M3 Started smoking from amp right after start up...aaah help!
Just got the organ unwrapped and the amp(mounted upside down as it is a chop) must have fell during shipping. Nothing was damaged..but one of the tubes fell off..the one closest to the power cord. I remounted the amp and started the organ. It ran normally but than a couple seconds later it started to smoke on the same side as the power cord. Nothing sounded at all. Is this thing fried? Does seeing smoke mean death?</p>
Re: M3 Started smoking from amp right after start up...aaah help!
Jay</P>
I don't know the M3 as I haven't had one but I have made my Leslie tube amp smoke! You say a tube fell out. Did you replace it in its socket? </P>
The reason my Leslie smoked was because I was taking each tube out to clean the sockets when I first got it. One of the larger tubesmust have lost its orientation peg as I removed it so as I replaced it expecting it to slot in it was in the wrong way around. Cue pink flashes from the OC30 tube a blown resistor and smoke. Once the resistor was replaced she was fine.</P>
Just an idea.........</P>
Have you had a look inside the amp yet they don't usually have bottoms on them so unscrew and flip her over. Check with the experts on this site though regarding the lethal voltages in the capacitors.</P>
Re: M3 Started smoking from amp right after start up...aaah help!
Thanks . I may just take it to get looked at by a proffesional in CT. Just my luck. Thanks for the tip. I hope nothing really bad happened that would call for a total replacement of the amp itself.
Re: M3 Started smoking from amp right after start up...aaah help!
Fair play. For its age it might be best to have all the capacitors and resistors changed now in that amp anyway and give it a new lease of life. The amp was rebuilt as a matter of course in my RT3 as it had become noisy.</P>
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Re: M3 Started smoking from amp right after start up...aaah help!
I have known of several churches, homes, etc. that have burned to the ground or almost caught everything on fire from these Hammond Organs. It could be your transformer has fried. If so, that will have to be replaced. The tube next to it is the large 5UB tube, and if it is out the transformer will fry. that tube is called the rectifier tube, and plays a big part in the power supply. I had that happen to my new five year old Hammond M100 Series. Thetransformer began to smoke, and had ahorrible smell whileI was playing the organ. Hammond had such a lead in the industry, yet they were too tight to put in afuse to prevent such as that from happening.</P>
I hope you can fix this organ to your liking, but I have had my days with them.</P>
James</P>
Baldwin Church Organ Model 48C
Baldwin Spinet 58R
Lowrey Spinet SCL
Wurlitzer 4100A
Crown Pump Organ by Geo. P. Bent, Chicago, Illinois
Organs I hope to obtain in the future:
Conn Tube Minuet or Caprice even a transistor Caprice with the color coded tabs
Gulbransen H3 or G3, or V.
Wurlitzer 44, 4410, 4420, ES Reed Models, 4300, 4500, Transistor Models
Re: M3 Started smoking from amp right after start up...aaah help!
[quote user="Tenor Trumpet 8'"]
I have known of several churches, homes, etc. that have burned to the ground or almost caught everything on fire from these Hammond Organs. It could be your transformer has fried. If so, that will have to be replaced. The tube next to it is the large 5UB tube, and if it is out the transformer will fry. that tube is called the rectifier tube, and plays a big part in the power supply. I had that happen to my new five year old Hammond M100 Series. Thetransformer began to smoke, and had ahorrible smell whileI was playing the organ. Hammond had such a lead in the industry, yet they were too tight to put in a fure to prevent such as that from happening.</P>
I hope you can fix this organ to your liking, but I have had my days with them.</P>
James</P>
[/quote]</P>
I would have thought if any building burned to the grounddue to a Hammond would be if it was left on for hours unattended. These are vintage instruments James and need regular maintenance, preventative work and in many cases restoration due to previous mistreatment. The arguement for their safety could be compared to a 1950's television. No one in their right mind would leave on of them on for hours unattended. These precious instruments are to be treated with caution and respect. I would not like to see a forum member disuaded from owning one due to one persons misfortune. There are many ways that we can make them safer by adding an earth, fuses etc. Nobody has been able to invent a comparable replacement to the Hammond yet so we keep these old girls going. I am suprised that you had a transformer failure on a 5yr old model and hope that this is just and exception to the rule. My point is; these instruments were made in a day when health and safety was not really heard of and electric appliances were still in their teething stages.For comparison a fusebox of the fifties compared with the modern RCD type they are worlds apart. </P>
Re: M3 Started smoking from amp right after start up...aaah help!
is there any reason NOT to add an earth or a fuse to a hammond? I bought a second amp for mine to fix up, but i have no idea if the transformers are any good. Do you know how to test an old transformer to make sure it isn't going to catch a fire?</p>
Re: M3 Started smoking from amp right after start up...aaah help!
After speaking with the guy I purchased this from I a least have some direction. So it was indeed the 5UB that caused this issue. When the tube feel out...I put it in wrong because the key was busted and it just went in...and I screwed up by not thinking that through.</p>
</p>
However, he also blamed himself for not mounting the amp better...he did a bad job and that caused the issue. He is sending out a new tube and he claims that it may work fine and everything may just be fine with no damage to the capacitors. Really? Could that be possible with all that smoke? Im going to take the amp down and look in it to see how bad the damage is. If the amp needs replacement he will send me one at no cost...as he should.</p>
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I just wish I knew to check the tube to make sure the key was still in tack so the tube would be guided correctly. </p>
</p>
Lesson learned.</p>
</p>
Does anyone really thing with all that smoke there is hope that just a tube will get me by?\\Jay </p>
Re: M3 Started smoking from amp right after start up...aaah help!
When I put that tube in the wrong way round it just blew a resistor clean in half - that was 20p for a new resistor and £1 for a clean pair of pants!</P>
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Re: M3 Started smoking from amp right after start up...aaah help!
Good news!! I just replaced the Rectifier(power tube) and she runs and sounds great! WOW!</p>
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Thanks all.! </p>
Maybe this should be in a different thread but. When I take this down the stairs I have to put its side(right side where the scanner is) and then flip back flat in order to get through the tight hall way. Remember this is a chop. What harm will this do if any? What side is better(less harmful) to have inverted. Low keys(Scanner side) or High keys right side?</p>
Re: M3 Started smoking from amp right after start up...aaah help!
On the upside, the technology is old enough that all this stuff is easily tested and repaired. </p>
</p>
This is back from the days when people were used to doing regular maintenance on all their stuff. That wasn't a disposable society. A friend of mine commented the other day 'do you remember when people used to sit at the kitchen table and repair something like a toaster?' Yeah, I am old enough to remember stuff like that. Take your TV or radio into the repair shop. Haul your tubes down to the drug store to use their tube tester, and buy replacements. That's the era we're talking here. Enjoy the maintenance, it's part of the journey.</p>
</p>
Edit - I just saw your new post.</p>
It shouldn't matter how you carry it, I've transported these flat on their backs. If you just oiled it, you might get some oil leaking. I'd say, whatever way ensures you don't drop that puppy.
</p>
- Don
'60 A100 - '62 Leslie 45
'47 CV - MS Pro3T
Nord Electro 2 73
MAudio Prokeys 88SX
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