[HAM] Actual measured mVpp readings and peak filter capacitor mfd values of a 1960 RT3 , was Wax caps measured and then placed in four pans at the Hammond factory

Kon Zissis kziss at ozemail.com.au
Wed Nov 22 22:18:37 CST 2006


Hi everyone.
One night two years ago I temporarily disconnected one end of the wax
caps of a 1960 RT3 in a church and I then  meticulously worked  out the
capacitor mfd values that were needed to produce the peak filter output
levels from each of the transformer coil filters of the TG notes 49 to
91. I did this by connecting two alligator clips to the capacitor
connections on the transformer coil bobbins  and I started with a
capacitor whose  mfd value was way below the proper mfd range  and I
then added 0.001 mfd or 0.22 mfd  capacitors in parallel until I got the
maximum signal output level readings  from each of the transformer
filter coils . This experiment took me over four hour to  complete. 
Further down  below I will show a table with the actual measured mfd
values  required for each of the transformer coil filters  and the
actual millivolts peak to peak ( mVpp ) readings  of the TG notes with
the peaked filters. The example below should help to explain why the
preselected  close tolerance caps in a bag  method is not  technically
speaking  the correct  best way to recap the TG but instead the correct
capacitor mfd values need to be individually worked out  for each
transformer coil filter and that each TG will require different
capacitor mfd values. 
 
Having said that , in the practical real world  situation it is possible
get away with using preselected matched capacitors and still get a good
organ sound as John Haburay has pointed out and also  my friend's
recapped 1959 C3 sounds very nice  and creamy instead of being  shrill
even though it has  generic 630 volt  rated brown polyester
''greencaps'' that were not even tested  or selected to be at a close
tolerance  to each other and the  output levels  of the TG notes 49 to
91 are  uneven with peaks and dips. However it is also possible to get a
very bad sounding organ as Scott Hawthorn and others have pointed out if
the capacitors are mismatched . This seems to be a ''luck of the draw''
type situation but  it might  also be dependent on how meticulously the
TG was calibrated at the factory  in the first place because  a sloppily
calibrated organ will once again sound bad once it has been recapped
properly . Finally there is the subjective matter of personal taste and
this will be the factor that decides if a recapped organ or a wax capped
organ is considered to sound great or  lousy.
 
Look at the table below with the measured mVpp output levels and the
measured nano farad ( nf )  values of the capacitors required to produce
the peak output levels or resonance of each of the transformer filter
coils in a 1960 RT3 that I measured and you can see that each
transformer coil filter needs a different  capacitor mfd value  thus
proving that the pedantically technically correct  recapping method is
to individually match  the required capacitor mfd values  instead of
using a pre selected cap kit where all the capacitors are of the same
close tolerance. 
 
The overall output curve of the TG notes 1 to 91 of this 1960 RT3
including the peaked filters of the TG notes 49 to 91  more or less
follows the typical stock factory output curve of organs from the late
50's to the mid 60's.however even with the filters peaked  you can see
that the TG notes 64 , 65, 69, 79, 80 , 81, 83, 84, 85, 86, 88 and 89
are weaker than the rest of the adjacent TG notes and the TG notes 77 ,
82 and 90 are a little  higher than the adjacent TG notes  thus
suggesting  the possibility of a slightly sloppy calibration from the
factory. These TG notes would need to be recalibrated if they are
audibly weaker or louder than the adjacent TG notes.
 
Alternatively the above mentioned peaks and dips might possibly be due
to the slight side to side movement of the tone wheels when the TG is
moved or shaken instead of being because of a sloppy calibration from
the factory because  these particular out of balance tone wheels  might
not have been  centred properly across the narrow pickup tips when I
measured the RT3 . 
 
Hopefully this table will appear properly on Hammond zeni without being
jumbled up by the computer server.
 
MEASURED  MVPP OUTPUT LEVELS AND THE AGED WAX CAP NF VALUES AND THE NEW
CAP NF VALUES NEEDED TO PEAK THE FILTER OUTPUTS OF THE 1960 RT3. Please
note that 255 nf =0.255 mfd and 105 nf = 0.105 mfd
 
TG NOTE#        Millivolts Peak to Peak ( mVpp )
1                       69
2                       69
3                       68.8
4                       68
5                       69
6                       68.1
7                       66.5
8                       66.1
9                       65.5
10                      63.9
11                      63.2
12                      62.9
 
13                      17
14                      16.6
15                      15.9
16                      15.7
17                      14.8
18                      14.1
19                      14
20                      13.3
21                      12.9
22                      12.1
23                      11.5
24                      11.1
 
25                      11
26                      10.4
27                      9.8
28                      10.3
29                      10.5
30                      10.1
31                      11
32                      10.4
33                      11.2
34                      10.4
35                      11
36                      10.5
 
37                      10.5
38                      10.4
39                      10.4
40                      11
41                      11.5
42                      11.5
43                      11.2
44                      11.8
45                      12.2
46                      12
47                      12.4
48                      13.4
 
   Aged wax caps       mVpp   Peak filter nf values   mVpp
49    392 nf            5.5         239 nf            15.4
50    368 nf            5.8         248 nf            13.8
51    375 nf            6.4         248 nf            15.1
52    398 nf            6           248 nf            14.5
53    364 nf            7.5         248 nf            15.8
54    383 nf            6.8         248 nf            15.8
55    137.9 nf          8           104.5 nf          16.1
56    158.6 nf          5           99.8 nf           17
57    168.2 nf          4.2         110 nf            15
58    156.5 nf          6           99.8 nf           18
59    133.1 nf          7.8         95.8 nf           16
60    163.9 nf          7           110 nf            17.5
 
61    171.1 nf          6.1         99.8 nf           17.6
62    159.3 nf          7           104.5 nf          17
63    165.5 nf          6.4         99.8 nf           17.2
64    146 nf            6.5         105.4 nf          14
65    138.4 nf          6.7         105.4 nf          12.5
66    171 nf            6.8         102 nf            18.2
67    173.2 nf          7.8         104.5 nf          20.2
68    166.8 nf          8.2         104.5 nf          20.4
69    136.4 nf          10          99.8 nf           17.6
70    150.3 nf          9.8         95.6 nf           20.4
71    164.2 nf          8.8         95.6 nf           21
72    170.8 nf          9.2         99.8 nf           20
 
73    158.7 nf          7.5         99.8 nf           20.3
74    166.2 nf          7           99.8 nf           19
75    166 nf            7           104.5 nf          19
76    164.2 nf          7.8         104.5 nf          19.3
77    158.1 nf          8           97.8 nf           22
78    163.2 nf          8           103.8 nf          19.6
79    134.1 nf          9.7         99.8 nf           18.6
80    163.3 nf          7           105.4 nf          16.8
81    171.6 nf          7.2         104.5 nf          18.3
82    168.9 nf          8.2         99.8 nf           21
83    163.3 nf          7.5         102 nf            16
84    156.7 nf          7.2         110 nf            15
 
85    164.4 nf          8.7         104.5 nf          17.7
86    169.4 nf          7.4         105.4 nf          17
87    167.1 nf          9.8         99.8 nf           20.2
88    163.7 nf          8.2         99.8 nf           18
89    167.5 nf          8.6         99.8 nf           18.5
90    160.9 nf          11          99.8 nf           21.1
91    168.2 nf          9           99.8 nf           19.8
 
 
All the best.
Kon
 


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