Esteemed (by me, at any rate) readers of MMD:  I realized the other
day that, while the electric motor was out of my upright Steck Duo-Art,
I had the opportunity to renew the wiring inside the piano.

My first step was to tackle the antediluvian fitting screwed to the
wooden beam on the outside of the piano at the back, at the bottom,
and on the treble side of the machine.  It was my first look at this
fitting and I immediately realized that, if it ever had possessed
a cover, that cover was gone.  This fitting is where the power lead
from outside connects to the piano.

My first step was to double check that the power lead was not plugged
in to anything; it wasn't.  There was a lot of aged insulation tape
wound around the top of the fitting.  Unwinding some of it revealed two
thin, vertical brass bars, to which the two input power wires were
attached.  Further unwinding freed the two wires completely; they were
not screwed to anything.  The insulating tape was holding them in place
-- more or less.  I am very pleased I didn't attempt to switch on the
piano before I removed the motor.

A player restorer, who is based in Melbourne, mentioned to me the other
day that some of the early Steck Duo-Arts did not have an automatic
rewind -- when the roll stopped one had to change the controls to
rewind, and restart the motor.  This didn't worry me much because that
method likely would be kinder to old rolls.

However, I'm beginning to think that my player does have automatic
rewind.  One pneumatic is attached to the long rod that has one end in
the spoolbox, and the other finishes at a tumbler switch on the inside
of the treble end of the piano.  When one pulls on the switch knob in
the spoolbox, the tumbler switch is pulled to the "On" position.  When
the pneumatic, mentioned above, snaps shut, it pulls the tumbler switch
back to "Off".

However, there is another pneumatic under the keybed which is attached
to the "Rewind-Silent-Normal" mechanism.  I suspect that when the roll
has reached the end of the music, this second pneumatic is activated,
and throws the gearbox into rewind.  Then, when the roll has rewound
until the penultimate tracker bar port on the treble end is uncovered,
the upper pneumatic is activated and turns the motor off.

Having had a good look at the ancient wiring inside this piano, I am
thinking of replacing virtually everything, except maybe the tumbler
switch.  All the wires are contained within hollow, flexible, armour.
I don't think with modern electrical cables, that is really necessary.
I would bring a three-core cable (Active, Neutral and Earth) in to the
piano and connect the earth to the iron frame.  From thereon, two-core
flex would make the rest of the connections.  A junction box with a
cover should minimize the electrical risk.

I will welcome any comments.

John Phillips - in Hobart, Tasmania