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Unidentified device next to 13A sockets

Harry Macdonald

I have been investigating a church organ that suddenly stopped working. This was rebuilt about 20 years ago using a data cable between the keyboard and the pipe section.

I have found two 13A sockets unused which are live and, just above them, two more which are not. All the electronic equipment is plugged in into the two which are not. Between the two is a box with the device small device in it

Can anyone identify it and advise its purpose. I am thinking some sort of surge protection but cannot identify any similar photos on google of find any identifying marks.

I'll post a photo when I can find out how. Copy/paste, drag n drop and insert don't work. It seems to want a URL but my photos don't have URLs.

Harry

  • 0 in reply to Zoomup

    The organ and organist rise up out of a trap in the floor.

  • 0 in reply to Sparkingchip

    Or the relay switch is situated at the lectern, so if the organist is overcome with church holy wine, the organ can be easily remotely turned off.

    Z.

  • 0 in reply to AJJewsbury

    God works in mysterious ways.

    Z.

  • 0 in reply to Zoomup

    His wonders to perform.

    (With thanks to William Cowper.)

  • 0 in reply to Zoomup

    Joking apart, there usually is some sort of signalling system or a mirror so the officiant can communicate with the organist who is generally facing away from them.

  • 0

    I have used the most sensitive SSRs of that type triggered by the traffic on a USB cable to initia a mains connection. It may well be using the 'power' of the  data link to run it, or perhaps there is a rechargable battery in the box that has now after 15 years finally dried up.  Can you get a part no for the SSR, and I can probably tell you what sort of voltage should be used to turn it on.

    M

  • 0 in reply to mapj1

    Thanks all.

    The electrics are up a very awkward ladder through a trap door so no one else has been up there, but I think the output to the SSR was labelled 5V.

  • 0 in reply to Harry Macdonald

    5v is possible, some models of SSRs run off as low as 3v and a couple of mA - try and get as many pics as you can of stuff with the lid off, I'm sure we can crack this.

    Mike

  • 0 in reply to Chris Pearson

    Just thank god that the church organ didn't cut out at the beginning of "Here Comes the Bride......."

    www.youtube.com/watch

    Z.

  • 0

    Let's apply a little logic. The data between the keyboard console and the rest of the organ has probably only 2 possibilities : Madi or Ethernet.

    If the electronic box requires the SSR (I am pretty sure it is one due to the general packaging) to be on to power it the communication must also have a control pair to the SSR, as in neither case is the data continuous. Ethernet uses 4 wires of 8 in a Cat5 (or whatever) cable and Madi the same. The test is to plug the "controlled" plugs into the live sockets and see what happens, the whole lot will probably burst into life. If so you need to trace the control wires which will go back to the console. These SSRs have opto-isolated control, but as Mike says a range of control voltages, but if the control is in the data cable, probably 5V. If you find the SSR is faulty give me a call, I have some stock!

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