I have an Allen 2110 and my reverb is not working. Originally, when I acquired it, the reverb did not work and then it did, and now doesn't. I have no idea how to fix this and I don't even know what a reverb system looks like. I would appreciate anybody's help. Also, the card reader (for alterable stops) is not working. (This is not my exact organ, but I have the same model.)
"I play the notes as they are written (well, I try), but it is God who makes the music." - Johann Sebastian Bach
Organs I Play:
- Home: VPO Compiled from Allen 2110 parts
- Church: M.P. Moller 1951 (Relocated 2015) 3 manual, 56 stop, 38 ranks (Opus 8152)
Welcome to the Forum! I hope you continue to participate here for years to come.
The failure of the card reader is almost certainly related to one or two things: A bulb has blown in the card reader, or the batteries have gone bad. If the batteries have gone bad, the old ones will need to be removed as soon as possible so they don't cause damage to the card on which they're mounted. OTOH, if you're one of the lucky ones where the batteries have been relocated outside the cage, then it will be simple to replace the batteries inside the holder.
For the bulb, check this picture to see if any of your bulbs have blown: https://organforum.com/gallery/displ...um=36&pid=1235. The photo was taken from the inside of the organ, so when you look into the front of the card reader where you sit, the bulbs will appear reversed. I know it looks like one of the bulbs is out in the photo, but that's the way it is supposed to be.
Hope this helps get you started, and someone else will need to answer your reverb question, as I don't know much about it.
Michael
P.S. Would you be related to a composer, Mr. Robert Powell from Greenville, SC?
Way too many organs to list, but I do have 5 Allens:
Please note that myorgan's reference to batteries and the alterable voice does not apply to this model--the MADC organs (of which the ADC-2110 is one) use a different alterable voice system which does not use batteries, so they can't cause problems. So most likely the alterable voice problem is a burned out bulb or two. It could also be caused by a mis-adjusted voltage, but start with the bulbs.
As to the reverb system, any advice will depend upon what kind of reverb system it uses. This model was available with a spring reverb or a digital reverb. See if your organ has the digital reverb. It would be mounted on the inside of the left hand swing out panel, when facing the back of the organ. it is shown in this photo: https://organforum.com/forums/fileda...6&d=1375419781
Thank you, Toodles. I was unaware the MADC organs didn't use batteries for the Alterable Voice stops. Is it flash memory? Those models aren't in my ADC Service Manual. Someday, I hope to get the documentation in my manual for most of my organs (ADC-4300 & ADC-5400).
Michael, the absence of an Alterable battery goes for all MADC models that have four digits in the number, which includes all the 1100 series (1100,1110, 1140, 1160), the 2100 series (like the 1100's but beginning with 2), and the 3100 and 3160.
Of course the three-digit MADC models don't even have a card reader, so obviously no battery. It was only when Allen made the decision in mid-1985 to replace the original ADC 1000, 2000, and 3000 models with the MADC 1100/2100/3100 series that they introduced the MADC Card Reader system, which is of course an entirely different thing from the MOS and original ADC card readers.
Those four-digit MADC models all have the special card reader system that uses those silvery cards and half as many lamps in the reader as in MOS and ADC. As you know, the reader in those MADC models doesn't actually decode any waveshape data from the holes, as on MOS and real ADC, it merely reads the card and refers to a built-in ROM to produce the voice called for by the card.
This type of Card Reader never had a battery. So on all these models you have to re-load your cards into the Alterable system each time you turn on the organ. Not sure why Allen would've eliminated the battery, which had until then been present on all ADC models. But that's what they did.
I do not see the reverb system like in the picture. As for the bulbs, all of them are on except 1.
By the way, the 4' Clairon stop doesn't work (it's the only stop that doesn't work). Can I fix that somehow?
Last edited by myorgan; 03-27-2020, 02:30 PM.
Reason: Multiple comments by same member.
Something to check on reverb: On the Audio processor boards there are some pots that control the reverb fed in or out ( I forgot which) the audio path. I recall having no reverb on a raft of voices, and tweaking a pot brough it right back. I then sprayed it with contact cleaner and exercised it back and forth. Has been OK since. It's what Jbird constantly recommends besides checking cleaning the RCA connectors. If you have the ADR4 pictured do the same on pots and connectors.
Can't play an note but love all things "organ" Responsible for 2/10 Wurli pipe organ, Allen 3160(wife's), Allen LL324, Allen GW319EX, ADC4600, many others. E-organ shop to fund free organ lessons for kids.
Is there a chance you could explain how I can do what John Vanderlee did to fix reverb? I don't know what all the pots and boards are/located so I probably need to know that too.
Would ADAC documentation do any good for Philip? Philip, did you not receive documentation for the ADR-4 when you got the organ? It may or may not have been included somewhere.
Honestly, I have no idea what the documentation for ADR-4 means but I do have all the paperwork, manuals, and reports of the organ. (I am obviously not the first owner; I have owned it for only 9 months).
Wait, Toodles helped me discover that I don't have ADR-4 (or I haven't looked in the right places). The manual that the organ came with describes 4 different reverb systems my organ might have but it doesn't say exactly which system I have.
"I play the notes as they are written (well, I try), but it is God who makes the music." - Johann Sebastian Bach
Organs I Play:
- Home: VPO Compiled from Allen 2110 parts
- Church: M.P. Moller 1951 (Relocated 2015) 3 manual, 56 stop, 38 ranks (Opus 8152)
I'm not sure what your electronics diagnostic skills are, so the best advice I can give you is to check all the audio plug-in connections in the organ. You can skip the ones at the amplifier, since we know the amps work. Perhaps one of the connectors is intermittent or only half-plugged in.
That said, you should find something in the back of your organ which will be labeled with something describing a reverb system. It may be ADR-4, it may be ADAC, or any other set of initials. You would be looking at a fairly long, thin metal box with RCA plugs going into or out of it. Most of what you do inside the organ should be done with the organ OFF.
While you're in the back of your organ, you will first want to take good quality photos of the inside of your organ. The more pictures you can provide, the better. The Forum limits photos to 5 per post, and none in comments.
Pictures would be exceedingly helpful. We can then easily tell you what type of reverb you have. Meanwhile follow every cable with an RCA plug on it to where it plugs in. Wiggle it off, spray with contact cleaner, wiggle it back on. In the process you may find a box labeled ADR4 or ADAC, or a spring reverb.
But with pictures we could help you the most.
John
Can't play an note but love all things "organ" Responsible for 2/10 Wurli pipe organ, Allen 3160(wife's), Allen LL324, Allen GW319EX, ADC4600, many others. E-organ shop to fund free organ lessons for kids.
Wiggle it off, spray with contact cleaner, wiggle it back on.
John,
You wiggle? I screw back and forth. I find that way it helps distribute the contact cleaner over the inside of the tabs on the male side of the plug. Most people just spray contact cleaner on the female side, but neglect the end of the cord.
Michael
Way too many organs to list, but I do have 5 Allens:
"I play the notes as they are written (well, I try), but it is God who makes the music." - Johann Sebastian Bach
Organs I Play:
- Home: VPO Compiled from Allen 2110 parts
- Church: M.P. Moller 1951 (Relocated 2015) 3 manual, 56 stop, 38 ranks (Opus 8152)
These are all the pictures. There are left "door" outside and inside and right "door" outside and inside. I may have found what toodles had in his picture.
As to the reverb system, any advice will depend upon what kind of reverb system it uses. This model was available with a spring reverb or a digital reverb. See if your organ has the digital reverb. It would be mounted on the inside of the left hand swing out panel, when facing the back of the organ. it is shown in this photo: https://organforum.com/forums/fileda...6&d=1375419781
My photos below, toodles' is in link.
Attached Files
"I play the notes as they are written (well, I try), but it is God who makes the music." - Johann Sebastian Bach
Organs I Play:
- Home: VPO Compiled from Allen 2110 parts
- Church: M.P. Moller 1951 (Relocated 2015) 3 manual, 56 stop, 38 ranks (Opus 8152)
If you found what toodles pictured, please show us a picture so we can confirm? It has pots and connectors that could all be causing your problem. Also try to add some lighting to your pictures, they're very dark!
Can't play an note but love all things "organ" Responsible for 2/10 Wurli pipe organ, Allen 3160(wife's), Allen LL324, Allen GW319EX, ADC4600, many others. E-organ shop to fund free organ lessons for kids.
I don't see any reverb unit in any of the pictures, so maybe you don't have one installed. The 3 common Allen reverb systems used in these models are the ADR-4, which you determined you didn't have, the ADAC (Allen Digital Ambience Computer) and a spring reverb.
The ADAC is a large unit and is prominently labelled ADAC and has 5 volume control type knobs on the front. If you have it, it should be obvious upon inspection. It also has an AC power cord going to it.
The spring reverb uses what is commonly called a reverb tank. An internet image search of "reverb tank" will bring up a lot of pictures so you can get an idea of what they look like.
If you can take a better picture like the middle one (as posted) where we can read the markings on the circuit board labels, we might be able to tell you which cables go to the reverb--perhaps.
There really isn't any service advice any of us can give you apart from connections and controls unless your knowledge of electronics is such that you can trouble shoot to the component level.
If you don't have any reverb system installed, you can use most any commercial digital reverb (Alesis, Lexicon, TC Electronics, Behringer, etc.); take the two amplifier inputs into the reverb unit and take the reverb unit's outputs to the amplifier inputs. You won't have stop control, but that's probably OK.
And if I do have to buy a reverb system, is this what I do?: Unplug the amplifier input RAC cords and replace them with the reverb systems output RAC cords? But, I have had reverb before. Is there a possibility the reverb system is in the amplifier cage?
Have you looked under the top lid of the console? Some models have an ADAC mounted there.
Can't play an note but love all things "organ" Responsible for 2/10 Wurli pipe organ, Allen 3160(wife's), Allen LL324, Allen GW319EX, ADC4600, many others. E-organ shop to fund free organ lessons for kids.
1. No, it is not possible that the reverb is inside the amplifier cage.
2. Can't tell about what the card is in the 1st photo, right hand corner--the photo is too dark and out of focus.
3. To install a non-Allen reverb, use, you just plug the amplifier input RCA plugs into the reverb unit inputs (left and right, it doesn't matter which is which) and plug the output of the reverb to the inputs of the amplifiers. You'll have to adjust the reverb wet/dry mix, start at 50/50. This is the wet (or reverberated signal level) and dry (unreverberated signal level) balance. The reverb level input will have a gain control (probably) set it so you don't get any distortion at any level; it will probably have an output level; again, set so you don't get any distortion. It may have a high frequency roll off for the reverb, 6 kHz is a good starting point. High frequencies don't have much reverb because they are easily absorbed and of low power.
By the way, it is RCA, also called RCA phono, or just phono, but not RAC. You may need RCA to 1/4 inch phone plug adapters for the inputs and outputs of the reverb. For the output, just get 1/4 inch phone to RCA Phono male cables. It is important to be specific and accurate about this nomenclature, since "phone" and "phono" only differ by a letter and are completely different.
4. The thing you think looks like an ADR-4 is a power line filter, about 2 inches by 3 inches. The ADR-4 is about 5 by 8 inches, or a little larger.
Is there any way you could send me a specific list of all the equipment I need to buy if you have time? (But first, look at my later post with a picture of a possible spring reverb.)
2. Can't tell about what the card is in the 1st photo, right hand corner--the photo is too dark and out of focus.
It says Chan. 4.
"I play the notes as they are written (well, I try), but it is God who makes the music." - Johann Sebastian Bach
Organs I Play:
- Home: VPO Compiled from Allen 2110 parts
- Church: M.P. Moller 1951 (Relocated 2015) 3 manual, 56 stop, 38 ranks (Opus 8152)
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