OBSERVATIONS FROM SCOTLAND 28 May 2008 GM1SXX
The MA1720 revealed
Well the MA1720 has been stripped and given a general service. While it was in pieces, the switches were all cleaned with pure isopropyl alcohol and all the components examined closely to look for any signs of aging or discolouration caused by overheating. Nothing untoward was noted and so the unit was reassembled and tested.
While it was in pieces, I took a few photos and took the
opportunity to straighten out the bent side panel and the buckled front panel.
The side panel was beaten straight on an old surface table and it's now
straighter than the left side.
I stuck the front panel in a press at work,
in between two sheets of quarter ply to protect the paint. Came out nice
and straight except for the edges. They 'dug in' to the wood because they took
a lot of the pressure early on. I straightened the edges in a vice with padded
jaws and some kitchen paper on the painted side. The paint 'creaked' as I
straightened it (LOTS of sheer brute force) but stayed on. Although it's only an
ally panel, it's 4mm thick.
You can always tell when a painted finish has been 'stoved'. It 'creaks' when
you bend it... shortly b4 it flies off as a series of small sharp chips. Luckily
for me, whoever painted it did a good job and used pukka etching primer and not
the cheap alternatives.
The panel is now acceptably straight but the 'dinged' points of the panel are an
annoyance. Two of the edges are crush damaged and the only fix would be to file
and fill, but of course I'd need some 'Light Battleship Grey' enamel which as
you know is a peacetime camouflage and as common as hen's gnashers or Hobbyhorse
crap! It turns out that AIRFIX (of the plastic model fame) do all manner of
colours but I don't think Light Battleship Grey is one of them so I bought the
nearest shade of greeny-grey I could find.
I'm told that a picture is worth many words, so here are some pictures. (Click for full-size)
 |
 |
| Lotsa bits. | Clever design with plug-in front panel. |
 |
 |
| Sun, RACAL and a nice cuppa tea and a biccy. Sorted! | The steel front sub-panel |
 |
 |
| The straightened front panel. Thanks DHL! | Pete might have been first but... The straightened side panel. |
 |
 |
| A close-up of those exceedingly weird front panel input connectors. | The rebuilt MA1720 awaiting minor front panel restoration. |
And yes, it does indeed still work after being taken to pieces and rebuilt.
73 Al.
GM1SXX
Back to OBSERVATIONS