Magnavox Stereophonic High Fidelity

My mother has a very nice looking Magnavox Stereophonic Record Player cabinet and I have been trying to get it running again , but the switch to turn it on is cracked for one and the motor will not keep spinning under its own power. If I start it spinning myself and manually drop the needle down it will play beautifully until it stops spinning. It does try to spin, but it seems like it's very weak and almost stops with a record on it or when the needle comes down. Just wondering what the issue could be.

Thanks

NJDevilkyd2003 wrote:My mother has a very nice looking Magnavox Stereophonic Record Player cabinet and I have been trying to get it running again , but the switch to turn it on is cracked for one and the motor will not keep spinning under its own power. If I start it spinning myself and manually drop the needle down it will play beautifully until it stops spinning. It does try to spin, but it seems like it's very weak and almost stops with a record on it or when the needle comes down. Just wondering what the issue could be.

Thanks

The main issue is AGE.
Time to get that system serviced by a knowledgeable person and bring back it's reliability and glory.
They're nice to hold onto so, get it worked on by someone.

Like Mattech said, it needs serviced and these units are generally worth it. If you are mechanically inclined and patient you can clean and lube it yourself. Just search this forum on the procedures. If you are not inclined to matters mechanical let a pro do it for you, otherwise you will be frustrated in your attemps and likely abanoned the project. Be sure to search this forum. The information you need to do this is here. If you run into problems... well that's what we are here for.

I just overhauled a customer's Imperial Micromatic changer today, and believe me, evan after doing them for ages, I wouldn't recommend a novice working on them.
Too many adjustments can go out of wack, and there are intricate mechanisms to deal with that need the proper cleaning and lubrication.

These changers should be done by professionals, and no amount of internet correspondance or info can replace that.

"PhonoLand.com
Collectors community forum: Jukeboxes, gramophones, phonographs, records, antique radios and much more. Buy, sell, Questions & Answers."

Of what use is this forum if our only answer is "Get a professional", which when pertaining to automatic record changers is not always practicable.

If you feel you are up to the task, NJdevilkyd, then go for it. MattTech is correct that changers can be tricky things to work on and if you are not patient or competent with mechanical devices then this job is not for you. If you just want it to work and are not interested in how it works and will probably never work on a changer again then sending it out to be repaired is the answer. However, this site is here to further the hobby of records and recordplayers, their repair and maintenance and to help those who are likewise interested. I cut my teeth on a Maggie, Collero and have gone on to Philco, VM, RCA etc. I am NOT a professional turntable repairman, I am a pipe organ builder. Records, recordplayers and HI-FIs are my hobby (much to my wife's distress) and thanks to this forum and others like it I am able to enjoy it. I'm off my soapbox now.

As for your problem with the turntable not spinning: The rubber idler, located under the platter could be dirty or the rubber dried out. These can be cleaned with rubber rejuvinator if dirty or rebuilt if it is shot. Check to make sure the motor itself is spinning. It may just need a drop of light oil on each end. I use sewing machine oil. Do not get any on the motor shaft. Anyway, clean it with alcohol. Avoid taking the motor apart if possible. At this age the entire changer should be cleaned and lubed and the methods used by various people here are covered on this site. Good luck.

Also check to see if the idler and the pivot joint that it's mounted to move freely. It should move outward to apply pressure against the inside rim of the platter to keep it spinning. There is a long spring underneath, and I can't remember if it keeps the idler away from the motor shaft and rim when not turned on (to prevent flat spots on the wheel), or to help keep pressure against the inner rim when in operation.

I've been in this new house for almost two years and haven't gotten around to tending to some of my ailing Maggies. If you're careful and stick to one section, and not poking and prodding in other areas, you should be able to figure out the spinning issue.

Folks around here rolled their eyes at me when I asked if they could repair my babies. You'd have thought I was speaking in tongues without an interpreter...LOL! So I took it upon my self to join a few phono boards about 15 years ago and soaked up as much info as I could from hobbyists, retired techs, etc., even bought some new/used books on electronics and circuits.

Finally armed with some knowledge from those older newsgroups, soldering guns, meters, etc., I got busy. I am mechanically inclined and like to know what makes things tick. Yes, there were some mishaps along the way, but....as another repair came along, I learned from the mistakes of a previous repair, and it was slowly getting easier.

The mechanical part was a piece of cake, but then came the electronics...that's a whole new ball field and really got your brain going. Tracing a signal through the audio chain to find ailing components, testing/replacing electrolytics and other semiconductors (alot of them are labeled so you don't always need a schematic), it goes on and on.

I am no professional by any means, but I've managed to repair everything that came across my threshold, including 8-tracks, reel-to-reels, cassette decks (mostly belt issues), with occasional help from internet friends over the years. I'm just alittle leary about TV's with their high voltages

It seems almost impossible to find folks locally to work on our units, and if you do find someone way across the country, then you need to know how to remove that turntable or receiver/amp, pack it up, pay for shipping/insurance, pay for labor and parts, pay for return shipping and re-install everything yourself.

I can't imagine what someone would have charged me to go through all that shipping drama just to replace a dozen or so electrolytics and everything else was okay. And, everyone out there isn't honest and your eyes may pop when you see the final bill. If you are all thumbs and have absolutely no knowledge about these units, then you have no choice but to send it off to someone.

I'm not on a soap box here, just trying to justify my "hobby" as an amateur and have had many successes, and why I choose NOT to send my stuff off to a professional. They do have alot to offer and have offered it freely over the web, and that's where I acquired most of my knowledge.

Hey, Thom...you build pipe organs, what an art and a craft. I admire you for that and it's something that you don't learn overnight. I've played a few of them back in the day, but I stick to those screaming Hammonds and Leslies for now. Gotta get my Gospel, Jazz and Blues on! For the more tender side, I do keep a 9-ft Concert Grand in the living room for some Bach, Schubert, Mozart and Beethoven. --BB

Sorry for the rambling...insomnia.