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Hammond L-122 Volume pedal not working...

Started by coachdobbs, September 30, 2010, 07:13:52 PM

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coachdobbs

Maybe someone can help me out here. One day I cranked my organ up and the volume pedal no longer was functioning. I have full volume, all of the time. Im not at all and expert on these organs and Im sure someone on here knows more about these than I do!! If anyone has any suggestions let me know. Thanks!!
1978 Fender Rhodes Stage 73 (3978) 
Roland JC-120 
BBE Sonic Maximizer 
Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble/1982 Boss CE-2/1982 Ibanez CS-9
1978 EHX Small Stone/EHX Polyphase
MXR Analogman Dyna/Ross
1974 Thomas Organ Wah

pianotuner steveo

I had the opposite problem on an L111. ( too quiet) I cleaned the control with tuner spray and it fixed it. I do believe there is another common cause for these to fail, and i think its mechanical. I think some of them have a string that turns the pot when you move the pedal up and down and the string breaks....check for those two things....
1960 Wurlitzer model 700 EP
1968 Gibson G101 Combo organ
1975 Rhodes Piano Bass
1979 Wurlitzer 206A EP
2009 73A Rhodes Mark 7
2009 Korg SV-1 73
2017 Yamaha P255
2020 Kawai CA99
....and a few guitars...

sean


I have an L122 too.

I just took a look at the pedal on mine, and there is no volume pot - the L122 uses a photo-resistor (LDR).

But there is hope for you!  Maybe your little spring is broken.

Grab a slot-drive screwdriver, and sit on the floor in front of the organ.  On either side of the volume pedal, there is a screw at the fulcrum point.  Remove the two screws, and then you have to pull hard to get the pedal to come off into your hands.  (You are only removing the moving treadle part, not the whole assembly.)

This will expose the dust-covered guts of the pedal assembly.  You will see curious little plastic tubular component behind the pivoting axle part.  The plastic part has tiny wires coming into it on the left, and a twisted pair of wires coming out of the right side (black and white).

A little off center, this tube is cut in two by a black metal light curtain (the shutter).  The shutter is kinda like a two-inch triangular plate with an irregular V-shaped notch cut into it (an upside-down V).  The light goes through the V-shaped notch.  The wider part of the V lets more light go through.  Anyway, there is a flimsy little spring that holds the plate UP out of the light path (the spring keeps the little plate up against the bottom of the treadle).  When you push the pedal flat, the volume goes to full, and the metal plate is pushed all the way down into the light path (to block the light).

If the flimsy spring is broken, then the plate will fall down into the full-volume position (and will not follow the movements of the pedal treadle).  The spring has NO effect on the fluidity of motion of the treadle, so you can't tell from your foot that the flimsy spring is broken.

If your spring is broken or missing, go to the local ACE hardware, and ask to see their drawer of assorted springs.  (A rubber band might work for a few weeks.)

If that doesn't fix it, then....

The pedal assembly has a terminal strip (near your toes when operating the pedal) that has three resistors, two caps, and the six wires attached to it.  If your spring is still working, you might have simply broken one of these components off the terminal strip.  If you break the wires that turn on the light, the volume should go to full volume.

You can see the terminal strip if you removed the treadle, or to get a good look at the terminal strip from the back, you have to remove the handful of screws that holds the masonite back cover to the organ.  Then remove the screws from that high-tech black cardboard housing around the pedal.  No you can get at the screws to remove the whole pedal assembly, or just leave it where it is.  You can easily trace the two grey cables and the twisted brown wires.


There is a guy who has some photos of his L122 pedal here:
http://hammondl122.blogspot.com/2009/11/33-vibrato-and-volume-pedal.html
(These photos aren't much help if you haven't seen the assembly first-hand.)


Sean



coachdobbs

Thank you guys so much! I will look at it tomorrow night and let you know how it goes!
1978 Fender Rhodes Stage 73 (3978) 
Roland JC-120 
BBE Sonic Maximizer 
Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble/1982 Boss CE-2/1982 Ibanez CS-9
1978 EHX Small Stone/EHX Polyphase
MXR Analogman Dyna/Ross
1974 Thomas Organ Wah

maestro

Any luck yet?

Adding to Sean's response, it is possible that the light bulb burned out.