Seeburg Q100 - Scans twice, plays nothing (sometimes....)

My Seeburg Q100 was in storage for the last 5 years and I just recently got it out so I could start playing it again. When I played it the first time, I had some issues with the safety plunger, which Ron helped me with in another thread. As I was working on that, sometimes it would scan twice and not pickup a selection, and sometimes it would work fine. About the only thing I have done so far is check/clean the RCA connector that is plugged into the selector unit. For a minute, I thought that solved the issue, but it came back pretty quickly. Once it stops working it seems to stay that way until I turn the entire unit off and back on. Sometimes it will work again after that, but I'd say about 75% of the time it won't. I've owned the jukebox for about 20 years, and I'm fairly sure it still has the original cap's in the selection receiver. (The amp was rebuilt about 15 years ago.) Should I just stop any additional troubleshooting now and get a cap kit from someone? I see I can buy one for about $40.
Scott

Maybe a pic will help?? My question is just - should I replace the cap's here as the first step in troubleshooting an intermittent selection issue? I did notice last night that it seems to work for a bit when I first plug the unit in, but after a while (10-15 minutes), it goes back to the "scans twice, plays nothing" condition after a selection is made.

Hi Scott,
Since it's been "sitting", the first thing I would do is to inspect the pins (plungers) that ride in the ("frog") contact block, below the TMU- they MAY also be, "sticking" (down) ? Ron Rich

Scottabs wrote:Maybe a pic will help?? My question is just - should I replace the cap's here as the first step in troubleshooting an intermittent selection issue? I did notice last night that it seems to work for a bit when I first plug the unit in, but after a while (10-15 minutes), it goes back to the "scans twice, plays nothing" condition after a selection is made.

The date code is S528 -The last week of 1958. It has to be rebuilt. At the very least all the capacitors must be replaced and certain resistors check/replaced as well. A good wash is indicated...but you must keep water out of the transformers.

It is not a good idea to even try using equipment this old w/out proper servicing.

Rob-NYC

Hi Ron,

I took a look at those and they all appear to be fully "up". But, I am noticing a definite pattern here now. If the machine has been off for a while, it has no trouble making selections. But after about 10 minutes, it stops doing that. (Then it goes back to the scan twice condition.)

Edit - I was about to submit this and I just saw Rob's post (Thanks Rob.) I'll get a cap kit, or look for the individual caps online. (Recommendations?) Rob, are there specific resistors that you recommend that I check/replace? Yeah, I noticed it was pretty grungy back there when I took the pic, so I'll do some cleaning as well.

Thanks to you both.

Scott

Hi Scott,
Rob is 150 % correct-I miss read your post somehow, and totally missed the pix--that unit must be rebuilt, prior to any further use ! BTW--the "yellow, or orange date stamp" indicates the date the production dept. received the item stamped, for use--NOT the date of production (of the assembly) ! Ron Rich

Hi Scott,
Cap kits are available from suppliers listed above--ALL resistors in them should be checked--especially the 5% tol. units--and the larger wattage two. I just rebuilt the identical unit, and found at least 10 out of spec. resistors.
Ron Rich

Thanks Ron,
I'll get the cap kit from one of the suppliers above. Any recommendations on where to pick up the resistors? I have more jukeboxes I will be working on eventually, so it might make sense for me to pick up a "common resistor kit" if someone sells something like that.
Scott

Hi Scott,
You might check with the kit suppliers--or, a local electronics store-or the "big boys", that sell on the net--
I have purchased them here and there for years--every once in awhile I find a "pack" from Radio Shack-Used the last one out of a "19 cent" pack, last week--wonder how long that's been sitting in my draw--I replaced the pack today-$1.79 now ( not at RS, as there are none around here anymore). Ron Rich

Ron Rich wrote:Hi Scott,
....every once in awhile I find a "pack" from Radio Shack-Used the last one out of a "19 cent" pack, last week--wonder how long that's been sitting in my draw--I replaced the pack today-$1.79 now ( not at RS, as there are none around here anymore). Ron Rich

He ya go: http://s1192.photobucket.com/user/Rob-N ... rt=2&o=227 Judging by the scribbling on on card, it must have come from either one of the operator's shops or the theatrical lighting house where I repaired dimmers and comps.
The date codes seem to show early-mid eighties, but items like these were slow sellers and I found this type of card w/updated price well into the early 2000s
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Scott, here are the schematics for the read-out and Write-in:
http://s1192.photobucket.com/user/Rob-N ... ort=2&o=58 All caps must be replaced here and resistors checked. the 33 ohm is a frequent failure point..It should be replaced with a 2 watt. Ron recommends a wire wound.,

Write-in: http://s1192.photobucket.com/user/Rob-N ... ort=2&o=59 Again, all caps must go but note that the two 15mfd caps at the 0A2 regulators are common to both W-I and R-O. Also note that the .068 with the "Wi-TC" scribble is the actual Write-in capacitor.

The pulse amp module has a 5.6 meg-ohm resistor that often drifts up and a 047 cap that must be replaced. Both are right at the 12AX7 tube socket and easy to replace.

No mention of the amp has been made but...if that has not been rebuilt --it is critical that it be done as well.

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I see a bomb has gone off in a dumpster on west 23rd st -right where I was about two hours beforehand. I'm there every Sat or Sun and have a location nearby. No one there was hurt, but 29 out in the street were injured.
The #1 city...the #1 target.
This is also U.N. General Assembly week and per-usual, due to a lot of embassies in my neighborhood we have a --lot-- of police and helicopters along with welded manholes. Once the motorcades commence there will be "frozen zones" as well.

In 1991 I had a mover coming to deliver a 222 to a new location. One problem: Bush #1 was staying on my block...so no delivery that day. I always had my fingers crossed when a delivery day arrives. Either the elevator breaks down, the truck crashes, it rains heavily, or the President is next door (OK, that one was only once).

Rob In Fun City

Rob,
Yep--demz da ones - there is probably another few of those RS cards in my resistor draws--
Speaking of a President causing a jukebox op problems--I had a fantastic location downtown SF--but every time Pres. Bill Clinton came to town ( which seemed like twice a month) he stayed at the Hilton, across the street from my location. Parking and street travel was restricted so I had to walk --sometimes many blocks carrying a bag full of quarters-- Ron Rich

Ron, Thanks for the info. In my post I almost said "20 years ago I would have run to my local Radio Shack - but no longer an option".

Rob, Thanks for the diagrams. I'm glad you weren't one of the injured! Must be scary to be so close to something like that!

Scott

Rob,

When you said " the 33 ohm is a frequent failure point..It should be replaced with a 2 watt. Ron recommends a wire wound", do you mean the 36 ohm resistor?

Scott

Scott, yep, it is the 36 ohm. I'm a lousy typissed.

Rob

Guys,
I don't recall saying to use a WW there--I use a NTE "flameproof"-1/2 resistor there-Don't think I have ever seen one I replaced fail again ? ( Yep--36 ohm ! --my ty-ping ainna no gooder !!!) Ron Rich