General Electric RP-2153 "Trimline 300" stereo

[electra225]

This stereo is one notch down from the RP-2080 in another topic. It has a 35W4 rectifier, 12AX7 first audio and 35EH5 single-ended output. It uses a Voice of Music model 1267 changer with the short spindle. It also has the "Tonal 1" tone arm with a General Electric model C-500 ceramic stereo cartridge. I was going to use my spare VM changer in this stereo, but this one needs the short spindle. So now we have to go thru this changer. It does almost everything wrong. It sounds bad when it's running due to a hard drive tire. It will drop records, but the tone arm returns to rest rather than dropping onto the record. It won't shut off after the last record has played and won't cycle at the end of the record. The tone arm goes all the way to the spindle, so that isn't right. I first thought one side of the cartridge was dead, but I found a bad connection at the RCA jack on the changer. The needle is bad, of course, which is kind of expected on these Trimline stereos. The group I have had a hard life as far as needles are concerned.

The date code on the changer is the 44th week of 1963. That would fit with tube codes. Some are late in 1963, others in the first weeks of 1964. I think we can safely consider this a 1964 model stereo. The works on this changer are really sticky. Lots of sticky lubrication that is places I don't believe it should be. The motor mounts are horrible. The little finger thingy on the slide bar the instructions say to make sure is not stuck is stuck, tight as it can get. I can't get it to move with a screwdriver from the bottom side. The ball was stuck in the spindle and I had to tap on the spindle with a screwdriver handle to get it to fall out. The tone arm travelling all the way to the spindle is normal. The reason it floats around at the end of a record is that it is not cycling. The tone arm travels out onto the record label because the needle is so bad it won't let the cycling grooves in the record control the tone arm.

[William]

I have had several VM changers that were in that kind of shape and the only thing you can do is a total refurbish. There are lots of little components hiding under what you can see that are all gummed up and I light cleaning won't cut it. I soak some of the components, scrub on some, and put PB blaster on others. I also use an old hair drier to free up certain things that are frozen or stuck. This one will take some time to make it right, but it can be done with a little patience. You can do it, Greg, just take it one step at a time.

Bill

[electra225]

The cycling cam gear wouldn't move. It must have moved at one point because the changer would drop records and the tone arm would move. I couldn't get it to move out of its hole. We went out to supper this evening and I left it soaking while we were gone in PB Blaster. It will move better, but it still doesn't want to come out of its hole. All the stuff on the cam that is supposed to move won't. This thing is really gummed up. I hope it's better by morning.

[William]

If it's that stuck you will need to apply heat to get it out, which is highly recommended, so you do not bend anything trying. Once it is out, that cleanup is pretty easy although there is a ring that rotates that is usually frozen too and will need a good soaking, sometimes some heat, and just working it until it is free. Next is the trip lever assemble, which is attached to the gear, and that is very fussy. Start by soaking it in PBblaster overnight. Once you have done that, work it until you think it is all freed up and then apply PBblaster again and let it soak. Next clean it with either alcohol or some tuner cleaner until you think it is clean, then do it again and again. This thing is very fussy and on more than one occasion I have had everything all back together only to take it back apart and clean the trip lever again. And per Gary's instructions, DO NOT lube it, do only what Gary's instructions recommend on where to place lubrication. Other might not agree with me on these procedures, but this is what I do, and it works for me. One step at a time and the next thing you know you will have a working VM changer.

Bill

[electra225]

What does the trip lever "trip"? Is that what starts the cycle that drops the record? Pardon my ignorance of nomenclature. This is all new territory to me. If you had told me a year ago I would actually be working on a record changer, I'd have recommended you change your medication......

There is a lever on the cam gear that has a little spring and is removable by taking off a Jesus clip. Is this the one you are talking about?

[William]

Yes, that is exactly what that does, it starts the reject cycle. The spring and clip are part of the mechanism and I rarely take them off to properly clean the trip mechanism. I think I did it once just because that particular changer was giving me fits. If you look at the two shafts that are on the cycling cam gear you will find one of them as a ring, that ring needs to be free to rotate.

Bill

[electra225]

I didn't notice a ring that turns. I took the little lever with the Jesus clip with a spring under it out and cleaned it up real good. Can the ring that turns become dislodged then lost?

I have the changer all back together waiting for me to put it into the stereo and power it up. I didn't take it completely apart for a reason. I want to learn what happens if the "7 inch lever" is hanging up or stuck. I was using a 10" 78-rpm record to see if the needle would set down when I did my preliminary test. It went back to the rest and stayed there. If the 7" lever is sticking, will that cause this condition?

It sure looks to me like if I remove the tone arm and overarm, then secure the reject lever, the entire guts minus the motor and drive system will come out in a chunk.

[William]

The ring should be there, it does kind of blend in with the shaft. And yes, the 7" lever can do that. Follow Gary's lube instructions for the 7" lever and it should fix the problem.

Bill

[electra225]

Success! I'd say the changer is 90% done. Still needs a drive tire, mounts and a needle.

[William]

Congrats, Greg, I hope it give you years of good service. And see, I knew you could do it.

Bill

[electra225]

Gary has several selections of platter mats to fit those VM changers. I wonder if it would be considered sacrilege to put other than stock platter mats on these GE stereos? What I would like to have is some felt platter mats. I would clean the originals the best I could then use the felt mat on whichever one I was using at the time. I want to use "dual LP" needles in the RP-1590, RP-2080 and the RP-2153. The cheapest one with the crystal cartridge can play 78's and the Magnavox TP-241 can play 78's. I'll use the diamond needle for LP's and the sapphire needle for 45's.