Newbie with questions: Rock Ola 504 - where to start?

a_gunslinger · by **a_gunslinger** » Tue Dec 29, 2015 12:39 am

Just acquired a 1965-67 Rock Ola Model 504. Has no power cord. Trying to find a manual online as well. But where to start? Known replacement cord re sellers? Best steps to not fry it (presuming it still works? Many, many questions ;^)

by **Ron Rich** » Tue Dec 29, 2015 1:23 am

Well,
You might start by reading and following the "advice" in the posts above this one, in the "Announcement/sticky" sections--
Second--if the photo is what you have acquired- It is not a "music player". It is a "Wall box", which needs to be connected to another source, such as originally, a "jukebox", for it to play music. Ron Rich

clones · by **clones** » Tue Dec 29, 2015 2:17 am

Hi
The wall box can be either connected to a rockola jukebox in general from the sixties or seventies or it can be interfaced with an ipod using a wipod adapter from cdadapter.com. In either case the supply to it is twenty five VAC.
clones

a_gunslinger · by **a_gunslinger** » Tue Dec 29, 2015 3:41 am

Thanks clones. Any advice on cleaning it up first? Any known components to check and address?

clones · by **clones** » Tue Dec 29, 2015 5:13 pm

Hi
Make sure motor isn't seized, a bit of oiling may help, clean all relay contact points and contact points(brass) on the selection wafer its circle shaped. The keyboard contact points may need cleaning. You would need the manual to make sure you have all the bits in it maybe post a few photos of the inside of it. Its the kind of thing that needs to be hooked up with a jukebox and work away from there and see how it goes whether a selection can be made and its the correct selection. If you pair it up with a jukebox you will need a stepper for the jukebox. If you use one of the wipod interfaces from cdadapter.com you will need to power the wall box up from a transformer with an output of 25vac, the instructions are on the website. Most wall boxes i get if the motor is ok and all the bits are in it they usually can be brought back to life
clones

a_gunslinger · by **a_gunslinger** » Tue Dec 29, 2015 5:44 pm

Ron Rich wrote:Well,
You might start by reading and following the "advice" in the posts above this one, in the "Announcement/sticky" sections--
Ron Rich

Thanks for the reminder. I will double check. I did browse them but didn't find anything specific enough for my "totally new to this" position.

a_gunslinger · by **a_gunslinger** » Tue Dec 29, 2015 5:46 pm

Thanks again clones. Good info. I am trying to find the manual. I was surprised that I couldn't find it deep in the dark recesses of the internet, going to have to pay for it ;^) Will post some inside photos of the box as well.

by **Ron Rich** » Tue Dec 29, 2015 5:58 pm

I would suggest "Attn: all members--", and "Attn: Newbies--", would be an excellent starting point--??
Ron Rich

DoghouseRiley · by **DoghouseRiley** » Tue Dec 29, 2015 7:13 pm

Hi!

I've one of those. But I only use it to play itunes playlists from my laptop.
It was non-functioning, so I changed the speakers which were shot for bigger ones, and connected a 6v adapter to power the lights. I've a cheap stereo amplifier which provides the sound. The title cards display my most used telephone numbers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EFV25tY0fc

If you want to use this as it is supposed to be as has been mentioned by Clones, you need a 25v a/c supply to power it. They are cheap enough. Put a 1amp fuse in-line when you connect it. You can check out if it is likely to work, by making a selection to see if the pulse train sender is operational.
Your biggest problem is what to do next. A compatible jukebox in good order will cost you quite a bit of money.

Your other option is what I've got. This provides the nostalgia experience. All the information you need is in the You-Tube write-up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIjaHH-qbPU

As you will see in the video I have two of these. I run two wall boxes off the same adapter.

a_gunslinger · by **a_gunslinger** » Tue Dec 29, 2015 7:56 pm

Thanks DogHouse! I actually saw your YouTube post in one of my searches for info. ;^)

Yours is exactly what I will do probably - just ipod it with an amp and redo the song titles to match. Got a parts list and maybe a show of the insides I can reference? Will watch that other video as well.

Any tips on case restoration? Especially the chrome?

clones · by **clones** » Tue Dec 29, 2015 11:14 pm

Hi
Re chrome restoration as one man would put it, you can either get it rechromed, repaint it or pretend its not there. It its only slightly pitted you could clean it up as best you could. Any of the rockola 500 series wallboxes as far as I can see hadn't a great coating of chrome on them. In the US you have probably got more outlets for rechroming than in Ireland. There are a lot of restrictions on rechroming with epa licensing. Most parts here are sent to the UK and can work out expensive.
clones

by **Ron Rich** » Wed Dec 30, 2015 12:31 am

Clones,
The "EPA", I guess, is a vast conspiracy, all over the world--at least here in California, and Ireland--
One of my neighbors, owned and operated the last re-chrome shop in San Francisco . He wanted to keep it open so he complied with the EPA "requested" changes in operation, and machines to the tune of 1/2 Million Dollars. This undertaking took two years, which he was allowed. At the end of it , when finished, he called for an "inspection". A "new" inspector came to inspect--( the old one was "no longer with the EPA"). He did not like what had been done and ordered 1/4 million more work.My neighbor just closed the doors, and sold the property, at that point-- Now most plating goes from CA to Mexico, and back ---Ron Rich

DoghouseRiley · by **DoghouseRiley** » Wed Dec 30, 2015 1:34 am

a_gunslinger wrote:Thanks DogHouse! I actually saw your YouTube post in one of my searches for info. ;^)

Yours is exactly what I will do probably - just ipod it with an amp and redo the song titles to match. Got a parts list and maybe a show of the insides I can reference? Will watch that other video as well.

Any tips on case restoration? Especially the chrome?

I've tarted mine up a bit since I made that video. The speaker grills on these boxes do tend to have suffered a bit of mis-use. Yours don't look too bad. I tried to get some new mesh for them, but I'd have had to buy a huge sheet of something similar. So in the end I took them off cleaned off the old paint and hammered them flat, repainted them and reattached them Also the middle bit which had the labels in German was a bit battered so I replaced that too, with some "sparkly" stiff card my wife uses in one of her hobbiesl. The flash means that you can see the casing behind the grills, but normally you can't see through them.

The chrome on mine is excellent, but on one edge of the right-hand side near the back, it has suffered from some "blooming" in that the chrome has for some reason disappeared or has worn away. But as this box sits in my "office" wall cabinet, you can't see either side so it doesn't matter.
I noticed yours has that on the right-hand corner.
There's no way that will polish out, but a good go over with chrome cleaner can get some surprising results on the rest.

I had to remove most of the internals in the front to get some decent size speakers in there. They are the size of the grills, You'll be disappointed with the performance of the originals.

My 4 lights run off a 6v DC adapter wired in parallel as the originals came from a feed off the 25v supply to the mechanism and they were wired in series.

a_gunslinger · by **a_gunslinger** » Wed Dec 30, 2015 6:50 pm

Doghouse

Can I get a picture of your inside wiring? Well, maybe not yours, but you Rockola's?

DoghouseRiley · by **DoghouseRiley** » Wed Dec 30, 2015 8:00 pm

Here's a link to the DataSync website PDF which explains how to connect up an ipod/adapter/wall box.

http://www.cdadapter.com/download/wipod.pdf

If you're going down that route, get a 25v a/c adapter first, they are quite inexpensive and connect one wire to the terminal on the extreme left-hand side of the block and the other to earth. This will tell you if the box is a "goer," whether the selectors work and whether the lamps are working. If it seems OK then it's worth ordering an adapter.

Newbie with questions: Rock Ola 504 - where to start?

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