Hammond X77 Owners Corner

[bnelson218]

Oh, I love the these momentary latch modules. Mine's a tad different than Roger's, but the same idea. And I use them for the Leslie also.

[bnelson218]

Finally some new boards...

At the top is the pedal keyer, which has two functions, 1) it provides the ground trigger for the Trek II pedal sustain unit, and 2) it also provides the diode matrix keying for the Arduino Uno based MIDI board that will mount over on the right side. This is the 30-note MIDI controller designed by Tom Scarff, midikits.net.

The board at the left is a +/- 18 volt regulated supply that will power the unbalanced-to-balanced converters and the active crossover.

In the middle is the MIDI processor. It uses an Arduino Mega board, which will mount at the bottom. It was custom coded again by Tom Scarff, and accepts the key-up/key-down data from the MIDI keyer boards, provides velocity sensitivity, and finally scans the Pitch, Mod, and Sustain switches.

Finally, on the right is the Pedal Select-Decay board. It helps process various functions for the pedals including the pedal decay circuitry.

It's too cold to actually work in my garage right now so I'm anxiously awaiting the Spring so I can start installing these new boards. I'll keep you posted.

[Guest]

I'm thinking about refurbishing a x77 with Leslie. I'd be in for about $450, the Leslie has issues and there's no bench. I'm thinking of customizing it into a b3-like organ. I'm tech savvy and good with my hands.

Thumbs up or down? Advise?

I'm about to pick up a x77 w/Leslie. I'm wanting to do a customization and make it mor B3-ish. Advice? I'm tech savvy and good with my hands.

[Wes]

The X77 and its Leslie are very tightly coupled. You are best off getting the X77 working properly than trying to create a B3 out of it IMO.

[enor]

The differences between a B-3 and an X-77 are massive, they are designed according to two totally different strategies.

X-77:
no scanner vibrato (B-3 has it)
multiple audio channels (B-3 is single channel)
complex percussion voices (only "pure" 2nd and 3rd harmonics on a B-3)
"string bass" (none of the sort on B-3)
all solid state circuitry (all tubes in a B-3)
Different manual "voicing" (foldback points are different in the treble and there's no bass foldback)
different type of playing keys ("diving board" keys vs the B-3s "waterfall" keybeds)

... to name but a few differences. Frankly, the only similarities between them are that they both wear Hammond badges, and the drawbars are placed approximately in the same position.

If you want a low-cost alternative that can be modified to almost the same capabilities as a B-3 (actually, not even close - but much better than the X-77) you should start with an E-100 instead.

[Roger Memphis]

Thumbs up or down? Advise?

Thumbs down ! Don't try it... it's an exercise in frustration.
Keep your eyes open for an cheap A-100.
There's one on eBay now (Seattle) with a $49.99 bid point.
Roger Memphis

[Guest]

Hi thanks for all of the information, completely new member here, I have just bought a X77 and it’s X77L, gone over it an given it a bit of TLC- all of its Noise problems aside the only real fault I am having trouble rectifying is the “Celest” control in the switched position has the top horn spinning but in the un-switched (up position) he horn stops rotating immediately
Just looking for clues on where to chase next or is it a possible motor failure?

[kkeys]

Welcome to the forum.

I'm another follower of the X-77 & Leslie but with no experience working on either.

Link to General Operation and Maintenance Instructions (X-77L.pdf) for the X77L on this page.

https://www.keyboardpartner.de/hammond/diagrams/Leslie/

Figure 3 on Page 3 shows the schematic for the fast/slow treble horn motor control on the right side. One could disconnect the fast motor plug and check for continuity of the motor coil and wiring. If motor okay then would be matter of troubleshooting to locate a defective component in the fast motor speed control section.

[bourniplus]

Hi, I'm not sure but this might be normal behavior for the X77L. It seem to remember it's how mine worked. (It's been modified a lot now.)

[Admin]

...Noise problems aside the only real fault I am having trouble rectifying is the “Celest” control in the switched position has the top horn spinning but in the un-switched (up position) he horn stops rotating immediately
Just looking for clues on where to chase next or is it a possible motor failure?

Both the treble horn and rotosonic drum should rotate continuously. If the Celeste tab is down, the treble horn should rotate at slow speed, if the tab is up it should run at normal speed. At no time is there case when the treble rotor is stopped.

You need to make sure that the fast motor is working and that the mechanism that is responsible for moving the drive between the two motors is free and not gummed up. Trace the AC connections from the fast and slow motors to the chassis and reverse the plugs to check the integrity of the motors.

[dfcas]

There is an X77 and leslie on the Pittsburgh craigslist. No affiliation.

[bnelson218]

I've decided to abandon my X77-B project. It breaks my heart to do so, but I've run into several problems that I just can't solve since I'm pretty much self-taught when it come to electronics. That being said, I'm wondering if any of the X77 enthusiasts might be interested in any of the organ's major parts, such as the TWG, drawbars, console parts, or even the empty console itself. If so, please feel free to PM me.

Thanks for all your assistance throughout the seven years that this project has dragged on, and I'm truly sorry I couldn't bring it to fruition. Here's one last look at her...

[faradohm]

I followers this post since its started...
Sorry to learn this trajic end..
Cordialy fromage Europe.. .

[David Friedman]

ROLL OR KARI FOR X77?

Has anyone every used a Roll or Kari to move an X77?

Thanks.

[bnelson218]

I used an X on the road for several months and had no problems using the Roll or Karis. That fridg-size Leslie was actually more of a problem to move than was the organ. :)