Hi all,
I have been talking to Fritz and trying to figure out why the Universal 1 hand press I own always wants to flip back to Print and not stay on Trip. I can hold the Trip/Print handle on Trip and it will stay in Trip mode, but as soon as I let go it goes back to Print. This press has had this issue since I bought it- I didn’t think it was that big of a problem but I also have only printed on it maybe five times. Do you think it could be the BR7 spring? I am wondering if the press has a wrong replacement spring on it that is too long and is pushing out too much. The serial number of the press is 21838. Thanks.
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The press that had this problem was fixed. I will look through my notes; hopefully they will tell me if it was the new spring or another adjustment that was made along the linkage.
Our Universal 1 is having the same problem. I replaced the BRS-7 spring with the correct part from NA Graphics. When the spring is not in place, the automatic gripper doesn’t stay engaged (it starts to open upon carriage return to the feed board but snaps shut before coming to rest). With the spring in place the automatic gripper functions correctly but the trip lever won’t stay up (in trip mode). If I keep the gripper cam depressed manually (thereby keeping the BRS-7 spring compressed), the trip lever will stay up. This seems to imply something is loose and not providing enough reistantance against the BRS-7 spring.
Any thoughts? (am hoping Martha eventually solved the problem).
Mike
Thank you. I will let you know the result after I receive the new spring.
I went back to the Universal I here, and the gripper cam on it is parallel to the side of the press, where in your first picture it is pushed out further, by the BRS-7 spring. Maybe that is transmitting pressure back to the common pivot point and somehow interfering with the trip lever.
Yes, in picture 2, that is the area. If there aren’t oilholes in the individual pieces, then just get oil in where they pivot and work the mechanism (go on trip, press foot pedal, go back on trip, press foot pedal again, etc.) to distribute the oil.
Hi Eric,
Here is the location of the spring I ordered and a pic of it-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/19138871@N00/3726198569/
Here is under the feed board- I oiled all around this area but I didn’t find an ‘oil cup’- is this te area you are talking about? http://www.flickr.com/photos/19138871@N00/3726199731/
I had the chance to look at a hand Uni I yesterday. The only place where the gripper and trip mechanisms connect is inside the back panel. When the foot-pedal is depressed, the press is automatically put on “print”, and the two mechanisms share a common pivot and lubrication point (an oilcup). You need to lubricate this, and perhaps it will affect the situation.
You’ll also see a couple setscrews that would seem to adjust the position of the trip flipper, but if yours is correct, don’t touch it.
The Trip flipper does seem to move normally. I talked to Fritz again and ordered the BRS-7 spring. Maybe the press has a replacement spring that is incorrect.
Hopefully, the correct will fix the problem.
Eric, how do you know if the nut you are talking about needs to be tightened? Looking over the nuts on the linkages, nothing looks or feels obviously loose to me.
I am sorry, the spring is part BRS-7. It is next to the pin that controls the automatic gripper operation.
I visually followed that linkages and watched the trip from the far side. Then I removed this BRS-7 spring (sorry again for the dropped S)and it stays on Trip now. Of course there needs to be a spring there, but maybe a shorter one? The one I removed is 1 5/16″ long.
This is pretty common on the No. 4, but haven’t seen it on a Universal before (and so haven’t examined the linkages in the mechanism). On the 4 this happens when the bolt that the lever pivots on becomes loose. Perhaps something similar exists on the Universal, but you’ll need to follow the linkages, and I hope they are not concealed as they are on most 4s. There you need to pry open the metal channel enclosing the lever so that a wrench can be put on the nut for tightening.
Does the “trip” flipper move normally? Have a helper wiggle the print/trip lever and watch the “trip” from the far side.
I don’t find a BR-7 spring on the parts list. Where is it?