Magnavox Astro-Sonic Console Info Needed

Hello!

I picked up a Magnavox Micromatic console for my girlfriend for Valentine's Day, and have been trying to get it back up to snuff. It is in great condition, and all works perfect---except the record player! So that isn't leaving much. But the radio, and tape input, etc. all sound great. When I play a record? Very, very weak. It almost sounds like the amp isn't kicking in or something? I have to turn the loudness to max to hear anything. My brother is convinced it is the amp, but I want to be 100% certain before I buy a new pre-amp to put inside. One thing that has me curious is the wiring. This thing looks like someone has tinkered with it at some point, and I'm curious if:

(1) The wiring is even right
(2) The cartridge is or isn't junk

I can find a ton of wiring diagrams AFTER the turntable, but I can't find any that shows how the actual wiring is on the turntable itself. For instance, I can't figure out which of these wires (white, brown, blue-grayish) are ground, right speaker, left speaker. This is a picture of the underside of the turntable. Sorry for flash...it took some color out.



I'm going nuts tinkering, trying to figure out what possible piece needs replacing. Or if the whole thing needs junked.

You're up late, Matt.

Thom wrote:You're up late, Matt.

I've been on this PC off and on for over 12 hours now.
Sunday morning my C: drive died, and I went out in the brutal cold to get a new one, along with some DDR memory.
It's not fun having to RE-install the operating system AND all the programs I use.
Thank god all my schematics, etc are on D: drive and safe.

I have mine on two separate hard drives and backed up on DVDs. I don't fancy losing my data. The same thing happened last year on my laptop but I made out alright.

Welp, I said screw it and bought a new cartridge. I have no clue if the wiring inside is proper, but guess I'll find out once I get this new EV 275 cartridge replacement and solder it on.

The item in your pic is the mute switch that shorts out the pickup during record handling to avoid thumps.

Whatever you do...Do NOT solder directly on the cart. you will ruin it.

Rob/NYC

VincentAlexander wrote:Welp, I said screw it and bought a new cartridge. I have no clue if the wiring inside is proper, but guess I'll find out once I get this new EV 275 cartridge replacement and solder it on.

I don't know why anyone would tamper with those wires going to the muting switch, and there shouldn't be any soldering involved installing a new cartridge, but where did you purchase your EV 275 (for future reference)? Oh, I think an Astatic 165D should work as well. --BB

Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona