T102 help and questions.

[imanhph]

Hey, I hope your wealth of knowledge can help in my T102 experiment. A little disclaimer, I'm no real tech but love this idea as a project in which I can learn about the hammond and build my own over time.

I have a T102 which I'd like to chop. I've already chopped the unit and arranged all boards in the upper portion of the organ just above the TWG. I've disconnected the pedals for the time being too.

I'm getting all function from manuals, drawbar and sound out of the built in speakers which I've kept intact but its incredibly quiet with no bass response and sounds distorted when mutiple keys are pressed. The reverb and vibrato have lost function too.

I'd like to work out these problem before going onto the next stage which I've outlined below if necessary.

I'd like to rebuild the organ without the reverb, vibrato or cymbal/brush functionality as I don't want them. Is it possible to just keep just the manuals and TWG and run them into a new non hammond solid state amp and out to an external sound source?

Thanks.

[Papus]

What's the purpose of the chop?
Is this a gigging organ?

[imanhph]

Thank you papus for your reply. Yes, in a way. I gig often and would love to gig with an organ as I've never found the vst and midi keyboard option anywhere near a real organ. I've had an m101 chop and Leslie before and it was magic. I move around often too and so I think a chop allows for the flexibility I need. I also really do enjoy repairing and restoring things so theres that too, even though this is a step up 😂

To simplify my question, is it possible to keep just the manuals and twg and get rid of everything else and replace? I've read up on the chops by Huboe and his l100 which was very helpful. I suppose Im lacking the knowledge and so I guess Im missing the vital info I need.

I see this as a learning opportunity and experiment so any ideas would be appreciated.

[enor]

If you don't want percussion or chorus/vibrato, sure. But configured like that - "TG->manuals->matching transformer->straight to amp" - I very much doubt it will sound better than your VSTs!

[imanhph]

Thanks Enor, I think you're right in that sense. I have plenty of pedal fx to use and create a kind of unique sound. I think the thing I appreciate most about a twg organ is the rich harmonic information and the action of the manual keys themselves.

Thanks again Enor, I'll have a look into the technical details of hooking the twg to a transformer. Can you point me in the right direction perhaps? Also, would it be a simple matter of switching out the current power amp with another and rewiring it correctly? I'm a novice but I've plenty of necessary tools on its way via amazon 😅

I'm the past I've made a custom double manual midi keyboard taking out the keyboard springs which sounds like a crude idea but honestly feels the closest to the action of a spinet keyboard manuals like the m101 I had. It works well with the vsts but just still falls short of the real thing. I've not been fortunate enough to play on a waterfall keybed like that of the b3 or m. I've linked a photo of them to this post if anyone wants a look.

[bourniplus]

Thanks again Enor, I'll have a look into the technical details of hooking the twg to a transformer. Can you point me in the right direction perhaps?

The matching transformer is where the signal comes from. Unless you've removed it, it should still be there.

[enor]

Well, no. It's a T-series organ which doesn't use matching transformers per se, instead there's a bus amplifier per manual.

[bourniplus]

Ok, good to know.

[Papus]

I would advise against this - the T-series uses a ridiculously overly-complicated arrangement of bus amplifiers and preamplifiers to obtain useable signals from the manuals, there is NO matching transformer to be tapped into such as on the other TWG spinets.
Also, T's are notoriously unreliable and susceptible to boards and pins coming loose when the organ is bumped or moved.... you will probably spend half of your gigging time tracing and fixing dislodged wiring, or locating mystery sources of ground hum, buzz and noise.
If this is a serious professional gigging instrument, I would have to recommend keeping the T as a studio instrument, and gigging with an L or M - they are easier to maintain, with far fewer things to go wrong at a gig, despite being much older instruments than a T - and the things that go wrong are easier to fix while on the road (failed valves and such).

[Brendon Wright]

I'd have to agree with Papus... My T chop was constantly, constantly needing repairs. I DID get a long way towards making the wiring more robust when the perc developed a fault I couldn't find, so it's sat for years waiting for me to develop the enthusiasm to beat the problem!

Doing without the power amp is an okay thing, but will also mean doing without reverb and swell pedal. Also the power supply is in that chassis.

I highly recommend rebuilding a small chassis for just the power supply though, a full steel case and with a toroidal transformer. I did that and it reduced the hum magnificently! It's also WAY more compact and fits within the chop case much more tidily.
It's years since I've been back into the T's workings, and I can't remember what voltages are needed for the remaining preamp boards. There's probably a +12 and a +18 but I'd have to delve back inside the service manual to be sure.
I've got the inward parts from a departed M100 (THE best ever spinet!) If it wasn't for the nice looking power supply build I'd feel tempted to build my T into a reconstituted M100.

Having said that, I worked on a T500, your T100 is potentially a bit less crammed with rubbish, I can't remember what the differences were.

[Papus]

I'm gonna say it again: don't do it!!!!!!!

[imanhph]

Thank you Brendon and Papus. I reviewed the options and have consulted a much smarter technician man and it is a good idea to build a power rail with the needed power outputs to each section and do without the power and reverb amp chassis completely.

Can anyone direct me to the right power needs for each component? Also, taking this route, where would the best source for the line out be? Thanks again guys, I promise I'll upload all the progress as soon as its under way 😅.

[Brendon Wright]

G'day Imanhph! I got your PM (a month after you posted it! The forum didn't send me an alert) and will dig out details on my mods and power supply soon. Over the years the folks here have heard me moaning about headaches which impede most of my IQ points and any ability to work out details... dagnabbit!
SO... watch this space and I'll post details and pics, discuss the problems discovered in chopping a T etc, but I'll come back to it once my brain starts thinking again.
Back soon...
-Brendoon