Rowe R86 Jukebox Repairs?

Hello, I am new to this forum. I stumbled across these forums when searching for jukebox information and quickly joined.



I just bought a Rowe R-86 jukebox, and the magazine/carousel keeps spinning and doesn't stop, unless it's in service mode, in which it can be rotated with the 'scan and cancel' key beside the turntable. The opto switch seems to be working, although I'm not sure if it's working 'correctly' and I've cleaned all of the contacts. The CCC seems to be doing its job, taking quarters, giving credits, allowing selections to be made, etc. On the LCD, it usually has 'selection playing' as soon as it turns on.

When I got the system, the keypad wasn't working correctly, and the lighting system wasn't working correctly, but now they are working pretty well. Besides some damage on the bottom sides of the particle board, the jukebox looks great.

My next plan of attack was going to be to take the mech board and ccc boards out and check them for cold solder joints, and if that doesn't help, to order a service manual for the system and go from there. I was wondering if any of you had any suggestions in the meantime, or if any of you have a tech manual for the system I could download.

Thanks in advance for any help.

On the "opto"--are BOTH sections operating? "Home" should flash at selection #99. "Index" at each record space.
These models are "famous" for poor solder joints, and "flat pins" in the A-MP plugs, that are failing to make contact--
Books are available --check announcement above--"where to buy---"
Also--quick question for you --How does the CCC "take coins" ??
Ron Rich

Well, the coin mech actually takes the coins, but the LCD is displaying 'make selection' and the keypad lets you make that selection. So, the processing seems to be getting done.

Just went out to test this again. It's flashing on the 'HOME' but not at all on the 'index'

OK--the not flashing on "index" is why it won't do anything else--that's the "boot-up" procedure--it searches for "home"first--.
Since you don't yet have your manual--look at the opto--look at the "gear wheel" that rides "inside" the opto. If you have compressed air--blow it out. Do NOT attempt to "move/adjust it" till you have the book. Also--check the plugs on the MCC.
Ron Rich

I tried air on the opto switch, but it didn't help with the problem. Then, I took the mech box apart and couldn't find any cold solder joints but did find one corroded joint.

I then took the CCC board out and found several problems. The first was that many resistors had corrosion on them, along with a few areas on the back of the circuit board. I also found two cold solder joints, on P-105. Pins 16 and 17 had cracking in the solder.

Images of the corrosion, showing up in green on the resistors, and then blackish blotches on the back of the circuit board, in the last photo.







update: on further inspection, with my magnifier, these additional pins on p-105 also need resoldered: 1,9. P-101 needs pins 1, 2, 15, and 16 resoldered. On P-100, pin 11 needs resoldered.

update #2: Just got done soldering the cold-solder joints on the CCC and re-soldered one connection on the mech control, which was a little corroded. Testing still is doing the same thing, but maybe I fixed more problems before the solder joints gave completely out.

IMHO.... that series ROWE usually needs ALL the pin connections cleaned and resoldered, and you need to inspect the other ends in the white amp connectors.(like Ron said) Check the battery too. There is a 'shop service' manual besides the regular one. You need to get a manual and read it.

Thanks for all of the information. I'll try to order the service manual for the unit tomorrow.

The good news is that the rest of the turntable assembly seem to be in working order. It's picking up records, and I even got the hear the system play a record this morning. I was thinking some of the speakers may need replaced, because they looked to be in rough physical condition, but this jukebox sounds wonderfully. At least one of the speakers had been replaced in its lifetime with a 'quam' speaker.

Don't ask me how the system engaged and played a record this morning... I was just trying tinkering with the system, turned it on, and it pulled out a record without spinning the carousel, turned on the turntable, and started playing. When the record was finished, it put the record back, but it still didn't index anything.

I believe someone replaced two of the relays recently: the one that turns the carousel and the one that grabs the record and puts it back. They're just too new and shiny looking to be from 1982/83.

You have "typical plug problems"--maybe something else also, but for sure, you need to disassemble EVERY "pin" from EVERY one of the A-MP "slide on connectors ( as used in the CCC). You will need to remove each pin from the Nylon housing, clean and "reform" it prior to re-inserting into the housing. Any "dis-colored" /broken pins will need to be replaced and the corresponding pin soldered to the component, may need cleaning/replacement, also--
You should also defiantly change the CCC battery !
Have fun, Ron Rich

Hello malakai,

Wait until you get the manual before you do anything else.
We start by checking from the power supply upwards for dry joints (cold joints USA). As you have been told you need to do this on all of the molex connection pins on all of the boards.
The board everyone tends to check is the Pricing Board (forget about it setting the credit levels etc) this board may be regarded as a connection block and all lines of data and returns go through this board so it important that the top and bottom connections are sound.

You need also to remove all of the connections out of the molex plugs on the looms that go between the boards as already stated by other forum members including Ron, do not rely on checking for continuity on the looms, you will need to tighten each connection in turn and may need to replace some of the connections if really tarnished.

By the looks of the pictures on the of the CCC you have corrosion on some of those resistors located under the battery, you need to check these to see if the wires on each end are firmly connected if sound clean them up with a fibre glass pencil to get the tarnish off. You had better check the transistor legs as well for that matter.

If you are not able to work on dynamic circuits the repair of the CCC is best left to a proffesional.

Regards
Alan

Alan Hood
ami-man
UK

Are there any advantages to changing out the 125w amp to a 250 watt amp from a cd100 system? Other than changing out the speakers and connecting a phono preamp to the unit, what are some of the hurdles of doing this? Would there be any feedback from the higher volume like there is for home turntables when they are too close to the volume source?

Hello malakai,

The CD-100 amp has a phono input on the amp.

Why would you wish to replace the 125/130 watt amplifier it will be loud enough in any application?

Regards
Alan

Alan Hood
ami-man
UK

IMHO---No advantage--BTW, only the early "CD amps" have the phono input--
Ron Rich

Yeah, I'm pretty much done with the jukebox until the manual and a new opto switch comes in. If everything else checks out, I'll start a more thorough restoration of the CCC.


Just found this today at a thrift store. Hopefully, it'll clean up and be jukebox-worthy soon

If you had a manual you might see that only half the output power is sent to the internal speakers, and how ROWE wires the woofers for MAX bass. A 250 watt amp is laid-out in reverse of a 130 watt unit, so you cables don't line up.(on purpose so people didn't do this) IMHO you will get feedback if you jack the power up. Use the extention speaker hookup for more, better sound.