crackling volume control?

[admin_exported]

Ok i have no idea on electronics etc. is a crackling volume control easily cured on a Audiolab Pre amp> original circa 1995?

thanks

 

[Diamond Joe]

Should be easy enough to fix, as a first step: with the amp off, turn the volume knob rapidly from end to end a few times and see if that manages to dislodge the dirt causing the crackling (assuming that's the cause).

If that doesn't work you'll need a contact cleaner aerosol, you can get them from Maplins or similar shops, and you'll either have to pull the volume knob off or remove the top cover to access the volume potentiometer (pot) inside the amp. Then just squirt a little cleaner into the pot (you should be able to do this by directing the spray along the shaft of the pot) and turn it from end to end a few times (as above). Make sure the amp is unplugged from the mains before you start.

Hopefully that'll do the job for you.

 

[Diamond Joe]

Even better! I've just found a clip on YouTube, just type in " How to clean those scratchy controls or potentiometer's on your vintage stereos/radios".

This will show you far better than I just described it.

 

[Anonymous]

thanks Joe, it seems simple enough as you described, I'm a little scared of opening up electronics, as i broke an expensive CD player a few years ago by fiddling!! lol

Thanks again

drrockwell

 

[lewis hurlin]

Hi

With regard to you crackling volume contol you need to contact Kevin at the link below

www.theaudiocellar.co.uk

I had an Audiolab 8000a mk2 amp with a blownpower supply and faulty switch. I took it to him and he fixed it for me while I waited he also cleaned up myvolum control he is your man

Lewis

 

[bongoman]

Same problem with an audiolab 8000S. Unplugged the unit and turned the volume control from min to max whilst blowing compressed air around the volume control. Seems to have done the trick 🙂

 

[eggontoast]

Ok i have no idea on electronics etc. is a crackling volume control easily cured on a Audiolab Pre amp> original circa 1995?

thanks

It depends on which type of pot is fitted to your one they had two types. The first was a cheap Alps pot and you can try compressed air or a contact cleaner, better would be to just replace it though. The second and more likely is a Nobel pot (big black square one) these are sealed and the above methods won't work on it. The good news is that the Nobel pots can be removed and disassembled to clean them, the bad news, it's not a job for a novice. Replacement pots were still available the last time I contacted Audiolab, they were about £35 for the Nobel one.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_1575414119387556]

Should be easy enough to fix, as a first step: with the amp off, turn the volume knob rapidly from end to end a few times and see if that manages to dislodge the dirt causing the crackling (assuming that's the cause).

If that doesn't work you'll need a contact cleaner aerosol, you can get them from Maplins or similar shops, and you'll either have to pull the volume knob off or remove the top cover to access the volume potentiometer (pot) inside the amp. Then just squirt a little cleaner into the pot (you should be able to do this by directing the spray along the shaft of the pot) and turn it from end to end a few times (as above). Make sure the amp is unplugged from the mains before you start.

Hopefully that'll do the job for you.

quoted advice there is spot on! very good.
however, if for some reason you are in a hurry and cant get to a supplier, or realise many of these cleaners are sometimes other widely available products repackaged and over-priced, then it might be interesting for folk to know that for this particular type of fix-it simply use surgical spirits, pure alchohol, or metholated spirits.
for fixing pots that crackle due to dust particles, they are all completely tried, tested, and acceptable.
and, in fact, these are what were used for the job, and still used, from before "specialised" cleaners were packaged and sold.

they all work well due to the fact that their liquidity picks the dust up, and the liduid then evarorates leaving your system ready to be switched safely on again without causing harm to the innards of the pots.