Hi All, A customer with a 1927 Chickering baby grand, with a Type 8
Ampico 'A' system, posed a question that I can't answer. In the
pictures, you can see a 'T' connector that's attached to a valve
block and you can see it's proximity to the bass end of the stack.

When the customer dismantled the stack, there were tubes connected
to the 'T' which ran off to the left and right. However, they were
broken near the end of the stack. The question is, where do the tubes
go? (See images 'Tee-connector-2.jpg' and 'Tee-connector-3.jpg')

In further discussion with the customer, he wrote:

"This is the back of the valve just before I disassembled the stack.
The hoses go all the way to the treble end and bass end of the stack.
They do not intersect with any other valve. They stop at each end just
in front of the hose collector blocks but were not connected to them.

"Both hoses were broken off at the collectors and did not appear to
have been attached at those points. They were both just snapped off.
All of the other valves are accounted for. There was no other valve to
connect to.

"Upon disassembly, I found the valve to be identical to the other
valves in every way. It is located directly above a support block and
does not control any pneumatic. It is located toward the bass end of
the stack."

(See image 'Tee-connector-4.jpg') Also, here's a picture of the actual
valve in question. (See 'valve-with-Tee.jpg')

Have you ever encountered this type of valve in a late Ampico 'A'?
If so, what is its purpose/function and how is it tubed into the
system? (A diagram would be very helpful.)

By the way, the block apparently has nothing to do with the Amplifier
or the Soft Pedal Compensation Pneumatics since all of those parts and
connections are accounted for. Also, there are no other odd blocks on
the stack and all of the note blocks are accounted for. I've already
searched the MMDigest Archives, the AMICA Technicalities, all of the
tubing diagrams, and the Ampico 'A' service manuals.

Musically,

John A Tuttle
Player-Care
Brick, New Jersey, USA

 [ Location of valve block with 'Tee'
 [ https://www.mmdigest.com/Attachments/23/07/29/230729_150256_Tee-connector-2.jpg 

 [ Close-up of block with 'Tee'
 [ https://www.mmdigest.com/Attachments/23/07/29/230729_150256_Tee-connector-3.jpg 

 [ Picture of block before removal
 [ https://www.mmdigest.com/Attachments/23/07/29/230729_150256_Tee-connector-4.jpg 

 [ Picture of block after removal
 [ https://www.mmdigest.com/Attachments/23/07/29/230729_150256_valve-with-Tee.jpg