Installation Comments shared by Craig W3CCR
A special thanks to Craig for his valuable support and comments:
The Kenwood
Hybrid replacement sprockets offered by Gregory, NR6C, are excellent! Two sets
of the upper sprocket wheels arrived at my QTH Saturday and, by that evening,
one set each had been installed in my TS-530S and TS-830S.
As Terry noted in his prototype review a
couple of weeks ago, these 3D printer-manufactured replacement parts are easy to
install, requiring only the removal of your radio's top cover for access to the
DRIVE control shaft with its chains and pulleys. No boards need be pulled, no
connectors undone nor wires desoldered. Just loosen the four shaft coupler
screws and the set screws on the sprocket wheels and you're ready for the
removal and replacement operation. Kenwood even provided a step on the three
phenolic shaft mount uprights to make things easier upon reassembly. You'll see
what I mean when you get into this simple project.
Installing the first set took me about 45
minutes. Most of that time was spent aligning the new upper sprocket wheels with
the lower ones mounted on the three variable caps. (VC1, 2 & 3). Perfect
alignment is the key to absolutely smooth operation of the DRIVE control.
Utilizing a simple trick, the second set of of new sprocket wheels took less
than half the time to install. The "trick" is to mark the position of the old
sprocket wheels on the Drive control shaft before removing them. I used a
"Sharpie" marker for the job, but one could score the shaft lightly along the
edges of the original sprocket wheels for a more precise reference. I took pains
to replicate the original factory installation regarding the positions of the
chain tensioners and set screws, too. This esthetic step is not really
necessary, but makes for a more satisfying repair for an anal someone like me
who considers the appearance of the inside of a radio as important as its
external cosmetics.
Does my radio now
perform better, one may ask? Well -- to be honest -- no. The cement and cable
tie repair of the old, cracked sprocket wheels as suggested by my friend (and
yours) Mark, WB0IQK, worked perfectly well to keep the old, age-damaged
sprockets from slipping and putting VC1, 2 & 3 out of sync. But, I must say, the
shiny replacements from Gregory certainly look terrific and give one the sense
of permanency that only new parts can impart.
Thank you Mark for your excellent repair
instructions and thank you Gregory for these beautifully executed new
components. As Mark suggested yesterday during a pleasant QSO, we should
brainstorm a bit about other parts that could be fabricated by the nifty 3D
printing process.
Oh, and thank you Terry for being our
enthusiastic promoter, beta tester and initial reviewer.
73,
Craig
W3CRR