Is there enough left of the original knobs so you can get reasonably good dimensions from them? If so, I wonder if duplicating one is possible with a 3D printer--and since a lot of libraries offer 3D printers to patrons, you might not even need to buy your own...
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Minitor Minitor II Knob Replacements
- Thread starter trp2525
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Is there enough left of the original knobs so you can get reasonably good dimensions from them? If so, I wonder if duplicating one is possible with a 3D printer--and since a lot of libraries offer 3D printers to patrons, you might not even need to buy your own...
Thank you for your input. That's a decent suggestion but I would imagine you would need to "print" from a fully intact knob to get the best results. (Both of my original factory knobs are in multiple pieces from plastic deterioration/aging since 1988.) You would also need to "print" with a material that would stand up to the mechanical rigors of the original knobs.
I suspect you've never actually seen a Minitor II knob if you think it's that simple. They have multiple groves to keep them seated in the control top, and to keep the elements out.
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@trp2525 do yourself a favor and forget about trying to find the original knobs. Go with the SV style knobs instead. They are fully interchangeable, and the SV knobs were made of better material that holds up over the years, instead of disintegrating like the original rubber knobs do. And of course they're easier to grab ahold of.
In addition to needing new knobs for my Minitor II I found out that I also need a new Phillips head fastener screw (located on the bottom of the pager) that attaches the outer case housing to the inside chassis. My Minitor II was sent to the Motorola pager repair depot MANY years ago and apparently they totally stripped out the head of the Phillips head fastener during the repair process and didn't even bother to replace it while it was there at the depot. They probably used a power driver instead of using a hand tool for re-assembly and that's what stripped out the head. "Leave it for the next repair guy to worry about" I guess!
Anyway does anybody have the Motorola part number for that Minitor II housing-to-chassis Phillips head fastener screw?
Anyway does anybody have the Motorola part number for that Minitor II housing-to-chassis Phillips head fastener screw?
At this point you're better off buying a refurb kit instead of trying to piece it all together. Check out Bob Clark's listings on eBay, he has OEM refurb kits for fair prices, and I've dealt with him many times over the years, reputable guy.
Give this place a call. They did a lot of work for me, when my FD was still using Minitor 2s.
Thanks krokus for that information regarding UCC Wireless. I already contacted them and they said that they do have Minitor II parts in stock but WILL NOT sell to any individual parties under any circumstances. They told me they ONLY sell to Fire Departments or radio dealers with established UCC Wireless accounts and no exceptions to that policy are allowed.
They are a Motorola distributor, not a dealer. However, they do repair pagers. (Which is how I utilized them.)
Thanks everyone for all of your input and suggestions. I ended up purchasing a full OEM Motorola Minitor II refurb kit that came with the stored voice style knobs instead of the standard knobs that tend to break down and crack over the years. Hopefully I will be good to go for quite a while.
The other interesting thing that I found out during my research was that the early production Minitor II pagers actually came with an Allen head screw to fasten the outer case housing to the pager chassis. My Minitor II was an early production unit from around 1987-1988 and thus has the Allen head fastener instead of the usual/customary Phillips head fastener that the later production units have.
Hmm, I don't recall ever coming across one with a hex head, and I've owned many of them over the past 30 years. Must've been a very limited run that came with the hex screw, as the original service manual for the Minitor II SV I have dated 1989 explicitly references a "standard cross-point screwdriver" for removing the housing.
In any event, you'll be much better off with the full kit and the SV knobs, which are nicer anyway. I guess the only mismatch besides the knobs would be the black housing (which was only supplied with the SV models, the non-SV were available in gray, red, or white) and the SV label...none of which affect the performance of the pager itself.
In any event, you'll be much better off with the full kit and the SV knobs, which are nicer anyway. I guess the only mismatch besides the knobs would be the black housing (which was only supplied with the SV models, the non-SV were available in gray, red, or white) and the SV label...none of which affect the performance of the pager itself.
I remember purchasing my Minitor II shortly after they were introduced which I think was back in 1987-1988. I also recall waiting 3-4 months for Motorola to build/assemble it for me after I ordered it. I definitely have a very early production unit which explains the Allen head screw case fastener. When I purchased my unit the stored voice units were not even available for sale yet. Talking with two people very familiar with the Minitor II pagers over the years confirmed that the "very old" ones did in fact have an Allen head screw fastener.
The OEM full refurb kit that I purchased was for the "standard" non-stored voice model (in gray) but substituted the stored voice knobs (2 of the NRN7399A SV on-off/volume control knobs) for the standard NRN4775A knobs. So the only thing that will be a "mismatch" will be the knobs themselves. And like you say they are much easier to grab compared to the original knobs and should last a lot longer.
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