Voice of Music changer

[William]

I have a VM changer that is doing something odd, something that I have not experienced before. The normal, either from old grease or a bad drive tire, the reject cycle slows down and you need to give the platter a helping hand to get it through the cycle. With this unit, I have done a complete service, everything cleaned twice, new drive tire, and for the most part it works perfectly except for this one new thing. When you hit reject, the tone arm lifts, the record drops, and then the platter comes to a dead stop and sits there until I give it a helping hand. Once I give it a helping hand, the tone arm sits down on the record as it should and plays the record without a hitch. When the tone arm moves into the end of record, the tone arm lifts, swings back, and then the platter stops moving and I need to help it again in order for it shut off or go on to another record. Anyone have any suggestions on what I am missing?? The part that gets me, it cycles perfectly, until the tone arm needs to move over to land on the record. ???

Thank,
Bill

[Hi-Fi-Mogul]

Bill,
What model V-M is it ?

Is the inner rim of the platter and rubber of
the idler wheel very clean ?

Have you taken motor apart, cleaned bearings,
rotor, and lubed with turbine oil ?

[electra225]

Is the drive tire adjusted so it fully contacts the steps on the motor and doesn't run on the edge of the step?....

[William]

Mr. Mogul and Greg, the answer is yes to your questions, and it is a 1200 series changer.

Bill

[electra225]

I cleaned the rim of a platter awhile back with alcohol, then the thing would barely work at all. I've started resorting to using lacquer thinner on the drive tire and on the rim of the platter. If you have everything free and adjusted, all there is left is some type of contamination on the drive surfaces.

[Hi-Fi-Mogul]

Bill,
Do you have another 1200 idler you can swap out ?

[hermitcrab]

Bill , the changer in my Motorola does the same thing... it is a 1247 changer . I stripped it of old grease and oil, the idler is old, but the surfaces are good and pliable.. re lubed it all including the motor ...and in the middle of the cycle it stops dead like it hits a brick wall.. then I have to help it through the cycle like half a turn of the platter and then it plays fine , the only thing I can figure the idler is worn enough to slip on the platter ... but I am in no hurry to buy another for something that will get played once every couple months ...

[William]

I usually use alcohol to clean the rim of the platter and have had no problems doing that. I do have some lacquer thinner I could try. Mr. Mogul, the drive tire is new, but I guess I could have received a bad one. I really do not think it's a drive tire slip problem as it does not just slow down during the change cycle. The cycle starts just fine, drops the record with any hesitation or slip and then like Elton states it's like it hit a brick wall. The platter stops dead, and the tone arm is hovering over its resting post waiting to do something but can't. Again, like Elton states, just a slight bump of the platter and it finishes the cycle until the end of the record where it starts all over again.

Bill

[electra225]

Well, Bill, you can always fall back on the "Greg method". Give it a squirt of WD-40, then exercise your vocabulary......

Seriously, I always used 91% alcohol on rim drive components. I found I started having problems, much like you describe. My experience is that I wasn't having drive issues, did some other work on the changer, cleaned the drive components just because with alcohol, then immediately had drive issues. Lacquer thinner will remove the paint on the platter, so you need to use it judiciously. The sandpaper method you told me about works pretty well if you haven't already tried that.

Maybe this is just me, but I am beginning to wonder if turbine oil that we use on changers will migrate over time. It also seems to me that alcohol won't remove turbine oil dependably. I just may be using too much turbine oil and making a mess that I am unaware of....

[William]

According to Gary and his lube chart/schematic the only thing that gets oil is the overarm and the motor, everything else that is shown in the darkened areas is to be lightly greased. I have faithfully done that and until now have had now problems. I will try cleaning the platter with lacquer and see what happens.

Bill

[electra225]

I usually put a drop of oil on the shaft where the drive tire goes, which may be part of my problem....

Try using the drive tire and platter from a known good operating changer and see what that does. This might give you an idea where to look.....

[William]

I have discovered what is causing my VM changer to do what it does. Having said that, I have no idea why. The spring, it is called "detent spring & link assembly" seems to be the cause. If I unhook it, it works fine. Hooked up, it stalls at the end of the cycle where the tone arm needs to move to the record. In the VM changer manual, the one that pertains to the 1200 and 1200A changers it is number 118. I have overhauled a lot of VM changers that use that spring and have never run into this problem before. In the case of this changer, the spring seems to be the problem. Somehow it seems to be putting extra pressure in the changer cycle causing the tone arm to freeze and not move until a little nudge on the platter gets it going again.

Bill

[Hi-Fi-Mogul]

Bill,
That still sounds like an idler wheel not having
enough grab.

Earlier, I suggested trying another one, if you have a
V-M changer w/same idler.

I've gotten over the years, a few idlers that had
to be returned.

[electra225]

I am a total noob at changers, you all know that. I think my money is on a drive tire without enough grab as well.

If that spring IS the problem, what could be a logical reason?