Roland Space Echo Motor

Service Kit Instructions

NOTE: If you have the Matsushita type motor you cannot replace
the bearings, as it is a sealed motor. You can tell if it is a
Matsushita motor by a dimple in the top of the motor shaft

READ THIS GUIDE THROUGH BEFORE STARTING REPAIR

Disclaimer: Repair of an electrical device should be carried out by a qualified

service technician only. There are lethal voltages inside. Echo Fix takes no
responsibly for personal injury or damage to your device. If you feel that you
are not capable of fitting this kit do not proceed.

Additional Tools you will need:

Internal Circlip Pliers
8mm or 9mm punch tool or wooden dowel (Lower Bearing Removal)
Hammer
#2 Philips Screw Driver
Soldering Iron and solder
Side Cutters
Marker Pen

It is very easy to damage the motor so if you are unsure email me at

info@echofix.com with any questions, as I am happy to help.

How to remove the motor from the unit

MAKE SURE THE SPACE ECHO IS DISCONNECTED FROM ANY

POWER BEFORE PROCEEDING

1. 2 x side screws need to be removed from the unit. There will be 2 x

retaining mounts that hold down the chassis to the wooden cabinet
that will come loose.
2. 5 screws (6 screws on some units) will need to be removed also.

3. Now carefully remove the chassis from the wooden case making sure
to disconnect the reverb cables. You may need to cut 2 x cable ties
that hold the reverb cable to the reverb tank.

4. Place a towel or cloth on your bench and turn the chassis upside
down so you can clearly see the internal circuitry and motor.

5. You will now see the motor (It will be either silver or green depending
on the age of your Space Echo. Follow the cable that extends from
the motor and you will see that the cable is kept in place by a cable tie
or plastic tie. You will need to cut the cable tie so the motor cable
loom is free to move.
6. Follow the cable loom that extends from the motor until you see
where it plugs into the power supply / Motor control circuit board.
Place one finger on the circuit board close to the connector and with
you other hand disconnect the 2 x motor cable connectors. Make sure
you mark with the marker pen which connectors were connected to
which point.

7. Turn the unit over again so you can see the tape mechanism. Where
the motor shaft comes through the chassis you will see 4 x screws
that make a square shape. Remove the 4 x screws and the motor will
drop down.

8. Turn the chassis upside down again and rove the motor. Some
motors, usually the newer units have a metal mounting plate held
down by 4 x brass spacers. Use your marker pen to mark the
orientation of the mounting plate for easy re installation.
Replacing the Motor Bearings

1. Clean the motor shaft with Isopropyl alcohol and a cotton bud then
remove the 4 x screws (sometimes 3 x screws) that hold the motor
cover. (The motor cover will be either silver or green in colour)
2. Remove the motor cover and you will see the motor internals and
windings.

3. Remove the RED or Brown compressed fibre dust washer from the motor
shaft using a sharp poky tool. Sometimes if you turn the motor upside down
the Red washer will just fall off.
4. Remove the internal Circlip with a pair of Internal Circlip Pliers. Make sure
not the scratch or burr the internal aluminium hole as it will be difficult to
remove the upper motor bearing later.
5. Now remove the 3 or 4 washers that are sitting below the circlip you have
just removed. There will be 1 x compression washer. Make note of what
order the washers come out.

6. It is important to thoroughly clean the motor shaft at this stage with

Isopropyl Alcohol right down to where the shaft meets the sealed upper motor
bearing. This will make removal of the upper bearing easier. Sometimes by
pushing the base of the motor shaft back and forth it will move the upper
bearing out of place enough to remove it with your fingers. If not you will need
a sharp poky tool to catch the edge of the bearing and slide it out. Be careful
not to damage and mark the aluminium case the bearing site in as this will
create a metal burr and make removal more difficult.
7. Once you have removed the upper motor bearing you will see a small
circlip that is attached to the motor shaft that was sitting below the upper
motor bearing. This circlip stops the motor flywheel from being removed. To
remove this clip you must use 2 x pokey tools to unclip the circlip. If you bend
the circlip out of shape don’t worry as you can easily bend it back into place
for reattachment later.
9. Now remove the motor shaft flywheel from the bearing enclosure
assembly and carefully set aside.

10. Now with Isopropyl alcohol and a cotton bud totally clean the bearing
enclosure area. You may find that a rubber insulator and a felt
insulator come free from the shaft but do not worry as these are not
needed.
11. Now with Isopropyl Alcohol and a cotton tip totally clean the motor
shaft of all old grease and oil. Make sure not to discard the small
nylon washer.

Note: The lower motor bearing rarely needs to be replaced but if you
choose to do so you must be very careful and competent with tools.
90% of the time you can skip the brass lower bearing replacement
and keep it aside for when the brass bearing is worn out and needs
replacing.
12. To remove the lower brass bearing (Bushing) you will need to use a
8mm or 9mm wooden dowel or metal punch tool and a hammer. Be
careful not to damage the fragile motor windings. Place the new brass
lower motor bearing in the shaft and make sure the new bearing is
exactly straight. A few light taps with the hammer and dowel to set it
in place works best. If you hammer the new bearing when it is not
straight this will cause the bearing to become misshapen and the
motor shaft will not spin freely. Tap the new bearing in until flush with
the assembly like the old bearing was before replacement.
 Make sure the new brass lower motor bearing is flush with the motor
assembly at the same height level as the old bearing.

(Note: The older motors have a shorter brass bearing and the newer motors
have a longer brass bearing. We provide the shorter type as it is more
suitable bearing.

13. Making sure the nylon washer removed earlier is installed. Place a
small amount of clear motor oil (provided) on the bottom of the motor
 shaft that comes into contact with the lower motor bearing. Be sure
not to apply too much oil to the shaft as it can travel up the shaft the
new sealed upper motor bearing later and cause it to become dry and
noisy.

14. Spin the motor fly wheel to make sure it spins freely for at least 5
seconds. If the fly wheel does not spin freely the lower motor bearing
has been installed incorrectly.

15. Once the Flywheel is spinning freely reattach the small circlip to the
motor shaft that you removed earlier. Remember to bend it back into
place if it was damaged from removal.
16. Now push the new upper motor bearing down the motor shaft until it
rests against the motor shaft circlip.
17. Install the washers including the compression washers on top of the
new upper motor bearing. On the older motors there may have been a
13mm nylon shim used and this will not be needed as the new upper
motor bearing is 5mm thick and there is no need for this shim.
18. Using your internal circlip pliers place the larger circlip back into place
into the slots in the assembly.
19. Clean the old grease from the motor can bush and flywheel. Then
place some white grease (Provided) on the bottom of the flywheel that
comes into contact with motor can plastic bushing.
20. Replace the 4 x screws (Sometimes 3) to attach the motor can and
spin the motor shaft with your fingers. The motor shaft should spin
freely for at least 5 seconds. If the motor shaft is difficult to turn you
will need to retrace your steps to rectify the problem.

21. Attach the Red compressed fibre washer and re install the metal
motor mounting plate and brass spacers.
22. Install the motor back into the chassis and reconnect the motor
connectors making sure the connectors are in the correct positions.

HALL EFFECT IC REPLACEMENT

A defective hall effect IC will cause the motor to easily stall and stop
or cause the motor to lose torque and easily stop if you grab the
motor shaft with your fingers while it is running. Another way to tell if
there is a defective hall effect ic is to turn the motor on while holding it
in your hand. If the motor shakes from side to side and doesn’t feel
like it is running smoothly this usually points towards a defective Hall
Effect IC. Replace them both if this is the case.

If you are not experiencing these issues do not replace the hall effect
ICs and keep them for possible future replacement.

As the new IC has a slightly different pin out from the original you will
need to re route the connections as shown below.

Place the side of the IC with the green dot facing out.