sometimes things work out okay...

Take a look at this tuner..

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I bought one of these (and the associated Lux LRS amplification) over 30 years ago. Some months back I pulled it out and set it up in my bedroom to drive a pair of Mission speakers.

This equipment had been sitting unused for almost 20 years, and it had (and still has) quirks that need fixing. Most of them are related to dirty switches and controls.

One of the worst problems was the Tuning buttons on the 5T50. As with many dirty or aging switches, a single press caused multiple closures. Tuning was extremely clumsy, as the frequency would jump multiple channels with a single press.

"Look! Up in the sky!"

So I pulled the lid off to clean the switches. Uh-oh. They were sealed and there was no obvious, simple way to remove or open them. What to do? Working on the principle of "try anything", I pulled off the buttons. This isn't difficult -- they snap into place -- but there's this huge, weak spring that provides the restoring force. You don't want to lose it.

I guessed that the button's shaft directly poked the switch contacts. So I squirted some cleaner into the switches.

Bingo. The switches now work correctly.

Sometimes things work out just fine.

--
"We already know the answers -- we just haven't asked the right
questions." -- Edwin Land
Reply to
William Sommerwerck
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I have a Sherwood tuner and amp that were retired about 20 years ago. Recently got them both out and dusted them off to sell them to a friend. Ran into just about the same thing. You can usually always find a way to get cleaner inside button switches unless in the rare case they are hermetically sealed and in that case shouldn't ever need cleaned.

Reply to
Meat Plow

On Oct 31, 4:54=A0pm, "William Sommerwerck" wrote: ...snip...

I

what brand of cleaner?

Reply to
Robert Macy

Clorox Toilet Bowl.

No, seriously... M G Chemical's Super Wash.

When you buy toilet bowl cleaner, look at the list of ingredients for hydrochloric acid (or some strong acid). Cleaners without it don't do a very good job. I kike Sno-bol.

Reply to
William Sommerwerck

The 'way in' to sealed square shafted selector switches is often, as you have discovered, the gap around the shaft. Decent switch cleaner / lubricant seems to have good creep and penetration characteristics, and a good squirt up the shaft gap, will, in most cases, find its way into the switch body, and do a decent job of restoring contact.

Arfa

Reply to
Arfa Daily

I've been using an attachment for guitar pots that screws atop the pot and allows the cleaner to squrt down the shaft. Saves a lot of time in some cases and can be used on anything with a similar pot.

Reply to
Meat Plow

These were not that type switch (they're pushbuttons), but I appreciate the insight.

Reply to
William Sommerwerck

Where do you find these?

I assume they're "custom" and won't work as well on a smaller shaft.

Reply to
William Sommerwerck

ery

Thanks. The last cleaner I used forgot to mention some type of acetone like product in there that played havoc with some of the new plastics. Needless to say wasn't just angry at the clowding, but with the softening/melting.

Reply to
Robert Macy

It's amazing such products are still made. I look for a "safe on plastics" claim, as well as a list of things the cleaner is (supposedly) good for cleaning.

Reply to
William Sommerwerck

That's interesting and very useful sounding. Where'd you get it ? Any ref with a piccy ?

Arfa

Reply to
Arfa Daily

The ones I was referring to are pushbuttons ...

Arfa

Reply to
Arfa Daily

Ooooo.....where did you get that rascal? I've an old Double Beat Wah that I tried to clean using the shaft method but it never seemed to work. The product you mentioned sounds interesting....thanks. :-)

Reply to
propman

Grab a neoprene cable sleeve and cut the narrow end to suit !

--
Best Regards:
                     Baron.
Reply to
Baron

Most guitar supply places have them. I think we get them from WD music although I was not the one who ordered them. And I'm fairly sure that they make several sizes.

Reply to
Meat Plow

There's a Guitar Center (or whatever it's called) down the road. I'll check the next time I'm in the neighborhoods.

Reply to
William Sommerwerck

A quick google came up with this:

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Not sure where my brother in law got his but it may have come from StewMac, WD Music, Guitar Center, Mighty Mite, or a hundred of other vendors he meets at the national NAMM shows every year.

Reply to
Meat Plow

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Reply to
Meat Plow

A person with relatively decent manual dexterity and household tools could actually make one from aluminum or brass.

Reply to
Meat Plow

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Hmm... How does it remove the seeds and stems?

Reply to
William Sommerwerck

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