Rock-Ola Newbie Attemping to Refurbish

Hey All!

Okay first I know most here are serious collectors and may not consider my machine worth the time of refurbishing but I am attempting it none the less!

I got my first Juke a year back, its a 1982 Rock Ola 488-2 (Sunrise Blue) (I know not a classic, but I like it) and for a year I just enjoyed it as it was when I purchased it from a guy in Indiana who took it out of bar in a small town there.

Now I would like to make it look AND sound better. One of the big speakers makes a thumping or crackling sound as if it is blown. I have taken it out and inspected the cone and wiring and I (with my not so expert of an eye) do not see any damage. Any ideas on why the speaker is making this noise? It plays music fine but there is a crackled muffled thumping coming from that one speaker. I would like to repair/replace whatever I need to in order to make that noise go away.

Second someone painted the dome frame with silver paint, I plan to take it apart and get it re-chromed as it shows it was chrome in the original picture. Does any have advice for taking the frame apart? Should I just take the entire dome with the glass and frame to the chrome shop or actually break down each piece of the frame get it chromed and put it back together? Is it more than just screws, is there glue and other materials that I will be ripping away to get the frame apart? I have not really checked yet.

Another thing is that the "BONUS" board does not light up at all, I took out the bulbs and noticed they are all burnt (OF COURSE) so I ordered the exact ones off the net, but since my machine is set to "FREE PLAY" for in home use, will my Bonus board light up? Or does it all activate if the machine is feed coins? It would be cool to have it set were it could flash Bonus randomly....maybe I'm dreaming. Will the new bulbs do the trick or is there a switch I have to set it to to get it to light?

Also the inside of the machine was extremely dirty, I have air blown it and cleaned most of it but there is rust (or goo?) all over the components and boards, is this more of a cosmetic issue or should I be consider with the life of the boards due to this? Any way to clean/get rid of it?

I am not really sure how to post pictures but I'll try to figure it out and post some.

Hope this isn't too long of a post....I'm new sorry!

Thanks in advance,
Mike

Hi Mike,
Welcome,
Your questions are somewhat overwhelming-Please read all of the announcements above your post, and many will be answered--
I have no idea what your skill level is,but the "speaker problem" you describe, I would attribute to an amplifier that is beggin' for service, from a qualified person. My best advise, at this point would be to un-plug the phono, leave it off till after the amp has been repaired--
Ron Rich

Ron Rich wrote:Hi Mike,
Welcome,
Your questions are somewhat overwhelming-Please read all of the announcements above your post, and many will be answered--
I have no idea what your skill level is,but the "speaker problem" you describe, I would attribute to an amplifier that is beggin' for service, from a qualified person. My best advise, at this point would be to un-plug the phono, leave it off till after the amp has been repaired--
Ron Rich

Ron,

I figured I was all over the place with my questions, my bad! Thanks for the reply! I will start with the amp. When you say unplug the "phono" you mean keep the juke unplugged until the amp has been serviced or replaced? (My skill level is already showing! )

Do you know of someone in the U.S. that I could send my amp out to so they could service it/diagnose any issues? Or am I better off looking for another amp to purchase and just swap em?

Just to be sure, only one of the four speakers in the cabinet seems to be making the crackling sound, this still could indicate an amp issue even though it is not ALL of the speakers that are sounding that way?

Thanks for all the help! I will check out the stickies at the top of the forum to get some of the basic knowledge needed to maintain my juke!

Regards,
Mike

Hi
Swap over the speaker and see if the fault transfers, re bonus board this usually operates when the machine is set for coins, the various combinations and settings are detailed in the manual
clones

H Mike,
Yea--swap it as Clones suggested, but if you find out the problem does not follow the speaker ( which I doubt it will), You should not power that amp up-- Reading the "Announcements" at the start of "jukeboxes" on this forum, you will find a list of repair persons--you will probably need to call around for someone to rebuild that amp--get the model number before calling-- Ron Rich

Okay guys thanks for the heads up, I hadn't even thought about swapping the speakers to eliminate the potential issues that it could be. I will swap them tomorrow and test the sound and I let you guys know the results, thanks!

I may end up having to send the amp out. Found someone who quoted me at $225 for a complete rebuild of my amp, does that sound reasonable?

Thanks,

Mike

Hi Mike,

Welcome to the forum.

At $225 I would snatch their hand off assuming it is a full rebuild and the person/company has a known reputation for good proffessional work.

Regards
Alan

Alan Hood
ami-man
UK

Guys,

Thanks for the heads up about swapping the speakers, I did and the speaker I thought was blown no longer made that noise on the other side but the one I thought wasn't blown now made the sound on the other side.

Furthermore being a new to vinyl and jukes, is the fan or motorboat sound (woooth woooth woooth) that I hear from time to time just part of the deal or can that be improved? I have not noticed if it is all of my records or just certain ones. Does that have to do with the AMP?


ami-man,

Thanks for the heads up on the amp rebuild being a good price, not knowing I didn't want to over pay.

With that said I am attemping to get the amp out so I can ship it out, easy enough but there are some very small screws one that is holding what appears to be the "Mono" ground wire in place? I have tried my smallest ratchet heads including 5 and 3/16 as well as needle nose pliers in order to try and get that screw undone so I can free the wire from the amp and ship it out. The wire seems to go all the way down to the needle arm (please correct my terminology if possible). Any advice on what size those little screws are so I can find a ratchet to get it loose and remove the wire?

Thanks guys!
Mike

Hi Mike,
"Motor boating" is usually another indication of amp problems--
I thought that screw which is holding the audio shield, braided wire, was 3/16--I have an, at least 40 year old "Xlite"(SP ??) brand, driver, that fits those--it's so old that the info has rubbed out--If there is a dealer near you, or you want to search it out on line--it's the one with the black handle ( all their drivers are color coded for size). Ron Rich

Hi
The dreaded motor boating, sounds like a problem in the output stage possibly a transistor, but with so many components in the rockola amp best in the long run to get serviced. Its a problem I have found common with rockola amps as soon as everything went digital not so much of a problem with the older machines. The wire is the shield wire for the tone arm cable, I know its difficult to get off at times, but definitely one of the smaller ratchet heads will take it off, I will check it as I use a mixture of imperial and metric ratchet heads
clones

Hi Clones,
Just wondering-- you mentioned "Imperial" socket head size vs. metric--
i am familiar with what we call "American SAE sizes", and I am wondering if that's what you call "imperial" there ?
If anything is marked, "imperial" size, here, it usually indicates a "larger" size then "normal" (SAE--?).
Sorta like the old "Good, Better, Best" question ( which is "good-er") ?
Ron Rich

Clones,

Thanks for responding! I am dumbfounded, I have attempted 5mm and 3/16....too big, I went out and picked up a 4mm and a 5/32 too small wont fit.

I thought maybe the screws edges had been stripped and that could be causing the 3/16 to slip? But no the screws edges seem intact...any ideas? Something between 3/16 and 5/32....maybe I need to buy a new 3/16 haha! Odd, but I will keep working on it so I can get this amp sent out!

Thanks all!
Mike

So On the power supply next to the amp there are some screws that are 3/16 and there is one on the amp but the rest of the little screws just don't fit any of the ratchet sizes. Got me scratching my head Any advice? Should I attempt to undo the shield wire from the tone arm up and ship out the amp with the shield wire still attached? (it is the wire that looks like a silver ground wire? and is screwed into "Mono" but also has a male piece that splits into the "pick-up input")

Also I found an old post from 2012 about someone who came into ownership of a 488 and I plan to do some of the tests he did to get to know my machine. (exciting times for me )

Thanks guys!

One more side question....any recommendation on a decent multimeter that isn't gonna break the bank but is capable for juke wiring and speakers etc....?

Thanks in advance!

Mike

Hi Mike,
Meters are very cheap today--- the"digital" meter I paid big $$ for 20 years ago is equaled today by a $10.00 import -- for me, for you ! Analog meters also have improved and come down in price--but the "cheap" ones are just that--and not really accurate. Ron Rich