GE RC 1616B

[hermitcrab]

well since the changer is operating, I am now tackling the rest of it... fixing spots of missing veneer with some left over walnut, cut a new plinth for the changer, and got lucky... the changer just squeezes inside the walls of the fold down part .The amp is still in the unit , working on one chassis at a time , the tuner and multiplex unit are out on the bench for now , not sure what kind of legs these came with, but the threads on the corners are like 1" across they must have been heavy duty legs...

[hermitcrab]

I am not happy with the quality of this thing...everything is hard wired including the controls, the speakers, etc... in order to remove the amplifier chassis involves de-soldering about 10 wires or cutting them off .. there are 10 wires going to the volume and other controls including switches ... taking pictures wont help as half the wires are all white I guess I could label each one but I won't remember where they go... the schematic is a joke... this was not made to be serviced ...unless I can find an actual service manual for this , it is getting shelved ...

[William]

Sorry to hear that, Elton. It looks a lot like the one I serviced for the local antique guy but obviously a less expensive model. The one I serviced had connectors to unplug to make service easier. Everything was separate, making servicing pretty easy.

Bill

[electra225]

When I did Don's RP-1590 and also the parts set I just redid, I learned that the secret to removing the electronics in these sets is to remove it as an assembly. Do not disconnect anything. Remove it all in one lump. If you get to looking real close, you can see that is how it was built. They put the electronics together, then stuffed it all into a cabinet. GE did not built their wooden cabinets. They had the cabinets built so all the parts could be installed as an assembly. If you look, there are grooves cut out of the cabinet so the wires will pass thru. No holes or anything like that. GE stuff is very simple to service, once you get the hang of how they built it. Good luck.

And, if you mess something up, I have a whole set of guts for that stereo. GE used that same setup in several table and console models. Not impressive livery, but it sounds surprisingly good for what it is.

[hermitcrab]

I have thought that as well... that may be the only option I have... the controls alone have a bundle of wires going every which way, with switches for null and scratch filters that just adds to the disarray ... the cabinet needs to be stripped so it can be sanded and refinished ... the benzel appears to be glued on with some type of black goo... so that wont be coming off... I guess I will trudge on and see what happens... come to think of it , I have not even tested the speakers yet...

[electra225]

The controls are on a PCB that is easily damaged and will drive you nuts trying to troubleshoot. On the bright side, you can hardwire the PCB and save it. I have done that a couple times, including on the GE stereo I just redid. After you remove it, and before you re-install it, use a magnifying glass on the control board to make sure of no broken traces. Other than that, taking the electronics out in one piece presents no real problem.

[hermitcrab]

Well I did as you suggested and removed it all in one bundle ... I guess this is no different from the MW chassis and speakers I got , that is all still connected by the wires...I was just upset at the cost cutting they did by direct wiring... even the schematic shows a plug for the speakers on the amplifier.... nope... it's hard wired, ...but now I can finish patching the numerous pieces of veneer that are missing and try to save the cabinet ...it actually needs to be power washed... I found a former resident under the amp chassis ... or what was left of him...

[electra225]

No doubt GE built their stuff to a price point. I amazed how much sound they get out of fairly modest livery. My step-dad, my first elmer, was a GE dealer and thought their stuff was top notch. He thought Magnavox, Motorola, Zenith and those guys built stuff to be complicated just for the sake of complication.

[hermitcrab]

These are the mounts for the optional legs for this unit... the threaded metal nubs are about 1 " wide alone ....I guess the legs must have had metal female inserts to screw the legs in, but they must have been beefy

[William]

That is interesting, Elton, I have never seen anything like that before.

Bill

[electra225]

Home Depot used to sell leg kits, with the bracket and wooden legs. Something like that might work if you want to use the legs.

[hermitcrab]

I went that route on the VM table player I had that Bill added to his collection

[William]

Thanks, Elton, I enjoy that player.

Bill

[hermitcrab]

well an unfortunate problem has popped up... I was moving the external speaker jacks and one of the wires broke off , I had another jack so I soldered it in... and to check it I used the ohm meter to make sure everything was cool... Dead short between the speaker hot and ground ...checked the other channel and that too is dead short... it appears the output transformers are both shorted ... looks like this will be a parts set after all...

[William]

Sorry to hear that, Elton, but at least you found that out early on.

Bill

[electra225]

Before you put the axe to the stereo, consult a service diagram. You are dealing with a GE stereo. I got some weird readings when I was working on the RP-1590 and also one of the little Trimline stereos, the one with single-ended 6AQ5's. I would suggest before you can the project, see if it will work. GE used the cabinet for one side of the speaker circuit for some strange reason. Sometimes there was no wire on the speakers, the cabinet was one side of the output transformer secondary. Have you had the stereo running since you got it? I find it a stretch to imagine that BOTH sides would be bad. It is yours and you can do what you think best, but I'd feel bad if I junked something when there was nothing wrong with it. And remember, I have an entire set of guts that will fit it and I know it works, works well, but has salty filter caps. For what it's worth......

Lest there be misunderstanding, my comments about the cabinet would apply to the metal cabinets used in the Trimline stereos. Your wooden cabinet would not work for that.....

[hermitcrab]

Greg , you are correct ... I forgot about the Null Balance switch I asked about on another post... it is tied directly to ground... why ? I have no clue, but if I measure for shorts with the momentary switch closed the short goes away?...weird setup ...