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Simple Wire Connection Question

lawler

Jul 13, 2011
1
Joined
Jul 13, 2011
Messages
1
Hi there, I have an old hammond-type organ, that I'm trying to make work again. I think it's as simple as replacing the on/off switch because when I would wiggle the switch the connection was intermittent and sound came and went.

When I took the switch out, it looked broken (actually, kind of burnt in places). So now, I would like to replace the switch to see if that was the problem. Before I do that, I would like to test the connecting wires by touching their leads, and confirming that things are otherwise good. Here's my dilemma.

There are 3 wires that connected to the 'rocker-type' on/off switch. The colors are yellow, blue, and grey. Assuming those wires are positive, negative, and ground, but not knowing which is which, and not quite knowing how to use a circuit tester, or owning one, could I do a quick test of attaching various combinations of the colored wires mentioned above? But would any combination of pos, neg, and ground, cause damage to the whole unit? My knowledge of basic electronics, is less than more.

Thanks for any responses.
 

DaleFranklin

Jul 5, 2011
3
Joined
Jul 5, 2011
Messages
3
You said there are only 3 wires. Is that 3 wires in and 3 wires out? If it is only 3 in then they are certainly not positive, negative, and ground as the switch would just be used to complete the circuit.

If you don't own a multimeter then I suggest asking a friend over for dinner and have them bring their multimeter and take a look at it with you. It will be a good reason to get together.

DaleFranklin
http://www.activeenterprisesltd.com
 

daddles

Jun 10, 2011
443
Joined
Jun 10, 2011
Messages
443
If you haven't removed the switch yet, take pictures of it and especially show how the wires are connected. This might give someone a hint of how things work.

If you've already disconnected things, then you're about to learn a valuable rule: don't disconnect things until you've documented how they work -- otherwise, you lose information and make repairs take longer.

Obviously, one thing to do is to try to find a schematic for the thing, but as with most things, this can be difficult. Otherwise, as Dale said, you need to find a friend with a multimeter and some electrical troubleshooting knowledge to help you figure out how things go.

DO NOT start connecting wires -- while you might get lucky and have it work, it's also possible that you can destroy something. You'd really feel dumb after doing that.
 
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