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OP-3 clone repair - help with component need


hazerkeys

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hey all- worked all day to save this old Hammond Clone (Viscount) (fixed all the cold and broken solder joints since there is a vertically mounted circuit card for each of the 9 drawbars .. cool idea, but bad design since the move and the solder joints crack) - I was just buttoning it up when I accidentally hit the small inductor on the motherboard that is part of the oscillator circuit - so it is dead :( - I am trying all the usual sources to find this part (circa 1982 ?) ... If I had the specs, I could probably find a replacement (center tapped inductor coil) - but all that it says on the schematic is "22+22 loops+ , and "2mhz" on the motherboard - I am incluidng a link to picture of the part, schematic and circuit board - will have to brush off my old circuit design and see if I can reverse engineer this to find the right specs - any ideas .. want to keep this old board alive !!

 

http://picpaste.com/op3_motherboard-himmj8py.jpg

 

http://picpaste.com/op3_schematic-qkXkeMyX.jpg

 

http://picpaste.com/coil-ig4XWvhr.jpg

PC1x, Hammond XK1c, Deep Mind 6, MS500 (gig rig)

Kurz PC4, Mini Moog Model D, Little Phatty, Hammond M3, Leslie 145, viscount op-3, Behringer model D, Roland GAIA.. (home studio)

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bump - sorry, trying to follow the instructions for picture posting, I obviously don't have it down yet !!

PS- not a repair technician here by trade - this is my own personal clone that I would like to use in my pratice rig..

PC1x, Hammond XK1c, Deep Mind 6, MS500 (gig rig)

Kurz PC4, Mini Moog Model D, Little Phatty, Hammond M3, Leslie 145, viscount op-3, Behringer model D, Roland GAIA.. (home studio)

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Checking the MITA (Musical Instrument Technicians Association) website of suppliers, Viscount shows the following:

 

Viscount Tech Service

N6849 550th Street

Menomonie, WI 54751

Phone: 715 308 2282.

email: viscounttech @ gmail . com

 

The owner is Norm Ninneman. He just might be able to supply you with the original part.

 

If not: The coil is a center tapped Hartley oscillator coil, it has a tunable ferrite slug inside that allows tuning the circuit to 2.0 MHz output, which is then divided by a number of circuits to make the highest octave pitches (which are then divided by binary dividers for the lower octaves). This was a very common method of generating the pitches for organs of the time.

 

If all else fails, examine under a strong magnifier, see if you can find any broken wire among the three, pull a little out, strip and tin with solder, extend slightly, and put the unit back in place - might work. Will probably require retuning for pitches to be correct.

 

Howard Grand|Hamm SK1-73|Kurz PC2|PC2X|PC3|PC3X|PC361; QSC K10's

HP DAW|Epi Les Paul & LP 5-str bass|iPad mini2

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Jim

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thanks so much !! (love this forum) - actually spoke with Norm today and he is going to check some things for me .. LOL, too funny on your "magnifier" comment (great minds think alike) .. was just doing that when I went to read your post .. the "center tap" wire broke off, so need to see if I can salvage it - I did order a "similar" tunable inductor from Coilcraft ,, but just a shot in the dark since I don't have the actual specs, etc .. have to brush off my old EE and see if i can reverse engineer the circuit LOL - thanks for responding !!

PC1x, Hammond XK1c, Deep Mind 6, MS500 (gig rig)

Kurz PC4, Mini Moog Model D, Little Phatty, Hammond M3, Leslie 145, viscount op-3, Behringer model D, Roland GAIA.. (home studio)

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I had one of those a couple years ago . It was labeled as KORG CX3 clone on ebay. With a vent, this clone is great ! It had a fat, analogue ' vintage' sound that was totally different to the clones nowadays. Maybe not all that ' hammond-like' to some ears, but it did sound nice with a vent. I had several other clones besides this one, (several voce's ,korg,ob3 squared oberheimetc) but this one stood out. I only sold it because i wanted a 2-manual clone that did not need any stomp-boxes,ernie ball pedals, any leslie sim at all ( it did sound good thru a Motion Sound Pro 3 x). I wanted comparative simplicity without some kind of convoluted signal chain that ran all over hell ! I got the Nord c2, & i have been ecstatic since. But still, for the money, the Viscount op3 was great . FAT ANALOGUE SOUND. ( you're not the one who bought from me off ebay are you ? that buyer was from new york .)
robert w nuckels
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The tone on the viscounts are fairly authentic. As i recall the c/v was not, actually it was the chorus that was the issue. The leslie sim was also weak but the hammond tone was good. I almost purchased the DB-3 model but was leary of parts and service.

57 Hammond B3; 69 Hammond L100P; 68 Leslie 122; Kurzweil Forte7 & PC3; M-Audio Code 61; Voce V5+; Neo Vent; EV ELX112P; GSI Gemini & Burn

Delaware Dave

Exit93band

 

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I agree, this old beast has some good sound and I love keeping old vintage stuff "alive" !! - Want to use the OP-3 with my vent for my practice rig ... not sure who I bought it from , but loved it, but it just started having certain drawbars dropping out .. when I inspected the "innards' .. I found that each of the drawbars has its own Pc board which is mounted in slots on the mother circuit board .. bad design since movement over time of these little boards (9 of them!) cause solder joint cracks and thus the drawbar dropout .. so I spent a day inspecting all, fixing the solder cracks, etc etc ... working great ! .. I went to button it up and hit the little tunable inductor that is part of the oscillator circuit :( ... so now trying to find that part circa 1982 :(

PC1x, Hammond XK1c, Deep Mind 6, MS500 (gig rig)

Kurz PC4, Mini Moog Model D, Little Phatty, Hammond M3, Leslie 145, viscount op-3, Behringer model D, Roland GAIA.. (home studio)

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The only problem i had with mine was the connectors, since it was old. The chorus &vibrato & overdrive we not all that great, but hooked up to a vent or a motion sound, it had a very distinctive sound. I tell you : if i ever won the lottery, i would get a new spine, but i would also buy a warehouse, split the area up in 2 sections : all the Hammond tone wheels on one side, & the other ? You guessed it : EVERY hammond clone, good or bad, that was ever made. Then i would write a series of books, or start a new magazine called THE BEST & THE WORST OF THE B3 CLONES. Then i i would contract players , from this forum, to come out, play them all , & then critique them . I would not make any money, but who cares ? THAT would be FUN !!!!!!!!!!
robert w nuckels
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IN addition : i would have a rotating platform , in the center of a moat, & i would stick the HAMMOND B3OO0 on the rotating platform, & use it as a 3-dimensional DARTBOARD. kinda like a dunk tank. NOT when anybody played it , mind you ! I had to play one in a recording studio for 3 years . A baldwin orga-sonic sounds more like a Hammond !
robert w nuckels
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thanks for all the responses folks - doing some major internet searching and MITA tech connections to find the part ! - just put a post on "classified' to see if there are any old OP-3 's out there that could be an "organ donor" :)

PC1x, Hammond XK1c, Deep Mind 6, MS500 (gig rig)

Kurz PC4, Mini Moog Model D, Little Phatty, Hammond M3, Leslie 145, viscount op-3, Behringer model D, Roland GAIA.. (home studio)

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  • 2 years later...
  • 1 month later...

Welcome to the forums.

Since the last post (before yours) in the thread is from October, 2013; it may be a while before the OP notices your request.

Also, this forum does not directly host pictures and other documents, but requires that the upload be referenced as a URL (uploaded elsewhere).

Howard Grand|Hamm SK1-73|Kurz PC2|PC2X|PC3|PC3X|PC361; QSC K10's

HP DAW|Epi Les Paul & LP 5-str bass|iPad mini2

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

Jim

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hi all - I did find the right oscillator and she is fixed -

 

PC1x, Hammond XK1c, Deep Mind 6, MS500 (gig rig)

Kurz PC4, Mini Moog Model D, Little Phatty, Hammond M3, Leslie 145, viscount op-3, Behringer model D, Roland GAIA.. (home studio)

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