Phonoland

Hi all, I'm new to the board but I figure if anyone can help me it will be someone here. I recently purchased a Sears Silvertone 1262 Portable Record Player. Everything worked fairly well when I got it, but I decided to replace the needles, the tubes and a speaker that had a ripped cone. The improvement was minimal. The main issue right now is that I can't get a lot of volume out of the player. In my efforts to replace the tubes, I noticed an empty mount, but because everything was working, I dealt with the easy fixes first. What I've discovered is that the mount is for an electrolytic capacitor. The spec sheet lists it as : "C4A, B, C Electrolytic, 60 mfd, 150v. (A) 40 mfd., 150v. (B); 20 mfd., 20v. (C)". Below is a pic of the chassis view with the capacitor shown at the bottom



But what I can't figure out is how or to what the capacitor is connected. The image above doesn't show any connection that I can see. The picture below is a shot of the interior. This was before I replaced the tubes. The mount (the silver loop near the bottom of the pic) is obviously empty, and I can't see any obvious connections. So I guess the real question is, if I was able to get a replacement, how/where do I connect it?



I had a thought that maybe there had been a modification that bypassed the need for the capacitor since everything was working without it minus the low volume. But I'd like to get one in there in the hopes that it may help boost the sound. And, lastly, based on the specs I have, how easy would it be to find a replacement?

Sorry for the long post and the ton of questions, but I thank you in advance!

Nick
Petaluma, CA

Hi Nick,
Not familiar with that unit--but what you see "missing" is called a "can cap". Typically, the correct multi values and can size are either very expensive, or not available today. So someone has replaced the can with three smaller, more "modern" caps, of the correct (or nearly correct) values, soldered to the inside of the chassis. I doubt that the lack of a "can" is causing your low volume problem. This will need to be "trouble-shot", by someone with experience (preferably !) Ron Rich

Thanks so much Ron. That confirms my suspicion that there had been some modifications done to the unit. The newer wires and soldering pointed to something like that but it's nice to know for sure. I'll keep poking around regarding the volume issue. Thanks again!

Nick

That unit uses a pair of 50EH5's, and requires a high-output crystal cartridge (hard to find today).
Additionally, since it's been tampered with previously, it will require an experienced tech to go over the work and correct any issues properly.
Also, the record changer should be gone over and overhauled properly.
It's not a quality unit, nor high-powered by any means - at a piddling 1.5 watt/channel output.

Thanks Matt. I did replace the tubes with new ones but I kept the old ones just in case. I had wondered about the cartridge as well so I may give that a try before taking it to a tech. Not because I think I can do a better job, but because I actually like taking these things apart and learning a little bit about how they work. And, you're right, it's not going to be shaking the room with a wall of sound! I actually bought this portable unit with the intent of using it to play some records in our vintage 1958 travel trailer during rallies. I'll definitely have a tech give it a once over as I know there are other issues (as you mentioned). Thanks for the feedback!