The Mellotron Group

 

Hello Jean:


I have had 6 Optigans at one time (now down to 4) and I'm familiar with this problem.

It is the idler wheel.


The rubber on the idler wheel has hardened and won't grab the disc properly anymore.

You need to get the idler wheel resurfaced.

You will have to remove it from the Optigan and send it away to be redone.


There are a couple of places you can do it, but you have to send it to the USA for either one of them.

I'll have to look for the addresses for you. I don't have them here with me.


If you really care for your Optigan, you'll want to do this right and not rush things.

It takes a long time to unscrew everything, take it all apart and remove the idler wheel.

There are hidden screws everywhere and you have to be very careful not to break things when you take them apart.

These were never meant to be serviced by anyone except Optigan company employees.

You must also keep track of which screws go in which slots because they are not all the same.

I'll see if I can find the addresses for sending the wheel away.









 

On Fri, Jul 13, 2012 at 4:42 AM, Casterman Jean <jycasterman@yahoo.com> wrote:

 

Hello guys

 

 I have a big problem with my optigan and I can't find some help for this problem....no response on the optigan forum...I know that some guys here own or owned an optigan...I decided to find some help in the mellotron group.

Here's my problem:

Since last week,I heard some problem on my optigan:

when I turn on the optigan,I heard a kind of portamento/slide effect and when I played the optigan it was impossible to stay in tune,I can hear something like a cycling pop (like a scratch on a vinyl)...Today I turn on the optigan and after 5 minutes,the optigan slow down drasticaly and progressively(2 minutes) until it was impossible to play with the optigan (so slow)....I read on the net that this problem is may be an idler wheel problem ..Have you heard about the same problem before?It would be fantastic if somebody can help me because I feel alone in europe with optigan problems...and I really want to save my optigan because it's really rare here in Europe.

I know that's optigans are unreliable and looks like toy but I really love the lo-fi vibes of this machine and it works perfectly with my mellotron

 

 

Thanks so much for your help

 

Jean

 

PS:Sorry for my english spoken

On Fri, Jul 13, 2012 at 2:17 AM, Casterman Jean <jycasterman@yahoo.com> wrote:

 

THANKS SO MUCH CHRIS,I really appraciate your help :-)

I tought it was an idler wheel problem but I was not sure because I had never heard about slide /portamento effect when I turned on the optigan....and I didn't think that the problem can slow the optigan so much.

Now I will have to dissassemble the optigan in order to get this idler wheel...it's more than a challenge for me ..I'm not a great handyman :-/

I'm petrified....

Do you know if there is some  shematics or plan available to dissassemble the beast?

Is there a good way to dissassemble the optigan....Sincerly I'm afraid to break somethingif you have some special advices,they are more than welcome

 

Thanks for the adresses chris,sounds great :-)))

 

 

This group seems to be the best place to be,really friendly ;-)

 

 

Thanks for all guys

 

Jean

From: Chris Dale <unobtainiumkeys@gmail.com>
To: newmellotrongroup@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, July 13, 2012 3:39 AM

Subject: Re: [newmellotrongroup] please help me to save my optigan....

 

Hello Jean:


I have had 6 Optigans at one time (now down to 4) and I'm familiar with this problem.

It is the idler wheel.


The rubber on the idler wheel has hardened and won't grab the disc properly anymore.

You need to get the idler wheel resurfaced.

You will have to remove it from the Optigan and send it away to be redone.


There are a couple of places you can do it, but you have to send it to the USA for either one of them.

I'll have to look for the addresses for you. I don't have them here with me.


If you really care for your Optigan, you'll want to do this right and not rush things.

It takes a long time to unscrew everything, take it all apart and remove the idler wheel.

There are hidden screws everywhere and you have to be very careful not to break things when you take them apart.

These were never meant to be serviced by anyone except Optigan company employees.

You must also keep track of which screws go in which slots because they are not all the same.

I'll see if I can find the addresses for sending the wheel away.









 

On Fri, Jul 13, 2012 at 4:42 AM, Casterman Jean <jycasterman@yahoo.com> wrote:

 

Hello guys

 

 I have a big problem with my optigan and I can't find some help for this problem....no response on the optigan forum...I know that some guys here own or owned an optigan...I decided to find some help in the mellotron group.

Here's my problem:

Since last week,I heard some problem on my optigan:

when I turn on the optigan,I heard a kind of portamento/slide effect and when I played the optigan it was impossible to stay in tune,I can hear something like a cycling pop (like a scratch on a vinyl)...Today I turn on the optigan and after 5 minutes,the optigan slow down drasticaly and progressively(2 minutes) until it was impossible to play with the optigan (so slow)....I read on the net that this problem is may be an idler wheel problem ..Have you heard about the same problem before?It would be fantastic if somebody can help me because I feel alone in europe with optigan problems...and I really want to save my optigan because it's really rare here in Europe.

I know that's optigans are unreliable and looks like toy but I really love the lo-fi vibes of this machine and it works perfectly with my mellotron

 

 

Thanks so much for your help

 

Jean

 

PS:Sorry for my english spoken

--

Gino Wong Birgelo

BSComm, BSEE, CG, ReRED, CSEC  

Audio Mastering, Recording & Logistics, Analog Sound Design

Ginowong@gmail.com