Machine story Astra / Ascota 170 (page 2)
(link to page 1)

2012-11-26 Electric motor demount & analyze catch trap mechanism 0 degrees
Demount the electric motor, to inspect the motor but more the mechanism which is somewhat hided behind, the catch / trap mechanism is connected to the controls / key or other. The last is not fully clear yet but there are bars / levers who do maybe the release. Will be continued.
The motor cleaned and the speed regulator switch contacts flatten, for a better contact surface.
Motor mount again. Leaf the earth contact open. Motor test showed slow turning after a few second.
Close the earth leakage current flows. So "all" the capacitors having resistance behavior! are defect need to rework / regenerate!

2012-11-27 Prepare capacitor block
The capacitor network block demount for the regeneration process, as suggested.
I saw that the top cover was partly old / open soldering work. So I opened the cover very easily. This showed an obvious overheated isolation grease in the area of the 2500pF capacitors, the leakage ones. The ones below, to protect the switches are of the same type (paper film) so I decided to replace them with the modern polypropylene capacitors instead of regeneration. Have left the inductance untouched. The capacitors at the mains removed and not replaced. Part of RFI and not priority at this stage.

2012-11-28 Electrical motor test
Capacitor network box remount again. The motor tests passed. No leakage and slow turning start.
(For those who missed it: The motor is still mechanically decoupled from the main axis and the carriage is not placed and the main axis is at zero degrees.)

Pushed the carriage tab etc transport keys and closed separately a electrical switch to get the motor turned. I have to compare the behavior with the, in the meantime extensive list of helpful sequence test procedures, but first impression is as expected! Lifting of the cam levers, transport gear starts and stops etc.

Situation during test

• All handles as on the picture P1160-172
• no carriage or carriage and bridge loaded / mounted
• main machine axis in the zero position
• motor decoupled from the main axis.
• the machine starts in the resting position picture -173

Results of the key pressing: “ T ”; “ -> ” and “ -> ”:

• leads immediately  to lower the programming fingers.
  Pictures  respectively P1160-182; -183; -185 show these situations.
• needs to activate the electrical switch as shown on picture P1160-178.
  Key pressed on its own, leads to only mechanical reaction.
• After the key “ T “ and “ -> “ pressed the motor stops after a few seconds
  Reaching a certain position. The fingers come up again.
  Pictures resp. P1160-181 and -184
• The big gearwheel “always turning right”. (Seen from the front of the machine)
  The backward mode. With other words no forward mode noticed yet!
• The gearwheel is when the fingers are up free to turn left and right.
  At the fingers down rattle feeling when turning right. No turning left possible (The saw as you might called it.)

2012-11-28
Electric situation:
The motor brushes sparking a little in rest situation. And after a while is needs to turn by hand the electrical contact disappears. The cause and the solution:
The motor gets supply via the two of the four switch protecting components in series, (the capacitor 0.3uF (Alternating current resistance of 10K Ohm) and 30 Ohm resistors (negligible)) and the speed regulator switch, which is closed. So in the idle situation the current is not high enough to get the motor turning (< 20mA calculated) but obviously high enough to spark.
Contact spray is the solution.

Motor / functional Tab test.
Please see video (Click on Video icon on the left).
Situation the same as above except with mounted carriage (including one bridge):
Could not resist the curiosity of mounting the carriage and bridge. Its functionality as expected. Tab and tab backwards. Moving to the beginning etc. The paper roll handle to release and lock the paper transport, is taking care of the electrical switch which I activated by hand in the above test without carriage.
Carriage without bridge commute between end and beginning and end tab, back and forward. Other tab key's seem to have no effect.
The broken rope / cord repaired with a 1.7 mm one, from a shades / lamella cord. Which consists of 16 fine braided strings to one cord / rope. The usual nylon cords, from a hobby market, are coarser knitted / braided.
This one is almost as the original one (1.5mm) !! but a little stronger. Now with the good extension / length / winding. Tab tests again executed, results as expected.

2012-12-01 Clutches cleaned
I have both spring blade clutches, the one on the motor / main axis, and the one on the motor / carriage transport axis, disassembled and cleaned. The novotex gear wheel on the main axis, part of the disassembly appeared fixed to the axis, due to hardened, oil dirt etc. The one of the carriage transport was still working as clutch. (Please see the pictures)
The lock nuts need an extra tool to fasten those. I did it temporary sofar with two screwdrivers against each other. Will try to get or make such a tool.
This repair action prevents hopefully, at a next unexpected machine blocking, that the full motor power will damaged parts involved in the blocking. Made a lock ring tool to proper fasten the rings.

2012-12-07 Solution 105 degrees blocking at counter 3/4
When I was preparing to make the pictures of loose bar of the counter 3/4 for comparison, I question my self again: why the hinged point / disk is not moving with in the U form lever, but moves below instead. Loosing that lever from the driving bar results in no blocking. Putting the hinged point between the U, the blocking didn't appear either. So it seems that the conclusion is the solution is reached. Questioned this to Rüdiger what the actual position should be. Confirmation was providing the conclusion was justifiable. BINGO!

2012-12-10 Machine cycle executed with simulated tab lock (blue wire)
See pictures P1160-300 and 305. (Operation still manually / turning the main axis by hand)
- printing bar execution only a few millimeters and no printing cycle.
- When a number is entered, at the numerical key board, the printing bars are extend accordingly and a print is following.
- Red buttons (register I and II add, subtract, subtotal and total) seems to work properly.

2012-12-11&12
Perform several calculation test add subtract including carry. Counter I made no mistakes. Counter II some at the 5 or 6 digit and negative numbers. For an for me unknown reason counter II blocks (The gears are not in-line / equally row of tooth . And the carry bars are intermediate. After some tries I got the counter free, but no counting performed on both I and II and the first carry bar at stays always on. The key board entries are seen at the printer bars but no registers don't changing contents. continues and solution on the 13th

2012-12-13 Counter I & II full functional
Yesterday I had overlooked that the machine was not in the forward mode, after the unblocking. Clear sign of it, the fingers are not up (sharp eyes of Rüdiger). So carriage mount and let motor move the carriage to the right end. After reaching the end the machine is in the forward mode. Now remove the mains, hold the carriage manually and put the hammer between the tab lock and the right side of the bridge holder in the carriage. This makes the machine cycle possible again. So now the machine is in the forward mode, the handles are in the right position and I have test all the calculations add, subtract, sub total and total.
After a while testing I discovered that multiple subtracting need an empty machine cycle in between. I remembered a Rüdiger e-mail remark on multiple operation. So I test if the machine cycle start buttons releases the catch and trap mechanism. YES.
So I removed the iron wire, who releases the trap and catch mechanism. After that multiple subtractions with multiple button operation are working correct. (Holding down the buttons, is not meant here!!)
The total is clearing the registers and negative numbers are printed in normal notation.
All movement and turning of registers and aid gear racks are as expected and the same as the 110. Carries are performed as well on all digits.
I activate the motor to the main axis and this was functioning well in all the operations as described above. Seems to be stable now.

2012-12-14 Line feed / split able paper roll (please see picture 22/ or 315-P1160371-bg3-700h.jpg)
It dint catch my eye earlier, but the paper roll is split able into two parts (RK saw it on the pictures). A shift of a plate at the left side of the roll makes independent turning possible.
The mounting of the carriage done on the way it should. Pull the line feed bar to the front prior to the mounting.
Placed a paper in the machine, make a temporary ink ribbon holder and made some print outs. see the pictures please.