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AR-1 w/ AR-3st Problem

maxhoffa

maxhoffa

Active Member
Found an AR-1 / AR-3st combo a few moths ago, finally got around to trying them out today.

Seem to be hooked up correctly (according to the instructions on back of the 3st. But getting no sound out of anything other than the main woofer. Nothing from the mid in the AR-1 and doesn't seem like anything out of the 3st.

How do I troubleshoot this thing? Controls are clearly oxidized, which is my first suspicion, but there again, how do I get in to clean them?

Frustrating.

Any help?
 
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Hey Max,

You got a hell of a find there.
You'll need to pull the woofers to access the pots.
The woofers will be a PITA to remove as the sealing putty holding them tight. Remove as much as possible around the basket, then use a flat head screw driver to pry them loose. Use a metal putty knife against the cab to protect it from the screw driver.
You'll eed to unsolder the pots and open them up to access their condition. More often than not the corrosion requires replacement, but you may be lucky. Once removed, soak them in a bowl with distilled clear vinegar and salt solution for an hour or so. Rinse with soap and water. The contact disk surface should be fairly smooth for it to work properly. Also the pot wiper may be corroded away on the tip. If they are shot, you can get Ohmite rheostats for replacement. If they are in decent shape, use dielectric grease on the surfaces prior to reassembly.

There's many threads covering the procedure, do a search.

Glenn
 
A pic of the connections you are using to test for one. They may need to have a jumper wire installed first.


Barney
 
Thanks Glen. I can't even see how to pull the grilles w/o screwing them up . . . D'oh, search! Always forget that part!

Barney: I'll post some pics tomorrow. Using speaker wire for the connects, and followed the schematics on the back of the 3st.
 
Here is a pic off the web, you can see where the jumper wire connects the speakers.
 

Attachments

  • AR connections.jpg
    AR connections.jpg
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Your posted pic is from a classic three-way (woof-mid-tweet) AR speaker but not from an AR-1 or 3st. Both of your speakers are rare and desirable and deserve the moist careful attention. I would suggest that you also seek advice from the experts on the AR forum in link attached. Your problems could be with the wiring, the rotary controls, and maybe even the capacitors. Hopefully not the valuable drivers themselves. Get as much information up front before digging into these, and then proceed slowly and cautiously.

http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/IP.Board/index.php?showforum=3
 
OK, trying to put up images now . . .

DSC04420

DSC04420

  • Media owner maxhoffa
  • Date added
Out to AR-3st

Audio-out from Kenwood

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  • Media owner maxhoffa
  • Date added
AR-3st Connects

Signal into 3st (To Amp) and out of 3st into AR-1: Terminal 1 on the 3st out to terminal 1 on the AR-1, Terminal 2 on the 3st out to terminal 3 on the AR-1

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  • Media owner maxhoffa
  • Date added
AR-1 bridge

Terminals A & B bridged w/ speaker wire

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  • Media owner maxhoffa
  • Date added
AR-1 Audio-in

Connects from AR-3st

Results: low volume from AR-1 woofer, nothing from the mid. Nothing from the 3st.

Controls are heavily oxidized (crunchy to adjust).

Visually, from what I can see of the cones through the grilles, looks good, no damage no decay no sign of abuse.
 
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