Alignment tools

7/13/2010 9:33:20 PMVinny

Greetings, I hate to keep asking advice rather then finding out for myself. However, I have been looking around for alignment tools and there are so many. I do not know which are good and bad. I have obviously never purchased any and just do not want to guess as to which to buy. Sooooo, which one's (or a set of them) are appropriate for most "old" radios. Any suggestions would be very appreciated. I know at least to buy one's that are non-conductive.
Thank you,
Vinny A.

7/13/2010 10:20:23 PMWarren

GC makes the standard in alignment tools. The average 6 or 8 piece set is about all you ever need for radios. More commonly known as "twiddle sticks"

7/13/2010 11:10:30 PMMarv Nuce

Never heard of "diddle sticks", but more commonly called "tweakers"

marv

:GC makes the standard in alignment tools. The average 6 or 8 piece set is about all you ever need for radios. More commonly known as "twiddle sticks"
:

7/15/2010 12:49:47 AMVinny

Warren/Marv,
Thank you so much! I could not express how much that helps me. It's a great feeling to re-open a post that you started and see the professional and generous responses from you guys, and many others. The "twiddle sticks" "diddle sticks", and the “tweekers” are overdue for me.
Vinny A

7/15/2010 1:41:47 PMEdd

Sir Vinny. . . . . .

Now, I certainly go for the "diddle" aspect myself . . . . and just think . . . when you finally get an

" Ohh-fissh-ull-y " certified set . . . (G.C. preferred).

Then . . .you too . . . can be the diddl-OR and along with the slug / slot being the diddl-EE.

Aside:

Getting back to your Heath instrumentation / sig generator:

With more minute details coming back forth from you, as being compared to the broad initial info.

A quality of construction shift might have resulted in there not actually being a brass collar within the tuning knob, with it merely having the plastic proper being threaded internally.

With Sir Gary's oncoming info . . . . from him probably having one of THE units to compare against . . . .relevant to the end of travel of the dial scale pointer and the THEN free spinning of the tuning knob proper.

That tends to suggest the units incorporation of a vernier or planetary type of drive with its gearing down capability.

That would account for your perception of the tuning knob "slipping " at the end of its travel and associating that with a slipping set screw. With that actually not being the case.

To know if you have this type of gearing reduction all you have to do is confirm if BOTH the dial pointer and the tuning knob only make a 180 degree rotation together.

With only a 180 degree movement of BOTH simultaneously, being indicative of your unit having common direct drive coupling.

If you have the GEARED / VERNIER action , and you start with the dial pointer at the extreme left, by the time you have rotated the dial pointer to its extreme right, you will find that the tuning knob might have then made ~ 3-5 full rotations . . . and the tuning knob will THEN "slip" at either of its extremes.

Additionally . . in accordance to a vernier drives manner of construction . . you may find two different concentric shaft diameters, with the pointer dial press fitting onto the larger outer one, and the main tuning knob being set screw affixed to the primary inner shaft.

73's de Edd

:Warren/Marv,
:Thank you so much! I could not express how much that helps me. It's a great feeling to re-open a post that you started and see the professional and generous responses from you guys, and many others. The "twiddle sticks" "diddle sticks", and the “tweekers” are overdue for me.
:Vinny A
:
:

7/29/2010 12:58:32 PMVinny

Dr. Edd, greetings.

I finally received a replacement Heathkit Ig-102. You are correct it is a vernier dial. The plastic dial indicator turns from end to end but the knob turns at a faster rate and more turns. The knob however continues to turn on the shaft, just as the previous generator did. No other internal parts move when the dial indicator and the tuning condenser reach their end.

Thank you,
Vinny A.