My cali potentiometer

[pablo]

Hi folks, my cali elite volume "potentiometer" ( sorry if is not the correct word for this hardware) is not working good, 

I only can read two lines on there

R1379434

TM3116

Can you help me to identify what kind of potentiometer it is ? 

Thanks all folks

[Dave Scepter]

Hey, before replacing the pot, have you tried cleaning with Deoxit spray?.. cleaning the pot works 95% of the time 

[cmatthes]

Your potentiometer was made by 
CTS Corporation (Chicago Telephone Supply) in the 34th week of 1994

[pablo]

7 hours ago, Dave Scepter said:

Hey, before replacing the pot, have you tried cleaning with Deoxit spray?.. cleaning the pot works 95% of the time 

Yes! I did it , but i making some noise when you roll it and not feel smooth from 0 to 10 scale Dave 😑

[pablo]

3 hours ago, cmatthes said:

Your potentiometer was made by 
CTS Corporation (Chicago Telephone Supply) in the 34th week of 1994

Hi Cris! And do you know if its 500K or what? I dont wanna change it but , make to much noise when you touch it. 

Thanks both for the answers

[Dave Scepter]

21 minutes ago, pablo said:

Hi Cris! And do you know if its 500K or what? I dont wanna change it but , make to much noise when you touch it. 

Thanks both for the answers

Yes, 500k👍

[Jimbilly]

Following up with Caig F5 Faderlube is supposed to be good. This post reminds me that I need to order a new can of Deoxit. 

 A longtime and wise HFC'r once told me that trumpet valve oil works too.  I swear it healed the pots in my emg equipped Chap 4. But I use Caig nowadays. 

[Cboss]

Faderlube is best for these

Make sure you get plenty in there, cycle the pot from 0 to 10 and back plenty of times, then let it sit for at least half an hour before you put any power through it 

[Jimbilly]

3 hours ago, Cboss said:

.... then let it sit for at least half an hour before you put any power through it 

 -oops....

[Jeff R]

then let it sit for at least half an hour before you put any power through it 

Um ... care to explain this?  

[ChugD]

I have had noisy pots and sprayed them.  Worked for a while but came back.  Then I REALLY sprayed them and worked it in.  All good for a long time now.  Take the back plate off of the guitar and spray in the opening where the connections are.  You may have to maneuver the guitar so that opening is facing up to let it get in there. Take the knob off and slow spray it so it seeps down the shaft into the pot (man that sounds bad).  Work it back and forth a BUNCH.  I also have some vintage hi-fi stereo equipment and works great for them as well.

 

[Cboss]

3 hours ago, Jeff R said:

then let it sit for at least half an hour before you put any power through it 

Um ... care to explain this?  

I started out using this stuff on stereo equipment and that's what I was told by an old school tech; with a guitar there's not any real power going through the pot but on stereo equipment/amps there absolutely is.. I'm not going to second guess somebody that made that their profession for decades

[Jimbilly]

23 minutes ago, Cboss said:

I started out using this stuff on stereo equipment and that's what I was told by an old school tech; with a guitar there's not any real power going through the pot but on stereo equipment/amps there absolutely is.. I'm not going to second guess somebody that made that their profession for decades

I just got my 'vintage' Harman Kardon 430 working correctly with deoxit and fader lube: the culprit was the really dirty Tape Monitor button (it was cutting out on one side only, acting like it was something else, but that was it). I didn't let it sit for very long after spraying it out, but I can see how it would be better to let it be much less 'wet' when turning it on.

[Jeff R]

53 minutes ago, Cboss said:

I started out using this stuff on stereo equipment and that's what I was told by an old school tech; with a guitar there's not any real power going through the pot but on stereo equipment/amps there absolutely is.. I'm not going to second guess somebody that made that their profession for decades

Stereo equipment or amp chassis compared to a Cali circuit or any other passive guitar or bass harness is apples and oranges in regard to voltage and potential dangers to components and/or servicing techs. 

Just clarifying as a guy who's been working on guitars for decades, as it relates to the subject of this thread ... you don't have to wait at least a half hour when you are Deoxit'ing passive guitar or bass circuitry. The can recommends a couple minutes, which is roughly the time that elapses between spraying pots, agitating them, wiping out any overspray residue, and replacing the cavity cover.

False alarm on the "oops," Jimbilly.

 

[Cboss]

3 hours ago, Jimbilly said:

I just got my 'vintage' Harman Kardon 430 working correctly with deoxit and fader lube: the culprit was the really dirty Tape Monitor button (it was cutting out on one side only, acting like it was something else, but that was it). I didn't let it sit for very long after spraying it out, but I can see how it would be better to let it be much less 'wet' when turning it on.

My Dad's Harmon Karden tape deck is in the work queue for winter, I suspect it will be similar 

[Dutchman]

Just an FYI, I've got a half dozen Hamer pots that measure in the 300's. If you have a DMM you can measure it. Very easy to do.