AMI Continental II audio questions

I got the selection problems fixed by adjusting the bent selection arms ..... THANKS .

Now onto the audio amp and cartridge . The sound quality on this is very poor . Not totaly clean and has no bass . It does however sound pretty good with an ipod plugged into the input jack and has bass .

I pulled the amp and saw that it had been mostly recapped with yellow mylar caps and so on . I also saw where someone had replaced , added , moded ? 5 or 6 resistors right at the input jack . The cartridge in the tone arm is one of those fat GE magnetic type . I put a new needle on it and it helped somewhat clean the sound . I also tested the tubes and found all ok .
All 3 speakers were checked one at a time and are good . I checked the way they were hooked to the amp and thats ok .
I put the amp and volume control on the bench for inspection hooked to a test speaker box using an ipod as input . It sounded good but not totaly clean ... maybe because the input is to sensitive for that ?
I also tried a couple ceramic cartridges as a test and those sounded worse .

I have never seen this model of JB before and wondered if someone had moded the amp and used this GE cartridge and made a poor choice or did it wrong ? the work looks good / well done . I know this may be hard to diagnose here ?

I used my original thread as not to start another so go to the bottom ... Or mods delete the old info .

Thanks >

Hi Ken,
This is one of the very few jukebox models known by it's "Marketing Name" rather then it's model number--probably due to the different model numbers used for the same, two, basic, cabinet styles. The ones that have the Green colors is a Continental, those with Red, are Continental II.
Simple fix--don't recall if A-1 and A-2 are the same record, or it was numbered A-1/B-1. Either way, look at the rear "pin pushers" A-1is embossed on the outside of the large pin holder wheel. Select A-1, and watch which pin is "pushed" - If it's one before or one after the one marked A-1, check the "straightness" of the pin pusher--"adjust as needed" to be perfectly straight. If perfectly straight, adjustment of the linkage is needed. If it is pushing the pin exactly 180 degrees away, you will need to check the service manual, as I do not recall the fix for that (seems I have done it--but way too long ago).
Is there a common fix to make this Free Play--no "fix" -- Jukeboxes were designed to MAKE money!! Free play makes NO money !!
The EZ way to change these into free play mode, is to cut the common wire that joins the two cancel coils in the pricing unit--add some credits, and--believe it or not--you have free played it.
Ron Rich

Ken, in addition to what Ron pointed out, you can look here for some of the basic adjustments on that series mech:

http://s1192.photobucket.com/user/Rob-N ... t=3&page=1

The main flaw in that old mechanism design was no hard indexing of the magazine when it stopped. It relied totally on the proper timing of the stop switch and the precision of the pinwheel and it's position. The later mechs used a "sprag" gear to more accurately index it.

Often, if the pinwheel has been removed to service the switches it will be off slightly. One key indicator in the gripper rest; see of it is properly positioned and if so, check closely for a dust shadow to see if someone moved the rest after putting the pinwheel back. Forensics man, forensics.

Rob/NYC

Thanks guys . I will go after it with that info . I have only worked on one of these before and it didnt have this problem .
This one looks like it has alot of orange color to the cabinet . Its a real clean unrestored original .

Model XJDB-200 is Continental 2, stereo, 200 selections, equipped with automix and dual pricing back then.
http://www.jukebox-world.de/Forum/Archi ... _Conti.htm

Hildegard

Hi Hildegard,
I find that what is was when it left the factory, is not necessarily the case on these, today, due to "parts swapping"
Ron Rich

Hi Ron,

Yes, you're right. Back then (when the jukebox left factory) it was equipped that way.
Today almost anything can be possible ... even an ID plate on the wrong jukebox ...

Hildegard

Somewhere there is a Continental-1 with a counterweight on the tonearm, Pickering V15 cart, Rock-ola soft-blade trip switch and slightly modded amp Plus a "mysterious" long piece of cable that ends in a series of connectors which are spliced into the search-keyboard -harness. It would, if it were still there, mate with a CGA stepper. In early 1990 i intended to use it with Seeburg 200 in a retro diner. I used a V instead. Instead I sold the machine in Nov 2000 sans stepper.

Rob-NYC

Bump to the top with new questions .