stylus not quite reaching ends of some ex cond cylinders

[djoutrage]

thank you very much zapper. I will get a sighted person to tell me where this is tomorro and have a pla-y about with it.
thanks again for your help and i will tell you how it goes!
Rob

[djoutrage]

hi folks,
The half nut does make a difference, but not a great difference in fact it was already in the best position..
I'm going to have to send this off some place when i have time money and the like but we do get further along a cylinder than before..
it is as though somewhere on it's travels the stylus becomes a lot lighter or something that i'm guessing has to do with the feed screw.
I'm getting quite sick of this one concertina cylinder i was using all day :p most of them work though.

[Phonolair]

Your getting things narrowed down, sooner or later you will find the problem. A couple more things to look for are the reproducer itself and the mandrel shaft. Make sure that the mandrel shaft is straight and not bend down slightly. If the shaft is bent down slightly at the end than the end of the cylinder will be lower then the start. And since the mandrel spins on the stationary shaft of a Fireside there will be no wobble of the mandrel, just lower on the end. Also if you have another reproducer C, H, K try using it to see if it makes a difference. You may not have enough up and down travel of the stylus because of a bent limit pin, limit loop or the S wire connection between the stylus bar and the diaphragm. If the stylus movement is already restricted at the start of the cylinder it may be barely touching the cylinder and when it needs more up and down travel to stay in contact with the cylinder its not there.
Good Luck, Larry

[djoutrage]

hi Larry,
thanks for your advice.
Where abouts are the limit pins and should i take anything off to see if it is actually bent?
the mandril itself seems very straight, but how should i go about checking the shaft? does anything have to be moved to get to it?
and no i don't have another reproducer but let's hope it is not that.
thanks again,
Rob

[Lucius1958]

The limit pin and loop on the model C can be found on the rear of the reproducer: the pin is threaded into the weight, and the loop is on the bottom edge of the reproducer top. The pin should be projecting parallel to the upper and lower faces of the weight.

As for the mandrel shaft: I am not familiar with the Fireside, but there should be some means of removing the mandrel - is there a collar with a set screw at the outer end, as on some Amberolas? Once the mandrel is off, the shaft can be checked with a good straight-edge to see if there is any bend.

Bill

[djoutrage]

thanks for that, Bill.
I'll have a look at both of those things when I can and have worked out how to remove the mandril.
If either of these things are the problem i'm guessing i'll need to replace them, so do any of you folks know who would be able to assist with that? prefferably someone i can email rather than call as i can't really phone the states which seems to rule out that Ron guy.
thanks again all,
Rob