Ami Continental 2 Jukebox, after move does not play

Rob-NYC wrote:Gregg, the T-T proble can be:



-The idler puck is totally hardened and can't get traction. Probably not the cause if it was working recently.



Rob

Rob-NYC

It looks like the idler puck is not getting traction , if I hold it against the motor spindle with pressure it spins at what I"m guessing is the right speed

please look at this youtube video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lEvraKIsts
Do I need new rubber for the idler wheel?

Thanks Gregg

Gregg,
"Holding it" that way will not prove anything--did you clean it--clean the inside of the turntable, and the motor shaft, too--then oil the motor and the idler wheel bearing, as well as the linkage, with the proper oil, --then try it

Alright

I have cleaned all the parts that needed cleaning and oiled the motor and wheel bearing as described in the manual.

I put all the pins facing backward and finally it stopped playing all the selections and the transfer bar went back into the correct place.

However , after pushing the selection buttons nothing is happening. I'm not sure if there is any credits , how do I make sure this is set to free play , also is there a way to force it to play a selection.

Thanks Gregg

There should be a "free play" credit button which IIRC is located under the front of the shelf that hold the dome. It is a black button on a bracket. The front section has to be unlocked and slid out.

You can always just try a quarter....don't be cheap.

Rob

My memory ( which is great--but not too long !) says it's a red colored button, located on the upper right side of the cabinet, under the dome ?
I think AMi used both red, and black buttons interchangeably--and I may be thinking of another model (only had 1 cup of coffee so far this AM) Ron Rich

Looks like we were both right:
http://www.blackforest-warehouse.de/Juk ... mport.html Scroll through the pics and you'll see it as a red button just under the front of the top deck at the right.

The ones on my machines were black but in the same position. The H-I-J models that I've owned all had the same button-bracket but mounted on the rear side wall next to the power supply.

It funny how the Continentals were not bothered with when I bought them in 1986 and 1987. I paid $120 for the #1 and $150 for the 2 (probably because it was more colorful).

Both needed replating as did all early 60's AMI/Rowe machines. They had used some "new" (read: cheaper) plating scheme and all the pot metal castings were peeling on Continental and "L" models.

Rob

Ok , now that I'm able to add a credit the buttons work but all that is happening is the wiper board never stop rotating

here is a youtube video

http://youtu.be/PEiy0TaS5Js

thanks Gregg

The two main causes for that are:

1) Worn wipers in the search unit. Examine the wipers for wear at the elbow.

2) Poor contact in one of the plugs going to the keyboard. While the unit is searching wiggle the plugs one at a time and see if that suddenly causes it to stop and punch.

Rob

Ok , I went back to JackosJukes's suggestion and pulled the wiper off rebent them a a higher angle , also cleaned the contacts. this time it stopped spinning and now it seems like it is working normally. 'The selection buttons are working correctly.

After cleaning the idle parts and turntable and oiling , the speed now seems normal instead of too slow.

Seems like it is working like a normal Jukebox Thanks to everyones help on this forum especially rob-NYC

There is no needle in the cartridge so I can't play records just yet, where do you recommend I get one? There is one on ebay the seller says will work.

I'll report back after I get the needle , then lets address the hum

thanks Gregg




http://www.ebay.com/itm/MAGNETIC-CARTRIDGE-FOR-AMI-F-G-H-I-J-K-LYRIC-CONTINENTAL-1-2-JUKEBOXES-/201299139512?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ede5d1bb8

Gregg,
Glad it's going !
For needles--
READ, above--"New-used parts--where to find---"
Ron Rich

Gregg, what is in that arm right now is a ceramic pickup -not magnetic as original.

Ceramics are not directly compatible with the input as it was designed, so before buying a magnetic you need to check the input of the amp to see what changes have been made....if any.

I say "if any" because in what I've seen done to machines it is just possible that someone just stuck a ceramic in there and "thought" that it sounded good even with the distortion and bad frequency response that would result if no mods are done.

So, check to see if anything has been done either outside, or inside the amp.
Fortunately the input stage on these is quite simple and any changes would have occurred right at the input.

Using the schematic: http://www.verntisdale.com/schem/conta.jpg Check for the presence of these parts and their values. A technician who writes in Always jukin has long advocated modding magnetic input on AMi and later Rowe machines to use a ceramic cart. I can't see a good reason for doing this as even the basic magnetic's used in this sort of setup is superior to any ceramic. The -only- advantage I see in a ceramic is that they generally can tolerate heavier tracking force that these crude, unbalanced juke arms impose on pickup and record. Since you linked to an E-bay seller who offers a cart he claims to be suitable for AMI arms, I'd ask him for some actual data on tracking force and user experience. that cart would certainly be better than either the original or what is there now, but those arms are not well balanced and there is a fair amount of lateral friction and a wide variation of tracking force due to the crude spring used to set the tracking weight.

On this type of arm I always eliminated that spring and added a counterweight to set the force:
http://s1192.photobucket.com/user/Rob-N ... rt=2&o=101 Here is required careful cutting of the mech dress cover to clear the counterweight.

http://s1192.photobucket.com/user/Rob-N ... ort=2&o=13 On this I-200 no cutting was needed.

However......If you really don't want to deal with reconverting it, that cart is probably a pfanstiehl p 132d. Look up images and see if that is correct. Styli are cheap.

Rob