Help me vector buddies, you're my only hope

VECTOR
#1

Help me Vectorians, you’re my only hope. So long story short, my dad bought a sonotone(?) Record player/radio from the 50’s awhile back and it needed some repairs. Unfortunately the guy he took it to is going out of business/moving to Houston and can’t complete the project. It’s about the size of a nightstand plus a couple inches, is there anyone willing to help me troubleshoot and fix it? I’m glad to do the labor but I’m way out of my depth here

Edit: I was incorrect on the brand apparently it’s a Silvertone, which means about as much as sonotone did to me

3 Likes
#2

Jayson and Mike in Vector can probably assist in the process.

5 Likes
#3

Ah ok, thanks. I forgot y’all had a bunch of things going on in vector right now so I’ll bug them after the crazy

1 Like
#4

I am not in vector but i am in electrical and looking to help.

2 Likes
#5

Cool thank you. I’m not really sure when I’m going to start this endeavor, I will definitely let you know. Supposedly it does turn on but other than that nothing works so it’s not like it’s going to get much worse function wise if I screw something up haha

#6

Step 1: Fix the mechanical - strip old lubricant out and relube gear boxes, etc. Replace worn drive belts and hardened rubber pieces.

Step 2: Fix the obvious electrical - Cracked power cords, replace bad tubes, check wires to the tonearm, replace or clean bad switches, etc.

Step 3: Rebuild the electronics - Recap it! Don’t forget to replace any old wax caps. There are some places that deal with antique radios/amps on the web that sell pre-made capacitor kits, but if you can’t find one for your device, it’s easy to order caps.

4 Likes
#7

Well now I know where to start my Google/YouTube marathon, thanks for the guidance. I’ll have to catch your bad caps class again if you’re doing another and hopefully not have to ditch mid class :persevere:

#8

bad capacitors?? electrolytic are pretty easy to find. The body of the capacitor is distended and liquid corrodes the board. Tantalum capacitor tend to leave a mark and blue flame. I am know i am geeking but i am trying to clarify. So your looking for ceramic electrolytic film and tantalum that show no outward issues. Raymond you know the proper esr, voltage rating, for those caps. Is their a cheat sheet for replacements of caps? If not can we make one? A simple work instruction on how to initially replace caps and with what cap can you replace another capacitor?

1 Like
#9

Most of those caps in the system he has will be wax coated film caps. They need to be replaced out of simple fire safety. If there are also any electrolytic caps they’ll need to be replaced with electrolytic.