Thread Number: 56597
Hoover A3688 Computer control 1100 |
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Post# 789151   10/15/2014 at 14:54 (3,477 days old) by sesteve (London, UK)   |   | |
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As some of you know I picked up this gem of a British Classic last night (it stopped me getting my A3060 fixed but that can wait a couple more days) and I have to say it is probably the best used machine I've picked up to date. It's in really good condition apart from the mouldy door boot and seems to have had little use. I forget how these old machines go straight into spin - made me jump lol
I ran a cleaning wash last night with a bit of Ariel Actilift and it didn't half foam up. I have been advised by Gary that a brand of powder called Snob is the stuff to use in these old classics so will get some and give it a go. I reckon the computer this was based on was a ZXSpectrum as it seems less advanced than the Servis Quartz or Hotpoint Microprofile IMHO but it's great to see the difference between this and the timer model especially the final spin sequence Will try and do a video at the weekend but here are a few pics for now :) S |
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Post# 789337 , Reply# 1   10/16/2014 at 15:38 (3,476 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK)   |   | |
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Congratulations Steve, it looks a fine specimen, not rusty streaks or steam fogging to be seen. Must admit I was a bit amazed when I first had a peek inside and saw all those individual wires when others where using ribbon cables.
Great washers though and fab watching in the dark with all the neons going!! Just watch the paint on the fascia and particularly dispenser drawer , it can wipe off easily with chemical help, had to do a spray job on my noir one!! Not sure if they produced a matching dryer colourwise, must ask Paul as the grey was the Comet and Independant exclusive!!
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Post# 789338 , Reply# 2   10/16/2014 at 15:43 (3,476 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK)   |   | |
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Post# 789341 , Reply# 3   10/16/2014 at 15:50 (3,476 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK)   |   | |
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Touch Ups r Us...used Halfords matt satin black, lightly rubbed the paint off and used a wash of thinners, heated it dry with hot hairdryer, 1 coat of undercoat and then 1 coat of finnish, sealed it with a wax coat!!
Just need to finish off with new a new wording stencil now. |
Post# 789342 , Reply# 4   10/16/2014 at 15:52 (3,476 days old) by marky_mark (From Liverpool. Now living in Palm Springs and Dublin)   |   | |
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Post# 789344 , Reply# 5   10/16/2014 at 15:57 (3,476 days old) by marky_mark (From Liverpool. Now living in Palm Springs and Dublin)   |   | |
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Post# 789345 , Reply# 6   10/16/2014 at 15:59 (3,476 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK)   |   | |
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Post# 789347 , Reply# 7   10/16/2014 at 16:06 (3,476 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK)   |   | |
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Heres the white model down @ La Bagwash Penkeraage, Staffordshire, with its latest siblings.
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Post# 789349 , Reply# 8   10/16/2014 at 16:15 (3,476 days old) by miele4life (UK )   |   | |
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nice Computer Control here which was manufactured in March 1988, like seeing the different versions over the years and they all still look good. :) |
Post# 789350 , Reply# 9   10/16/2014 at 16:16 (3,476 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK)   |   | |
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And a look on the inside, traditional Hoover, but with upgraded electronic controls and motor.
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Post# 789353 , Reply# 10   10/16/2014 at 16:28 (3,476 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK)   |   | |
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Hi Mark, yes heavy soil, pre wash and extended time, normal, and economy lower temp extended wash time, will dig out the manual for exact timings etc.
Evening Alan, yes they are design classics arnt they, did you have Hoover washers in your family? Image courtesy of Matchbox Paul.
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Post# 789431 , Reply# 11   10/17/2014 at 05:27 (3,476 days old) by electron1100 (England)   |   | |
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These are very well thought out and sophisticated machines, a lot of the sophisticared design is not obvious, it has 3 wash actions and 3 wash speeds, all the rinses are shorter than those machines with mechanical timers, the spin balance on the final spin works very well, it is a pity Hoover dropped this on the Computer logic 1300.
And as already mentioned selecting "economy" lowers the temperature but increases the washing time, It had a fantastic "mixed wash" that went on as long as you like, and of course a very handy quick wash To me they represent the ultimate in performance of the Hoover 1100 range, they are very well built and utterly serviceable the electronics are beautifully built aswell, the only problem I ever had with the various ones of these I got were some of the LEDs on the display would go, fortunately I had spare boards with them on. If I had to choose a computer controlled machine of any age it would be one of these. I hope you enjoy it Steve Gary Ps this was the first Hoover machine I bought when I got into old hoover machines, I drove from Cornwall to Burnley to collect this, ahh happy days :-)
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This post was last edited 10/17/2014 at 06:48 |
Post# 789555 , Reply# 12   10/18/2014 at 09:18 (3,475 days old) by chestermikeuk (Rainhill *Home of the RailwayTrials* Merseyside,UK)   |   | |
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Hi Gary, yes great classics, can you add any more about the wash rhythms had forgotten about that and any info on the motors? Is this motor unique to this model and similar on the 1300 series?
The first one I ever saw was a friend in Manchester who had upgraded from the washer and dryer his mum had given him when he moved into his own house, this was in a little laundry and there was a black computer control next to an English Electric 474 dryer, that washer was still going and having been passed back to his gran!! |
Post# 789565 , Reply# 13   10/18/2014 at 12:19 (3,474 days old) by electron1100 (England)   |   | |
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Hello Mike
The 1100s used a standard Hoover 1100 motor, where as the 1300 used a more or less standard logic motor only with a built in "snubber" basically a spark killer to stop any arcing from the brushes disrupting the power supply and hence the computer circuitry. The variable wash rythms I never used as I only ever washed cottons in my machine, I dare say the 3rd speed/rhythm may have been used for woollens/delicates etc I remember the mixed wash, once it had reached temperature(40) it would tumble the clothes once every hour, you gotta love those 555 timer Ic,s :-), a great program for soaking If I can dig out the Hoover big book of words I can look it up. Gary |
Post# 789667 , Reply# 14   10/19/2014 at 13:44 (3,473 days old) by sesteve (London, UK)   |   | |
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Hi Mike
It's good to see the differences in the models. This one has a weight on the top and bottom of the tub but doesn't seem to make much of a difference to stability. I'm not sure why they used two pressure switches on these models either. Gary - I take back what I said about the ZXSpectrum - there is more to it than meets the eye. I like the way when you set it going the heater kicks in as soon as the water level is reached and that it stays on and carries on tumbling if it needs to top up with water. Something a lot of new machines could learn from as they keep stopping and starting. One thing that would've improved this machine would have been for the pump to run on for a bit after the interim spins. The Quartz was the same as it would get rid of the suds more easily. Still I am living this machine and the Snob powder seems to be doing well with the towels that are in after the first spin Cheers S :)
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Post# 789755 , Reply# 15   10/20/2014 at 06:11 (3,473 days old) by electron1100 (England)   |   | |
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Hello Steve
yes the top up is a good feature, the 1300 had this aswell, I think in time the suds will drop more and more as the old crud in there gets washed out, I only use about 60ml of powder on towels and barely a sud in sight. There are two things you can do to improve this machines spin performance, 1st is get a suspension kit and some Molykote DX paste, at this sort of age the suspension rubbers will be fooked. The DX paste is expensive (about £15 a tube)but it is the correct grade for these machines. Also another top tip, the front and rear wheels on these machines can move side to side on the there shafts, well Mat and I have both found that shimming them with washers to the point they have no side play and are very stiff to turn helps with the stability of the machine. I always a found a them better if sat on a suitable size piece of carpet, also the floor they sit on is influential, my kitchen floor is like a spring board and slopes in all directions so it was a lot of fiddling to get my machine to spin well. However when in the garage I found all the machines I had span better on a solid floor. The dual pressure switches I think are to do with the door lock, this cant be opened if there is water in the machine if some thing goes wrong and also it might be a safety cut out for the heater if the water level for what ever reason drops to low Right I have emptied my brain again so I am off to rest it :-) Gary |
Post# 789910 , Reply# 16   10/21/2014 at 10:41 (3,471 days old) by HooverZanMiele (Scunthorpe, UK)   |   | |
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As Mike showed us a shot of his black version Computer Control A3268 machine, I'll add my comment to this. CLICK HERE TO GO TO HooverZanMiele's LINK |
Post# 790018 , Reply# 17   10/22/2014 at 04:05 (3,471 days old) by miele4life (UK )   |   | |
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the answer is yes, there's a picture of me as a baby in a high chair with a 1980-82 Electronic model in the background, it would be replaced with my childhood Electra in mid-1990 :) |