Yeah it's a wonderful 25'x25' freezer containing all matter of anatomical waste that needs to stay at a certain temp 3 Celsius etc. Then it all gets shipped to Baltimore for incineration. So yeah, amputations, animals from labs, stuff from fisheries and oceans like fish, seals etc etc. Anything to do with anatomical has to go in this freezer/cooler. Everything rotates quite quickly from the freezer and then goes out on a reefer trailer .. The worst so far for me besides seeing a few unwrapped human leg amputations was a bin full of 35 human feet amputations. Where was #36?? Did I miscount? Actually I really just don't want to think about it lol 🙂
I'm working on a 3M Revere Wollensak T-1980 Reel to Reel tape deck at the current time.
Any hints on cleaning and lubricating the mechanism would be appreciated.
How to clean the amps and mechanism? Spray with Greased Lightning, spray with hot water and set in the sun to dry for a day?
Any hints on cleaning and lubricating the mechanism would be appreciated.
How to clean the amps and mechanism? Spray with Greased Lightning, spray with hot water and set in the sun to dry for a day?
Last edited:
Hi TheGimp,
Please tell me you have worked on another mechanism at some point in time. A cassette deck? Another open reel?
There is only one way to clean a mechanism such as that. It involves the heavy use of a digital camera as well. First, take pictures of where the boards and wire harnesses go. Then move some of that stuff out of the way carefully. Hopefully you can unplug some of the cables (mark them as to where they go). If there is any doubt as to where they go take a picture. If you are sure about where they go, take a picture.
Now you have the mechanical parts visible. Take a picture or five from different angles. Measure the play and clearances of the mechanical parts. I assume you have found the service manual, ao you can fall back on that if you need to. Remove the shafts off any posts or out of any bearings carefully. Now that they are out, clean the metal shafts with solvent, but don't get any on rubber or felt parts! Then clean the mating surfaces where they originally were. Fast moving parts get oil, slow or limited motion parts get grease. These will be single weight with no additives or detergents. 3n1 or sewing machine oils are not acceptable! You only need a thing film of lubricant. Most people use far too much. So oil a shaft, then wipe it off leaving the smallest of films. Reinstall the pieces where they went and adjust them for proper clearances. They should never be tight to move. Repeat for the entire transport and all the levers. That includes the reel tables and brake mechanism. Always check clearances and end play before you take something apart. Write this information down every single time. Compare to the service manual and correct any clearances that are not in agreement with the manual. There is a possibility that the manual is wrong, so if you have trouble with something, return those settings to what you found. You know it worked at least. Without manual errors, the transport will run smoother set to what the manual says.
-Chris
Please tell me you have worked on another mechanism at some point in time. A cassette deck? Another open reel?
There is only one way to clean a mechanism such as that. It involves the heavy use of a digital camera as well. First, take pictures of where the boards and wire harnesses go. Then move some of that stuff out of the way carefully. Hopefully you can unplug some of the cables (mark them as to where they go). If there is any doubt as to where they go take a picture. If you are sure about where they go, take a picture.
Now you have the mechanical parts visible. Take a picture or five from different angles. Measure the play and clearances of the mechanical parts. I assume you have found the service manual, ao you can fall back on that if you need to. Remove the shafts off any posts or out of any bearings carefully. Now that they are out, clean the metal shafts with solvent, but don't get any on rubber or felt parts! Then clean the mating surfaces where they originally were. Fast moving parts get oil, slow or limited motion parts get grease. These will be single weight with no additives or detergents. 3n1 or sewing machine oils are not acceptable! You only need a thing film of lubricant. Most people use far too much. So oil a shaft, then wipe it off leaving the smallest of films. Reinstall the pieces where they went and adjust them for proper clearances. They should never be tight to move. Repeat for the entire transport and all the levers. That includes the reel tables and brake mechanism. Always check clearances and end play before you take something apart. Write this information down every single time. Compare to the service manual and correct any clearances that are not in agreement with the manual. There is a possibility that the manual is wrong, so if you have trouble with something, return those settings to what you found. You know it worked at least. Without manual errors, the transport will run smoother set to what the manual says.
-Chris
Thanks Chris.
I have worked on a Pioneer cassette deck previously.
Yes, I have the manual.
What cleaner for the linkages? Varsol?
The mechanism linkages look like they were lubricated with Lithium grease originally. The manual says perminantely lubricated, but does not mention what lube.
The pinch roller and idlers feel flexible, so I only need to clean them and lubricate the sintered brass bushings.
I have straight weight 10W non-detergent oil. Is this good?
There are no dimensions or end play specs in the manual.
Electronics I am comfortable with.
Mechanical I have set aside until I feel confident to work on it.
I have worked on a Pioneer cassette deck previously.
Yes, I have the manual.
What cleaner for the linkages? Varsol?
The mechanism linkages look like they were lubricated with Lithium grease originally. The manual says perminantely lubricated, but does not mention what lube.
The pinch roller and idlers feel flexible, so I only need to clean them and lubricate the sintered brass bushings.
I have straight weight 10W non-detergent oil. Is this good?
There are no dimensions or end play specs in the manual.
Electronics I am comfortable with.
Mechanical I have set aside until I feel confident to work on it.
Last edited:
Hi TheGimp,
Cool, that's excellent!
Heavy grease for those surfaces like levers that push other surfaces around, or you can use the same grease.
30W is fine for slow moving things.
5W is better for open reel things like reel table bearings.
Very light machine oil is good for motors and pinch roller sleeve bearings.
I have oil like water that I use for other small rotating sleeve bearings. A CD disc motor would be an example use for that.
These are all approximate suggestions, others can chime in here with what they have been taught. Manuals always list lubricants that are a specific manufacturer and product number.. you could call a supplier and find out what is close to that called out lubricant. They might even have reasonable sizes that you can buy. Sometimes they might even give you a sample (enough to last a lifetime).
-Chris
Cool, that's excellent!
Heavy grease for those surfaces like levers that push other surfaces around, or you can use the same grease.
30W is fine for slow moving things.
5W is better for open reel things like reel table bearings.
Very light machine oil is good for motors and pinch roller sleeve bearings.
I have oil like water that I use for other small rotating sleeve bearings. A CD disc motor would be an example use for that.
These are all approximate suggestions, others can chime in here with what they have been taught. Manuals always list lubricants that are a specific manufacturer and product number.. you could call a supplier and find out what is close to that called out lubricant. They might even have reasonable sizes that you can buy. Sometimes they might even give you a sample (enough to last a lifetime).
-Chris
After decades of servicing things, I've settled on Super Lube synthetic grease for mechanical things like sliding parts etc.
It also is great for quieting down rotating bearings with virtually no added "friction" involved, like ball bearings and turntable hub shafts.
And it lasts for decades without attracting dirt like regular grease does.
For light oil, the Zoom Spout Turbine Oil works perfectly.
You all can debate other lubes, but I've been there with that lithium/red grease/chainsaw oil/etc crap.
It also is great for quieting down rotating bearings with virtually no added "friction" involved, like ball bearings and turntable hub shafts.
And it lasts for decades without attracting dirt like regular grease does.
For light oil, the Zoom Spout Turbine Oil works perfectly.
You all can debate other lubes, but I've been there with that lithium/red grease/chainsaw oil/etc crap.
Hi wiseoldtech,
That's a little simplified actually, and I was worried I had things too simplified! Super Lube isn't really right for sleeve bearings. While it might work fine in the (very) short term, you actually need something that is absorbed into the sleeve bearing again.
I actually have a ton of different lubricants for specific jobs. They really do have different properties that become important in the longer term. I even have a damping fluid that is great on CD clamp bearings. Super Lube is okay on sliding levers and CD trays plus nylon gears, but that's about it for that stuff.
You have to admit that there is room for a couple other lubricants that are better suited to the jobs you run into. Not everything can be fixed with a spit and smack in the rear.
-Chris
That's a little simplified actually, and I was worried I had things too simplified! Super Lube isn't really right for sleeve bearings. While it might work fine in the (very) short term, you actually need something that is absorbed into the sleeve bearing again.
I actually have a ton of different lubricants for specific jobs. They really do have different properties that become important in the longer term. I even have a damping fluid that is great on CD clamp bearings. Super Lube is okay on sliding levers and CD trays plus nylon gears, but that's about it for that stuff.
You have to admit that there is room for a couple other lubricants that are better suited to the jobs you run into. Not everything can be fixed with a spit and smack in the rear.
-Chris
Hi Chris,
My use of Super Lube for turntable hub lube is this...
In some instances of "rumble" due to a bit of "slop" or play in the bearing, Super Lube reduces and/or eliminates the play, while not causing drag.
Face it, the spindle rotates at a slow 33 or 45 RPMs, and the sleeve, while even being sintered, benefits from the micro-sized molecules of Teflon, acting like mini-ball bearings.
I've never ever had a problem with that usage, and testing proves the reduction of any bearing rumble.
It's also great for those spindles that seat on a single ball bearing down in the well.
Trust me, never had a problem.
My use of Super Lube for turntable hub lube is this...
In some instances of "rumble" due to a bit of "slop" or play in the bearing, Super Lube reduces and/or eliminates the play, while not causing drag.
Face it, the spindle rotates at a slow 33 or 45 RPMs, and the sleeve, while even being sintered, benefits from the micro-sized molecules of Teflon, acting like mini-ball bearings.
I've never ever had a problem with that usage, and testing proves the reduction of any bearing rumble.
It's also great for those spindles that seat on a single ball bearing down in the well.
Trust me, never had a problem.
Oh boy... I'm a watchmaker and please don't get me started on lubricants. That tiny ticking thing on your wrist has at least 5 different lubricants in there and each one has different properties.
I have the impression, that repairing modern electronic circuitry, has become next to impossible. The most obvious reason is the component packing density and the size of components themselves. An ordinary soldering tip, nowadays, covers the area of several components, and the solder does not readily melt like the good olden days. With ICs with pins separated by under 1mm, repair is becoming a nightmare for the enthusiast, and an extremely costly service considering the fact, such repair may require the use of sophisticated equipment like microscopes, specially designed soldering stations and expensive SMD soldering fluxes.
This is my impression, which is not the impression of someone who had been in the repair trade, but who had repaired electronic equipment for myself, my family and some other people.
This trend of packing even more components, and of making ICs with pins almost like hair, and a pin density so high, pins almost touch, is quite discouraging for an enthusiast like myself. And, to add insult to injury, some ICs have connections below them, instead of on the sides.
I have experienced trying to repair some PCBs, with solder connections that refused to melt decently, no matter of what bit temperature I used. When these connections melted, the used temperature damaged the PCB.
There is also the issue of components being crimped so that they stay firmly in place during the soldering procedure. I found, these are very difficult to remove without damaging a PCB.
All this, seems to indicate, the days of repair may be over.
[/RANT]
This is my impression, which is not the impression of someone who had been in the repair trade, but who had repaired electronic equipment for myself, my family and some other people.
This trend of packing even more components, and of making ICs with pins almost like hair, and a pin density so high, pins almost touch, is quite discouraging for an enthusiast like myself. And, to add insult to injury, some ICs have connections below them, instead of on the sides.
I have experienced trying to repair some PCBs, with solder connections that refused to melt decently, no matter of what bit temperature I used. When these connections melted, the used temperature damaged the PCB.
There is also the issue of components being crimped so that they stay firmly in place during the soldering procedure. I found, these are very difficult to remove without damaging a PCB.
All this, seems to indicate, the days of repair may be over.
[/RANT]
Last edited:
edbarx,
The trick with de-soldering a component which was originally soldered with lead free solder is to use either (1) low melting point solder to wash the connection, or use regular lead solder. apply the solder to the joint to allow the new solder to blend with the original solder, then it is easy to remove.
I have done 100pin TQFP packages using the low melting point solder (Woods metal). Just flood all the pins, remove the part and then remove the solder with solder wick. This cleans the pads for new solder.
components with "Power Pads" are a bit more difficult and take special equipment such as hot air soldering/de-soldering irons.
BGAs are another matter completely.
I routinely work with components as small as 0402, but expect this will be my limit. my hands shake too much any more. One thinks they are holding a soldering iron perfectly still until viewed through a stereo microscope.😡
The trick with de-soldering a component which was originally soldered with lead free solder is to use either (1) low melting point solder to wash the connection, or use regular lead solder. apply the solder to the joint to allow the new solder to blend with the original solder, then it is easy to remove.
I have done 100pin TQFP packages using the low melting point solder (Woods metal). Just flood all the pins, remove the part and then remove the solder with solder wick. This cleans the pads for new solder.
components with "Power Pads" are a bit more difficult and take special equipment such as hot air soldering/de-soldering irons.
BGAs are another matter completely.
I routinely work with components as small as 0402, but expect this will be my limit. my hands shake too much any more. One thinks they are holding a soldering iron perfectly still until viewed through a stereo microscope.😡
Good tips, Gimp. Also, I have to add that even if you have had a disaster, melting the pcb, don't give up. You can patch up the pcb if you have the patience. It may look ugly, but you can repair damaged traces with whatever fits the bill, even down to a single strand of wire in a low current situation.
At work we use 30AWG Kynar wire-wrap wire for repairs. it is rated at 0.5A. We have used a spool of blue wire for so long that hand repairs have become known as "Blue Wire" as in "I'm going to go blue wire this board.
Back on the lubrication issue, I have these oils available.
The far left is a dry film lube.
The one with the yellow marking rubbed off is LSA weapons oil
The rest are pretty generic.
What type of lube is used on plastic components?
The capstan drive shaft has some surface rust and I don't want to get steel wool near this mechanism. How do I clean it? I normally use "0000" steel wool with oil to remove surface rust.
I thought of using craft paper or brown wrapping paper which is pretty rough and applying oil to it then turn on the drive and wrap the paper around the rotating shaft to clean it.
Back on the lubrication issue, I have these oils available.
The far left is a dry film lube.
The one with the yellow marking rubbed off is LSA weapons oil
The rest are pretty generic.
What type of lube is used on plastic components?
The capstan drive shaft has some surface rust and I don't want to get steel wool near this mechanism. How do I clean it? I normally use "0000" steel wool with oil to remove surface rust.
I thought of using craft paper or brown wrapping paper which is pretty rough and applying oil to it then turn on the drive and wrap the paper around the rotating shaft to clean it.
Attachments
Oh, I've used so much ww wire. Once made a custom subwoofer cable to go around the perimeter of the room from receiver to plate amp. It's the duct tape of electronic hacks.
TheGimp, how old is that Esso branded oil?
For those who do not know Esso was the brand/company before Exxon.
For those who do not know Esso was the brand/company before Exxon.
In order to "polish" off surface oxidation or corrosion on metal I use those "scrubby pads" similar to those pots/pans cleaning sponges.
Since the pads are non metalic, yet abrasive, they don't cause harm to the finish.
No date on the bottle. I guess late 60s. It became Exxon in 1973 so it pre-dates that.
There was a red can and a blue can, but I can't find any info on which came first or when the color changed.
There was a red can and a blue can, but I can't find any info on which came first or when the color changed.
Wire-wrap -- didn't Steve Ciarcia call it "knitting for engineers"?
@Gimp - Thanks for the advice on the small pitch parts.
@Gimp - Thanks for the advice on the small pitch parts.