23-10-2021, 10:27 AM
Gary, that's sad news about Denis Tabor, didn't know he'd passed away. I actually had a long telephone chat with him about 3 years ago, as poor eyesight had hindered emailing & letter writing. His collection of over 100 valve testers had been sold off a few years back, but his mind & depth of knowledge was as sharp as a needle. My paltry valve tester efforts pale into insignificance. His lengthy article on his vast collection is in circulation amongst the VR fraternity. I have a pdf copy on file somewhere.
Re the AVO thumbwheel assembly - as Denis said, do not lubricate with hydrocarbon based oils or sprays. When I used to service/repair RAF CT160's (as Denis did back in the 50's) in the 60's we used a silicone based lubricant - made by Dow Corning, I think. Another "Do Not" is - do not try & prise apart the individual thumbwheels whilst still in-situ in any of the AVO's range of VCM's. Carefully note the colour-coding of the wiring connections, or fit temp. id sleeving, then de-solder & remove the whole assembly. Note - the top plate can be brittle - take care.
Quite frankly, due to their rocking-horse manure status, I would advise the un-initiated to send their suspect assembly down to Mike Barker or similar highly respected VCM expert for service/repair.
Regards, Dave
Re the AVO thumbwheel assembly - as Denis said, do not lubricate with hydrocarbon based oils or sprays. When I used to service/repair RAF CT160's (as Denis did back in the 50's) in the 60's we used a silicone based lubricant - made by Dow Corning, I think. Another "Do Not" is - do not try & prise apart the individual thumbwheels whilst still in-situ in any of the AVO's range of VCM's. Carefully note the colour-coding of the wiring connections, or fit temp. id sleeving, then de-solder & remove the whole assembly. Note - the top plate can be brittle - take care.
Quite frankly, due to their rocking-horse manure status, I would advise the un-initiated to send their suspect assembly down to Mike Barker or similar highly respected VCM expert for service/repair.
Regards, Dave