Calling all audiophiles & electronics guys

[VenomMacbeth]

I recently started a job at a local antique mall.  It's one of the biggest ones I've ever seen, as it occupies what used to be a cotton mill.  Anyway, at work yesterday, I came across a booth with all items 50% off.  In this booth, I found an old portable record player for $25 ($12.50 after discount!)  At that price, I just couldn't pass it up, working or not.



I took it home & tried it out.  Miraculously, it does work!  However, there appear to be some issues with it...

First of all, the needle likes to skip, even on nearly brand-new records.  Not quite sure what to do about this, as I don't know if you could even replace the needle/stylus on such an old turntable, or whether or not that would even help.

Secondly, the sound quality is absolutely terrible. Not only is it distorted, but the pitch seems to warble a bit.  I opened it up & found this clusterf**k of wiring:



I see lots of what appears to be resistors, among other things that I know nothing about because I am not experienced with circuits & whatnot, though I hope to remedy that soon.

There's also this thing...



When I first tried the record player out, I didn't think the sound worked, but when I found this tube I realized that I hadn't let the thing warm up for long enough.  When powered on, this little tube fires up so I know it at least works, but it does seem to be a little charred & crispy at the end. 

Then, there's the speaker.  It's deteriorating, though not too badly.  This isn't a big issue, as I'm confidant it can be replaced with a 4" car speaker, but if anyone has any better ideas, let me know.


I'd really, really like to restore this thing.  I think it could be an interesting, educational project.  I also neglected to mention that this "Sonic Capri 500" record player is from 1955, as per the manufacturing date on the inside of the thing (which reads AUG1954).  Does anyone here have any experience with these & would know a good place to start with restoring mine?

[thesteve]

the wobble in the sound is likely worn rubber (belt/wheel)

[PunkicCyborg]

You should be able to align the stylus, there's guides online on how to do this, also make sure you are on a perfectly level surface. I use a small level to do this. You are going to need a new belt too unless it's an Idler wheel which if that's the case you might be SOL if it has a indent on the wheel.

[Jibbajaba]

Old turntables like that use a really heave vertical tracking force (the amount of force the stylus is putting on the record), so they have a tendency to carve records up.  Don't play anything valuable on there.

Chris

[ApolloBoy]

In addition to replacing the belt and the needle, I'd also take a look at the electronics. I'm willing to bet that big capacitor is still the original one and so it's most likely no good by now. It looks like it has multiple ratings on it, so I'd replace with modern caps that correspond with the original ratings. That rat's nest of wiring is very typical of 1950s electronics and earlier since PCBs didn't exactly exist at that point.

[VenomMacbeth]

Old turntables like that use a really heave vertical tracking force (the amount of force the stylus is putting on the record), so they have a tendency to carve records up.  Don't play anything valuable on there.

Chris

On the contrary, I don't think this one has enough vertical tracking force, as relatively new records with no scratches seem to skip a lot. 

In addition to replacing the belt and the needle, I'd also take a look at the electronics. I'm willing to bet that big capacitor is still the original one and so it's most likely no good by now. It looks like it has multiple ratings on it, so I'd replace with modern caps that correspond with the original ratings. That rat's nest of wiring is very typical of 1950s electronics and earlier since PCBs didn't exactly exist at that point.

So how would I go about doing that?  Is there some particular order the caps would need to be wired in?  Bear in mind I have no experience with this stuff, so forgive me if I seem a little dumb on the subject.

[PunkicCyborg]

there might be a way to adjust the weight at the end of the tonearm. Also make sure the stylus isn't turned weird you can align those too

[VenomMacbeth]

there might be a way to adjust the weight at the end of the tonearm. Also make sure the stylus isn't turned weird you can align those too

The stylus actually appears to be a little bent, in such a way that instead of pointing straight down, it's bent diagonally toward the side of the cartridge.  It's not bent very far, but it's still crooked.

[thesteve]

ok now that i can see the pic's
the cap has 3 caps in it (all tied on one end)
the motor drive is likely a wheel (should be a replaceable tire) you should be able to lift the table off by lifting and turning.
the tube looks fine.
the cartridge is a service part (if you can find one) and likely a carbon type.