mrk7421 Posted August 28, 2023 Share Posted August 28, 2023 I have been on the forum for a long time but lost my original screen name when changes were made a year or two ago. So.....I have a '62 B-3 here but there are some issues.Apparently the wires that go from the tone generator to the terminal strip are not making contact.Some of the wires that should go to the terminal strip are disconnected......I need to perhaps communicate with an experienced person but am not in the position to hire a service tech.I understand the principal of the wiring that goes from the generator to the strip.....but there seems to be an issue with the terminal strip OR the ends of the wires that go there.I bought this organ knowing there were issues.....there are 3 or 4 missing tones. Beyond that the cabinet is in real nice shape but someone messed with this organ before I got it. Any help appreciated but please....no abusive comments either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elif Posted August 28, 2023 Share Posted August 28, 2023 On the Hammond Wiki website, start with this link How To Test Drive A Hammond. Run the procedure at bullet #4 "Test each drawbar..." and #5. The results of this can give some information about where the source of the problem may be. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted August 29, 2023 Share Posted August 29, 2023 Take some pics and post them so we can see. Are there dangling wires that are broken? Dead tonewheel means that particular pitch will not sound anywhere it is shared on any drawbar or note (e.g. middle C 8' dead, and octave below middle C 4' is dead also) - either a seized tonewheel, a wire broken in the pickup or between there and the terminal strip, or a wire broken in the wiring harness between the manuals and the terminal strip. It's all fixable! 1 Quote Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrk7421 Posted August 29, 2023 Author Share Posted August 29, 2023 There are a few disconnected wires at the terminal strip. This organ was previously owned by a Hammond " tweaker" who used to tear apart mostly spinets and sell parts on ebay.He died and his wife had an estate sale. Most of it is intact and it had a real nice cabinet and bench. What I am trying to determine is if there are tones at the top of the tone generator BEFORE they go to the terminal strip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrk7421 Posted August 29, 2023 Author Share Posted August 29, 2023 I don't think a photo would matter....and I apologize....not sure how to post a photo here. Can tones be tested for output at the pickup coils? In order to do this I would probably need a diagram of which pickup coils are which.I have seen a diagram of the terminal strip from Hammond Wiki.....and that helped....I was able to get a few tones back. But some points at the terminal strip do not seem to respond..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KuruPrionz Posted August 29, 2023 Share Posted August 29, 2023 Learning the circuit of a vintage point-to-point electronic marvel like a B3 is a HUGE undertaking. I entered "hammond B3 circuit photos" into a blank web page and then clicked "images" on the page that came up. Lots of visual information there, it may be helpful in tracking which color wire goes where. I t didn't give me a link but it did provide a catalog of web pages that have potential. Best of luck to you!!! Quote It took a chunk of my life to get here and I am still not sure where "here" is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted August 29, 2023 Share Posted August 29, 2023 I'm not sure from your description if tones are live on the terminal strip or not. You can touch the jack tip of some headphones to each terminal and hear directly if the tone is present, bypassing all the wiring to the manuals. You will need to connect the ground with alligator clips. 1 Quote Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrk7421 Posted August 30, 2023 Author Share Posted August 30, 2023 The wiring at the terminal strip is intermittent. The manuals seem not to be the problem. They usually or eventually trigger tones....it's something about those black wires. The diagram I found....from the George Benton site appears to be hand written and some of the numbered tones seem hard to read.I also have seen a chart of which tones correspond to which key and drawbar. My biggest question would be how to check signal at the top of the tone generator. I have seen problems with loose capacitors in the past Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MathOfInsects Posted August 30, 2023 Share Posted August 30, 2023 I see the problem. Help! was actually 1965. Quote Now out! "Mind the Gap," a 24-song album of new material. www.joshweinstein.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted August 30, 2023 Share Posted August 30, 2023 Interesting problem. I've never had a tone wheel pickup/filter go bad, so I'm not sure how I would troubleshoot it. The problem is reaching in there in a cramped space. If it was me I might be tempted to fix it outside the organ. The other thing to check is to see if any pickups are jammed into the wheels, and you can't see into the tonewheel bins or the pickup ends of the front half of the generator. But you can at least look at the pickup cores at the back without removing anything. You would probably benefit by downloading the Hammond service manual so that you have a list of where each tone circuit is located and their order on the terminal strip. Quote Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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