[hyounce]

Just acquired a mystery Control on Ebay, only to discover that the mainspring is broken. Before I can get to it, I presume that I have to remove the dial plate, and it is resisting. How do you remove the center piece? I will also have to heat and straighten the dial plate.

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[Ron Ramirez]

Just twist the center piece counterclockwise - it works best if you press down somewhat on the center piece with the palm of your hand and twist counterclockwise. The center piece will come off like a screw with a large head (no dirty jokes, please!).

Once the center piece is off, you will see three screws which hold the dial in place. Removing these screws will allow you to remove the dial.

I'm afraid I can't help you with the broken spring - never have had a Mystery Control in my possession with a broken spring.

[hyounce]

Thanks, Ron. I did finally mange to disassemble the unit. I was afraid to get too aggressive for fear that I would break the cap. It ended up being very firmly attached, but knowing how it was attached was very helpful. Looked around for a suitable clock spring, but was unable to find anything that wouldn't have required major reworking. Reluctantly, I had to return it to the seller, knowing full well that it may be awhile before another unit comes on the market.

In the meantime, I'll work on restoring the basic receiver. I understand that it will be functional without the remote controller. Somewhere I saw a home brew unit that an individual put together utilizing a telephone dial and a solid state transmitter. Are you aware if any more information is available on the specifics of that device?