Rockola 440 *Newbie*

I just purchased a Rockola 440 from the original owner's family. I was told it lived in a strip club when new, and ended up in the basement when they closed the club about 25 years ago. Nobody seemed to remember the last time it played a record.

I have a lot of background in mechanical and electrical, but not really combined in a single unit like a jukebox. I bought this on a whim because I've always wanted one and thought it would be fun to get working. I do have the manuals on order but not yet in hand.

That's the story of me and my jukebox thus far. I've read as much as I can find on the internet and becoming somewhat familiar with what seem to be common issues and problems, especially in units that have been sitting a while. Not being especially patient, I have been playing around a bit to discover what exactly I have here and what can already be identified as not working. The only thing that worked when I first plugged it in were 2 of the light tubes. I've now got the turntable, gripper and main mech motor turning and most of the mechanical items connected to them seem to be working.

I found a complete service manual online for another, very similar model and have been looking at this to get a better idea of the basic operation, but what I have discovered is that the service manual seems to lack in certain areas. It looks great as far as schematics and logic diagrams, as well as some troubleshooting, but the majority is electrical and very little mechanical. Is this typical of the service manuals, or Rockola in particular?

The gripper mech in the manual was almost identical to what I have, but I saw no real explanation of the actual operation. I spent a lot of time getting part of it freed up and lubed only to discover that an entire other part was locked up solid. I had no clue that piece was even supposed to move! It would be great to find a manual that goes over every mechanical part and describes what it does, how it does it and why, with pictures. I don't want someone to hold my hand, but Jukebox Mechanics for Dummies would be awesome!

Thanks!
Nelson

Hi
As far as I know there isn't a very detailed explanation of the mechanics of the gripper arm in any of the rockola manuals, its the usual case with rockolas that when it hasn't been used in a long time, it will get gummed up with old grease. The only sure way of freeing it up is to disassemble the gripper unit and relube, you might get away with cleaning it in situ and letting it soak in oil for a few days. Probably the best way to see its operation in slow motion would be to loosen the gripper motor and cycle the gripper motor by hand
regards
Clones

Thanks for the reply!

I ended up having to completely disassemble the gripper, just as you said. It's all been cleaned and lubed and now it works great. On top of that, I now understand how it should operate and will be better prepared to diagnose future problems.

Every time I would get one thing working, it seems like it would stop at the next step in the process. Searching and reading has gotten me to where I have successfully operated this machine from coin drop to completing the full cycle. Secure in the knowledge that everything can and will work properly, I'm going to prepare for a proper and thorough cleaning and lubrication of the entire machine.

There is a wealth of knowledge on this board and I'm fortunate to have found my way here!

Nelson

Good to hear its working
regards
clones