SB-303 main tuning not feeling smooth enough

[Robert Myers]

Hi,

I had to mess around with the mounting of the LMO on my SB-303 in order to
make the main tuning knob turn more smoothly, nut I still have problems

I think the problem was that the LMO shaft had been slightly non-parallel
with the brass bushing mounted on the front panel, therefore the large
plastic main indicator dial that's mounted to the LMO shaft was probably not
quite parallel to the front panel.  Hence the reduction shaft would also be
slightly 'off' with respect to the front panel bushing as mounts to at right
angles to the plane of the main dial.

I polished small shaft that goes through the brass panel-mounted bushing
with 2000 grit paper to make sure it was nice and smooth (the reduction
shaft that attaches by gripping the large metal lip going around the main
dial).  I also polished the inside of the panel-mounted brass bushing, and
put things back together with a small amount of lube between them as per the
'303 assembly manual.

I remounted the '303's LMO into what looked to be a better position and put
everything back together.

Question 1.
It works quite a bit more smoothly now, but still not as smooth as it should
be (my '401 is smoother, for example).
--> Has anyone got a better procedure for doing this?  Note: The unit is
already built so I'm not quite doing it as per the manual -- I am just
pulling front panel off with all wires still attached to it --- yes, I'm in
danger of braking some plastic dial pieces, but it hasn't happened yet.
I've gone through this a few times, and I can't seem to get it 'properly
smooth.'
Does anyone have some tricks I can try --- it's very frustrating, as you can
never quite tell until it is all assembled again, if you want to go through
the whole thing again to make another attempt to smoothen it -- and you
never know, you could break a dial plastic, or the result could be less
smooth.

Questions 2.
Now the vertical bar that goes along the top of the dial, indicating which
100 KHz segment you are on, is way off (but tuning knob is somewhat
smoother, as I said).
--> Does anyone have a special tool, or technique, for adjusting that
indicator thing as per the manual (you know adjusting vertical mounting
positioning screws first then horizontal mounting position screws next
(screws mounting that thing to the chassis) ---  moving the
vertical/horizontal exact mounting point sequentially so that it causes the
alignment of the vertical white indicator 'more or less' across the dial
after a few iterations?
The thing is I need some tool or method to access those particular screws to
loosen them/tighten them but I don't want to remove the front panel.  I want
to come up from the bottom of the chassis somehow.  Or use some other novel
technique to align the vertical bar as it should be.

Andy advice.

Thanks,
--- Rob 
VE3JQL

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