Mellotronists

For what's it's worth I cleaned literally hundreds of computer keyboard 
contacts as a tech for a major company without problems. I also know it to 
be a common method. This is NOT to say that it is the best way of cleaning, 
it was simply the way we were trained. I think it had to do with the 
properties of the erasers used. What else could it be?

Tony
#510
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jack Younger" <e4103s@...>
To: "Chris Dale" <chris.dale@...>; "Colin Crawford" 
<g-colin.crawford@...>
Cc: "Mellotronists" <mellotronists@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, April 29, 2005 11:49 PM
Subject: Re: [Mellotronists] Optigan buttons gone awry...


> 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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