Osterizer Imperial Cyclomatic w/Timer

[rp2813]

I just picked up this handsome blender for $10 at a garage sale.  I already have its non-timer counterpart, but I like the set-and-forget feature of the timer.

 

Well, the blender works, but the timer doesn't.  I pulled off the bottom plate and it looks like getting the timer extracted would be kind of a PITA.  Does anyone have experience with this system?  Just from a visual inspection I can't determine how the timer works.  There's a toothy wheel that catches on and activates a spring-loaded switch, but as I rotate the timer knob while the blender motor is running, there are dead spots.   It seems that the timer motor itself is dead, but I'd like to take a crack at reviving it if I can just remove it.  Any instructions would be much appreciated.

 

Also, the center measuring cap in the carafe lid is a shape I've not seen before.  Instead of perfectly round, it has two flat sides.   It seems easier to remove, but I'm wondering about its vintage.

 

 

[mattl]

I believe it's operating as it should when you turn the knob.  The Cyclomatics would pulse on and off and the timer advanced so that the blending action would be better and the heavier contents of the blender would run to the bottom and be chopped up.

 

I have the one we bought my mother back in '68 or so, still works great though I do want to pickup that blade kit that was posted some time ago as an improvement.

 

[rp2813]

Thanks Matt.  I got the guts apart but still couldn't find a way to remove the front panel.  I was able to pry it enough to get at one hidden screw that holds the timer in place.  I haven't tested the timer and am not sure I'd know how.  It would require snipping one of its leads to separate it from the base.  I stopped short of that and called it a day.

 

The thing that makes me suspect the timer is, the timer knob doesn't rotate and show how many seconds of blending remain.  Is that normal?  It seems to me that it should return to the "OFF" position.  Maybe I'm not setting it correctly, but I assume you push the knob in and turn to desired amount of time, then move the power switch to "Cyclomatic" and let the blender do its thing.

 

I'll have to seek out an owner's manual.  I hope to put everything back together tomorrow. 

 

There are two "improved" blade kits to choose from.  One is the "Ice Crusher," which has four blades configured a little differently from the standard type.  The other is the "Fusion" or smoothie blade kit, which has six blades.  I have both types and they do an excellent job, but I don't think they're assembled to last nearly as long as a vintage standard type.

 

[rp2813]

I just finished about an hour's worth of on-line investigating and found that I'm not alone in thinking the Cyclomatic feature isn't working properly.  There must be some kind of trick to it, as I came across posts from people who had picked up the same or similar model and couldn't figure out how to make the Cyclomatic feature work.

 

I'm betting this is user error as opposed to any sort of mechanical failure.  I'll reassemble the blender tomorrow and see if I can figure out the Cyclomatic operation.

 

[norgeway]

I have one,

I will hunt it up to give you the details, but it really is a great feature, the timer rotates and cycles it on and off at various intervals.

 

[rp2813]

Thanks Hans.  Maybe I didn't give it enough time to cycle on and off when I tested that function. 

 

When I pried off the timer cover and checked inside, it all looked like new and the gear lubricant was still slick and clean as opposed to gummy or dried up.  The actual rotor is sealed, so there's no way to examine that component.

 

I'll be reassembling everything later today, so will try out the Cyclomatic function and report back.

 

[rp2813]

All's Well!

I don't think the timer was working before I took everything apart.  Now I can hear it, and as the timer operates, the knob turns to indicate the time remaining.  It wasn't doing that before.  The on/off Cyclomatic action works as it should.  Why I don't know.  All I did was open up the timer guts for inspection, and I never touched the sealed rotor.

 

One question I have is, what happens after time runs out?  This machine goes into steady blending with one second remaining, and I have to manually click the knob to the "OFF" position.  I have a feeling that this is intentional.

 

Now it's time for cleaning and polishing.  I think this blender is fairly low mileage.  It's not like I needed another one, and I really like my black/blue/chrome Lady Kenmore with sliding speed control, but I couldn't resist this full-featured machine and will have to give the Cyclomatic function a whirl one of these days.

 

Thanks for all of the help with getting me to understand how this beefy 825-watt blender works.

 

[rp2813]

Another Discovery

Either I put the timer gears back incorrectly, or the rotor is running very slowly, or the numbers on the timer dial don't represent seconds remaining and instead indicate the number of Cyclomatic pulses desired.

 

When I turn the dial pointer to the maximum setting of 28, it takes a good 90 seconds to make its way around to the "OFF" position.  I decided to check it when set to the "10" mark and counted ten on/off cycles, but it took at least 30 seconds to complete them.  Same for the "5" position -- five pulses that took about 15 seconds to complete.  So I guess maybe the recipe book instructions are geared -- so to speak -- for number of pulses rather than time increments.

 

This blender gets more interesting the more I mess with it.  I have a feeling the Cyclomatic function, combined with ice crusher blade, will be good for eliminating those pesky ice chunks that can sometimes escape the blades when whipping up smoothies.

 

[sudsmaster]

I picked up a modern Oster blender, the Pro 500, for a song this past winter. It took me a while to test it out, but it actually has a smoothie button. It's programmed to reverse at low speed back and forth for about a minute, then it kicks up to higher speeds. It does a great job with smoothies, such as a glass filled with ice and then topped off with some smoothie syrup. I guess it's the updated version of the Cyclomatic process. Although the base on the 500 is lightly built, they did their job right on the programming and the usual sturdy glass blending jug. It's "only" about 500 watts, but apparently when it comes to turning an ice syrup mix into a smooth straw ready drink with no lumps, it's not the meat, it's the motion.

 

[mixguy]

CycloMatic Blending

I too have a Cyclo-Matic blender, the 1966 model having a smooth metal knob instead of the plastic knob on the model pictured. It is more accurately described as an interval timer. Operating at one second on and one+ second off, giving the blades time to coast to a stop before re-energizing the motor. One sets the knob for the number of pulses desired. I have the matching instruction/recipe booklet, and Oster sure fell short on writing or modifying recipes utilizing this feature. I also have a Blend & Cycle model that accomplishes the same action, only one has to attend to the blender as it will continue pulsing in intervals until manually shut off. One has to count the number of cycles and turn the unit off when the desired result is obtained. Since a blender operates in seconds, not an issue with me. I am glad you got the timer motor operating again, that is the most common fault about this blenders, the interval motor "dying." Waring had a so called "robot blender" with 20 speeds similar to this Oster model. These blenders were built in the era of the battle of motor wattage and number of speeds and timers on blenders.

 

[rp2813]

Thanks for the explanation Russell.

 

I guess the timer on mine was somehow hung up.  Taking it apart and spinning all the gears was enough to make it operable again.  I can hear its slight knocking sound in between pulses.

 

Too bad Oster didn't showcase the Cyclomatic feature in the recipe book.  I suppose the "PulseMatic" feature ultimately replaced it.

 

[mixguy]

Why discontinued?

Why was this blender discontinued? My best guesstimate was the feature not being used much because users lacked instructions to utilize the feature. Also users having the same problem encountered of the pulse controlling motor no longer working. During testing it was judged a frivolous feature of limited use. Controlling texture requires user's visual observation and control. Automatic (programmed) blending is about running the machine to liquefy, produce heat by friction, smoothies, etc. Chopping is not the strong point of these machines. Food processor S blades occupy that niche today. I do like using my blender for making salsa and do use the cycle feature to prevent over blending (creating a puree) dialing the exact number of cycles is not always the same.

I look forward to reading other thoughts and comments.

 

[rp2813]

Historically, I haven't used a blender all that often, and when I do, it's usually for smoothies or cocktails (but I have a vintage slim Waring FC2 on the bar for that).   What I've ended up using the LK/ Osterizer for lately is the food processor attachment.  It's capacity is larger than my mini-chopper, so for those in-between sized mixtures, the Oster attachment is the Goldilocks tool when amounts would just be lost in the giant '70s Sunbeam processor, and clean-up is much easier.

 

I can see using the Cyclomatic function for pulsing a mixture in the processor, although the "ON" interval provided by the Cyclomatic is longer than a quick pulse.  I still think it would render the desired results. 

 

I do hope that if the Cyclomatic sits for long periods, the timer motor won't freeze up again.  It was a PITA to access.  I can see how this was the weak link.  A mechanical timer would have made more sense.

 

I cleared a space for the Cyclomatic next to the Lady Kenmore, so it's ready when I am.