The latest on the SMC2 circus. The mech will not consistently pick up both 179 and 279. When it misses 279 the mech will go left and “bang it’s head” against the left side. This has traditionally indicated a PCC problem but I have two good PCCs and neither fixes this. Then another issue cropped up. It will not pick up 100/200. If I select 101/201 it will pick both. No matter where I put the 100/200 limit switch ramp. And then the mech continually scans. I think the fact that the 100/200 selections are in memory and for whatever reason they’re not being read out is what’s causing the continual scanning. The mech is “looking” for them. There is a factory reset function-the “undocumented” factory reset that apparently won’t clear out current selections. I’ll test this by making a few selections and then doing the reset and see if they’re picked up or cleared. Selections the box will make. Despite the mssing 100/200 everything else plays. Here’s the kicker. The original MCU will pick up the corner selections and come to rest. I’m convinced the Gen2 board is bad. I called Ed Fischer because I couldn’t get the factory reset to work. Turns out the directions leave a little to be desired as to the steps to take to do this reset. With his help I did it. He thinks his Gen2 board is OK despite the evidence. At this point I’m not certain of much on the SMC2. I’m at a dead end.

I finished the TSR6 receiver yesterday and it has good voltages. Bruce W. from Rockwall came by and picked them up. I installed the new tubes he needed and went over what I did. He’s a super nice fellow.

Original MCU with either PCC will work perfectly on the SMC2 except for one little thing. The mech should pick up a record going left to right. It did it once. What did I do to get this of a sudden working? New day? I have an intermittant wire problem somewhere. The worst problem to have. I will get it fixed. The Gen2 works except it goes too far left at times, past the limit switch ramp, and just stops. If I try to move it manually right it pulls back left. I have to turn the box off and move the mech manually back to the right about 5 spots then turn the box back on for the mech to reverse. It would seem as if the MCU wasn’t reading the limit switch. If I use the service switch to scan from left to right I can manually hit the 100/200 limit switch and cause it to reverse. I found two switches in the vertical stack on the mechanism that have to do with the mechanism reversing. Never knew their purpose and was briefly hopeful. Cleaned and made sure they were adjusted properly. The hope died shortly.

Ron Rich advocates setting the limit switches up a little differently in that the right side carry over switch should be open always. This makes the mech, after the last record, go three detent pulses and stop. This is making the mech do a complete reset count after a new selection is then made. I’m not a fan of this. I reset the limits acording to factory. I’ve had many SMCs and have always set the limit switches like this with no issues. They are now set, have been ohmmed and wire leads resoldered. They are golden. The problem is elsewhere.

I benchtested the HFMA2 amplifier on the bench. My one bright spot for the day. It is awesome. Lot’s of volume and plenty of tone when bass or treble are adjusted.