Add an Aux/Line-In to Motorola Console??

Hi again everyone,

The magic of the 3-channel Motorola console with the (now-fixed) tripping issue continues! This time, I have a question for you all that I have no idea if it can (or should) be performed, so I thought I would ask some of the experts around this forum to get their input (lame joke, I know...)

Basically, the buddy of mine who owns the Motorola console he recently found, model SK22, and I helped to restore loves the console so much that he was asking me the other day if it would be possible to add an Auxilary/Line-In jack to the console. He was hoping that by doing that he could play his iPod through it, and doing so would enable to downsize his remaining stereo equipment because he would have a 4-speed turntable, AM/FM radio and ersatz iPod station all in one unit. My impression on this is that it could probably be done, but it would be a royal pain to perform (since there are 5 speakers divided into 3 channels, each with their own defined set of frequency responses that would to be accounted for) and it would probably cost some serious $$$, perhaps to the point where it would cost more than what the console is valued at. (And NO, this would probably not be something I would try myself!)

What are your guys' thoughts on this? On one hand, the console sounds AMAZINGLY GOOD-even in today's standards-and I know it would outperform even some of the more pricey modern equipment, and doing this would allow him to enjoy his Motorola even more since he doesn't have nearly as many records as I do

But on the other hand, I don't want to lug the console all the way downtown to my vintage electronics shop to have a Line-In installed if the results aren't going to be worth it, and even if it is possible I have no idea how much money would be involved in something like this. All I know is that for a reference point, my shop charges $50/hour and that doesn't include supplies. Not to mention that this would probably be a massive job to perform; it's not like adding a Line-In to an old radio or "1-tube wonder" amp, which I have seen done and is relatively quick and easy.

Thanks!

If there is no extra" position on the input switch, nor any aux input on the chassis, the next place to consider is the phono input.

If the phono uses a ceramic pickup you can "Y" a jack in parallel with the pickup. The -much- lower source impedance of the 'Pod will effectively mute the pickup whenever it is plugged in.


The complication here is that some of these consoles have a switching setup that allows the turntable to control power to the whole receiver, so you may have to jump that feature with a switch or just accept letting the turntable run w/out a record when playing a Pod.

Rob/NYC

Rob, thanks so much for the tips! I now know that a) adding a Line In jack to this player is possible, and b) it actually doesn't sound overly complicated. When my buddy bought the console I installed a new Pfanstiehl 228 ceramic cartridge for him since the old Sonotone it originally came with had seen better days, so I could ask that the jack simply be in parallel with the tonearm, right?

And as far as the turntable goes, it does actually power the entire unit and amp, so if my buddy does decide to do this I will be sure to tell him NOT to set the iPod directly on the platter!

Now, the only question I have left is how much (relatively speaking) would getting this installed cost? Although I consider myself relatively skilled in restoring these players, I don't want to take the chance of messing something up while modding a 51 year old amp that already works perfectly to accept something that the designers of the console never could have intended for. So this is something I would certainly leave up to the professionals at Vintage Music. Would it not be wrong to guess it would probably take 45 minutes to an hour (which would cost approx. $50 + parts) to ensure that the job is done right?

The cost varies from near zero to slight.

If the phono connects with RCA plugs you can just get two "Y" adapter and an RCA to 1/8 in to fit the 'Pod.

Or you can just solder the Pod cord to the terminals where the pickup wires connect on the turntable. Depending on TT model there may be a mute switch that shorts the sound when the changer is handling a record. So it may be necessary to leave the TT in play mode, you can add a switch to shut the motor if you want.

A more expensive but non invasive approach is to buy one of those FM oscillators that allow the Pod to play through the FM radio. Personally I prefer direct connection.

Rob

Rob-NYC wrote:The cost varies from near zero to slight.

If the phono connects with RCA plugs you can just get two "Y" adapter and an RCA to 1/8 in to fit the 'Pod.

Or you can just solder the Pod cord to the terminals where the pickup wires connect on the turntable. Depending on TT model there may be a mute switch that shorts the sound when the changer is handling a record. So it may be necessary to leave the TT in play mode, you can add a switch to shut the motor if you want.

A more expensive but non invasive approach is to buy one of those FM oscillators that allow the Pod to play through the FM radio. Personally I prefer direct connection.

Rob

I believe the SK22 is a phono-only console - so no FM radio.
That said, the only other alternative is to utilize the existing phono input(s) wired to an external set of jacks on the rear.
An over-ride switch can also be installed to power up the amp chassis without having the changer running for no reason.

Matt, I mentioned the FM because the original poster said that it had a radio. Outside of the Mag and GE sets and some European consoles, I don't have much familiarity with these home units.

Rob

Hi again guys,

My bad-his model is actually an SK33, not an SK22. I got the last two numbers mixed up, and the SK33 has an AM/FM radio in it. But I agree with Rob that a direct connection to a Line-In would be better, since he could also use it as an amp for, say, a tape player or portable CD player rather than just having a radio oscillator recognize an iPod and nothing else.

We both work at the same company, so I will talk to him about this on our lunch break tomorrow and I'll see if he's still up for having the unit tweaked to accept a Line-In using the methods you all have described. Thanks!

Rob-NYC wrote:Matt, I mentioned the FM because the original poster said that it had a radio. Outside of the Mag and GE sets and some European consoles, I don't have much familiarity with these home units.

Rob

So noted Rob.
Indeed, as the OP has posted a wrong model number and I went by that fact - as I looked up the schematic from my database.
This of course leads to confusion now.

But the MODEL SK33 has a TAPE input and selector for any external use.

I hope this now clears things up.

Matt, are you sure that the SK33 had a tape input when it was new? Because his console doesn't have an input for any device other than the radio and record player, and there's no third input selector option on the function control dials. If you're right, perhaps the previous owner(s) removed it for some reason? I'll have to look into this.

Take a look inside on the chassis itself. My Magnavox had them hidden on the main chassis. I guess that back in those days and for this sort of market adding a tape recorder was considered a job for a tech. Also, I've see several imports and domestic sets where the tape play and phono were just paralleled onto one button or selector position.

Rob/NYC

MusicMan93 wrote:Matt, are you sure that the SK33 had a tape input when it was new? Because his console doesn't have an input for any device other than the radio and record player, and there's no third input selector option on the function control dials. If you're right, perhaps the previous owner(s) removed it for some reason? I'll have to look into this.

The model SK33 with the HS-775 tuner/preamp chassis has the phono/tape jacks located on the chassis proper.

It would be better to add a double pole double throw switch to select between the phono and the external lines. You do not want to feed voltage from an ipod to the ceramic cartridge.

Or you could extend the phono lines (if ceramic and with RCA plugs) out the back of the console, plug them into a stereo source switch box, and run a stereo pair from the switch box to the phono input jacks on the preamp. Connect your other sources to the switch box.