[GreenKeys] Houston - 28 ASR and 28 ROTR available

[Kevin H. Phillips]

I think I have finally solved the mystery of the non-working TD on this 
machine.  The basic problem was, I think, gummy grease. That seems to 
have been preventing the little plunger, or whatever it is called, 
underneath the tape from depressing enough to allow the reed switch 
underneath the tape path to make contact. Yesterday evening when I 
turned on the machine and tried the TD I noticed it was "trying" to 
work.  I thought it might be an electrical problem so I started checking 
contacts.  I sprayed contact cleaner on the contacts in the cabinet and 
on the main switch in the TD.  I noticed it seemed to work 
intermittently.  It would pull tape for a few seconds and then stop.  I 
removed the covers from the outside.  It was obvious that the old grease 
in the bearings and other places was congealed so I sprayed the 
mechanism with penetrating oil.  It would still work only 
intermittently.  Then I focused on the little reed switch under the 
front cover.  I sprayed it with contact cleaner.  More intermittent 
function.  Then I started observing the mechanism of the little plunger 
and decided that it was not being pushed downward enough . . . so I 
sprayed more penetrating oil into that area and "exercising" the 
mechanism.  It finally started working consistently.  Then I tried a 
test with the printer (I could tell it was definitely communicating with 
the printer).  I typed about four lines of RY's on the printer, which it 
prints perfectly, while punching a tape.  Then I turned on the TD.  It 
pulled all of the tape but would occasionally stop and the main thing 
was it would "jump" in the middle of a line with a LF or two before 
printing the rest of the line.  I might pull the TD out alone, clean it 
and re-lube it, and see if that helps.  The bearings in the main shaft 
could definitely stand to be cleaned and repacked. Hopefully by sometime 
this weekend I can have it working more completely.  I will try to take 
some video of it then and see if I can post a link or something.


73


Kevin

W5TTY


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