Built in September 1949. I was born in November 1949. You have amazing skills. I have a 1949/1950 RCA MODEL RP-190 series record player hook up to an amp and speakers. Thanks for sharing this fantastic video.
Doug Kubash did you know that for example iPhones are reparable? But I agree that it was easier and that things were made to be able to be repaired back in the day.
Thanks for getting back to Me so fast! I did not realize that shaft was clocked! but if it is, I'll have to start somewhere. It cannot be in the blades at top, if I had the spindle apart once I've had it apart 20 times to make sure everything is perfect. I'll figure it out. Thanks so much for your kind Help.
Striking how they nailed the maths on this one in 1949 already. The angular tracking error between null points (for 7") would be around 0.25, a good Hi-Fi standard even by today's norms. Spindle-to-pivot distance, overhang length, offset angle and effective tonearm length apparently following Löfgren, the basic design could well be copied (and upgraded and updated) to meet even the highest demands today, should one feel inclined to build oneself a high end 7"-only player, with improved mechanics and materials. The all-important mathematics are all here. Clearly, there were no holds barred in the development of these 45-players, RCA certainly had the means, and they really put them to maximum effect here. Marvelous engineering!
Folks had old tv- phono - radio console. It had turntable for 33 albums and 78s, and small changer just like this for 45s. It was attached to early FM radio. The 45 pickup didn’t work too good but one for 33 albums worked excellent so one time for a party my sister had I rigged that turntable to go 45 rpm so she could play all her friends 45s. It had pretty good amp and big speaker and they rocked the house. Mostly oldies from 50s and early 60s but I always remember they kept cranking the new Rolling Stones- Paint it Black
This is a project I've been looking at doing for a while. I'm going to swap the needle out for an ortofon red cartridge, I'm also going to see if I can get a new speaker for the thing. I think it'd be the ultimate sleeper build.
HI Debbie. Thanks for saying that. I appreciate it and your right....I took lots of things apart. I did good, but never did get dads watch back together! Haha.
I have the RP-190 and when I initially converted mine to stereo I used that cartridge. What I did was to wind a coil over the motor's winding so that I could make a 9 volt DC supply and drive a small JFET buffer so that I could plug the record changer into any modern line level input regardless of impedance.
For sure. Just would have to have the amp and speakers right there as well, and I don't think that will fit on my nightstand. A small external amp would do it. In fact, maybe I could put one inside with a small speaker. Thanks much.
Did you know that this 9-JY was & still is the fasted Record changer (Cycle time from drop to play) ever designed & Built for the Public! I have 3 RCA J-2s That are from 1950s and they are not as fast. Amazing Little 45 Changers!
I did not know there was a Guinness record on that, but I do know it changes fast. Thanks for the fact. I will tell that to folks when I play if for them.
My parents had a Grundig Majestic record player with 4 speeds: 16, 33, 45 and 78. It had a 4 broadcast band radio with short wave and FM. It ran on 5 vacuum tubes and it had a,green "magic eye" tube for tuning on the front.
One of the selling points of the RCA "45 Victrola" was the fact it featured "The World's Fastest Record Changer". They wanted you to think that was better than Columbia's "Long Play 33" discs, which could feature almost 25 minutes of uinterrupted music per side on a 12 inch disc.
Vinyl is back in and this was a fun project that worked out well. There is only 1 groove on records and the average length of one on a 12", 33 1/3 rpm record is about 1,500 feet. I've seen working models of this RCA 45 RPM changer on ebay for up to $ 350, so I decided it would be worthwhile to try to repair it and modify it to Stereo, as it was Mono. I figured it out as I went with no help, using a Chuo Denshi stereo cartridge, and a new idler wheel from Ebay. It worked out well. I use Adams VRT to preserve and quiet down my old records. Thanks for watching folks.
I appreciate all the hard work you put into this video. It's like, "Hello Houston, We've Got a Problem" and Dave figured it out..! That was one hell of a repair and modification so I would say, it was a perfect landing and they lived to talk about it.
@@NightFlyyer aligning the cycling is two fold. Getting the star gear is most important, you need to be witching 1/32" accuracy. The real,key is the trip lever setup, but it's all easy once you understand the theory of mechanics. This is not for the light hearted or fumble fingered fool.
Banpa makes a clone of the old BSR stereo cartridge which may actually sound and track better than the one you have and should also fit. I fixed an old BSR changer for a friend and this is a very decent cartridge. I asked my friend's grandfather who was a machinist in the 40's up until the early 2000's about what they had back then, they had some pretty advanced stuff!
Dave, I really enjoyed your video , and I was one of them who did pay $350 for a completely refurbished mid 50's player on Ebay Model 45-EY-2, this holds 14 record stack.. . the cartridge was replaced with the mono ceramic cartridge , I wish they changed it to Stereo, but watching your video I may try it out.. I had one of these when I was growing up in the 50's . I also collect 45's and have never heard of the Adams VRT for records, but if you swear by it than I'll try it out.. Informative video Dave.. thanks
Awesome. Helped get my 45 going! Wondering if you could help me with the other turn table. I have an early 50's RCA victor that has both a 45 and a 33/78 turntable. The 33/78 was working and then just quit after about 3 months of operation. The drive post rotates strongly but there is a small belt that goes from the drive post and a stationary post. The stationary post has a wad of aluminim foil present as a spacer as the belt is too large. An idler arm wheel contacts the belt resulting in the TT rotation. I'm thinking I just need a smaller belt and get rid of the foil.....or the belt shouldnt be there and the idler arm should contact the drive post directly. Any help would be awesome thanks Bill
Well, without seeing it, I would guess all the above. When you say aluminum foil, that sounds cheesy, so maybe that is not supposed to be there. Not sure what to say. Try them all. Good luck and thanks.
Hi great video I am trying to restore one of these but I am missing the really long spring and the short spring near the tonearm base... any idea where I could order replacements ? Thanks
Song names ? I know Rinky Dink, and The String-A-Longs...and the last ones . Don't know the 60's ones other than the two I named. These were nice little players back when I was a kid, And Cheap !
Thanks. Well, I really don't know for sure, but there is a plunger (like a camshaft) that goes up and down running on a flywheel below, but also runs up to the 2 tabs on the top where the record lays. Those tabs go in and out when the wheel and arm are timed. Thats were I would look.
Thanks. Well the signal wire and ground from the stock needle connect the same as stock, but with a stereo needle head, the Signal wires to the one pole on the stereo head, and the other is ground. That is 1 RCA jack and stock setup. Just add another wire with an RCA jack and connect the grounds together. Then connect the signal wire to the second pole on the needle. Now you have 2 wires with RCA jacks. One left out and one is right out. See 9:43. Good luck and thanks.. See also 11:24 Both those wires (Left and Right), Red and black in this case, go to the RCA jacks.
This was built better than pretty much any consumer appliances made today. Even though there were plastics in 1949, the lack of plastic parts is what makes it so high quality. Had this been made of plastic, even modern plastic, it simply would not have lasted. It would be extremely brittle. Though, to be fair, there are plastics from that era that have survived and are not brittle and weak, in particular, phones. But the phones of the 1940s and 1950s were not the phones of today. No home phone made today will survive 70 years. The grade of plastic is just way too cheap. It will become extremely brittle.
Recently acquired a refurbished one of these and the unit works great but the sound is very thin, has little bass, and the volume is low. Anyone have any suggestions? Plugging straight into the cd input of stereo
Great. Well there is no amp, so you need a preamp like the one I showed. Then plug it in to your stereo's input and you will be surprised. Thanks and good luck.
I may have missed when you said it but what kind of pre amp are you using. Tried with my pre amp for a magnetic stylus and it sounds awful in a different way
@@richardlafleur2864 Here’s what I am using. It on Amazon. $21. Pyle Phono Turntable Preamp - Mini Electronic Audio Stereo Phonograph Preamplifier with RCA Input, RCA Output & Low Noise Operation Powered by 12 Volt DC Adapter
Awesome find and a great resurrection!! Nothin’ like a stack of Rice Krispies in the morning haha! I’m still stuck on 8-Tracks, cassettes and vinyl but at one point when I was trying to get with the times, I had a portable AAX6 powered CD player with a 1/16” headphone jack out reversed to a cassette converter that went into a cassette to 8-Track converter plugged into my dash deck. It worked great and I chugged down the road in my beat up 292, 3 on the tree, F-150, listening to a newly remastered version of Bob Wills on CD. I’m sure I’ll always prefer the original vinyl records, as issued, over any other media format. There’s also definitely no way I was swapping out my 8-Track deck for a CD player in that pickup! 😁
I wouldn't swap it out either. I like your story. In my video you can see a glimpse of my 8 track recorder player home machine, which still works, even after our big fire, so I can relate. Thanks kindly for the comments and be well.
I’ve never had much issue with the old tech decks and components. You can always pop them open and if your lucky the paper schematic are there 9 out of 10 times. My home unit is a Pioneer H-R100 sent through a Pioneer 4 channel QX-949 and it sounds excellent. I lucked out and found a Pioneer TP-900 a couple of years ago someone bought brand new, never used and put it in an attic. The caps are unbelievably still good! That one is going in my project car. It still has the protective plastic peel on the face too, just amazing. Take care yourself. I’ve watched your channel since before the fire and I have to say, you’ve come a long way since. I’m really glad that guy stepped up with a plane and got you back in the air where you belong. There’s a ton of fans out here for the NightFlyyer and his squirrel whispering copilot wife!
They all go to the switch (9:25) , which feeds all thru the resistor and it mutes pretty good. A mono record will still play out both speakers, but stereo records will play both channels.
I lined it up with the line I made on it before I took it off. 1:46 Also you might want to look at the shaft and see if any marks where the screws were originally tightened. Also you might look at 9:24 in the video to make a guess. It's a trial and error now. Good luck and thanks.
Hey, great video! Is there a way to convert the RCA to battery power, as I am in the UK and really want one of these deck, but of course we are 50HZ not 60HZ. Cheers
You would have to replace the motor with a DC motor. That would probably be quite prohibited. It might work on 50hz, a tiny bit slower, maybe not even noticeable. Good luck..
Great instructional video Dave. Any thoughts to installing a magnetic cartridge like a Shure SC35 instead of a ceramic cartridge? I did that to my Wurlitzer jukebox that was designed for a ceramic cartridge and the frequency response was much improved. I know these changers do not have anti skating so a few grams has to be for no skipping.
I would have used a magnetic cartridge, but would need an amp for it to work. I also wanted to keep it light, but did add some weight to the arm to keep it from skipping. There is an adjustment to sort of keep a balance, but it is marginal. Thanks much.
great video i love what you did and the modifications. I hope that you do a cleaning on the AKAI M-9 i have one for over 35 years and i havent clean the inside and all of the controls are stiff still works great and valume it cracks at times
I was lucky to save my M9 after the fire, as it was in the basement where it was up on a shelf and not damaged by water. The only thing that doesn't work is one of the meter lights is out. Thanks very kindly !
They did have automatic lathes in 49 but not really CNC they used punched cards so like mechanical CNC I guess, they also did have plastics, the top of the changer is probably polystyrene or nylon maybe vinyl? Cellulose acetate was the first plastic in the 1800s and it was flammable and explosive, they still make ping pong balls out if it.
I see you have an old Akai m-9 too. My brother got one like that when he was in Vietnam and I still listen to it with the collection of reel to reel tapes from back then. He even had a tape sent to him and some of his buddies from I think it was WGN in Chicago that they recorded just for them.
You should have used shielded wire for the cartridge. There looks like there is enough room inside the turntable to mount a small solid state stereo amp module. I remember as a kid having a 45 single player where you slid the record in and lifted up a lever to play it, sorta like a 5.25" disk drive.
Yes but since the arm is made of metal, it is somewhat shielded. The stock cartridge did not have shielded wire. It sounds great thru my stereo amp as is though, so I can't complain.
you will notice that pickup wire is twisted, and that takes care of any induced noise!!!, it does not need to be shielded( ceramic cartridge, not magnetic)
Where did you find the correct idler wheel replacement? I know you said Ebay but I don't see the same one. Edit: saw that you happened to found an NOS one. Should’ve watched all the way!
It was new old stock for sure. I would try to search that way. I looked and searched for a long time, as this machine would not ever work without one. Good luck.
does the Chuo Denshi cartridge need a special preamp? I've installed the one sold on ebay in the redhead kit, and It sounds terrible when used with a preamp (distorted). and it also sounds terrible when used without one (harsh highs/no bass).
You see the pre amp I am using is the Pyle Mini Phono Preamp, and it is nothing special. You must connect it to the Phono plugs of your main amp for it to sound right. Most Ceramic Chrystal cartridges do not need pre amps, but Dynamic cartridges do. In my case, it needed it.
It is caused by impedance mismatch. I have the same issues when used with a Sony STR-D590. When used with a Fisher 170, the Chuo Denshi sounds very good. With tone control, mono switch and loudness contour, the 45s sound great. Also, Radio Shack made a small SA-10 amp that was specifically designed for a ceramic phono cartridge input.
Another great job Dave. Glad you got it working and enjoy the multimeter, One thing I noticed, you didn't use your anti-static mat. HA HA. Only kidding. Springs around the corner. Stay busy. Tom
Awesome. I love the 8 track player below it. Mine is currently busted and I need to get a new belt for it. But you need a good old Dynaco tube amp for that set up :)
Dave, I just found this same model Was rca’s first changer from 1949. Your video was helpful restoring mine :) You still have that player piano? First video I ever saw of yours
Phenomenal guide. May have given me enough faith to try and fix mine on my own. The motor in mine spins, but the idler wheel doesn’t. Any reason why? I don’t have great mechanical knowledge, especially not for technology this old, so any help is appreciated.
Well, the motor shaft has to touch the idler wheel and many times if it’s set for a long time there’s a flat spot there that’s why I had to replace my idler wheel which was hard to find. Otherwise using an adjustment in there, you can pull that motor closer so you can adjust it so it runs the idler wheel which also turns and rubs the other side on the actual turntable. Good luck.
@@Kobozo375 I just heated them up with a soldering iron and pulled till they came loose. Maybe be a bit more specific. Are you talking internally or on the needle cartridge?
Hey Out there, I have a Technics SL-5 Linear Tracking turntable and the motor that keeps the tonearm moving just gets stuck. I lubricated it but now think its something electronic. any ideas?
That model is designed to stack 8 records. With some tweaking of the height screw in the rear top hole , one can stack up to 10, maybe 12, but the performance could get compromised from warping Of the old platters.
@@NightFlyyer It's 4 years later (somehow) and I actually found one of these for cheap at the antique store! It's a model 45-EY-2, and it has vacuum tubes, so I'm a little wary to open it up, but I'll have to since it doesn't turn!
Well there is not much more to say. The RCA jack has 2 wires. One goes to needle cartridge ground and one goes to the Needle cartridge's right side output. The other is the same. One wire is ground, but center wire of RCA jack goes to left side of needle's output on the cartridge. That will give you stereo with 2 channels. This record player had an RCA jack installed in the first place, but only mono. Adding the stereo cartridge just means adding a second rca jack, same as it was connected to the original cartridge. Since this record player has no amp, a preamp is best to use on the outputs to the main stereo amp. Hope that helps. Thanks.
YUP!!!!, I noticed that too, and I do not see it as "IMPRESSIVE" at all, I rebuild those also!!!!. I have been doing electronic work for 46 years, when I do a teardown, it is just "PARTS", and "EVERYTHING" is cleaned, and oiled/greased as required. lets face it you cause a part to wear out due to the lack of lubrication, have fun trying to locate that part. I also noticed that the drive motor/ record stacker assy. was not even looked at( cycle cam not greased either). all I can say is "HE GOT LUCKY"!!!!. the manual reject assy. was "STICKY" also. the reason for the "DENT" in the idler drive wheel is caused from "INACTIVITY" and it was parked there for years. you have to run these gems on a regular basis, otherwise it will happen again!!!.
hello very nice video......do you repair other peoples record changers like the one you worked on? i bought and paid for the newer model with the black tone arm and the machine never worked i mgave up on the guy because he kept giving me remedys on how to fix it....the one i bought from him always got stuck in cycle.......and never played the right speed and wobled etc im paid about 275.00 for nothing......
No I don't do repairs. It took a long time to chase down the rubber drive wheel for this one, and this wheel is the problem with most of them. Bummer about yours. That is a lot of money. Good luck with it.
Is the new stereo cartridge a piezoelectric or a magnetic one? [I can see the old one is piezoelectric and uses a heavy tracking force, since the tone arm has no counterweight]. I noticed that you didn't put any weights on the back, so I presume that the stereo cartridge is a piezoelectric (record scratching) one. I hope I'm wrong.
BTW, whether piezo or magnetic has nothing to do with scratching. The needle tips are either ruby or diamond and that is what is important for scratching. Peizo pickups (crystal) are very much lighter than Magnetic and why I added some weight to the arm. Magnetic pickups are heavier.
This 45 changer,was an introduction for RCA to manufacture juke box's NEVER HAPPENED Elvis Presley's recording contract would put RCA's radio and phonograph division in jeopardy.i have a lot of what looks like aftermarket RCA 1961
I am having a hard time fallowing you, R.C.A. introduced the 45 R.P.M. single in march of 1949. R.C.A. never built "JUKE BOXES". they did build record changers/ record players!!!
Can anyone please tell me - I've always wondered - why did the US start taking the middles out of 7" singles? They never did it with 78s or 33rpm records. . Jukeboxes yes - because it's easier for the arm to put the record on the turntable. But home record players ????
I guess the record had to be bigger for just 1 song or the grooves would be too close and a tiny record so the arm stayed away from touching the big spindle. This keeps speed from wowing. Technology was this big spindle at the time to accommodate a single song 45. Later changers became available for LP's, but they faded away too. Thanks.
@@NightFlyyer I don't really understand what you are saying. I'm asking why the US took the centres out of 7" singles. The UK & Europe (& possibly the rest of the World?) just kept the small hole as it was (like 78rpms & 33rpms). It was only the US who took the centres out & had a wide spindle.
@@NightFlyyer It was a crazy idea & only the US did it. So it meant, if you were playing 7" & 12" singles (which I still do), you had to keep changing the spindles - or put in that centre thing or put plastic centres in every single. There must be a reason why you lot did it.
I f you want to take care of your records, you are not likely to play them on this record player, because it does not protect your records, the arm is heavy, (tracking at about 6 grms), and the dropping of records is also not good. , improving it though like cleaning it up, and changing the cartridge to something more gentle, which has been done here, and lowering the tonearm weight will help take better care of your records for one, better just to use it for your worn records overall. They are nice though.
I do not think that you realize that records are designed to be" stacked", where the label is on the record is "RAISED", and tapers down a half inch towards the spindle hole. if you put a stack of records together, and look on the side edge, you will notice that the record grooves do not touch each other. so the "DROPPING OF RECORDS" does not do any damage to the record grooves. the tracking weight is established by the cartridge manufacturer, and needs to be adjusted per manufacturers specs.
@@NightFlyyer i just bought one! I just receive it in a week or two. Where are you located? Would you be able to fix mine if I have trouble? Thanks again for this great video
@@NightFlyyer I watched the video and noticed the audio level go up and down on your narration at a number of points through the video. And I would not be the first to notice this either.
This is a 72 year old changer and that is the way they all worked. The needle is on a brass Spring shock absorber and it looks worse that it is. It only lands on the edge and does not affect the music grooves at all.
if you look at the records edge(with a stack of them) you will notice that none of the record groves touch each other. that is due to the design of the record, they were designed to be stacked. if you look at the record label, you will notice a shoulder in the vinyl and tapers down at the spindle hole,( about a half an inch before the spindle hole) and that raises the record so none of them touch each other. so the cheap/ crappy record players, are not so cheap and crappy as you might think!!!!.
RCA VICTOR model 45-J ( there was an early version called 9-JY) with all Bakelite cabinet. Uses the RP-168 chassis. Free RCA VICTOR info on it can be found at worldradiohistory.com. Go to RCA Victor Services Notes/Data for all your RCA Victor repairs. This one can be found under the year 1950. Can't wait to get one. Great restoration job !
Built in September 1949. I was born in November 1949. You have amazing skills. I have a 1949/1950 RCA MODEL RP-190 series record player hook up to an amp and speakers. Thanks for sharing this fantastic video.
Thanks so kindly. I appreciate you.
i installed a SHURE stereo magnetic cartridge to mine back in the 80s works pretty great
That will work. Right on.
Back from the days when items were repairable instead of throw-away. Great video
Doug Kubash did you know that for example iPhones are reparable? But I agree that it was easier and that things were made to be able to be repaired back in the day.
Thanks for getting back to Me so fast! I did not realize that shaft was clocked! but if it is, I'll have to start somewhere. It cannot be in the blades at top, if I had the spindle apart once I've had it apart 20 times to make sure everything is perfect. I'll figure it out. Thanks so much for your kind Help.
If you get really stuck, I can open mine back up and come up with a solution. The other adjustments all have to be timed too. Good luck.
Striking how they nailed the maths on this one in 1949 already. The angular tracking error between null points (for 7") would be around 0.25, a good Hi-Fi standard even by today's norms.
Spindle-to-pivot distance, overhang length, offset angle and effective tonearm length apparently following Löfgren, the basic design could well be copied (and upgraded and updated) to meet even the highest demands today, should one feel inclined to build oneself a high end 7"-only player, with improved mechanics and materials. The all-important mathematics are all here.
Clearly, there were no holds barred in the development of these 45-players, RCA certainly had the means, and they really put them to maximum effect here.
Marvelous engineering!
Folks had old tv- phono - radio console. It had turntable for 33 albums and 78s, and small changer just like this for 45s. It was attached to early FM radio. The 45 pickup didn’t work too good but one for 33 albums worked excellent so one time for a party my sister had I rigged that turntable to go 45 rpm so she could play all her friends 45s. It had pretty good amp and big speaker and they rocked the house.
Mostly oldies from 50s and early 60s but I always remember they kept cranking the new Rolling Stones- Paint it Black
That's a great story. Thanks for sharing.
This is a project I've been looking at doing for a while. I'm going to swap the needle out for an ortofon red cartridge, I'm also going to see if I can get a new speaker for the thing. I think it'd be the ultimate sleeper build.
This model has no speaker or amplifier to run it, so I assume you are going to try to put one in. Good luck and thanks.
Our school system through one of those away in 1962 my dad got it out of the dumpster and I brought it home and played with it I wish I still had it
Yes, it is quite an interesting machine. Thanks Ronald for sharing that.
Yep that's my brother.... always taking things apart to see how they worked! Been doing it since we were kids. I'm impressed Dave! Awesome video!
HI Debbie. Thanks for saying that. I appreciate it and your right....I took lots of things apart. I did good, but never did get dads watch back together! Haha.
I don't think i would be able to put it back together again after it is disassembled. you always made things look so easy ...
I was worried about that too! At my age I could've forgotten how while waiting for the parts. 😊 Thank you!
take pictures of it before the teardown begins, and when you say "I CAN NOT DO IT" trust me you will live up to that expectation!!!!!
Dave you are brilliant! And such steady hands! And yes we are Vintage not Antique! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise!
Haha. Thanks a lot Lynn. I appreciate that for sure. We are Vintage for sure!
I have the RP-190 and when I initially converted mine to stereo I used that cartridge. What I did was to wind a coil over the motor's winding so that I could make a 9 volt DC supply and drive a small JFET buffer so that I could plug the record changer into any modern line level input regardless of impedance.
That will work. I wanted to stay as stock as I could, so just used the preamp, but glad it worked for you.
This would be perfect for a bed side table, playing a stack of records when you wake up
For sure. Just would have to have the amp and speakers right there as well, and I don't think that will fit on my nightstand. A small external amp would do it. In fact, maybe I could put one inside with a small speaker. Thanks much.
We were pretty much dirt poor; but we had one of these, along with a speaker and a Newcomb amplifier. Still got it.
Wow. Glad to hear you still have it. Thanks.
Did you know that this 9-JY was & still is the fasted Record changer (Cycle time from drop to play) ever designed & Built for the Public! I have 3 RCA J-2s That are from 1950s and they are not as fast. Amazing Little 45 Changers!
I did not know there was a Guinness record on that, but I do know it changes fast. Thanks for the fact. I will tell that to folks when I play if for them.
My parents had a Grundig Majestic record player with 4 speeds: 16, 33, 45 and 78. It had a 4 broadcast band radio with short wave and FM. It ran on 5 vacuum tubes and it had a,green "magic eye" tube for tuning on the front.
@@foureyedchick I remember that "Magic Eye" Tuning Tube! When the station was tuned to it's strongest signal the Eye would focus! Very Cool!
@@foureyedchick I remember those, and loved that Green Eye! Thanks.
Elvis passed away
That's what I call
A blast from the past.
So true. Thanks.
Those records change quickly. Wow. Nice work!
They sure do. Thanks.
The record change rate was one rotation of the spindle and a new platter was on the turntable
One of the selling points of the RCA "45 Victrola" was the fact it featured "The World's Fastest Record Changer". They wanted you to think that was better than Columbia's "Long Play 33" discs, which could feature almost 25 minutes of uinterrupted music per side on a 12 inch disc.
Vinyl is back in and this was a fun project that worked out well. There is only 1 groove on records and the average length of one on a 12", 33 1/3 rpm record is about 1,500 feet.
I've seen working models of this RCA 45 RPM changer on ebay for up to $ 350, so I decided it would be worthwhile to try to repair it and modify it to Stereo, as it was Mono. I figured it out as I went with no help, using a Chuo Denshi stereo cartridge, and a new idler wheel from Ebay. It worked out well. I use Adams VRT to preserve and quiet down my old records. Thanks for watching folks.
Dear Dave: What's the name of the background song that was playing while you were modifying this turntable?
I appreciate all the hard work you put into this video. It's like, "Hello Houston, We've Got a Problem" and Dave figured it out..! That was one hell of a repair and modification so I would say, it was a perfect landing and they lived to talk about it.
Your very kind to put it all that way, and it made me smile. Thanks Bud.
Great video Dave! I'm in the process of adjusting the cycling on my 9EY3 player. Your video answers a lot of questions.
Great to hear. Thanks kindly and happy listening!
@@NightFlyyer aligning the cycling is two fold. Getting the star gear is most important, you need to be witching 1/32" accuracy. The real,key is the trip lever setup, but it's all easy once you understand the theory of mechanics. This is not for the light hearted or fumble fingered fool.
@@erin19030 Mine still works fine, so guess I figured it out.
Banpa makes a clone of the old BSR stereo cartridge which may actually sound and track better than the one you have and should also fit. I fixed an old BSR changer for a friend and this is a very decent cartridge. I asked my friend's grandfather who was a machinist in the 40's up until the early 2000's about what they had back then, they had some pretty advanced stuff!
Yes, but I'm not going to undo what I did, as it is working and sounding great as is. I'm sure it will outlive me at this point. Thanks.
Dave, I really enjoyed your video , and I was one of them who did pay $350 for a completely refurbished mid 50's player on Ebay Model 45-EY-2, this holds 14 record stack.. . the cartridge was replaced with the mono ceramic cartridge , I wish they changed it to Stereo, but watching your video I may try it out.. I had one of these when I was growing up in the 50's . I also collect 45's and have never heard of the Adams VRT for records, but if you swear by it than I'll try it out.. Informative video Dave.. thanks
That is great to hear. Enjoy it as I do. Thanks kindly for commenting, Glenn.
Awesome. Helped get my 45 going! Wondering if you could help me with the other turn table. I have an early 50's RCA victor that has both a 45 and a 33/78 turntable. The 33/78 was working and then just quit after about 3 months of operation. The drive post rotates strongly but there is a small belt that goes from the drive post and a stationary post. The stationary post has a wad of aluminim foil present as a spacer as the belt is too large. An idler arm wheel contacts the belt resulting in the TT rotation. I'm thinking I just need a smaller belt and get rid of the foil.....or the belt shouldnt be there and the idler arm should contact the drive post directly. Any help would be awesome
thanks Bill
Well, without seeing it, I would guess all the above. When you say aluminum foil, that sounds cheesy, so maybe that is not supposed to be there. Not sure what to say. Try them all. Good luck and thanks.
Hi great video I am trying to restore one of these but I am missing the really long spring and the short spring near the tonearm base... any idea where I could order replacements ? Thanks
Best to find another one, maybe on Ebay for parts. I would try to find something in the spring selection at Ace Hardware. Good luck.
thanks!@@NightFlyyer
Hi Dave,
Glad you were able to repair the vintage player. Nothing like vinyl.
Hey Donald, you got that right, nothing like vinyl. Thanks much!
Song names ? I know Rinky Dink, and The String-A-Longs...and the last ones
. Don't know the 60's ones other than the two I named. These were nice little players back when I was a kid, And Cheap !
Cool Turkey, Wheels, Rinky Dink, Werewolf, Strut & The flying Saucer. Thanks so much!
"No Werewolf ?"
You lucky dog. What a classic. Thank you Thank you for showing people how wonderful music is sought be heard on this '49 model God Bless you brother.
Thank you very kindly!
You got a good buy!
Thanks. I was glad to be able to fix it, or it wouldn't have been. 🙂
Very Very great video. Mine does not change records. I mean that records do not go down. How can I fix it? Thanks
Thanks. Well, I really don't know for sure, but there is a plunger (like a camshaft) that goes up and down running on a flywheel below, but also runs up to the 2 tabs on the top where the record lays. Those tabs go in and out when the wheel and arm are timed. Thats were I would look.
This was a great video, Im about to tackle this my self. Do you have a diagram of how you wired the RCA's
Thanks. Well the signal wire and ground from the stock needle connect the same as stock, but with a stereo needle head, the Signal wires to the one pole on the stereo head, and the other is ground. That is 1 RCA jack and stock setup. Just add another wire with an RCA jack and connect the grounds together. Then connect the signal wire to the second pole on the needle. Now you have 2 wires with RCA jacks. One left out and one is right out. See 9:43. Good luck and thanks.. See also 11:24 Both those wires (Left and Right), Red and black in this case, go to the RCA jacks.
@@NightFlyyer Thank you, I'm going to start on it this week. I really appreciate the info
This was built better than pretty much any consumer appliances made today. Even though there were plastics in 1949, the lack of plastic parts is what makes it so high quality. Had this been made of plastic, even modern plastic, it simply would not have lasted. It would be extremely brittle. Though, to be fair, there are plastics from that era that have survived and are not brittle and weak, in particular, phones. But the phones of the 1940s and 1950s were not the phones of today. No home phone made today will survive 70 years. The grade of plastic is just way too cheap. It will become extremely brittle.
Yes, I agree. Thanks.
14:09: Sheena Easton's Strut
You got it. Great song! Thanks.
Recently acquired a refurbished one of these and the unit works great but the sound is very thin, has little bass, and the volume is low. Anyone have any suggestions? Plugging straight into the cd input of stereo
Great. Well there is no amp, so you need a preamp like the one I showed. Then plug it in to your stereo's input and you will be surprised. Thanks and good luck.
I may have missed when you said it but what kind of pre amp are you using. Tried with my pre amp for a magnetic stylus and it sounds awful in a different way
@@richardlafleur2864 Here’s what I am using. It on Amazon. $21. Pyle Phono Turntable Preamp - Mini Electronic Audio Stereo Phonograph Preamplifier with RCA Input, RCA Output & Low Noise Operation Powered by 12 Volt DC Adapter
Awesome find and a great resurrection!! Nothin’ like a stack of Rice Krispies in the morning haha! I’m still stuck on 8-Tracks, cassettes and vinyl but at one point when I was trying to get with the times, I had a portable AAX6 powered CD player with a 1/16” headphone jack out reversed to a cassette converter that went into a cassette to 8-Track converter plugged into my dash deck. It worked great and I chugged down the road in my beat up 292, 3 on the tree, F-150, listening to a newly remastered version of Bob Wills on CD. I’m sure I’ll always prefer the original vinyl records, as issued, over any other media format. There’s also definitely no way I was swapping out my 8-Track deck for a CD player in that pickup! 😁
I wouldn't swap it out either. I like your story. In my video you can see a glimpse of my 8 track recorder player home machine, which still works, even after our big fire, so I can relate. Thanks kindly for the comments and be well.
I’ve never had much issue with the old tech decks and components. You can always pop them open and if your lucky the paper schematic are there 9 out of 10 times. My home unit is a Pioneer H-R100 sent through a Pioneer 4 channel QX-949 and it sounds excellent. I lucked out and found a Pioneer TP-900 a couple of years ago someone bought brand new, never used and put it in an attic. The caps are unbelievably still good! That one is going in my project car. It still has the protective plastic peel on the face too, just amazing. Take care yourself. I’ve watched your channel since before the fire and I have to say, you’ve come a long way since. I’m really glad that guy stepped up with a plane and got you back in the air where you belong. There’s a ton of fans out here for the NightFlyyer and his squirrel whispering copilot wife!
are any of the rca wires going straight to the cartridge, or did you connect them to the switch and if so, how did you get it to mute the stereo?
They all go to the switch (9:25) , which feeds all thru the resistor and it mutes pretty good. A mono record will still play out both speakers, but stereo records will play both channels.
Having trouble dropping records, when you reinstalled the star cam, You said Line it up. Line it up with What? Thank-you. Great Vid.
I lined it up with the line I made on it before I took it off. 1:46 Also you might want to look at the shaft and see if any marks where the screws were originally tightened. Also you might look at 9:24 in the video to make a guess. It's a trial and error now. Good luck and thanks.
Hey, great video! Is there a way to convert the RCA to battery power, as I am in the UK and really want one of these deck, but of course we are 50HZ not 60HZ.
Cheers
You would have to replace the motor with a DC motor. That would probably be quite prohibited. It might work on 50hz, a tiny bit slower, maybe not even noticeable. Good luck..
Thank you sir! Much appreciated
So good to see some one else is interested in vinyl too .
They still have the purist sound to me for sure too! Thanks!
Thank you! I just bought one from Goodwill! This is awesome :)
Great. I hope it plays nice for you. Thank you.
I liked this model since i saw your video. I’m about to buy one of theese today for 65 USD.
That is great to hear. Hopefully it won't need that new drive wheel, as they are hard to find. Thanks and good luck with it.
Do you work on these for commission Dave? I have one that I’m am trying to find someone to fix.
I don't. Trying to find parts is problematic. Sorry.
Great instructional video Dave. Any thoughts to installing a magnetic cartridge like a Shure SC35 instead of a ceramic cartridge? I did that to my Wurlitzer jukebox that was designed for a ceramic cartridge and the frequency response was much improved. I know these changers do not have anti skating so a few grams has to be for no skipping.
I would have used a magnetic cartridge, but would need an amp for it to work. I also wanted to keep it light, but did add some weight to the arm to keep it from skipping. There is an adjustment to sort of keep a balance, but it is marginal. Thanks much.
You left metal washer and dampening washer out that went under spring that holds idler on shaft. They were inside the top of idler you replaced.
I love it. Wish I had one. A real classic.
Thank you Kenneth.
Plastics were around in 1949!
Yes, but not much in this at the time. It is mostly Bakelite. You know what I meant!
great video i love what you did and the modifications. I hope that you do a cleaning on the AKAI M-9 i have one for over 35 years and i havent clean the inside and all of the controls are stiff still works great and valume it cracks at times
I was lucky to save my M9 after the fire, as it was in the basement where it was up on a shelf and not damaged by water. The only thing that doesn't work is one of the meter lights is out. Thanks very kindly !
That's really cool what you did. Thanks for sharing.
I appreciate the kind words, Paul. Thank you!
They did have automatic lathes in 49 but not really CNC they used punched cards so like mechanical CNC I guess, they also did have plastics, the top of the changer is probably polystyrene or nylon maybe vinyl? Cellulose acetate was the first plastic in the 1800s and it was flammable and explosive, they still make ping pong balls out if it.
Yes, but it was all very new and not widely in use, like today.
I see you have an old Akai m-9 too. My brother got one like that when he was in Vietnam and I still listen to it with the collection of reel to reel tapes from back then. He even had a tape sent to him and some of his buddies from I think it was WGN in Chicago that they recorded just for them.
Is there any chance the Adam’s vrt polish damages the stylus in playback? Thanks I enjoyed the video
You should have used shielded wire for the cartridge. There looks like there is enough room inside the turntable to mount a small solid state stereo amp module.
I remember as a kid having a 45 single player where you slid the record in and lifted up a lever to play it, sorta like a 5.25" disk drive.
Yes but since the arm is made of metal, it is somewhat shielded. The stock cartridge did not have shielded wire. It sounds great thru my stereo amp as is though, so I can't complain.
you will notice that pickup wire is twisted, and that takes care of any induced noise!!!, it does not need to be shielded( ceramic cartridge, not magnetic)
I have the same one. Do you offer repair??
I do not. Sorry.
Where did you find the correct idler wheel replacement? I know you said Ebay but I don't see the same one.
Edit: saw that you happened to found an NOS one. Should’ve watched all the way!
It was new old stock for sure. I would try to search that way. I looked and searched for a long time, as this machine would not ever work without one. Good luck.
Another very interesting video......I enjoy fixing videos Dave great job!!!
Thanks Don. I enjoy figuring out and fixing things too!
does the Chuo Denshi cartridge need a special preamp? I've installed the one sold on ebay in the redhead kit, and It sounds terrible when used with a preamp (distorted). and it also sounds terrible when used without one (harsh highs/no bass).
You see the pre amp I am using is the Pyle Mini Phono Preamp, and it is nothing special. You must connect it to the Phono plugs of your main amp for it to sound right. Most Ceramic Chrystal cartridges do not need pre amps, but Dynamic cartridges do. In my case, it needed it.
It is caused by impedance mismatch. I have the same issues when used with a Sony STR-D590.
When used with a Fisher 170, the Chuo Denshi sounds very good. With tone control, mono switch and loudness contour, the 45s sound great. Also, Radio Shack made a small SA-10 amp that was specifically designed for a ceramic phono cartridge input.
Interesting and informative video, thanks Dave.
Thanks kindly, David. I appreciate that!
Another great job Dave. Glad you got it working and enjoy the multimeter, One thing I noticed, you didn't use your anti-static mat. HA HA. Only kidding. Springs around the corner. Stay busy. Tom
Awesome. I love the 8 track player below it. Mine is currently busted and I need to get a new belt for it. But you need a good old Dynaco tube amp for that set up :)
My eight track recorder and player table model still works even after the fire but no tubes for me. I sure remember that one. Thanks
I currently have a modern tube amp (unfortunately Chinese) and I just ordered another one! :)
Great job...I would have lubricated all moving parts.
Thank you. I actually did.
Out of curiosity, what's that first record, the one on Peacock?
It's called Cool Turkey!
Dave,
I just found this same model
Was rca’s first changer from 1949.
Your video was helpful restoring mine :)
You still have that player piano? First video I ever saw of yours
Thanks. Glad to help. The piano was sadly destroyed in the fire.
yes
Thanks.
Phenomenal guide. May have given me enough faith to try and fix mine on my own.
The motor in mine spins, but the idler wheel doesn’t. Any reason why? I don’t have great mechanical knowledge, especially not for technology this old, so any help is appreciated.
Well, the motor shaft has to touch the idler wheel and many times if it’s set for a long time there’s a flat spot there that’s why I had to replace my idler wheel which was hard to find. Otherwise using an adjustment in there, you can pull that motor closer so you can adjust it so it runs the idler wheel which also turns and rubs the other side on the actual turntable. Good luck.
Also the spring that pulls the idler wheel up tight could be broken or weak like mine was.
I'll look out for these things when I get a chance to open it up. Thank you so much for your help!
Also, how did you desolder the tone arm wires? I’m struggling a lot with that
@@Kobozo375 I just heated them up with a soldering iron and pulled till they came loose. Maybe be a bit more specific. Are you talking internally or on the needle cartridge?
My changer has a few more issues, but where did you get that cartridge and are there any magnetic replacements? thanks for the video.
Hey Out there,
I have a Technics SL-5 Linear Tracking turntable and the motor that keeps the tonearm moving just gets stuck. I lubricated it but now think its something electronic. any ideas?
Must be a belt slipping, is my opinion.
How did you remove the tone arm!
There are 2 pointed bearing set screws on each side. They loosen up and it comes off.
Thats pretty cool, awsome work :) Love to watch cool projects like these :)
Great job! Does the stacking of the records introduce any drag on the effective RPM speed?
Not at all. That is because the spindles and stacked records all spin. Thanks much.
@@NightFlyyer Makes sense. Thanks! I can't wait to get one of these for myself- or make one!
That model is designed to stack 8 records. With some tweaking of the height screw in the rear top hole , one can stack up to 10, maybe 12, but the performance could get compromised from warping Of the old platters.
@@NightFlyyer It's 4 years later (somehow) and I actually found one of these for cheap at the antique store! It's a model 45-EY-2, and it has vacuum tubes, so I'm a little wary to open it up, but I'll have to since it doesn't turn!
@@justpaul899 Vacuum tubes!! It must have an amp in it, then. Good luck.
Great video, is there any way you could give more info on how the addition of the RCA jack was done?
Well there is not much more to say. The RCA jack has 2 wires. One goes to needle cartridge ground and one goes to the Needle cartridge's right side output. The other is the same. One wire is ground, but center wire of RCA jack goes to left side of needle's output on the cartridge. That will give you stereo with 2 channels. This record player had an RCA jack installed in the first place, but only mono. Adding the stereo cartridge just means adding a second rca jack, same as it was connected to the original cartridge. Since this record player has no amp, a preamp is best to use on the outputs to the main stereo amp. Hope that helps. Thanks.
Not one drop of oil used, impressive.
YUP!!!!, I noticed that too, and I do not see it as "IMPRESSIVE" at all, I rebuild those also!!!!. I have been doing electronic work for 46 years, when I do a teardown, it is just "PARTS", and "EVERYTHING" is cleaned, and oiled/greased as required. lets face it you cause a part to wear out due to the lack of lubrication, have fun trying to locate that part. I also noticed that the drive motor/ record stacker assy. was not even looked at( cycle cam not greased either). all I can say is "HE GOT LUCKY"!!!!. the manual reject assy. was "STICKY" also. the reason for the "DENT" in the idler drive wheel is caused from "INACTIVITY" and it was parked there for years. you have to run these gems on a regular basis, otherwise it will happen again!!!.
hello very nice video......do you repair other peoples record changers like the one you worked on? i bought and paid for the newer model with the black tone arm and the machine never worked i mgave up on the guy because he kept giving me remedys on how to fix it....the one i bought from him always got stuck in cycle.......and never played the right speed and wobled etc im paid about 275.00 for nothing......
No I don't do repairs. It took a long time to chase down the rubber drive wheel for this one, and this wheel is the problem with most of them. Bummer about yours. That is a lot of money. Good luck with it.
you can also have the "IDLER DRIVE WHEEL" rebuilt, there are companies that do that type of work
They don't make things like they used to be that's for sure!!
アームの動きがとても素早いのですね。驚きました。
Nice mod.
Thanks kindly!
Is the new stereo cartridge a piezoelectric or a magnetic one? [I can see the old one is piezoelectric and uses a heavy tracking force, since the tone arm has no counterweight]. I noticed that you didn't put any weights on the back, so I presume that the stereo cartridge is a piezoelectric (record scratching) one. I hope I'm wrong.
Its Piezo, just like the one I removed. It is so light, I had to had weights (2 small nuts, as you saw) to keep the needle from skipping.
BTW, whether piezo or magnetic has nothing to do with scratching. The needle tips are either ruby or diamond and that is what is important for scratching. Peizo pickups (crystal) are very much lighter than Magnetic and why I added some weight to the arm. Magnetic pickups are heavier.
Wow
You've been watching Chris Cuff.
Never heard of him.
This 45 changer,was an introduction for RCA to manufacture juke box's NEVER HAPPENED Elvis Presley's recording contract would put RCA's radio and phonograph division in jeopardy.i have a lot of what looks like aftermarket RCA 1961
This is 1949 and not sure what your info has to do with my rebuild.
@@NightFlyyer his information is irrelevant , bogus and false.
I am having a hard time fallowing you, R.C.A. introduced the 45 R.P.M. single in march of 1949. R.C.A. never built "JUKE BOXES". they did build record changers/ record players!!!
Can anyone please tell me - I've always wondered - why did the US start taking the middles out of 7" singles? They never did it with 78s or 33rpm records. . Jukeboxes yes - because it's easier for the arm to put the record on the turntable. But home record players ????
I guess the record had to be bigger for just 1 song or the grooves would be too close and a tiny record so the arm stayed away from touching the big spindle. This keeps speed from wowing. Technology was this big spindle at the time to accommodate a single song 45. Later changers became available for LP's, but they faded away too. Thanks.
@@NightFlyyer I don't really understand what you are saying. I'm asking why the US took the centres out of 7" singles. The UK & Europe (& possibly the rest of the World?) just kept the small hole as it was (like 78rpms & 33rpms). It was only the US who took the centres out & had a wide spindle.
@@Muswell I thought I explained it. Well, I never saw a 45 RPM record from the 50's, when they were invented, that had a small hole.
@@NightFlyyer It was a crazy idea & only the US did it. So it meant, if you were playing 7" & 12" singles (which I still do), you had to keep changing the spindles - or put in that centre thing or put plastic centres in every single. There must be a reason why you lot did it.
I never owned 45 Stereo records.
I f you want to take care of your records, you are not likely to play them on this record player, because it does not protect your records, the arm is heavy, (tracking at about 6 grms), and the dropping of records is also not good. , improving it though like cleaning it up, and changing the cartridge to something more gentle, which has been done here, and lowering the tonearm weight will help take better care of your records for one, better just to use it for your worn records overall. They are nice though.
I do not think that you realize that records are designed to be" stacked", where the label is on the record is "RAISED", and tapers down a half inch towards the spindle hole. if you put a stack of records together, and look on the side edge, you will notice that the record grooves do not touch each other. so the "DROPPING OF RECORDS" does not do any damage to the record grooves. the tracking weight is established by the cartridge manufacturer, and needs to be adjusted per manufacturers specs.
I don't think vinyl is back
Ever seen black vinyl electrical tape?
YUP!!!!!, vinyl" IS MAKING A COMEBACK" they are pressing them again!!!.
Hi! Im looking to buy one with theses modifications hit me
Not sure where you will find one, let alone with my mods. Try ebay. .
@@NightFlyyer i just bought one! I just receive it in a week or two.
Where are you located? Would you be able to fix mine if I have trouble? Thanks again for this great video
@@philippebrule1364 I'm in Iowa and not really in the repair business. Thanks and Good luck.
Your narration volume is inconsistent. You really need to get that sorted for any future videos you make.
With over 1100 videos and 64 Million views, your the first to ever say that.
@@NightFlyyer I watched the video and noticed the audio level go up and down on your narration at a number of points through the video. And I would not be the first to notice this either.
You do realise these cheap crappy record players are shreading your record's grooves
This is a 72 year old changer and that is the way they all worked. The needle is on a brass Spring shock absorber and it looks worse that it is. It only lands on the edge and does not affect the music grooves at all.
You worry Too Much!
if you look at the records edge(with a stack of them) you will notice that none of the record groves touch each other. that is due to the design of the record, they were designed to be stacked. if you look at the record label, you will notice a shoulder in the vinyl and tapers down at the spindle hole,( about a half an inch before the spindle hole) and that raises the record so none of them touch each other. so the cheap/ crappy record players, are not so cheap and crappy as you might think!!!!.
RCA VICTOR model 45-J ( there was an early version called 9-JY) with all Bakelite cabinet. Uses the RP-168 chassis. Free RCA VICTOR info on it can be found at worldradiohistory.com.
Go to RCA Victor Services Notes/Data for all your RCA Victor repairs. This one can be found under the year 1950. Can't wait to get one. Great restoration job !
Thanks very kindly and for the info.