Classic Hifi Care

To continue with the story! Since I got slight movement today I decided to spray some more PB Blaster in the area that seemed to be stuck. I'm not sure if the PB Blaster or the Turbine oil that Mr. Mogul suggested started the ball rolling but something did.

With PB Blaster in place I figured now was a good time to take things apart and do some degreasing, cleaning, and applying fresh grease. Actually it was not all that bad. A little sticky, but cleaned right off with some alcohol. This changer is so like a VM, and I'm guessing RCA copied the general workings of a VM to get this changer. The 1200 series VM is a little more complicated and better built than this RCA, but then again, as time progressed VM cheapened things up too.

As I continued cleaning, I kept moving the tone arm. The more I moved the tone arm the easier it moved. I just kept cleaning, and moving until it seemed pretty free. I put the under side things back in place so that part is done. I pulled the drive tire, it felt rather soft and pliable, cleaned that shaft and applied a little grease and put it back together. At this point, I soaked the tone arm down pretty good with Turbine oil. Tomorrow I will see just how free it moves. I still need to replace the motor mounts. They are has hard as stone. I'm hoping they are the same as VM. I have some of them in stock in a drawer someplace.

Here are a few photos of the RCA changer.

Bill

Sorry, I posted the same photo twice. Not sure how to remove the extra one.

If you don't mind my experimentation, I'll try to edit your post and see if the additional, unwanted attachment can be removed. I've never tried doing that.

Edit....it won't let me do it. All I can do is to delete the post. Don't worry about it. We appreciate you posting your pictures. One more than you intended won't hurt a thing.

Good job on getting it all freed up. Good luck on the project.

be sure to show a picture of the finished console when you get it done!

This unit was my Grandparents RCA Stereo Theater. The console and electronic guts are still all original. It's just the changer that needed some attention.

Bill

You need a kind-hearted "TV guy" find the correct TV chassis for your RCA home theater. Those old all-tube color TV's have some of the best pictures they ever put on a TV set. They made lots of them, so finding one might not be as bad as you think. Yours is in really nice shape. A well-loved family heirloom.

This unit had the TOTL RCA color TV. It was called the Mark I Deluxe. It had power tuning but my grandparents did not get the remote. They figured they could still get up and change the channels.

Bill

I got the changer all cleaned up, lubed, and back together. I took it for a test drive and it cycles great, now I just need to figure out why it does not drop records. Back to the drawing board.

Bill

Do you have "test records", ones you use on every job to gauge the performance relative to others you have serviced?

I do have a few, and they are not in very good shape. I should look thru my pile of records and pick out some new test records.

Bill

Bill, Do you know what year it is? My guess is somewhere between '62 and '65, as I have '61 and '66 RCA TV full line brochures, and I don't see a Mark Deluxe color TV/stereo theater model with that particular styling in either '61 or '66, and by '67 all tube RCA models were pretty much gone from their line. So the TV chassis is missing altogether? Was it a roundie or rectangular kinescope (crt) screen? I believe I may be able to tell you exactly what RCA chassis would be original if I know the year.

Early RCA color TV is my chief TV interest. As a kid we always had an RCA but my family never had a color TV until well after I left home in '68 so I'm a bit obsessed with them now... as they say it's never too late to have a happy childhood! lol.

The console I got from Bill is from 67/68 and it uses the CTC28 chassis

I have the brochure from 1966/67. My Grandparents ST is in that brochure. Model number HH-852, called the Brandywine. The Sam's I have for the unit is Set 881, dated 4-67. Chassis number for the TV, CTC21A/B/C/D. As I mentioned before, the TV had everything including power tuning but no remote.

Bili

I honestly think that adding remote to this model could really complicate things, its busy enough around that tuner cluster. This was some of RCA's finest design work of the tube era.

The later RCA's where the 6GH8A was widely used and overdriven, took the place of several other and more rugged tubes like the 6LF8, 6KA8, 6GU7. Reliability went down for RCA (per CU) during the late 60s, while Zenith was improving.

Well, I finally figured out my RCA changer problem. Why would it cycle perfectly but not drop a record? The drop thingy in the spindle would not stay up after dropping the first record. I could manually push it up and it would work, but then it would not return to its position for the second record. I had It apart, cleaned and lubed everything but still no drop. I studied the Sam's, and it all looked correct. What am I missing?? Well, what I was missing is that I did not notice the correct order of things in the schematic. All the parts were there, and I presumed, from memory, that I had them in the right order. Yesterday I went to the basement with determination to figure this out. I looked, compared, looked, compared, and then looked and compared again. About the fifth time looking and comparing I finally noticed I had two things turned around. I switched them around, and everything worked perfectly. Before anyone says, Bill you should have taken photos as you took things apart, I will say I agree and lesson learned.

This morning I'm going to install it back in the Stereo Theater and see how it plays. I bet it's been 30 plus years since a record has been played on my Grandparents RCA Stereo Theater. I'm looking forward to hearing it again after all those years.

Bill

Great. Job. Bill.

It feels good when you can get one to see things your way. Remember "logical order". Everything works, or doesn't work, depending on logical order. I will remember the camera suggestion when I get brave enough to delve into a changer.

Now, if we could just marry your expertise in getting the "Stereo" part working with Dave's expertise in getting the CTC-21 or its equivalent "Theater" working, you would have a whole RCA Home Theater. I think "Stereo Theater" was Magnavox terminology while RCA called theirs "Home Theater" did they not?

Actually, in the brochure that I have RCA calls their Stereo Theaters "Home Entertainment Centers." There were four levels of them for the 1966/67 model year. The TOTL where Armoire style cabinets. Then came my unit and it's style cabinets. The next level down the cabinets did not have doors that covered up the TV screen, they did not have Mark I TV's, few speakers and less power in the amp. The lowest models were basic units, with rather plain cabinets and not using real wood.

Bill

Good job Bill !

I'm starting on a 1959-60 Garrard RC 88/4 changer.
It's a different beast and Brit design....

After every "section" of dis-assembly, I pull off the
work gloves, take a photo.

Dave1138 and I have a restoration project that the
Garrard is part of.
We'll post about it when we get the electronics
pulled for service.

Thanks, Greg and Mr. Mogul. I think I had my eyes closed while looking for the obvious that was right under my nose.

Bill

Well, guys, the RCA changer is now doing something kind of weird and I'm not quite sure why. It does everything correct except end of record cycling and it actually does that great except when it starts the cycle the tone arm jerks slightly and scrapes across the last track on the record before it rises high enough to finish the cycle. If any of you RCA changer experts have any ideas, I would greatly appreciate your advice. Thank you!

Bill