1015 WurliTzer

[jocard1]

Dear Members:

I am a newbie and have inherited a vintage Wurlitzer 1015.   I had it shipped from the midwest to my home in Va last year. This unit has been in my family for nearly 50 years. I played well in my parents home last year. 
When I got it to my home, I tried playing it and found a button had been hit ( I saw it #5) by the movers when bringing it into my home.  There was a large buzzing noise and I plugged the plug and reached out to some dealers who repair these units and one was very helpful and I got the lever straightened out and it solved the problem. 
I then tried playing my records and found the records and the cartridge sound very poor.  I cleaned my records and replaced the old cartridge and needle. 
Had to take the tone arm off to take out the heavy weights, replace the cartridge and needle and wire.   
After putting to loolypop tonearm back on, the #1 record would not seat properly on the record.  I have the Wurlitzer 1015 repair manual and have tried following the steps to get the tonearm to seat on the records correctly, but still won't seat properly. 
I have the back off and each time I try playing a record, I have to lift the tonearm back to the edge.  After the record plays, the machine will not automatically reject and just sits at the center of records and does nothing. 
I have tried adjuster the gnarled chrome adjustment under the tonearm, but that didn't help.  I have tried adjusting the trip dog and trip wire and I think my trip wire is too short and bent the wrong way.  Each time I have tried securing the trip wire with the screw on the flat side, the bent part gets in the way of the tonearm moving clear across the record now. 
I think I need a longer and better trip wire.  Does anyone have a good used one at a reasonable price.  Victory Glass charges too much for minimum and shipping.  

I hope this is clear on what is happening and I hope someone can help me.  




        

[Startgroove]

If you are handy, you can make a 20055 ratchet trip wire from a length of 1/8" brass or steel rod. It won't have the serrated area that the original one had, but it will trigger the reject cycle. Make bends in that rod that duplicate the ones in the original wire. Further to make it easier to adjust, file a flat spot on the end that fits into the 23150 block.

If you have lightened the tone arm, it may have trouble tripping the wire at the reject groove, usually by skipping grooves. To help reduce the amount of pressure on the trip wire that is required to trigger the start of the reject cylce, bend the end downward so the angle is about half what it is on the original wire. Re-adjust as needed.

It also sounds like you have other issues, or adjustments that are off. Be sure to get a 'Service Instructions And Parts Catalog" before making any more adjustment changes. It will be easier to communicate that way, and there is a lot of information that will be helpful.

Hopefully this will be helpful.

Cheers, Russie

[Ron Rich]

Hi All,
I dis-agree with Russie here-- That "trip wire" is case hardened (attsa why it "breaks" when "someone" attempts to "bend" it. The "serrations are needed for the operation of a record that employs the "Victor Trip" grooves. Be sure the whole "reject system" is correct, clean, and well oiled, and it will function perfectly ! Ron Rich

[jocard1]

Can could possibly cut one out of wire, but I would like to know if there are anyone out there that might a an extra trip wire with the serrations on it that I could buy at a more reasonable price than Victory Glass.

[Ron Rich]

Didja check with the other suppliers listed in our FAQ's section ?? Ron Rich

[Startgroove]

  Actually, the 1015 was designed at a time when some record manufacturers did not adhere to the norm, as there were occasionally records made that did not have a large enough swing eccentric reject groove at the end of the record.  In addition, it seems Wurlitzer engineers wanted a back up method of triggering the reject cycle. Therefore, there are two ways for the 1015 to trip at the end of a record.  One is the serrated group on the ramp of the wire, which is actuated by the wagging of the tone arm at the end of the record.  The other is simply applying pressure downward on the same wire, which happens when the tone arm travels toward the center of the record.

  The trip arm has both a sharp shovel edge and a roller, each one for the two ways of tripping.  Yes, using a plain wire will eliminate the serrated portion.  However, a plain wire can be bent to any angle.  If the angle is half the rise of the stock wire, then half the pressure will be required to trip the reject, and so on until the pressure required is minimized enough for the reject cycle to be triggered consistently.

  On light tracking tone arms that skip the reject groove, this is an easy and low cost method of solving the issue.  I have been using this method since 1978 (on most models of 78 rpm Wurlitzers), and it works flawlessly once the adjustments are made properly.

  My Dad and I completed the restoration of a pair of 1015's together in 1984, one stocked with the reproduction 78's and the other converted to play 45's. Both of them needed to have the wire modification, so they would reliably trip the reject cycle.  Sadly Dad passed and his machine went to a California collector, never to be seen by me again.  The other machine is still working fine after 36 years of being used at parties, family gatherings and other events.

  The alternative to this method is to invest in a much more expensive electric reject system.  Those were available twenty some years ago through Jukebox Junction, or some outfit like them, but I don't think they are still being offered.  The price at that time was about $35, but in todays values it might be more like $75.  One can be fabricated if you are handy and have the relevant resources.  I would recommend going this way if one were to convert their Wurlitzer to play 45's and they were concerned about tracking force or wear on the records.   Otherwise I believe the wire trip is a reliable and cost efficient alternative.

Cheers, Russ

[Ron Rich]

Hi Russ,
That Victor Trip idea was owned by the Victor company, and was patented, so any record maker ( as well as phonograph makers, Jukebox makers), needed to pay, Victor, royalties, on EVERY record produced, that had the proper "swing" on it. Some of the smaller pressers, either refused, or could not afford that payment, and thus did not "comply" with it. That patent was in force thru about, 1964-- RCA collected tons of $$ via enforcing it !
Today I am sure one could build an electronic trip off unit for around $35.00, using a magnetic switch, relay and small "coil"--- Ron Rich

[Startgroove]

Yes, that is true. Yet, keep in mind, at that time (1924) the patent was good for 17 years, and another 3 if improvements were made. That means that by late 1945, the same time the 1015 design was released for production, the patent had expired. Any patents after that concerning the eccentric groove reject system would have been for different trip methods, not the eccentric groove. Not that any of that matters, since the profits on Wurlitzer coin phonographs were so generous that many licenses could have been purchased by Wurlitzer to keep the patents non-infringed.

[Ron Rich]

Hi Russ,
Somehow, RCA was able to renew it-?? Seeburg paid thru 1964, on that, and other RCA patents-- We were required, to insert that confirmation sticker in every phonograph ! Ron Rich

[larry45rpm]

Not sure if this thread is still active - wanted to agree with Russie on his idea of fabricating a trip wire for my 750E with a an angle less than half of the original and once I got it adjusted it works like a charm. I use a Jacobs tonearm tracking at about 18 grams. The trip arm on my 750E only has the roller - it does not have the sharp shovel edge. Not sure if Wurlitzer started using the serrated idea with the 1015 or if my trip arm isn't original.

Larry