Mellotronists

Fellows,
     My apologies if this method isn't pro enough.  It
did work beautifully and I never had another problem
with the buttons.  Then again, the contact cleaner I
use is not cheap or oil/lube based.  I will say that
clean is clean and no matter what you use, there
should be NO residue.  It was not my intention to
mislead.
Humbly,
-Jack Younger


--- Chris Dale <chris.dale@...> wrote:

> Sorry but No!!! -  Don't use the pencil eraser and/r
> contact cleaner!!
> 
> When I got my first optigan back in 1992, I cleaned
> the contacts with 99%
> isopropanol, and it did wonders for the machine.
> This also worked on
> subsequent optigans as well.
> 
> Some years later I tried the pencil eraser / contact
> cleaner method on
> another optigan and regretted it. Don't use this
> method!
> 
> The pencil eraser (being a petroleum product) leaves
> a slight oily residue
> which becomes evident after the optigan has been on
> for a while. This
> problem gets worse when contact cleaner (which may
> have a lubricant) is
> added to it.
> 
> Combine the original pencil eraser residue with the
> contact cleaner residue
> and you'll get more severe gunk problems with the
> contacts. What's worse,
> you may not be able to remove the gunk because it
> can become like glue after
> mixing with the residues left by the original latex
> sheet.
> 
> Stick with one simple cleaner - never mix oil based
> chemicals/products on
> the optigan contacts. Use only 99% alcohol to clean
> the contacts the way you
> would on mellotron/chamberlin tape heads and you'll
> do no wrong.  I now have
> 5 operational optigans with no crosstalk and some
> even have (dare I say it)
> a more "clean and even" sound.
> 
> 
> Chris
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jack Younger" <e4103s@...>
> To: "Colin Crawford" <g-colin.crawford@...>
> Cc: "Mellotronists" <mellotronists@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Friday, April 29, 2005 6:41 PM
> Subject: Re: [Mellotronists] Optigan buttons gone
> awry...
> 
> 
> > Not a problem,
> >       If the contacts still give you a problem,
> hit
> > them with a pencil eraser and then some contact
> > cleaner.  Just like electric race-car contacts. 
> It
> > was built by a toy company, it is essentially a
> toy, I
> > find it's best to follow suit and use toy repair
> > methods.  I also find that striking the unit can
> be
> > helpful as well.
> >      Oh, and, regretfully, no relation to the
> beer.
> > -Jack
> >
> > --- Colin Crawford <g-colin.crawford@...>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > On 28 Apr 2005, at 22:50, Jack Younger wrote:
> > >
> > > > Greetings,
> > > >      The buttons on the optigan have a rubber
> > > sheet
> > > > over them to protect them from dust.  It
> decays,
> > > > fragments over time and pieces of it get stuck
> > > between
> > > > the contacts.  Open the top panel and
> disassemble
> > > the
> > > > button assembly.  It will be orange (the same
> > > color as
> > > > a Hot Wheels track strip, ahhhh, Mattel). 
> Remove
> > > the
> > > > sheet (or what's left of it), clean out any
> > > leftover
> > > > chunks and wipe the contacts down with contact
> > > > cleaner.  Now they should work.  Please
> disregard
> > > if
> > > > this is old news to you.
> > > > -Jack Younger, former optigan owner and
> current
> > > 'tron
> > > > owner
> > >
> > > Thanks for that!
> > >
> > > I loved your beer.
> > >
> > > The same is slowly happening to mine. I thought
> the
> > > only way out would
> > > be to coax every button into life with deft
> prodding
> > > and then sample
> > > the loop!
> > > >
> > > > --- Mattias <Mattias.olsson5@...> wrote:
> > > >>
> > > >> On my Optigan the autokomp buttons have
> > > died...sort
> > > >> of. They all play at once creating kind of  a
> Tom
> > > >> Waits vibe...
> > >
> > > Surely *everything* played on an Optigan sounds
> like
> > > Tom Waits?
> > >
> > > Cx
> > >
> > > http://www.s-club.co.uk
> > >         Sundae Club*
> > >          PO Box 862
> > >          Cheltenham
> > >            GL52 2XT
> > >
> > >
> >
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> 
> 


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