I'll do this test tonight after the listening session.
Great suggestion to isolate the problem to the board or motor.
Are Replacements Available for the ARC LS5 MKII Motorized Control Pot and Board?
I recently picked up an LS5 MKII. It has not been modified. I found a few issues that the seller didn't mention. I didn't question this as I paid very little and I really enjoy restoring old gear, any kind.
I have replaced all the electros, obtained 10 NOS Amperex 6DJ8 tubes from Brent Jessee, and replaced the output caps with 3.3 uf Vcap ODAMs. I am burning all this in right now. The sound is great!
However, there's more left to do. The Source/Monitor function does not work. I replaced the switch (gee, that was hard) but the problem persisted. I haven't done a detailed test of the control board yet. A problem for later as I have a work around right now.
The biggest problem is the motorized volume control. It doesn't work at all. I have the AR remote. The mute function does work, but not the volume control. I talked to Audio Research about this. After thinking a bit, AR said repair would be very expensive as they would have to re-engineer this function since replacement parts are not now available. AR didn't say which. Right now I'm using a Fosi P4 as volume control. I also use a GEQ, so the path is Preamp -> P4 -> GEQ -> Power amp (ML #27). I'd like to use the tape loop for these functions as I've done with the AR LS22.
Ideal would be a direct drop in replacement. I've seen the large variety of motor control pots and boards on Ali Express and eBay. I really would like a cleaner solution.