LS3 Plays a handful then stops.

Haven't posted in a while...My Seeburg LS3 has been playing really well after all the initial help from Ron. But now I'm finally seeing a new issue and am looking for some direction.

I looked for some info both online and in Rons microlog troubleshooting guide but couldn't find a symptom that matched:

Lets say I key in 20 songs. The juke will play, maybe, 10 of them (I've never counted and I'm not sure if it's the same every time) and then it stops (doesn't 'double scan' back and forth or anything), it acts like there's no more selections.

Then, if I key in something new, it'll continue playing the selections it didn't play before (plus the new one I keyed in) up to about the same number of songs (maybe a dozen at the most). Then it'll stop again...etc.

Where should I look?

Thanks all (and especially Ron ) who keep these jukes running all over the world just because of their comments here!

Hi Bob,
Not quite sure what you symptoms are--is the motor shutting off--is it going to "home" (approx 1/275) when it does this ?
Ron Rich

Ron Rich wrote:Not quite sure what you symptoms are--is the motor shutting off--is it going to "home" (approx 1/275) when it does this ?

Sorry for the lack of clarity. It behaves exactly like there were no more selections. So it rejects the record, goes directly home and then stops (it does not pass go. it does not collect $200 )

Hi Bob,
See my Seeburg MicroLog Trouble Shooting Guide, page 20, third symptom from top--and page 24--read-out check--
Ron Rich

Cool, I'll look it over and report back. Thanks Ron!

Rob, these are machines I have not dealt with for over 26 years but, It sounds like the scan-add coil is either not being consistently triggered or the ratchet is slipping back on notch. When this happens on any of the machines with mechanical scan assembly the mech will make only one pass so any selection that would have required the mech to revisit the same section would simply not get read.

Clearly, the selections are being written in and not read-out until the scan is initiated again.

Pull out the control center and tilt it up so you can observe the scan assembly. Does the right hand coil pulse up with each selection entered? Try making only one selection reject it (or play ) and see if the mech always makes two passes before stopping. Look closely at the action of the scan unit to see if there is sluggishness or binding.

Rob-NYC

Real quick check of the scan control is to type in #179 , then #279,--if it plays both, and scans again, before resting, the scan control is OK-- Ron Rich

Ron Rich wrote:type in #179 , then #279,--if it plays both, and scans again, before resting, the scan control is OK

I typed in these two selections...it played #179, immediately played #279 (no scanning between). After it finished that song, it scanned twice and reset (ie stopped). So I think that means scan controls is OK (?).

Now 2 somewhat related questions (I dont want to veer too far off topic, but they're both generally related):

1: How do i access the 'front' of the mechanism (by 'front' i mean the side that faces the record rack...I think this is considered the 'back' to a technician?)? I'm talking about being able to, more easily, reach the detent switch and the bottom of the clutch section for maintenance and lubrication. Do I just try to position it as near to selection 100 as possible and reach the best I can?

2: What's the logic for the order it plays songs. Mine never plays them in order they're keyed in, and I dont think its supposed to, right? Does it basically just pick 'the closest' song in the queue to the previously played selection and plays that next?

EDIT: AND HAPPY NEW YEAR ROB AND RON!

Bob,
It "scanned twice--" ? No--it should have scanned to 179, played it, scanned and reversed to play 279, then scanned to 100, and back to 179, the reversed and stopped at apron 1/275-- Iz you sure ???
Read the I. and O. Manual for instructions as to how to access the mechanism (what I consider the front)--Also, If you have a copy, read my "warning" about this procedure in my "Seeburg Mechanism Guide"--
The MicroLog models select any "written in" selection any time the mechanism passes them going in the correct direction. (This isalso covered in my mech guide). Ron Rich

Ron Rich wrote:Bob,
It "scanned twice--" ? No--it should have scanned to 179, played it, scanned and reversed to play 279, then scanned to 100, and back to 179, the reversed and stopped at apron 1/275-- Iz you sure ???

No...I'z not sure I think what you say here is exactly what it did. When I said "it didn't scan after 179" I basically meant "the mech didn't go all the way down the rack and back". It sounded like it might have gone, like, one detent (I know it didn't but that's what it sounded like..it just reversed), then loaded 279. And I doubted when I said "scanned twice" at the end...I think it went to the end (100), then came back..and that was it. "twice" probably wasn't correct.

As a side note: this morning I've been putting in just 3-4 selections at a time...and it's never missed a single one. It only seems to 'stop playing' (before all selections are played) if you choose more than about 10 at a time. (I did this in order to figure out if it was a specific selection causing it to stop for some reason...haven't found that selection yet if that's the case)

Bob,
Dono what to tell you--I would use procedure chart #3, in my TBL Shooting Guide----figure out if you have a write-in, or read-out problem, then go from there--Also--check DCC Service Notes--especially note on C12--Ron Rich

No problem Ron, you've been very helpful already and it'll get me tinkering in the right direction. Thanks for all your help. As always I'd never be able to own this juke (and keep it running) without your advice.

Happy New Year.