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kenmerb@... wrote:
_______________________________________________________________________Yes, Jerry, but I think that one ofyour trons holds the record for being in the most humid climate. Wasn't "Julia" at one time living on someone's boat before you restoredher? What were the effects of that on a MKI?
Hi KM and gang, Thanks for the reply. MK-I #124 spent its earliest
years on the yacht of millionaire Mr. Bloom (not the mayor of NYC).
This was many years before our dear friend Gordon Reid was Julia's
owner (1981-1988).Upon taking delivery of it in 1998, saw evidence of "L" bracketsbolted
to sides in four places. Used to fasten Julia to bulkhead wallsof Mr. Bloom's
yacht.Found salt crystals embedded in floor-pan and base-plate for foot-pedal
needed replacement. Alum. piece was dissolved on all corners, andpitted
thru in a few places. Oxidation and electrolysisdo their work slowly.....__________________________________________________________________
The Florida humidity ∗was∗ good formy MKII however. The static snapping that was happening in the MKIIaudio due to the cold, dry Boston climate was not a problem in Florida. The thinking was that the cycling was causing a buildup of static electricitythat was being discharged when the keys were depressed, causing pops inthe audio. Martin graciously sent me another set of MKII tapes withoutbacking, but I moved to Florida before I got a chance to install them,and the humid Florida air eliminated the static problem.
__________________________________________________________________
After the fact, I understand how this can happen. MK-II (andother mdls)
drums are coated paper, an insulator. Add-in plastic rollers, anda thin
oxide coating on recording-tape moving at 30 IPS for 2-20 seconds
(1-6 stations) , creates a wonderful static demo machine . Small version
of the popular Van der Graaf Generator (machine, not the band) atscience
fairs of the 1960's.Some charge is dissipated on the metal guide combs, but residualstatic
remains to cause those popping gremlins you experienced, Ken.
An easy fix is to fit a tiny grounding wire (found on some MK-II's)
from sprocket to metal end cap. Harry's use of all-metal drumson some
Chamberlins is by-far the best solution .In my realm of Edisonia, I've personally seen vintage Edison lightbulb
bamboo filaments bend and contact inner glass wall during winter,because of
static. Buildup caused by bubble-wrap, tissue-paper,etc. Nota problem in summer.If any of you "seasoned" readers heard/know of Alfred Morgan's
books of electricity/electronics , there's loads of cool science-projects
about static electricity. Not a Mellotron in sight , whew!___________________________________________________________________
Now I'm living in Dallas, which is,I guess, on one end of tornado alley. So, there are potential problemsfor the trons wherever I go. Hmmm...Boston (static problems, currentlyflooding), Florida (hurricanes), Dallas (tornados). There's your"Merbler Triangle". ;-) The trons are currently in storage, so Idon't know how they will play in Dallas.
BTW, anyone want to buy a condo inCocoa Beach, FL? Ken M.
_______________________________________________________________Well, let's see....Pontoons to keep your gear afloat, or buildinga studio
in concrete room , no windows, everything anchored to the floor.
Oh yeah, dehumidifiers galore. ....NOAA radio on standby.....Good Luck !The Merbler Triangle as drawn on a map, encompasses many Tron owners
in the Northeast and Southern states. Uh-Oh ! Make sure your motors
don't reverse direction someday or have a desire to attach to walls.Cheers, -JK- (science fair nerd of the 1960's, and Tron nutof the 70's )