Rock-Ola 496-1 Issues

Hi everyone,

I am a Newbie and want to thank all that respond in advance. I will tell you what I know and hopefully someone has the solution. So here we go:

It is a Rock-Ola Signature Series 496-1

1. The Magazine spins continuously and so does the turntable
2. The selection touch pad displays the credits and as the records spin in the magazine the display looks like it is displaying the record numbers
3. I do get credits when I place a quarter in the machine but it will not take a selection number when I try and select one
4. I have removed records from the slots per the manual to time the magazine
5. I am not sure where home is at because some of the labels on the magazine are missing so where I am guessing where home may be, but I am not sure
6. When I place the scan lever to operate with the Test led lit up on the far right on the S-3 and press the S3 button the magazine takes off and doesn't calibrate, it keeps spinning
7. The Opto LED light flashes while the magazine is spinning
8. When I put the Operation switch to off with a record centered I then start to turn the gripper motor manually it will pick up the record, place it on the turntable and I keep manually turning the motor until the arm sets down on the record. I then place the Operation switch to the on position it plays the record perfectly.
9. When it is done playing it places the record back in the magazine and then it begins to spin continuously again until I perform the manual placement again
10. The gripper does place the record on the turntable on either side so that portion works also

Not sure if I have 2 or more issues here or if they go together... the unit not picking and placing the record and magazine spinning continuously along with the turntable and the selection board not taking any selections?

Thanks for any and all suggestions,

Dave

Hi
Sometimes with this series of rockola the battery may cause problems and will need to be replaced
clones

Clean all the ribbon cables and connectors,

IIRC there are two optical switches. One for home and another for record selection. Check alignment. Also look at board that optics are mounted on. Look for cracked solder joints.

eddie wrote:IIRC there are two optical switches. One for home and another for record selection. Check alignment. Also look at board that optics are mounted on. Look for cracked solder joints.

Hi Eddie,
I forgot to mention in my first post, that I am electronically challenged but mechanically I would say that I can fix about anything. Where are these optical switches located
Thanks,
Dave

clones wrote:Hi
Sometimes with this series of rockola the battery may cause problems and will need to be replaced
clones

Thanks Clones,

I will check out the batteries.

Dave

Skiinc1958 wrote:

eddie wrote:IIRC there are two optical switches. One for home and another for record selection. Check alignment. Also look at board that optics are mounted on. Look for cracked solder joints.

Hi Eddie,
I forgot to mention in my first post, that I am electronically challenged but mechanically I would say that I can fix about anything. Where are these optical switches located
Thanks,
Dave

To the the right of the record magazine. Where the flashing red light is.

Thanks Eddie, I will look into it.

Dave

Again..going from memory. But I think if you look there is a disc with a row of hole representing the records. On the outer ring there is only one hole. Representing the home position. Not saying that is where the problem is, but a place to start. Clean and adjust the opticals and look the solder joints. I have found you need to clean all the ribbon cables and connectors and reflow some solder joints. use magnification. Also look at the relays on the board behind the turntable.

Dave: Regarding Home position. It's the big gap in the record basket wires between selections 100 and 199. At this position the selection section of the display should be blank unless you are keying in a selection. At "home", this gap is centered at the top beneath the gripper arm and the MicroSwitch roller has dropped into the cam notch. Be sure to check the Micro as described in the "stickies" at the top of this forum for proper operation in both NC and NO at the three contacts. The 496 has a simplified MicroSwitch assembly different from earlier models. As for selections, make sure your S3 controller LED is lit for normal operating. I don't have one in front of me right now, so this is from (my faulty) memory.
Patrick

Thank you everyone for the ideas and information. I will spend some time this weekend and try these ideas out. I will report back on any progress.
Thanks everyone