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Old 08-05-20, 02:33
David Dunlop David Dunlop is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Winnipeg, MB
Posts: 3,384
Default COUNTERS, 0/9999 2-3/4 inch x 1-3/8 inch x 1-7/8 inch, No. C1 ZA/CAN 4642

I mentioned in my last posting the cleaning process today on the Sender chassis was almost uneventful. Well here is what I discovered about the word ‘almost’ today.

Back in Post #280 and Post #281 I had discussed what I had learned up to that point in time about the COUNTERS Coupling Assemblies used in the COIL, Aerial Tuning and Senders PA LOADING Drives respectively. The assemblies used in the Sender are more sophisticated, utilizing a lower Bakelite plate with small pin, and an upper tapered metal plate with a slot the pin slid into. There was also a somewhat mysterious SPRINGS, Coupling Assemblies wrapped along the top surface of the tapered metal plate and snugged up against the pin from the lower assembly. It was clearly there to provide some tension to the assembly, thereby taking up any play, or slack in the coupling, but it seemed a bit to vulnerable to any excessive movement. My hunch, in all respects, was correct.

With the Sender now resting on its back on the worktable and the bottom towards me, I now needed to access the top of the Sender chassis for cleaning. A simple enough thing to achieve I thought. Just carefully lift the Sender, turn it 180 degrees, and lower it back down with the top now towards me. The detail I forgot in all this was I had removed the two small wooden blocks from under the two COUNTERS assemblies to gain access to the phenolic board behind them for cleaning. As I lifted the Sender up from the supporting 2 x 4s on the worktable and started to turn it, I saw the right hand COUNTERS assembly dip down and swing suddenly. That was alarming enough, but at the same time I heard a very heart stopping ‘TWANG! Tinka-tinka-tinka-tink’, and then silence. By now, the right hand COUNTERS was actually touching the Bakelite below it and the two parts of its Coupling Assembly were clearly no longer aligned with each other. I carefully set the Sender on the carpet and looked for small SPRINGS, Coupling Assemblies that was no longer in place. It was not in the chassis. A first look at the top of the worktable showed nothing, but when I moved the two 2 x 4s, there it was, resting up against the edge of one of them.

The good part of this event was I discovered once the SPRINGS, Coupling Assemblies is removed from the system, the COUNTERS assembly with the attached upper metal coupling plate can be lifted free from the lower plate. That provided a great cleaning opportunity, once my heart rate had returned to normal. I knew this particular LOADING Coil was snugged back to its zero point, so all I had to do was turn the COUNTERS back to all zeros and remount is aligned to its lower plate and replace the SPRINGS. That newfound knowledge means the other COUNTERS will be able to be reset to Zero far more easily than I have thought, when the time comes.

I added a photo of the top plate of one of the COUPLING Assemblies showing the end with the pin sticking through and the SPRINGS against the side of it.

I am sure this will not be the only heart stopping moment in the restoration journey of this 52-Set, but as long and none of the others involve high voltage/amperage, I will be a happy man!


David
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COUNTERS, 0:9999  ZA:CAN 4642 14.JPG  
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