Broken level dial

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ashishk

ashishk

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Hey guys,

The level dial/knob on my 1086 broke completely off. Its the wierdest thing I have ever seen. The plastic bit still had the metal in it, and it looks like a laser cut which severed the 2. Seriously, its that wierd. I think it must have broken when I was carrying it from the car to the studio, the front plate facing me.

So I dont see anyway of reattaching the piece, short of using superglue which just seems like a waste of time, since im glueing metal. This means I may have to replace that component alltogether.

I am no electrician, so my knowledge here is really at the base of the learning curve. I think I need to replace component VR5 (refering to PCB board of the UltraXL schematic)... but remember mine is a 1086.

My question is, what is that component called? Can I just run to a Radio Shack equivalent here and buy one or is there a certain capacitance/resistance? Is it a solder job I can do by myself?

Many thanks guys!

Cheers,
Ashish
 
I just had the same problem with my RM50 Mids knob, broke off just like that. I think it easier just to replace the **** knob with something else, it wouldn't be cosmetically pleasing though, since the 1086 have their own style knobs.
 
tung said:
I just had the same problem with my RM50 Mids knob, broke off just like that. I think it easier just to replace the **** knob with something else, it wouldn't be cosmetically pleasing though, since the 1086 have their own style knobs.
Click to expand...
Hi Tung!

I'm not fussed about cosmetics. Its just that, I cant turn the level dial anymore. Its broken at the base of the metal, not the plastic. So i have to replace the component.

So yeah, any help on the specs would be awesome. Thanks again!
 
You need a new potentiometer..find out from teh Randall guys what value it is..then order one online...

Disassemble module, desolder old one, solder new one....takes about 1/2 hr...a little longer if you're not used to doing these things.
 
Yeah, its a pretty simple replacement. It is VR5 but you will have to remove the PCB from its chassis in order to be curtain of the pots value. Its written on the front of the pot like A500K, B25K, or something like that. Its probably going to be A500K which is a 500K ohm audio taper pot. Remove the 5 nuts on the front of the module and the 5 screws on the PCB and your in. The only thing you will have to solder and desolder is 3 leads.

Good luch to you 8)
 
Soulinsane said:
Yeah, its a pretty simple replacement. It is VR5 but you will have to remove the PCB from its chassis in order to be curtain of the pots value. Its written on the front of the pot like A500K, B25K, or something like that. Its probably going to be A500K which is a 500K ohm audio taper pot. Remove the 5 nuts on the front of the module and the 5 screws on the PCB and your in. The only thing you will have to solder and desolder is 3 leads.

Good luch to you 8)
Click to expand...
Thanks so much Soulinsane! Thats exactly what I needed to know. Should be pretty straightforward from here on.

Thanks again and rock on!
 
Soulinsane said:
Yeah, its a pretty simple replacement. It is VR5 but you will have to remove the PCB from its chassis in order to be curtain of the pots value. Its written on the front of the pot like A500K, B25K, or something like that. Its probably going to be A500K which is a 500K ohm audio taper pot. Remove the 5 nuts on the front of the module and the 5 screws on the PCB and your in. The only thing you will have to solder and desolder is 3 leads.

Good luch to you 8)
Click to expand...

Hang on a tick. I pulled out the 1086, had a look at the potentiometer thats busted, and it has 6C1 printer/stamped on the back.

I then pulled out my other 3 modules, i.e. Recto, Modern and Blackface, just to compare it, and they instead have values A 500K or 1M stamped on the preamp level potentiometers.

I'm not sure what value the 6C1 is. Tried googling it and going to the Alpha electronics website too, but nothing there. I'm assuming its a A 500K pot, just cos that seems to be the most common.

What do you say?
 
I think its a part number or some date code. Mine have it to but on the front of the pot is were the value is written. That's what the new pot needs to match.

Let everyone know how it goes for you.
 
Soulinsane said:
I think its a part number or some date code. Mine have it to but on the front of the pot is were the value is written. That's what the new pot needs to match.

Let everyone know how it goes for you.
Click to expand...

Alrighty. So here's a bit of an update. I managed to removed the busted pot, and found out that its definitely a 500K one. No dramas there.

Unfortunately, all the electronic stores here dont stock that small of a size. They have 500K pots, but those are much larger in size than the one I need for the 1086.

Gonna hunt on EBay, but does anyone else know of a place I can get them online?

Cheers,
Ashish
 
Maybe one of you can help me with an issue on my 1086.

Since i got the thing when i turn the gain all the way to 10 it gets real weak, so if i turn back the gain to between 6-8 its fine but if i roll it past 5 it does the same thing it looses clarity and definition, like the pot is going bad or something.

Can this pot be replaced? How? and with what pot?
 
Try cleaning it first - Radio Shack has a $15 or so setup of Caig DeOxit that should be in most stores. You won't have to take the whole thing apart, just hold it upside down and spray so the DeOxit gets inside the pot, then move it around a LOT - turn it from 0 to 10, 10 to 0, etc... you're working the cleaner around.

This will probably fix your module. If not, you're looking at total disassembly and replacement of that pot. Not a real big deal, but you can burn up a board pretty fast if you're not careful - getting all three connections that hold the pot in loosend at once without lifting pads can sometimes be a pain.

Pete
 
Mouser part # for 500k audio taper pot:

313-1530F-500K

BTW, it's a 16mm PC mount pot.

Pete
 
Well let me ask you another question.

These pads you speak of. are they on all the Caps and Res slots too.

The reason i ask is because I have a recto Module that was moded at the C3 postion (not by you) and i decided to experiment with it my self and noticed that the gold connectors were missing around the C3 mount. Is this crucial? If so how can i remedy this. It seems that when i did a value change that nothing really changed and i fear that these pads are the real issue.

And also thanks for the info on the 1086.

D..
 
TheHunter said:
Well let me ask you another question.

These pads you speak of. are they on all the Caps and Res slots too.

The reason i ask is because I have a recto Module that was moded at the C3 postion (not by you) and i decided to experiment with it my self and noticed that the gold connectors were missing around the C3 mount. Is this crucial? If so how can i remedy this. It seems that when i did a value change that nothing really changed and i fear that these pads are the real issue.

And also thanks for the info on the 1086.

D..
Click to expand...

Yup, these pads are on every part solder connection on the PCB. Thank God Randall uses a double padded board, otherwise you'd be in a world of hurt when you lose pads on one side - what could you solder to? ;) If you lose them on one side, you can usually just solder to the other side with no ill effects. Lose both sides and you're in a world of hurt.

Regarding not noticing a difference - you generally won't notice much of a difference unless you double or 1/2 the value. If the pads weren't working, you wouldn't get sound at all out of your module - C3 is a coupling cap and the signal HAS to pass through it. If you don't have a good connection there - your module won't work at all!

Pete
 
Dude your the man. My Module works Just fine then.

You should get paid for your great knowledge.

Thanks a bunch Pete.
 
A good way to keep from burning up the board and lifting the pads is to use a desoldering iron. Its just like a solder iron in that it gets hot enough to get the solder flowing but then it sucks it up and leaves the leads and pads pretty clean. It makes it a lot easier to remove parts like pots, ICs, transistors, and electrolytic capacitors even on a double sided board.

The only draw bask is that they can be expensive but are well worth it if you do a lot of parts replacements.
 
I got the part off ebay from another seller. Mouser were really terrible at dealing with overseas transactions. And I mean, terrible. Bad communication, slow responses... just downright non-professional. So I hunted around...

So if you're an MTS user in Australia (or outside the US), try this eBay store here for all your component needs. Shipping is pretty decent too.

http://stores.ebay.com.au/LuciBox

The lady has pots, caps, LEDs, knobs (no puns) and other random whatsits for other electronics. I even got myself a set of green LEDs to swap out the red one in my Recto (just for the hell of it).

Thanks again for all the helps guys!

Cheers,
Ashish
 
ashishk said:
Hey guys,

The level dial/knob on my 1086 broke completely off. Its the wierdest thing I have ever seen. The plastic bit still had the metal in it, and it looks like a laser cut which severed the 2. Seriously, its that wierd. I think it must have broken when I was carrying it from the car to the studio, the front plate facing me.

So I dont see anyway of reattaching the piece, short of using superglue which just seems like a waste of time, since im glueing metal. This means I may have to replace that component alltogether.

I am no electrician, so my knowledge here is really at the base of the learning curve. I think I need to replace component VR5 (refering to PCB board of the UltraXL schematic)... but remember mine is a 1086.

My question is, what is that component called? Can I just run to a Radio Shack equivalent here and buy one or is there a certain capacitance/resistance? Is it a solder job I can do by myself?

Many thanks guys!

Cheers,
Ashish
Click to expand...


Mine just broke too!
 

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