Hi Gary,

After pulling the back off of my E100 using John's instructions, I
immediately saw the problem: the "disk" on the tuning shaft was
rubbing on the inside of the case, so much so that it caused the
section of the case through which the tuning shaft goes to move in
and out slightly on every rotation of the knob.

I figured I could solve the problem by putting a shim between the
inside edge of the case and the inner frame of the radio. I found an
O-ring with the proper thickness and diameter, cut a small section
out of it, then placed it appropriately. This stopped the binding of
the tuning knob on part of its rotation. It rotates fairly easily
over its whole rotation now, with minimal friction.

The tuning encoder is still kind of finicky. On some parts of the
rotation it's very easy to get accurate 1 kHz increments. On other
parts of the rotation it requires some care to avoid getting 0 kHz
or 2 kHz increments instead. I think my E10 does the same thing, so
this is probably common with these cheap encoders. Since I only use
the tuning knob for fine tuning -- it's too slow for anything else --
I may put a white mark on the knob, centered on the best part of
the rotation, for easy reference.

It's funny that you mentioned the antenna wire breaking off -- mine
did exactly that. It looks like it may have just been hanging by a
thread. Since the contact is fixed the the back of the plastic case,
I didn't want to solder it, because it might melt the case. I simply
stripped the end of the wire, then placed it between the threaded,
square antenna mounting end and the contact that is fixed to the
back of the case, then carefully tightened the screw that holds the
antenna to the case. Not elegant, but it seems to work just fine.

Having 1 kHz tuning steps is a big advantage of the E100 over the
other ultralights, but I notice that my E100 is far more prone to
hets than my DT-200VX, sometimes even on strong, local stations.
Usually tuning 1 or 2 kHz up or down can get rid of the hets on the
E100, but not always. The DT-200VX rarely has hets when tuned to the
same frequency as the E100. I suspect that the stock IF filter in
the E100 is somewhat wider than the one in the DT-200VX.

Regards,
Gary

Hi Gary,

Thanks for replying to my question. My E100 is S/N E10-0704030006,
purchased from Durham Radio back in May.

It does appear that the white tuning shaft to which the tuning knob
attaches does "wobble" a tiny bit when rotated. This may be the
problem, but I'm not sure how to correct it. I'll have to attempt
further disassembly at some point.

(This is just my luck with Eton products I guess. I had two high
serial number E1XM units with bad sync detector noise in USB/LSB
sync, and Eton declined to repair them, saying this was "normal,"
even though it didn't occur on two lower serial number units that I
tested.)

Regards,
Gary

Hello all,

The tuning action on my E100 is smooth and precise over much of its
rotation, but it is stiff and mushy over part of its rotation. Is this
typical? Can it be fixed?

It's not the knob rubbing, because it happens with the knob removed,
and turning the encoder shaft with a thin screwdriver. I don't believe
my E10 has this problem.

I'm particularly interested in hearing from those of you with multiple
E100 units.

Thanks,
Gary

Gary,

 

     Eton has never been inclined to provide service manuals or other assistance to technicians seeking to repair or modify their own units.  All of what we know about the E100's internal circuitry was discovered by investigation and trial and error, including the alignment procedure, IF filter replacement procedure, etc.

 

     In general, the "old" E100's have a pretty good quality control record, but I have seen a defective stock loopstick, and a couple of new units with whip antenna wires broken off.  Eventually the E100 owners will have a detailed record of potential problems, and how to solve them.  If you can solve your tuning shaft problem by disassembly or lubrication, please let us know about your procedure.  Otherwise, an owner with an inoperative E100 might have a part you need, or you could track down a parts unit on eBay, usually very cheaply.

 

     73,  Gary 

Hi Gary,

 

     Thanks for your question.  I have four E100's (admittedly quite a fanatic) but have never run across this problem.  It sounds like friction due to a misaligned tuning shaft.  Have you tried further disassembly of the radio, after taking off the tuning knob?  There is a very detailed file on dxer.ca regarding E100 disassembly. 

     We would also be interested in the serial # of your E100, if you could give it.  To my knowledge, this problem has never been reported in any of the "old" E100's (serial numbers before E10-0709xxxxxx).

                                

      73, Gary DeBock