"friction drive pawl" question on Wurlitzer 2800 Mechanism

Hi folks!
I have a Wurlitzer 2800 that I'm working on, and trying to get all the 'ghosts' out of the mech on it.

When I first got it, it had a strange problem where the carousel wouldn't turn smoothly.. it would turn three or four records, stop, turn three or four more, stop, until It got to where it was going, then it would play the right record.

I noticed that the "friction drive pawl" seemed to be stopping the motor from turning the carousel every few records, then the motor would reverse for a split second, then the pawl would let go of it's gear, and let the motor go the right direction again.

I took the pawl out (not easy!) to check it out. It's basically a "C" shaped clamp with some spring steel on one side so it can move slightly (opens slightly). It looked fine, and the gear it rides on looked fine, so I oiled it a bit and reinstalled it.

Bam! The mech spun easily then. When it gets to where it's supposed to stop, somehow this pawl makes the gear stop turning beneath the motor's gear... and 'rides' the gear back around to the other side. All of this action makes the record changer's arm lift and all the good stuff happen after that.

So today, the mech started doing the opposite... instead of that pawl sticking every three or four records... what's happening is the carousel is turning to where it's supposed to stop, stopping, and then the pawl doesn't grab it's gear... so the arm never lifts the record.

I can't for the life of me tell how this pawl is supposed to be dynamic... what makes it decide to grab onto it's gear (like it was doing too much before, and not doing now!) ? I guess the question is what makes the motor lift the arm up?

Any help appreciated, as always! I'd really like to understand these carousel mechs, they're really cool.

There are a couple of springs involved and the driving portion acts like a ratchet and the"dog" or pawl engages the drive gear when the motor reverses.

If the ratchet pawl happens to be at a point where you can see it, it should be obvious when it falls into the gear.

I can scan and post an exploded diagram if that helps, but really, this is pretty straight-forward if you observe it.

let me know.

Rob/NYC

I've got the diagram in the manual... I'll check to make sure the motor is actually reversing (what makes it reverse? )

This one's just spinning and the pawl isn't grabbing like it's supposed to. Gear is just spinning underneath it. Maybe I didn't get the bolt tight when I reinstalled it?

On the 200s initial reversing is done when the crank hits a pin and actuates a microswitch on the crank assembly (called the carriage switch). Almost immediately after that the reversing is taken over by one of the cam operated switches right behind the changer motor.

If the changer motor were not reversing the crank would jam against a pin...Something you could not miss seeing.

The problem here is mechanical and at the clutch/ratchet assembly.

Rob.

Thanks for the explanation... I watched it to see what was going on. The motor IS reversing, so that far is fine.

While the carousel is turning, I can see the pawl skipping up over each tooth, then when the motor reverses the pawl just doesn't stick in the 'tooth'. If I press the pawl in a little bit with a screwdriver or whatever, the pawl sticks in and everything does what it should.

i'll have to pull that sucker back out and see if anythings damaged, or what the problem is. It might be just that the bolts too tight or too loose.



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Might as well ask here instead of starting a new thread... Sometimes the record doesn't mount the turntable correctly... is there an adjustment or something common to check out there? Basically the piston and the little 'teeth' don't grab right and the record slips off the turntable, and remains about half an inch too far forward in front of the turntable (so it doesn't play).