on anything with a similar pot. Where do you find these? I assume they're "custom" and won't work as well on a smaller shaft. Most guitar supply places have them. I think we get them from WD music although I was not the one who ordered them. And I'm fairly sure they make several sizes. There's a Guitar Center (or whatever it's called) down the road. I'll check the next time I'm in the neighborhoods. |
#11
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sometimes things work out okay...
On Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:13:00 -0500, Meat Plow
wrote: On Sun, 1 Nov 2009 09:57:49 -0800, "William Sommerwerck" wrote: I've been using an attachment for guitar pots that screws atop the pot and allows the cleaner to squrt down the shaft. Saves a lot of time in some cases and can be used on anything with a similar pot. Where do you find these? I assume they're "custom" and won't work as well on a smaller shaft. Most guitar supply places have them. I think we get them from WD music although I was not the one who ordered them. And I'm fairly sure that they make several sizes. http://www.customguitars.com/pots.html http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2008/Oct/A_Pot_Cleaning_Miracle.aspx http://www.stewmac.com/shopby/product/0291 I made my own before I realized that it could be purchased commercially. If you ever want to see really corroded and stuck pots, try the marine radio business. The problem is that the pressure from the typical spray cleaner is insufficient to break loose a really rotted shaft. So, mine has a compressed air fitting attached. Point the pot upwards, screw in the adapter cap, pour in some penetrating oil, apply air pressure, and the pot is either cleaned or destroyed. It works fine for open unsealed pots, but sometimes causes problems with sealed or plastic rectangular pots, which tend to fly apart with too much air pressure. I usually use about 20 psi for ordinary pots, and only 5 psi for the sealed variety. Also, be prepared to have penetrating oil sprayed all over everything that's not protected by a rag or twowel paper. Reminder: Point the pot upwards or you won't have a good liquid tight seal when applying pressure. -- Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558 |
#12
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sometimes things work out okay...
The 'way in' to sealed square shafted selector switches is often, as you have discovered, the gap around the shaft. Decent switch cleaner / lubricant seems to have good creep and penetration characteristics, and a good squirt up the shaft gap, will, in most cases, find its way into the switch body, and do a decent job of restoring contact. Arfa I've been using an attachment for guitar pots that screws atop the pot and allows the cleaner to squrt down the shaft. Saves a lot of time in some cases and can be used on anything with a similar pot. That's interesting and very useful sounding. Where'd you get it ? Any ref with a piccy ? Arfa |
#13
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sometimes things work out okay...
Arfa Daily wrote:
The 'way in' to sealed square shafted selector switches is often, as you have discovered, the gap around the shaft. Decent switch cleaner / lubricant seems to have good creep and penetration characteristics, and a good squirt up the shaft gap, will, in most cases, find its way into the switch body, and do a decent job of restoring contact. Arfa I've been using an attachment for guitar pots that screws atop the pot and allows the cleaner to squrt down the shaft. Saves a lot of time in some cases and can be used on anything with a similar pot. That's interesting and very useful sounding. Where'd you get it ? Any ref with a piccy ? Arfa Grab a neoprene cable sleeve and cut the narrow end to suit ! -- Best Regards: Baron. |
#14
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sometimes things work out okay...
Meat Plow wrote:
On Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:26:30 +0000, Baron wrote: Arfa Daily wrote: The 'way in' to sealed square shafted selector switches is often, as you have discovered, the gap around the shaft. Decent switch cleaner / lubricant seems to have good creep and penetration characteristics, and a good squirt up the shaft gap, will, in most cases, find its way into the switch body, and do a decent job of restoring contact. Arfa I've been using an attachment for guitar pots that screws atop the pot and allows the cleaner to squrt down the shaft. Saves a lot of time in some cases and can be used on anything with a similar pot. That's interesting and very useful sounding. Where'd you get it ? Any ref with a piccy ? Arfa Grab a neoprene cable sleeve and cut the narrow end to suit ! A person with relatively decent manual dexterity and household tools could actually make one from aluminum or brass. Agreed ! But a 20 cent sleeve does the job and it doesn't matter if it gets lost or damaged in the tool box. -- Best Regards: Baron. |
#15
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sometimes things work out okay...
http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazin...g_Miracle.aspx Hmm... How does it remove the seeds and stems? |
#16
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sometimes things work out okay...
Meat Plow wrote:
On Sun, 1 Nov 2009 16:26:01 -0000, "Arfa Daily" wrote: "William Sommerwerck" wrote in message ... Take a look at this tuner.. http://www.niji.or.jp/home/k-nisi/5t50.html I bought one of these (and the associated Lux LRS amplification) over 30 years ago. Some months back I pulled it out and set it up in my bedroom to drive a pair of Mission speakers. This equipment had been sitting unused for almost 20 years, and it had (and still has) quirks that need fixing. Most of them are related to dirty switches and controls. One of the worst problems was the Tuning buttons on the 5T50. As with many dirty or aging switches, a single press caused multiple closures. Tuning was extremely clumsy, as the frequency would jump multiple channels with a single press. "Look! Up in the sky!" So I pulled the lid off to clean the switches. Uh-oh. They were sealed and there was no obvious, simple way to remove or open them. What to do? Working on the principle of "try anything", I pulled off the buttons. This isn't difficult -- they snap into place -- but there's this huge, weak spring that provides the restoring force. You don't want to lose it. I guessed that the button's shaft directly poked the switch contacts. So I squirted some cleaner into the switches. Bingo. The switches now work correctly. Sometimes things work out just fine. -- "We already know the answers -- we just haven't asked the right questions." -- Edwin Land The 'way in' to sealed square shafted selector switches is often, as you have discovered, the gap around the shaft. Decent switch cleaner / lubricant seems to have good creep and penetration characteristics, and a good squirt up the shaft gap, will, in most cases, find its way into the switch body, and do a decent job of restoring contact. Arfa I've been using an attachment for guitar pots that screws atop the pot and allows the cleaner to squrt down the shaft. Saves a lot of time in some cases and can be used on anything with a similar pot. Ooooo.....where did you get that rascal? I've an old Double Beat Wah that I tried to clean using the shaft method but it never seemed to work. The product you mentioned sounds interesting....thanks. :-) |
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