Initial Assessment
Initial Power-On (10-minute test)
Section titled “Initial Power-On (10-minute test)”Connected to AC power after transport. Storage duration unknown.
| System | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Upper Manual (Swell) | Working | All keys responded during brief test |
| Lower Manual (Great) | Mostly working | Rightmost key (C6) sticks mechanically — likely felt/bushing, not electrical |
| Pedalboard | Working | Ping-pong ball extracted from right side of left pedal area before testing |
| Orbit III Synthesizer | Working | Proprietary ICs confirmed alive — plays through all presets tested |
| Orbit III Pots | Dirty/scratchy | All potentiometers on Orbit III panel need cleaning |
| Orbit III Sine Wave Volume | Stuck | LEFT volume knob (Sine Wave section) is physically seized — will not rotate |
| Leslie Speaker | Working | Rotary speaker engages and spins correctly |
| Expression Pedal (volume) | Working | Vertical axis (volume swell) responds |
| Expression Pedal (slide) | Present | Lateral push-left axis — needs further testing with Orbit III |
| Rhythm Section | Not yet tested | |
| Tab Stops (individual) | Not yet tested | |
| Reverb | Not yet tested | |
| Cassette Deck | Not yet tested |
Condition Summary
Section titled “Condition Summary”The organ survived storage remarkably well. Ten continuous minutes of play without audio dropout, hum escalation, or smoke is a good sign for the electrolytic capacitors — but the community-documented “3-week phenomenon” means caps should still be replaced proactively. Unused organs that seem fine initially can develop cap failures after sustained warmup cycles.
Immediate Maintenance Queue
Section titled “Immediate Maintenance Queue”- Clean all Orbit III pots with DeoxIT D5 (fader lube for the stuck one)
- Free or replace the stuck Sine Wave volume pot
- Investigate and fix sticky lower manual C6 key
- Complete testing of rhythm section, individual tab stops, reverb, cassette deck
- Extended burn-in test (30+ minutes) to check for cap-related failures
- Photo-document every board (open console, photograph before touching)
Next Steps
Section titled “Next Steps”- Buy the Orbit III service manual from eBay (~$30-50)
- Identify TOS and divider-keyer IC part numbers on the actual boards
- Recap power supply electrolytics (~$30 in parts)