HELP req fixing my vintage door chimes

[petek]

I thought this was going to be easy street, a little bit o WD40 and that would be it, but no.
First off here's a pic of the vintage 1958 door chimes in our front foyer. Pressing the doorbell sometimes they work, sometimes not, when they do work the chime is very slow playing it's tune, like it's sticking.
My first step was to replace the doorbell button outside which did nothing to fix but lead me to this next step. LOL
It's a beautiful chime and I can't stand those wireless electronic ones which don't sound real.

 

[petek]

Now here's where it gets ugly. After choosing the appropriate vacuum cleaner (a Hoover Handvac I ) to remove decades of dust and schmutz I stood puzzled trying to figure out how this thing works. I thought those gold tubes on the side were real, they're just decorative and have nothing to do with the chime. The sound actually comes from 4 metal plates along side those golden tubes. You can see at least two "strikers" that look like gold bullets with black end caps near the bottom and there are two more up top. Inside each of those bullet looking strikers I guess there must be a metal wire or rod that pokes out the end and taps agains the metal chime bars along side the golden tubes. Notice there's a white label and it says not to oil the strikers but use lighter fluid or naptha. Now that's where I'm puzzled...Has anyone ever cleaned these strikers before? I'm guessin I have to hold the hole chime sideways and drop some naptha down each striker?

 

[petek]

And the picture I just forgot to add..

 

[thor]

Pete, the rods are actually moved by solenoids, which are those rectangular boxes surrounding each rod. At the proper time each solenoid is energized, sliding the rod forward towards the plate and making a very short time impact, retracting immediately.

What you have to do first is ensure all electric contacts are clean. Clean all contact points with a cloth dipped in lighter fluid. Then carefully clean with the same cloth with lighter fluid the "inside" orifice of the solenoids, the rods and their springs. Do not oil the rods!

While reassembling ensure the rods move freely. Repeat cleaning procedure if needed.

I hope this helps,
Emilio

 

[petek]

Thanks Emilio.. Now it sounds like I have to take it all apart. I was dreading doing that.. groan.

 

[thor]

Side tubes

Pete, by the way, the side tubes do have to do with the sound of the chime, since they actually act as "resonators" of the sound produced by the metal plates, amplifying their volume. Just like any strike or chord instrument, or the wooden body of an acoustic guitar.

Emiliio

 

[petek]

Forgot to ask before I start disassembling it.. Can I actually open up those little gold rods to get at the plunger rod inside or is poking something thru the orifice the only way?

 

[thor]

Pete, please check this site.

http://www.eurekamodern.com/vintage_door_chimes_nutone_rittenhouse_edwards_service.htm

 

[repair-man]

That looks like a clock motor/timer in the middle of the unit.
I would bet that that is what controls the various plungers (each a different note) and is what is causing the tune to play slow.

Ed

 

[rp2813]

Motor

I agree, it looks like a Telechron motor in there which could be highly suspect, and is easy to remove and replace.

 

[petek]

Yes it is a Telechron motor. I don't have way of checking if it's functioning properly or not so I have to sort of move on down eliminating some things first.

 

[rp2813]

Pete, if you have an older clock that uses a telechron motor it's easy to change it out. If it won't run the clock, you have your answer. It used to be easy to find these motors for a dollar or two in an old guttable clock at a thrift store but these days it's a lot more difficult to find the larger motors that way. I'm sure they're available on line if it turns out this is the part that's causing your problem.

 

[retro-man]

There is a transformer that powers this unit somewhere in your house, usually attached to the electrical panel, check to see that this is still functioning properly, this can be checked with a voltmeter. Probably it is as old as the doorchimes or possibly older. I would check this prior to taking apart the chimes. Usually these run from 120vac down to 24vdc.

 

[panthera]

Pete,

I think before you start tearing into things seriously, you can probably narrow things down just with logic. Here is what I did the last time my best friend's chimes (same basic set-up) died.
1) I checked that the circuit breaker hadn't blown.
2) I checked that the transformer (I knew where his was) was putting out 24vAC
3) I checked that the 24vAC was arriving at the chimes
4) I shorted the lines to the doorbells to see if that rang them.
At that point, I knew there was power getting to the mechanism, but nothing was happening.
Next, I
5) Disconnected the 24vAC power. Unhooked a solenoid and tested it for continuity. It showed resistance. Yee-Haw! So I hooked up a 12V battery to it (not having a 24V) and it worked.
I left the other solenoids alone for the moment since if even one was ok, the fault had to be elsewhere.
Checked the motor-driven mechanism next.
6) Hooked the power up again.
7) Was the metal wiper (your system might be different) carrying power to the four contacts? Yup...when I shorted it, all four solenoids worked.
Damn.
So now I just needed to test the motor.
8) No continuity, infinite resistance.
And there I had it.
Was able to get a new one from a hobby shop for 5 Euros, problem solved.

I know your set up is going to be a bit different, but the basic stuff should still apply. You can see, I went from the easiest (and most likely to be easy to fix) to hardest.
Good luck and, if nothing else, there is bound to be someone who can repair this for you. Too beautiful to throw out.