Edison Home with warbly sound

[sq4wonder]

I will try to get some pictures up and maybe even and video this weekend.

Did try grabbing the mandrel and the belt does slip and the motor keeps running for maybe a second or two before stopping.

I'm not really thinking the warbel changes with the cylinder or rpm of the governor, but it could be...

[Chuck]

Warble is usually caused by the governor.

To check it quickly, prop the case open
and run the machine. Take a colored pencil
and very gently feed it in close to the governor weights as they are spinning until it just barely touches them.

Stop the machine and see which ones are marked.

A perfect governor will have all three weights
marked. An out-of-balance governor will have
one or two weights marked.

The weights and their little flat springs can
be adjusted slightly in and out by loosening
the screws and sliding the slotted end to suit.

Adjust and re-mark it until all three weights
mark evenly.

Another thing that has been known to cause
warbles is a warped brass plate that the
two little leather pads rub on when the governor is fully up to speed.

Check that plate and make sure it runs true.

With a notoriously warbly governor, it's very
handy to pick up a spare governor and put that
in to test it.

Governors, like everything else can be fixed,
adjusted, and parts traded around until a good
one is assembled out of parts. It's a good thing to build up a nice box full of governor
parts so that you can go to work seriously
chasing the warble out of your machine.

Best of luck, it's fun!

Chuck

[sq4wonder]

Is there a good place to get new springs or weights? Could the governor just need a cleaning? What is the best product for this?

[sq4wonder]

Well, I talked to the seller of this machine and he basically said it was working when he sent it and that I needed to have it set to either 2 or 4 minute. When I told him that my cylinders sounded better on my Amberola 50 his explanation was that of course it will they have a better reproducer.

I just went along with that to get off the phone.

Shouldn't the machine still not have a warbling sound? I have seen many videos and heard other external horn machines that sound better than this one.

When the machine is running I can kind of feel the cabinet vibrating - should it do that?

[VintageTechnologies]

When the machine is running I can kind of feel the cabinet vibrating - should it do that?

That depends. Is the vibration pulsating or irregular? The governor gear and the gear that meshes to it are straight-cut and somewhat noisy and may impart a slight steady "ringing" vibration to the cabinet. Any gross governor imbalance ought to be visible.

I think a video is the only way we could possibly diagnose a problem beyond conjecture.

[flashpanblue]

Hello,
Have you replaced the belt on the machine or does it have the same old belt that was on it when you bought it? I recently fixed a bad warble on a friends Triumph. The problem was the belt and lower pulley. The pulley had hardened grease and grime on it that I cleaned off with nail polish remover. The back of the belt had burnish smooth so it had little traction. I cleaned the grime off the back of the belt and lightly sanded it with a light grade sand paper. When the belt was re-installed everything sounded great!
Pete

[JerryVan]

As many have already told you, the problem is the governor. It doesn't matter that the weights & springs all look the same, there still may be a balance issue.

Remove the governor & disassemble it. Leave the weights on the springs but remove each "spring/weight" assembly from the governor. Weigh each spring/weight on a small postal scale, (or any sensitive scale, such as a small dietary scale).

Find the heaviest weight and belt sand the top of it slightly, then re-check the weight. Repeat as needed till all 3 weights are the same & reassemble.

The only other possibility is a bent friction plate or one that is so dirty and gummy that the friction pads want to stick to it rather than smoothly slide over it.

[sq4wonder]

The problem was actually not the governor. I put a different belt from another Home machine on this one and the warble is gone. The belt I have on it now is one of the rubber band types which I know you purists will shake your heads at, but what can I say. It cured the problem!

There must have been just enough of a bump where the leather belt met that caused the warble.

Thanks for all your thoughts!

[soundgen]

The problem was actually not the governor. I put a different belt from another Home machine on this one and the warble is gone. The belt I have on it now is one of the rubber band types which I know you purists will shake your heads at, but what can I say. It cured the problem!

There must have been just enough of a bump where the leather belt met that caused the warble.

Thanks for all your thoughts!

The belt was probably glued with a non flexible glue , so it slowed as it goes over the pulleys ,

[JerryVan]

I'm glad that you solved the warble problem. However, I still feel that root cause is the governor. The rubber belt absorbes the slight rpm variations by means of its ability to stretch and therefore smooth out the rotation. In other words, it's working like a car's shock absorbers. Still, if the belt works then you're good to go.