that ol' distributor

[solardanl]

All my distributor calls are the same it seems, no matter which machine; 2pins end up on the distrbutor close together at the #4pos., by the time it gets to #8--2pins go into bin which hangs up the distributor on next pass. This is after overhauling clutch and adj'ing carriage tubes and rollers. any ideas?

[TheGMan143]

Re: that ol' distributor

The three most common reasons that pins get too close together on the belt are:

1. Misadjustment of the 'kidney' (drop-off point) / bent orientor pins / pan hitting wheel Any of these can cause pins to roll off too close together, usually when one comes up the wheel headfirst, and the following comes up base-first.

2. Trip assembly misadjustment / bind in trip lever 'fingers'. These will cause a pin to stall at the end of the distributor before the trip lever falls and lets the pin roll into the bin, letting the pin behind it catch up to it.

3. Clutch stall, slipping (low tension) / Clutch stop bind. These will cause the trip levers to be held in the up position, causing roughly the same problem as above.

[Mike Stalker]

Re: that ol' distributor

The most important part of the dist is the orientation.

The pins need to have equal distance between them. Head first and bottom first pins need to orientate evenly. I set mine to come out of the pin wheel, softly. If they come out too quick they will bounce and become off balance and out of line.

Sometimes you have to play with the (kidney) pin rail and O-Pan for a while. The marriage of these two parts will make or break your how your dist performs.

If your having problems in the 4, 7, or 8 area than orientation or rollers are usually the problem. This is the area when the dist extension is the shortest.

That's all for now.

[solardanl]

Re: that ol' distributor

I thought there were posts awhile back about speeding up or slowing down PE, is that applicable here and is it a common thing to do?

[TheGMan143]

Re: that ol' distributor

Well, if you slow down the wheel with a smaller pulley, it can help with jam problems... it allows the pins more space between them on the distributor belt. But... it also slows down pinfeed some. You get a pair of teams throwing a lot of back-to-back strikes and not fooling around wasting time much, you'll start noticing a short wait time between frames until the distributor can catch up to the demand. Not a very big deal, but still something to consider.

[ModelTech]

Re: that ol' distributor

Good point Gman!

Kinda slows down that 8.5 strike cycle AMF's so proud of...LOL!

Doug

[WI Adam]

Re: that ol' distributor

Dont forget that a pin could be stalling on the distrib O-pan (distrib may be too high?) causing the next pin up to nudge it onto the belt, then they "dance" up the distrib together. Or maybe trip-arm (end of distrib) arm problems... either they're adjusted with too little or too much play, or maybe even just bad rollers? I've seen all of the above cause similar problems at the 4-7-8 areas, esp. the 8 pin pocket (distribs that wouldnt even release the stop blades at 8 pin position)
Other things to check... clutch adjustment, and or O-pan and or kidney adjustment.... Any or all of the following... your guess is better than any of ours because we're not there. It depends on what type of clutch, what type of d-belt, how clean the o-pan is, even what type of pins you use (surface texture) so you just have to play around with it.... oh, and last but not least... If you're using one of those plastic Universals... the distrib may be wobbling enough to cause a pin to stall momentarily, then go back into motion. Little brats

[WI Adam]

Re: that ol' distributor

And a 2nd post by me :p I'd never slow down the pinwheel... we have few enough problems with them, I think that would be a absolute last resort because you shouldnt ever really need to.... Proper adjusting can be easily maintained once you find the right adjustments (PITA to start with, takes ages) but it does pay off... the last 3 days... only 3 pin related calls [img]/content/btubb/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif[/img] and thats with 3 sweepers, and a little open bowling thrown in too!

[solardanl]

Re: that ol' distributor

appreciate the responses. Here's another clue..only happens after i 'overhaul' them?!

[WI Adam]

Re: that ol' distributor

First, make sure you didnt overlook the cam/pinion timing marks, may be a hair off? If it is... a pin could hang up when entering the bin, causing a pile-up that might clear its-self (aside from leaving extra pins). If not, then it Sounds to me like either your O-pan needs to be adjusted, or your trip rod/cable needs to be adjusted. Also make sure the stop blade isnt worn or sticking.... Thats about all I can tell you.... If it only happens after a rebuild, then it should be something that normally requires specific adjustment anyway.... or that you cleaned/replaced, maybe even something stupid like a loose bolt or nut (maybe even too tight) on some of the linkage.... Time to start at square 1 and adjust to spec :p

[Pulse Tech]

Re: that ol' distributor

i have found that when a rough top belt is used
the distributor can stall between the 2 and the 4 bins.
The current amf belt sold in australia is very bad for this because of the thickness and rigidity of the belt
if your belt is to stiff it will cause resistance
when it comes off the rear carriage roller onto the belt tentioner
i have solved this problem in my two centres by changing to a thiner belt.
The distance between the pins at the #2 and the #4 bins is very important as the distributor shortens the pin will reach the end of the distributor early if the distributor stalls at all or the pin rail isn't adjusted correctlly you will have trouble.
this is very evident on 8290's and 8800's as the pinwheel is faster thus making the adjustment more difficult and also more important [img]/content/btubb/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/eek.gif[/img]

[GPS]

Re: that ol' distributor

I tend to agree with pulse on this one. I run the rough top dis belts and occaisionally run int o the dist slowing between 2 and 4 bin. Take some easy slidr (looks like a rosin bag) lift the dist belt and tap it along the belt runner (long pan under the belt). This decreases friction between pan and belt. Good luck.

Mike

[GPS]

Re: that ol' distributor

Sorry thats EASY SLIDE.

[Rep]

Re: that ol' distributor

Not too big a problem here, we use the AMF belts. But there are a few that like to stall a bit going from 2 to 4 even after a clutch job. Gonna try the easy slide trick [img]/content/btubb/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif[/img]

[Mike Stalker]

Re: that ol' distributor

solardini, Adam covered things well; coming off a rebuild and having problems your only looking at a few things.

Checking that your rollers are correct, your trip rod is greased and moves fluidly, sometimes it is easy to set the trip cable too short, this will cause intermittant problems. Goimg by the book here is safe.

Is this dist is going back on the same machine or a different one? If a different one then your O-pan must be set for the new machine.