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Audio Control Knob

Discussion in 'Post Yacht' started by Reel Antsy, Aug 2, 2021.

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  1. Reel Antsy

    Reel Antsy New Member

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    On our 1987 43', there is an audio control knob which controls volume for the bridge speakers.
    Long story short, it's no good...does anyone have a source for a replacement and is familiar with it's workings? I assume it was installed at the factory and is tied into the home stereo system in salon cabinet. I could simply eliminate it and bypass it but have no diagram, knowing which wires should go where.
    Thanks for any help.

    Attached Files:

  2. OutPost

    OutPost Member

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    Looks like just an old school Potentiometer. Feed from stereo / or amp goes in, wires out to speakers and you can adjust volume with the knob ( can’t really make it any louder than the source is set though). Could rewire direct to speakers easily or replace but .. why .. was not a very good system to begin with. I would either take the time now to upgrade the audio in general - do you even want a bridge setup tied to a salon home stereo? Or Get a portable Bluetooth speaker for up there for now and invest time elsewhere.
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  3. Reel Antsy

    Reel Antsy New Member

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    Thanks, I know it's old school. I have bluetooth running through my system (BT100) which allows me to control my music and volume. I would simply replace if this was available or I could bypass it.
  4. TahoeJohn

    TahoeJohn Member

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    To bypass, you'd just need to connect the two pairs of wires like this:

    temp.jpg
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  5. Reel Antsy

    Reel Antsy New Member

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    Thank you Tahoe John. What about the other two connections?
  6. TahoeJohn

    TahoeJohn Member

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    It looks like they are already connected as they should be for bypass - those are just the grounds. No need to touch them.
  7. OutPost

    OutPost Member

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    If you already are using a bluetooth module I'm sure you can control the volume from your phone or wherever you are streaming from so just bypassing the knob sounds like the way to go.
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  8. Reel Antsy

    Reel Antsy New Member

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    It looks like that's my option now-thanks for your help!
  9. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Pending the design of the pot, this may be the failure.
    These devices maintain a 4 or 8 ohm impedance on the stereo output.
    Load the line with impedance/resistance and reduce impedance/resistance to the speaker lowers the volume, the Amp sees the same load.
    Bass Ackwards to increase the noise.
    Don't think the neg ends should be tied. After all, somebody installed extra etches and screws.
    It looks taller than a simple carbon lead with a common wiper.

    Yes, To by-pass or simple test, tie the plus leads together.
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  10. Reel Antsy

    Reel Antsy New Member

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    Thank you Capt Ralph!
  11. d_meister

    d_meister Senior Member

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    The pot is called an "L-Pad". It's design maintains the proper amount of impedance to prevent amplifier damage. It should also be rated for the speaker impedance (2, 4, 8-ohm) and the amplifier power output. Be careful bypassing, as two speakers wired together in parallel will halve the impedance, and two in series will double it, affecting factors like volume and amplifier overheating..
    https://www.google.com/search?q=l-pad
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  12. Reel Antsy

    Reel Antsy New Member

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    Thank you for that information! Greatly appreciated.
  13. Greg Page

    Greg Page Active Member

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    Strangely enough I have the installation instructions for it. Here is the wiring figure.

    Attached Files:

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  14. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    I had to download one of the original pictures from above and zoom it in real big.
    Post #1, JPG #2
    The negative leads etches are tied.
    2 wires to a single crimp should work for the amp-speaker negative lead.

    Wild that Greg Page still has the original Tandy paper for it. :):)
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  15. Reel Antsy

    Reel Antsy New Member

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    Greg, thank you so much! That's a big help, wow...whodathought!
  16. Greg Page

    Greg Page Active Member

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    There is a case of documents from the original owner. I had seen that one when I went through it to see what what there.
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