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Kimball Electramatic Mandolin Attachment Problem
By Peter Marks

Hi,  I am trying to figure out why on this particular piano everything
seems to be in good order except the uke/banjo attachment mechanism.
It has two rubber bellows acting as springs that should expand and
contract as they raise and lower the uke attachment that's fitted on
two plastic arms at either end and is attached by chains.

The bellows on the lower side of the arm works fine but the one on the
right only expands about half way, not allowing for uke arm to raise
the attachment high enough to clear the hammers when not in use.

When I turn the uke/banjo button by hand you can see one side
working and one side not working.  If I take the attachment off and
do the same thing, it frees up the bellows enough so I can watch it
expand and contract, but even then, the one on the right only comes
up half way in relation to the one on the left, which seems perfect.

It _appears_ that the adjustment arm is too _weak_ to lift the
attachment due to the weight load on it, but that is only how it
appears.  I suspect an air leak although the tubing appears well
connected, or maybe the lifter arm, being plastic and having a joint
in the plastic toward its base, is failing.

I am a piano technician, not a player piano technician, so I am looking
for a solution or a place to find another plastic arm that has a
stronger flexible elbow joint, if you think my diagnosis is correct.

Thank you.
Peter Marks

 [ MMDigest articles about the Kimball Electramatic player piano are
 [ indexed at http://www.mmdigest.com/Archives/KWIC/E/electramatic.html 
 [ -- Editor (Robbie)


(Message sent Tue 28 Dec 2010, 23:30:23 GMT, from time zone GMT-0800.)

Key Words in Subject:  Attachment, Electramatic, Kimball, Mandolin, Problem

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