Wow, ok, thanks for clarifying.15/32" is what my 1962 ROK uses. What I posted is correct.
Note that I'm talking about the bearing for the platter -- not the motor bearing.
Wow, ok, thanks for clarifying.15/32" is what my 1962 ROK uses. What I posted is correct.
Note that I'm talking about the bearing for the platter -- not the motor bearing.
Ah ha! This answers a question I was just about to ask. Does anyone know where the b-12GH fits into this hierarchy? And has anybody actually heard all of these decks and have an informed opinion about the relative quality of all three? I've heard some love for the Rondine Jr because you can mount the tonearm separately from the metal plinth, but I'm not totally sure how the motor factors into that equation.Article - Which ROK TT Shall I Buy?
See attachment for a discussion on the Rondine Deluxe, Rondine, Rondine Jrs.
That piece, the wooden one, is still there. The spring arches up without it. Something about the kink is making it difficult to get the tension right so that it goes into all gears, even with the adjustment screw. If it's loose enough to get into the last speed, it doesn't engage on the first. And if it's tight enough to engage on the first, it's too stiff to get it into the last. I tried to turn it around but that didn't work. I definitely need a new screw, but it might just come down to getting various springs and seeing which one will make it work.Do you have the wooden spacer that goes in the rectangular well the spring goes in? It's #84 in the diagram. I think its purpose is to keep the spring from kinking that way. If so, you might be able to take most of the kink out of that spring and go on using it. You're not likely to make broadcasting demands of it. If you don't have that piece, someone might be able to give you the dimensions.
I believe the hep young cats refer to this as "battle style," so you get street cred too.You can mount the tonearm off the metal plinth in any B12 model, just rotate the metal plinth so that the speed control is on the upper left.
I might also go mad scientist and get some uncut gasket to try to make something to isolate the tonearm from the rumble. I might have to get a slightly bigger ball bearing to make it work, or I might just end up taking it out.You can mount the tonearm off the metal plinth in any B12 model, just rotate the metal plinth so that the speed control is on the upper left.
I think it would be nuts to replace the motor on that as it's one of the great motors in history, plus it would be a major pain. There are plenty of multi-speed players to work with if that's what you want or if you're going to make the whole thing from scratch better to make a motor pod or something like that than to make it fit an existing mounting setup. Less work and better result.I've now received most of the stuff to bring my old K33H back to life. New grommets, belt, 4uf cap, 5/16" ceramic ball, empire stylus from VM and I splurged on some 1/8" thick sorbothane rubber strip tape to replace the worn out foam where the top deck sits into the wooden cabinet. And 4 sorbo feet to replace the nylon jobs. I'm up to about $100 about half of which was the sorbo stuff <sigh>. Hopefully it wasn't money wasted. Printed a copy of the manual and have the wiring diagram in front of me.
A couple questions:
1. Is there any advantage of wiring the ac line with a 3 prong grounded plug with the ground attached to the metal structure and motor body? The original line cord is in good shape.
2. A previous owner ran a ground from the rca jacks over to the motor housing. I think that's a bad idea. The upper deck is wood so it's easy to isolate the tone arm from the motor drive unit and run a separate ground wire attached to the tone arm back to the amp. I haven't looked at the cartridge wiring yet in detail. Is just using the ground side of the rca jack sufficient if one channel ground is attached to the cartridge housing?
3. My objective is to get this back running close to original and listen to it for awhile before moving on so I'm way ahead of myself here, but I'll ask anyway. I've spent the last several hours researching possible motor upgrades that could be used to convert it to run multiple speeds and that won't break my bank. The Premotec 9904-120-18105 DC motor is used on a similar belt (string) drive turntable I found and looks like a possible candidate for the K33H. The spec sheet says it's available with ball bearings. All I can find are sleeve bearing versions. I'm not certain, but this might be the same motor Esoteric is using in their variable speed upgrade kit? The motor costs around $80 and would require fabricating a housing or mounting plate and making a new belt pulley on a lathe or a lot of work on a drill press with files and emery cloth. I've already got a variable regulated DC power supply to test it and with my free labor I think I might be able to do it for around $100 or so. Any other mods or ideas for doing this el cheapo?
You can download the instruction manual at vinylengine.com. Free registration and then you can download.
The idlers can be serviced by Gary @ voiceofmusic.com. Clean the inside of the platter rim, there might be buildup from the idlers over the years.
Looks like someone added an on / off switch and indicator lamp.
If you have any pictures of the process or insides on the motor it would be helpful for folks down the road if you can post them. Also, a picture of the tag on the inside of the plinth. I've never seen that one.
Good luck with your project.
Edit: Some links on other rebuilds:
http://jelabsarch.blogspot.com/2012/06/rek-o-kut-tips.html
https://www.stereophile.com/content/listening-120
https://www.stereophile.com/content/listening-121
https://www.stereophile.com/content/listening-122-part-2
I want to make a bit more progress before I decide about sending out the idler wheels for service.
The wheels don't seem to have much wear, they measure close to the original diameter and are not rock hard or glazed. I would like to hear what they sound like as is.