Luxman R-1030 Receiver repair

[EifX]

Hi community,

I hope this is the correct place to post this.
I am in the middle of a repair of a Luxman R-1030 Receiver and I am struggling to find a replacement for the volume control potentio-meter.
It is a combined pot that regulates the volume with the inner axle and with the outer axle it regulates the balance. See the pictures.
Does anyone know where I can find replacements or a genuine one from back in the days. I found one on eBay but the shipping is more expensive the the part. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Luxman-R1030-35-Original-Volume-Control-200K-Tested-Parting-Out-Luxman-R1030-/142858470674

Thanks in advance for the help
 EifX

[andy3055]

It seems to have a loudness tap also. Can you get a closer shot at the back? And, what is wrong with it?

[floobydust]

These Japanese parts are rare and usually specific to the receiver. Having a loudness tap and dual action makes it even more rare. Alps parts like this I have not seen for sale.

If the pot is noisy, first try cleaning it with a spray like Caig DeOxIT Fader F5. Ensure the receiver's coupling capacitors (to/from the pot) are not shorted or leaky, which can make the (good) pot act noisy because there is minute DC current flowing through it.

If I am desperate, I take the potentiometer apart. Pry up the 4 tabs, take it apart and clean the oxide off the wiper and dirt off the carbon track, then lube it. It's like doing surgery and easy to break the wafer.
But vintage gear sometimes has no alternative.

[EifX]

I have tried cleaning the pot already but the problem is that the inner axle turns very heavy while the outer axle turn very smooth.
While the outer axle is for the balance and the inner is for the volume. In the schematics there is indeed a part of this pot that works together with the loudness. How do you know that there is a loudness tap?

[floobydust]

Talking about cleaning the carbon potentiometer section, and the shafts. Which did you clean? Most cleaners are solvents without any lubricant, but some have a light oil.

The inner shaft must have old lube, dried out grease, to turn heavy. The viscosity sets the feel of the volume control, so grease is usually used. You'd have to wash out the old grease with cleaner- or just leave it and add a drop of oil on the shaft. Try not to get oil in the phenolic wafer and make a mess.
DeOxit has some sprays with thicker oils. I just 30W use motor oil. Try one drop.

A loudness tap is the potentiometer's extra terminal on the top. Most pots have three terminals per section, so I can always spot a volume control with loudness taps.

[cvanc]

Looks to be a regular carbon element pot?  If so, alcohol should be a survivable solvent.  And you've already got it out of the unit.

My advice is submerge it in isopropyl for a few minutes undisturbed, then exercise it while still submerged until it's flushed clean.  All kinds of crap will fall out.  Let it air dry overnight at least, then lightly oil the shafts.

I've done this several times and, well, most of the parts lived thru it!  Good luck.

[EifX]

AAH, I didn't know that the extra terminal was for the loudness....lesson learned today 

[EifX]

isopropyl I have heard about that stuff. need to go by the pharmacy then.

[mzacharias]

Try working some fine lubricant into the center shaft.

[andy3055]

I would use a drop of this:

https://www.amazon.com/Tri-Flow-Squeeze-Bottle-Lubricant-Teflon/dp/B00GC54OC2/ref=sr_1_2?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzfmmvPKX5gIVhSCtBh3HSgiaEAAYASAAEgLuxPD_BwE&hvadid=174220595643&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9061200&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=14257617151553655328&hvtargid=aud-837858999240%3Akwd-4319069861&hydadcr=9382_9621519&keywords=tri-flow+lubricant&qid=1575321656&sr=8-2

[EifX]

Left it for 4 hours in Isopropanol Alcohol nothing still very hard to turn. When i turn the balance the volume also moves with it.
Tried cleaning it with KONTAKT 61 see attachment.
Feels like it move a little bit better. I'm afraid I have to open the sucker up.
I'll try to find the lubricant as a last resort. Hope i can get it here in The Netherlands 

Thanks for the help guys...keep you posted.

[EifX]

I found the Tri-Flow here in The Netherlands. Hope it works.
Gonna wait for delivery before I open the sucker up and clean it up..

[andy3055]

If it is that hard to turn, you may have to pull it apart and clean first. You will need only a small drop of Tri-Flow and ypu can basically spread it on the shaft and wipe off any excess.

Good luck.

[EifX]

Ok, the saga goes on.
I have purchased a other (old) potentiometer on ebay and received it. But this one has the same problem.
I can't turn the volume without turning the balance. I have taken apart one of them and cleaned it.
But for the love of god, i am not able to figure out how it works.

I wil post detailed pictures later cause 'm hands deep in a Harman/Kardon Amp.

See ya later.

[andy3055]

Make sure the inside of the outer shaft has no burrs. The C clip may be deformed which will pull the inner shaft too much to the front and jam it against the outer. Make it flat and check for springiness from the wipers.

[EifX]

Hi,

What do you mean with burrs? I'm nog a native english speaker.

There are 2 coper tensioners that fit in the outer shaft and press against it.
Do you mean that the c-clips need to be flat? Both of them are C shaped.
When I leave the tensioners out it works fine. Both knobs work without interfering each other.

Forgot to take pictures 

[andy3055]

Pictures will help a lot if you can get them while dis-assembled. Burr means any rough areas inside the outer shaft which is like a tube or at the end of the outer shaft. As for the C clip, it should not be deformed when you look at its cross section. If it is, then it will add some unnecessary drag on the outer shaft as it is fitted on the inner shaft.

Please see the image attached (Credit to: http://www.surplussales.com/potentiometers/) You will see the brass C clip just over the threaded section. This particular control has no inner shaft and both sections are working together (stereo Volume control) but the clip can be seen. Make sure you C clip also looks like this and it is not deformed. A lot of times they get bent when you try to put it back on the shaft. Smoothing the sides of the clip will also help if it has rough faces.

[bob91343]

This kind of part is not as rare as one might think.  I used to own a stereo repair shop and often would replace volume/balance controls.  But usually they can be fixed with the proper tools and patience.  And they are not as model specific as some may lead you to believe.

Back in the day, you could buy replacement parts made by US companies as Centralab, Mallory, IRC, and others.  Some were modular, where you would buy the inside and outside separately and assemble.  I used to do that too.

If worse comes to worst you can drill a hole and make the two controls separate.  I never used loudness that much so the tap isn't important to everyone.  It's a compromise anyway, with compensation only approximating Fletcher-Munson curves, and not too accurately at that.  As some have said, you can get almost the same effect with careful adjustment of tone controls.

[EifX]

Hi There,

First off all thanks for all the comments and advice. It took me where i am now. I fixed it.
I openend up the potmeter and cleaned it.
As you can see in the pictures there are 2 brass tensioner pieces. I had already flattent them a bit before taking the pictures.
When I put them in not flattent, both shafts move together. When I took them out it worked fine.
So I decided to flatten the curve in the tensioners and put it back together.
I lubricated it with a drop of tri-flow and put everything back together and it worked.  !

I tried to attach 2 movies but this is not possible.

I hope this helps someone with the same problem.

[EifX]

Does surplussales deliver in The Netherlands?
I like the site and the stuff they have

[andy3055]

Good job. Congrats. Now you learnt something. as for international shipping from Surplus sales, they seem to be doing that. See the Shipping heading on this tab:

http://www.surplussales.com/OrderInst.html