MrMonster
Totally Lost In The 70's
Hello Lads,
I picked up another Empire turntable, like I need another.
This is the 698 with the lightweight tonearm and push button cueing;
Everything on this table is just sweet as new, but the cueing works too well push the down button and the arm drops like a stone, push the up, and the arm goes near vertical. It cues, but no damping. On dis assembly of the cue mechanism, I am surprised.
Basically it's a doorbell.
The cue works on a magnetic solenoid, but only on the down stroke. the up position is the normal position with no current to the arm. the up is supplied by a flat spring on the bottom of the solenoid piston, and the down is the magnet being pushed down.
I have two 698's and on checking the working arm, I found no difference except the piston on the working arm has a tack coating applied to the piston and to the inside of the coil. This is what dampens the down stroke and slows the upstroke of the piston to raise and lower the arm
This coating isn't a grease, or wax as it on the piston pretty good and does not wipe away easily, but I don't want to rub too hard, as then I will two arms not working.
IT is very apparent that the non working arm has had someone playing with it as there are two different screws. I think the last person had a stuck piston from age, so wiped off the coating in an attempt to repair
Pictures are below, you see the two pistons, and the coating is very apparent and is evenly applied around the piston.
I have gone over and over the schematic and can see nothing that would control current to the coil of the solenoid, and the working tonearm works flawlessly on both tables.
Anyone know what this coating is? I have tried a number of tacky lubes waxes and other things to no avail, and the grease only sped up the cue.
It isn;t something that just wipes off, and takes a bit of effort to remove and install the piston. On the working arm, the cue is slow and gentle like my SME 3009.
If you have any idea of what this coating is, or a substitute, I would be in your debt.
The fist photos shows the coil in the arm, the flat spring, the piston and the arm rest of the cue.
Thank,
Donald Bowman
I picked up another Empire turntable, like I need another.
This is the 698 with the lightweight tonearm and push button cueing;
Everything on this table is just sweet as new, but the cueing works too well push the down button and the arm drops like a stone, push the up, and the arm goes near vertical. It cues, but no damping. On dis assembly of the cue mechanism, I am surprised.
Basically it's a doorbell.
The cue works on a magnetic solenoid, but only on the down stroke. the up position is the normal position with no current to the arm. the up is supplied by a flat spring on the bottom of the solenoid piston, and the down is the magnet being pushed down.
I have two 698's and on checking the working arm, I found no difference except the piston on the working arm has a tack coating applied to the piston and to the inside of the coil. This is what dampens the down stroke and slows the upstroke of the piston to raise and lower the arm
This coating isn't a grease, or wax as it on the piston pretty good and does not wipe away easily, but I don't want to rub too hard, as then I will two arms not working.
IT is very apparent that the non working arm has had someone playing with it as there are two different screws. I think the last person had a stuck piston from age, so wiped off the coating in an attempt to repair
Pictures are below, you see the two pistons, and the coating is very apparent and is evenly applied around the piston.
I have gone over and over the schematic and can see nothing that would control current to the coil of the solenoid, and the working tonearm works flawlessly on both tables.
Anyone know what this coating is? I have tried a number of tacky lubes waxes and other things to no avail, and the grease only sped up the cue.
It isn;t something that just wipes off, and takes a bit of effort to remove and install the piston. On the working arm, the cue is slow and gentle like my SME 3009.
If you have any idea of what this coating is, or a substitute, I would be in your debt.
The fist photos shows the coil in the arm, the flat spring, the piston and the arm rest of the cue.
Thank,
Donald Bowman
