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Damper System Setup

Started by HappyTinkerer, December 06, 2024, 04:25:41 AM

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HappyTinkerer

I own an MK II.
The repair manual says nothing about the setup of the Damper Release Bar w.r.t. the individual dampers (i.e. the metal strips).
This is how I assume the damper system should be set up. Can anyone confirm/correct my view?

1. The front edge felt of the Release Bar should slightly press on the damper strips when the Release Bar is in its resting position. But not so much that the bar causes any lifting of the damper felts.
2. The wooden dowel's resting position should be high enough so that there is no gap between the dowel's top felt and the back of the release bar. To achieve this, the pivot point of the dowel should be "shimmed" (e.g. with additional felt) or the top end could be shimmed. Goal is: When the dowel is sitting in its resting position, the Release Bar position is as described in (1).
3. The adjustable push rod between the pedal and the dowel should be adjusted in such a way that the push rod just touches the dowel and there is no free play between the push rod and the dowel.
4. The resting position of the pedal should be at its upper stop.

Is this correct?

I noticed that when setting up the system in this way, I need to shim the gap between the Release Bar and the dowel by about 5 mm. Also, full pedal travel (until the floor is hit) makes the dampers move a lot further compared to damper movement caused by key depression only (being ca. 12-10 mm then).
Do people actually put something under the pedal to limit travel? Or is my setup completely off?

Thank you.
Gebhard

EDIT: I have to revise some information.
I found two pictures on the VV website of their own Rhodes design. Those pictures show a gap of 2-3 mm between the Damper release bar (felt) and the damper metal strips. So I copied this setup to my own Mk II.
I guess the intention is that one should be slightly pressing the pedal just so that the release bar touches the damper strips. You can actually feel this with your toes. This eliminates any free play in the mechanism and the clunk noises when going from damping active to damping released. In my previous setup, I always had to let the pedal and release bar move to their upper positions which involved clunks.
Also I noticed that some of the noise (at least in the Mk II) is caused by play in the pivotal point of the release bar. when not depressed, the rods in the plastic bearings lie on the lower part of the bearing. when you push the pedal, the rods are pushed to the upper part of the bearings. This causes mechanical noise.
I will try some petroleum jelly (which is quite stiff) and see if that can dampen movement of the release bar pivot rods in the plastic bearings.