The Relay
Originally we decided to restore the EP relay. We also found out it would take a lot of time. The decision we made was to do the organ first and wait with the relay. This decision was gated by the available manpower.
The relay was in a miserable condition and had been messed with. The cables, the few that were available, were in a terrible state. Earlier an accompaniment to pedal coupler had been added. The function simply connected the pedal and acc contacts together via a simple relay. 100% Zephyr skin had been used and was very brittle so a complete releathering was called for. Another thing was the console. When taken apart the main cable had been ripped out so nothing of the original connection points remain, they had been thrown away. In other words a complete mess. One requirement was that the console needed to be detached and stored when not in use.
We came to the conclusion that an interim relay function was necessary if the organ could be brought to playable condition in a reasonable time frame.
Time to consult the Internet and various manufacturers. We also looked at locations and what they used. Since our organ is small we weren’t looking for any extravagant system. After all we needed an inexpensive system that would work until the original relay could be brought on line.
We eventually choose the system from Artisan Instruments. Fairly straight forward to install, only three different part numbers, if needed the disposition can be easily changed, it has MIDI capability and a decent combination action and range setting. Combinations (24 different in our case) can be saved and retrieved but is complicated and requires more or less a computer expert.
The relay was in a miserable condition and had been messed with. The cables, the few that were available, were in a terrible state. Earlier an accompaniment to pedal coupler had been added. The function simply connected the pedal and acc contacts together via a simple relay. 100% Zephyr skin had been used and was very brittle so a complete releathering was called for. Another thing was the console. When taken apart the main cable had been ripped out so nothing of the original connection points remain, they had been thrown away. In other words a complete mess. One requirement was that the console needed to be detached and stored when not in use.
We came to the conclusion that an interim relay function was necessary if the organ could be brought to playable condition in a reasonable time frame.
Time to consult the Internet and various manufacturers. We also looked at locations and what they used. Since our organ is small we weren’t looking for any extravagant system. After all we needed an inexpensive system that would work until the original relay could be brought on line.
We eventually choose the system from Artisan Instruments. Fairly straight forward to install, only three different part numbers, if needed the disposition can be easily changed, it has MIDI capability and a decent combination action and range setting. Combinations (24 different in our case) can be saved and retrieved but is complicated and requires more or less a computer expert.
- The system doesn’t need a computer to run, when the organ is powered up it’s ready to go within seconds.
- It now looks like this system will stay for a while. We are short of manpower. It takes a dedicated person to attempt restoring the original relay.
Different parameters are available. "RUN TIME" is handy to keep track of lubrication intervals.
