Hello, First of all, thank you for taking the time to read this. I understand it might be a bit obtuse for a user to register and make a thread for one problem, but this seems like the best place to resolve my problem I've recently come upon an old magnavox phonograph while cleaning out an old barn. I decided to take it home, clean it off, and see if it works.
After years of working on electronics, I think those old Magnavox console. Cleaning and re-lubricating the linkage is the proper repair, not cutting the spring. Magnavox Stereo System manuals Manualslib has more than 59 Magnavox Stereo System manuals Click on an alphabet below to see the full list of models starting with that letter.
To my suprise, after plugging it in all the tubes lit up and i could hear the speaker's hum, except the turntable did not turn. Now after a couple days of trial and error I've managed to isolate the problem. Please forgive me if i use terms wrong or don't know the names for specific parts. I'm by no means an expert at this. To make this easier I've taken a few pictures, which I will have to include in my next post due to new user restrictions.
On the bottom of the turntable I found the model. Its a magnavox model W832 (Picture 1) So onto the heart of the problem.
The knob which controls the turntable's rotation speed (picture 2) connects to a mechanism underneath the turntable (picture 3) which controls a rubber disc that rests against the turntable and the small engine. The problem i've found is that the disc either doesn't fully push against the engine's spindle or doesnt push against the turntable, or both. To me, it looked as if a spring had disappeared. Trying to find a quick fix (picture 4), I took spring 1, cut it in half, and made a second spring. This did not work. At this point, I decided to take some pictures and see if anyone more skilled and experienced than me could help.
If you need any more information or pictures, please ask. So is there any quick fixes for a slipping idler wheel? Im assuming after being outside for over 30 years the rubber shrunk, but I could be wrong. I thought about wrapping the wheel in a rubber band to give it a little bit more volume, but i don't believe that will work. So I guess this record player isnt original to the unit, because it definitely has vacuum tubes.
Attachments: Snapchat-598462893.jpg 111.96 KiB Viewed 4852 times Snapchat-286980711.jpg 136.34 KiB Viewed 4852 times Snapchat-283162137.jpg 128.14 KiB Viewed 4852 times. Hi ricchard and welcome to the forum. You are correct; the original record changer has apparently been replaced.
Your Magnavox has an AMP-185 amplifier, which dates it from around 1958-1959. A very good amp, by the way, and well worth restoring. It may have seen very little use, since it appears to have its original Magnavox-branded 6V6GT output tubes. Originally your console would have most likely had a Collaro 'Conquest' record changer.
In regard to your idler wheel, it is very possible to find a new one; if not, the old one can be rebuilt. For a short-term fix, it might respond to a good cleaning with alcohol and application of one of the phono 'non-slip' products commercially available. This issue has been discussed many times before here in the forum; rather than repeat it here I suggest you use the 'search' feature of the forum with the keywords 'idler wheel slip' and you will find lots of information from previous posts. Another good source of info can be found at, which is especially geared toward vintage tubed Magnavox consoles. EDIT: The 'speaker hum' you are hearing is evidence that the amp badly needs electronic restoration, not unusual for tubed gear of that era. At a minimum, it will need new electrolytic filter capacitors, and most likely new audio coupling caps as well.
This needs to be done before operating the amp any further. Failure to do so could result in serious damage to the rectifier tube, power transformer, and/or output transformers, especially since most of the Magnavox amps from this era contained no line fuse. Poston. Thanks for the advice. So cleaned up the idler wheel the best I could, but that didnt seem to fix the problem. The Idler wheel looked pretty good considering. It wasnt hardened, no cracks or anything like that.
I took a swab and wiped down the outer ring of the idler wheel, the spinning mechanism, and the inside of the platter. All the excess rubber was wiped away and they felt relatively grippy. I feel like a spring is missing somewhere, but i have no idea where it would go. When the record player is plugged in, i can gently nudge the idler wheel's mechanism underneath into place and the platter will start spinning. When i change the RPM, the idler wheel is pushed out of place until i nudge it back in.
As far as restoring the amp goes, Im not experienced enough to even try something like that and i dont know of any place locally that could. While its likely that the amp needs serviced, is it possible that the speakers' hum comes from exposed audio wires? I know that while working on it once in awhile i would bump into the exposed wire and the hum would get louder. Ricchard, Ken is absolutely right. The amp is a ticking time-bomb which at some point is going to fail; probably sooner rather than later. When it does, if it ruins the power transformer and/or output transformers, the cost of repair will be far more than the amp is worth.
If you will post your location in your profile, there might be some member of the forum who could handle its restoration for you, or else point you to someone in your area who could do so. The Magnavox AMP-185 is very easy to work on; at this point replacing the caps in it should not be very difficult or expensive. Back to the original problem with the changer: I can think of only two possibilities. (1) Brian may be correct-take his advice and make sure all pivots are freely moving, etc. (2) I doubt that the tension of any existing spring is the problem, but of course a spring could possibly be missing.
Unless one of our members happens to read this post and recognizes this changer from your photos, we are going to have to identify it and try to find some service data (with an exploded diagram and parts list) to verify whether this is the case. I checked the number W832 in the SAMS Photofact index and could find nothing listed. Is there any name on the top of it? Here is another idea: You could start a new thread in this section titled 'Does anyone recognize this record changer?'
, or something to that effect, and include both a top and bottom-view photo of the entire changer. Poston. Thanks for the replies. So ive checked all pivot points and theyre all working very well. Ive removed pretty much all of the old grease from the problem area and oiled the moving parts, but the wheel still seems to get stuck where it shouldnt, which leads me to believe a spring is missing. It would be cool to find someone in my local area to fix up the amp.
I'm from southwest missouri, i dont know if anyone here is from those parts. And lastly, here's a picture of the top of the record player. I didnt have time to get a picture of the bottom. It appears to be a micromatic Attachments: Magnavox.jpg 131.29 KiB Viewed 4676 times.
What we need here is a Magnavox intervention. The fellow from SEMO may have the service data for the W832. It is very similar to the W821. It is a good changer. I think the springs aren't normal looking.
The look as though they have been extended. However I subscribe to what has been said about doing an overhaul. BUT, with the AMP 185 I would be looking for a repaired Collaro TC-340-E changer. What about some pictures of your console? Here's a W821.
Attachments: W821-01-00.jpg 244.15 KiB Viewed 4654 times. Hi ricchard, First of all, let me say that you have a very nice Magnavox console on your hands. And I mean VERY NICE; it probably left the Magnavox factory at Fort Wayne in early 1959, built entirely by American labor with 100% American components. This one is a true 'phono only' stereo console, somewhat rare by the late 1950's. And while I agree with Bill J.
That restoration of this console by installing an original Collaro changer would be ideal, the fact that it contains a later Magnavox Micromatic changer is also interesting. Has said, these were good changers, and the fact that yours contains this replacement may indicate that it was done by an authorized Magnavox repair shop some ten or more years after the console was purchased. I agree with Bill J.-the two springs showing in your original photos just do not look right. They seem to be be too fully extended, and very possibly something is either missing or mis-placed. Everything else on your changer looks very good. You really need to get the proper service data for the W832 which will tell the whole story.
The key will be finding out what spring goes where and what it should look like. Finding a replacement spring(s) will be no problem. Spring assortments can be found at many good hardware stores, or one of us here on the forum may have one which we could send you. Ricchard, you need to seriously consider joining the Magnavox website which I mentioned earlier, and posting the same photos there which you have posted here in the ARF. Membership there is free. I believe the console you have is somewhat rare (being phono-only) and would generate a lot of interest there. Poston.
+1 to Darren's last post. I bought one off eBay a few years ago at a very reasonable price. These Collaro 'Conquest' changers, although complex, are very rugged machines. Personally, I think they are one of best automatic record changers ever built.
Every one I have serviced has worked fine after a simple clean-up and re-lube. So far I have never had to replace an idler wheel in one, although they are available if needed. By the way, most of this era will use the EV26 cartridge. If you find one which is missing its 45rpm adapter, these are also fairly easy to find. The name 'Collaro' will not appear on the top of these changers when they were installed in Magnavox equipment. Instead, they will usually have a brass label in the corner reading 'Magnavox Custom'.
They were built in Great Britain by Collaro, Ltd. For Magnavox, who later acquired the company.
The above being said, I would not give up on that Magnavox Micromatic in this console, which is a nice clean unit with a sharp-looking appearance. These were also good changers, and that idler wheel contact problem can be solved.
Poston. Interesting news. Following Drake's advice, I created an account on the vintage hifi forums and posted my discovery.
One of the members recognized the console and said that there should be another console unit to go with this one, so a few days ago i called the couple where i found the original console and asked them if they had any outbuildings that i could look through for the second part. They said they did have an outbuilding and would be okay with me looking through it. So i took another trip to their place and lo and behold, after an hour or so of rummaging, i manage to find a second part to the console, which holds albums and has another large sub and some tweeters. Inside the album holder i found a spare needle, some record cleaner, and an interesting envolope which contained the original user's guide and a warranty for the console.
I'll try to upload some pictures eventually. When i found the original console, there was a frayed wire screwed onto the amp, which i though was a ground.
I foolishly threw it away because it looked no good. As it turns out, this wire was used to hook the other speakers to the amp. Here are some updated pictures.
Unsold $62.25 Buy It Now, FREE Shipping, Seller: (1,907) 100%, Location: Auburndale, Florida, Ships to: US, Item: 31 Vintage Magnavox Console Stereo AM/FM - 8 Track - Record Player - Needs Repair NICE VINTAGE EARLY 70'S MAGNAVOX CONSOLE STEREO SYSTEM. NOT ALL FUNCTIONS ARE IN WORKING ORDER, SEE ITEM DESCRIPTION, WHICH EXPLAINS WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN'T AND READ FURTHER BELOW, I ADDED A FEW MORE DETAILS THAN THE CHARACTER LIMITS OF THE DESCRIPTION WOULD ALLOW. LIGHTS UP, AM RADIO CAN BE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR, HAS FRONT AND SIDE SPEAKERS WHICH GIVE YOU THAT EXCELLENT DEEP SOUND THAT ONLY THESE VINTAGE CONSOLE STEREOS CAN DO. SPEAKERS SOUND GREAT, ARE NOT BLOWN. HEADPHONE JACK DOES WORK. THERE IS SCRATCHY SOUND WHEN ADJUSTING THE VOLUME CONTROL, NORMAL FOR OLDER ELECTRONICS, EASY FIX BY SPRAYING THE CONTROL MECHANISM (P.O.T.S.) FROM INSIDE.
I ACTUALLY HAVE THE SPRAY TO DO THIS AND WILL GET THIS DONE PRIOR TO PICKUP. HAS A LID THAT WILL STAY OPEN WHEN LIFTED. THERE IS SPACE FOR STORAGE OF RECORDS, TO THE LEFT OF THE DEVICES AND LID, AND ALSO FOR 8 TRACK TAPES, IN A BUILT-IN SLOT TO THE LEFT OF THE PLAYER.
THE BACK OF THE UNIT HAS EXTERNAL SPEAKER CONNECTIONS FOR: RIGHTCENTER LEFTAND EVEN HAS SPEAKER CONNECTIONS FOR 4-CHANNEL BACK SPEAKERS: RIGHT BACKCENTER BACKLEFT BACK THERE ARE 2 COMPONENT TYPE CONNECTORS AND A LEFT AND RIGHT 'Tape Play' and 'Tape Record' Connections. NICE VINTAGE CONSOLE STEREO THAT IS ALMOST FULLY FUNCTIONAL, READY TO BE BROUGHT BACK TO FULL LIFE. THIS WILL BE A LOCAL PICKUP ONLY ITEM, IT MEASURES 53' LONG, 20' DEEP, AND 27' HIGH. Pictures are of actual item you are purchasing, Any significant condition issues will be listed. Please review the pictures carefully. Payment: Please submit payment no later than (2) two days after end of auction. If payment is not received within 4 days, a Payment Not Received case will be filed with EBay.
PayPal is the only accepted payment method. Shipping: We ship to the address provided by PayPal and CANNOT ship to an alternate address. Winning bidder pays shipping costs for the carrier service listed on auction page.
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We will gladly leave positive feedback in return. DISCLAIMER: ALL ITEMS ARE SOLD 'AS IS' IN PRE-OWNED OR NEW CONDITION, UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED. WE TRY OUR BEST TO PRESENT AN ACCURATE DESCRIPTION OF THE ITEM NOTING ANY IMPERFECTIONS OR DAMAGES WE MAY SEE, Please contact us with any issues prior to leaving negative feedback We aim for great customer service! Condition: Console lights up and AM Radio Works, All 4 Speakers Sound Good. I could not pick up FM Stations.
8 Track Player seems to work when tape inserted, you hear motor run like it is playing the tape, the red LED light illuminates, and it will change tracks 1-4 when button pressed, but there is no sound from speakers or headphone jack. The Record Player does not work, it does have a needle. When you turn the knob to activate the record player, it does not move.
If you spin the turntable, the arm activates, and it seems to spin by itself throughout the cycle of the arm returning to its holder and the player shutting off, like if you get it started it will take over by itself somewhat. Another way to describe is that I spin the turntable with such little force that i know that the player activates somewhat to be able to complete action of the arm moving out then returning to the holder. Might be a worn/loose belt?
Cosmetically Good, some wear on the top surface, speaker cover fabric tears., Brand: Magnavox, Country/Region of Manufacture: United States See More.