Hi,
I have been thinking about making a zapper myself, but your email is discouraging. There was a zapper at a shop I worked at in Boston that seemed to work quite well. It was made by an engineering student for a rebuilder there. I'm wondering if this is the same thing as the doorbell zapper. I certainly don't want to use a tool on any piano that will damage it! I hope that this tool will send a low enough voltage through the pin to slowly iron the bushing. When I used it, it seemed to do just that, and I was able to get 4-6 swings. Please look over my instructions, and let me know if it is similar to what you have built.
Thank you,
Poppy Miles,rpt
components:
Transformer - 6.3 volt @ 10 amps
Resistors - 0.25 ohm @ 15 watts or more
Beeper - 4.5 volt beeper
1) A screw terminal you can just screw down on the wire.
2) To a lug you connect a wire and solder it.
3) Two wires you twist together and solder.
Wires to your probe should be of heavy electric cord, as heavy as you'd find on a toaster or blow-dryer. Look for it in a hardware store electrical section, where they will have it on reels.
Power In
1) Connect one side of power cord to one "PRI" lug of transformer (or wire, if it has those instead)
2) Connect other side of power cord to other "PRI" lug (or wire) of transformer
Power Out
3) Make a chain of the three resistors by their wires, so the current flows through them all, one by one.
4) Connect a wire to one "SEC" lug (or wire) of transformer and run it all the way to one of the probes.
5) Connect the wire of the first resistor to other "SEC" lug (or wire) of transformer.
6) Connect a third wire to the connection you just made, and run it to one of the two lugs or wires on the beeper.
7) Connect a wire to the end of the third resistor and run it to your other probe.
8) Connect a third wire to the connection you just made, and run it to the other lug or wire on the beeper.
________________________________
From: "pmc033 at earthlink.net" <pmc033 at earthlink.net>
To: "Ken & Pat Gerler <kenneth.gerler at prodigy.net>," <pianotech at ptg.org>
Sent: Wed, March 3, 2010 8:26:16 AM
Subject: Re: [pianotech] Center Pin Zapper
I've built several of these over the years, and had various degrees of success and failure. Most of the time the flange bushing loosens up, but later gets sticky again. I built one with a doorbell transformer, but they have a built-in short circuit fuse that will blow if you use it too much. There's no way to fix it, except to buy a new transformer. Basically, I use it when I'm too lazy to repin a bunch of flanges, and always later regret it when I have to revisit the action for a call-back. The only reliable way to address a sticking flange is to repin/ream it. Believe me, I've wanted these things to work permanently, since they seem to work so well for the moment. If you have a quality piano, it's not going to give you enough control to get 4-6 swings or whatever. Mostly it will make it too loose. I still have mine since I'm still lazy.
FWIW,
Paul McCloud
San Diego
----- Original Message -----
>From: Ken & Pat Gerler
>To: pianotech at ptg.org
>Sent: 03/03/2010 6:54:13 AM
>Subject: Re: [pianotech] Center Pin Zapper
>
>Gregor,
>The Zapper using the door bell transformer assembly only takes a few seconds to apply the tweezers to the ends of the flange pin. Depending on your "success", the flange pins on an upright - whippen, hammer and jack - can be accomplished in half an hour, much faster than repining. The biggest "slow down" factor is the tweezers getting to hot to hold if you go "non-stop". Ask how I know.
>
>Ken Gerler
>kenneth.gerler at prodigy.net
>
>----- Original Message -----
>>From: Gregor _
>>To: pianotech at ptg.org
>>Sent: Wednesday, March 03, 2010 3:26 AM
>>Subject: Re: [pianotech] Center Pin Zapper
>>
>>I never heard of that idea of a zapper and it sounds really weired to me. How long does it take, I mean how long do you zapp one center pin? Would it not be easier, quicker and more long lasting to replace that pin?
>>
>>Gregor
>>
>>------------------------------------------
>>piano technician - tuner - dealer
>>Münster, Germany
>>www.weldert.de
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>> Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2010 15:09:57 -0700
>>> From: mark.purney at mesapiano.com
>>> To: pianotech at ptg.org
>>> Subject: Re: [pianotech] Center Pin Zapper
>>>
>>> I've heard other claims that the results can sometimes be permanent, or
>>> at least long-term. Maybe the ironing effect of the heat reconfigures
>>> the bushing fibers in some cases, but not others? I'll experiment and
>>> see what kind of results I get - it's not a complicated or expensive
>>> device to build. Thanks for the information!
>>>
>>>
>>&g t; On 3/2/2010 1:57 PM, Michael Magness wrote:
>>> > I have one I rarely use, it's results are temporary at best. The
>>> > results of the device is/are heat, resulting in drying the flange
>>> > bushing cloth thereby cauing it to stop sticking. The problem of
>>> > course is that the humidity returns and with it the problem.
>>>
>>
>>________________________________
Alles in einem Postfach – Ich will Hotmail!
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