UN HAPPY DAYS - So now the problems hit

[PGR]

Un happy days....now the problems hit help please

Hi Guys

OK so now I need technical help to make my Happy DAYS just that. I have identified a couple of issues that seem like simple fixes to begin.

I have reassembled the B3 ..... and I get sound - not perfect , not on all keys - a lot of it is dirty bus bars and I am sure some missing tones to identify ...that is next!

My immediate problem is intermittent Percussion! I have some . The harmonic happens only once and only if I snap the on switch to ON while I am playing a note or cord. If I play another note or cord ...I get nothing - no harmonic! If I turn off the percussion and snap it on again I get the harmonic one time . Seems also that short or long is not effective but hard to tell.
I do get a different harmonic for the third and the second but always only one time.

If I turn off the percussion I get a faint but distinct harmonic/tone/bar note playing like its ON all the time. if I turn on the percussion that note goes off.


Therory: I have messed up the wires on re hook up and in doing this reversed the flow into the percussion kind of like I am sending the signal into the back door instead of the front door.

Problem is I don't know what to check or how, I took pictures and thought I had re assembled the harness and stuff correctly
Anyone got some ideas on what and how to test to correct?

[300lbLoveAffair]

Hi PGR,

I have followed Happy Days.... incredible work! I am only throwing out my two cents. Take the manuals back out and clean the busbars and lube, drawbar assembly, clean percussion control box and clear coat inside, same with vibrato controls. At that point need to check on foam in manuals. I did not skim back thru all 11 pages of other thread to refresh my memory if you had in fact ruled out the foam.

There is also the preamplifier... AO28 if it needs attention and recapping.

I have found with my A100’s, that having the wiring diagram for the entire organ ( enlarged to 2x3 feet) really helped putting them all back together. Lots of pictures and legal pad of notes!

Goodluck I know you will get it!
McKenzie

might have luck zapping, but I think there is plenty to do on manuals out of organ!

- - - Updated - - -

Search for dendrites or zinc whiskers and how to eradicate them or impede the growth.

[Sweet Pete]

McK is right,temporary fixes to a box that nice aren't the way to go IMO.

I walked up to an A105 anticipating a beautiful experience.It looked almost new.....help!
Have also walked up to absolute beater cabinets that sounded and worked marvellous!

Manuals,preamp,preset panel etc. That much work to get it were it needs to be.

[PGR]

small update . When I work through the first time I did a full cleaning of the drawbars and the percussion and vibrato control boxes I did turn up the Percussion control on the AO-28 pot and it helped to improve the clarity of the percussion . It does not fix any of the missing tones and to answer your thoughts McKenzie I should have pulled the bus bars and cleaned them and re lubed them When I lift the manuels that is something I will do ....I can tell they are dirty and a source of some of my trouble. repeated key hits does help with clarity on some notes.


Where did you get a 2' x 3' blow up of the wiring - Even if it were on the net would be really good . I expand stuff and it just gets fuzzy - cant read it at all.

I am thinking I may have reversed the yellow wires that go into the AO 28 amp I am wondering if that would make the percussion work in reverse?

[300lbLoveAffair]

That rules out the boxes. How are the tones on the upper manual , 9th drawbar only, with percussion off? Do you have all of them? That will “rule” out busbar. Then it would have to be wiring to amp or the amp.

I found the A100 diagram wiring image on line and printed with plotter at engineers office. I searched just that... A100 wiring diagram.

I just played out for Father’s Day with one of the A100’s and Leslie 147! What a blast. If I get to a computer later I will find wiring link.
McKenzie

[Tonewheel]

Just go to Staples with the file on a thumb drive and they will print it out cheaply and quickly.

Dave

[PGR]

I did that with the original print of the manual and staple did not print it clearly - cheap yes but almost in the smallest detail impossible to read IMO not worth the bucks to have it printed. maybe better if really large but I think the small print will disappear too. The thumb needs to a high resolution copy anyone have one?

@ MCKEnzie ... I am still trying the tones, I just realized that I have tones when percussion is set to ON and the last drawbar is only pulled. I do get a difference between the third and the second tone Very clear I don't get too much difference between the normal and soft - some but not like what I have on the A100 I do not get the typical fade ....fast or slow I just get tone all the time SO Sounds like the cap is pooched ........ and maybe the resisters to in that area. I am still reading on how the thing works .


When I turn the percussion " off " I still get a very high harmonic tone ...without playing a key it is always the same tone. AND there is no tone from the the second octave and upto the top with the last drawbar pulled and only it. ....faulty foldback? By te way the tone that plays sounds like the tone I should have on the b


Also, I do have a drawbar that need to be soldered .

[enor]

The stuck note is the reason your percussion is acting up - it acts like a constant trigger for the percussion. Fix that first and the percussion issue will resolve itself.

Why the manual is dead from the 2nd octave and up on the 1' drawbar is a mystery to me though - can't seem to come up with a logical explanation to how that could be.

[stefanv]

Why the manual is dead from the 2nd octave and up on the 1' drawbar is a mystery to me though - can't seem to come up with a logical explanation to how that could be.

Broken bus bar??? Seems highly improbable though.

[300lbLoveAffair]

Ok, just reread Happy Days. Sorry I spaced on your foam adventure. In post #72 you mention 24 some places the wire was compromised in some manner and repaired...... now the first two octaves work with ninth drawbar..... only a guess but 20 spots and a fold back going up repeating could maybe perhaps..... unfortunately most headscratchers I have encountered in a Hammond are my own making. You may need to double check your work. ��

Maybe someone will chime in with a similar experience.

[300lbLoveAffair]

Do you have tones 73-91 on other drawbars or terminal strip on tone generator?

[PGR]

OH Enor that is a great suggestion and likely the correct one. Do you think the stuck note issue is apart of the mechanical system used for keying? If it is the keys themselves look to not be out of position so I am guessing - not jambed sideways - I suppose I could just pull them all "up " to see if that could release the note, But failing that maybe the plunger is stuck in a down position - It is only the 1" tone which is sounding.

[PGR]

Reply
OK so I am not sure if the tones I have are 73 to 91 or not ....That I still need to verify. I do get clear and repeatable percussion tones on all drawbars except the top four drawbars with the b key depressed and through the percussion on all octaves except the last two octaves They are missing from the third c# and up This was a very quick test of the organ and so my description is close but not perfect I would like to have more precise detail for you and will try to get that. I have not tested the TWG or the terminal strip.

I should also mention that the lower manual and drawbar works well and I don't get a repeat of the lost tones like in the upper manual Which helps me suggest That I have tone generation.

[PGR]

@ Tim, I failed the first test When I press the tablet for percussion to ON my DC voltage drops from the steady 37.32 to .004 which by the way is also steady no notes pressed. Need to find the note which is keyed in the on position as Enor suggests or clean out dendrites.

[enor]

A stuck harmonic such as the one you have is usually caused by one of these scenarios:

* A key contact stuck on the wrong side of the busbar. Usually caused by the busbar reinserted wrong after a cleaning; but can also happen if the player is _extremely_ violent (plays WAY too hard).

-- or --

* The busbar has a very fine palladium wire up on top. This sometimes breaks and ends up pointing upwards, making constant contact with the key contact regardless of the position the key is in. This can sometimes be remedied by turning the busbar shifter enough to make the wire bit "let go" of the key contact; but that's merely hiding the problem; the proper fix is to replace the busbar.


It is unlikely that you have a mechanical fault in key or actuator ("plunger").