Hello from Michigan!

[irishhillsbrown]

For more than 40 years, this Wurlitzer 780e has sat in the Cincinnati garage of my in-laws.
It is now in my Michigan home with the hopes of it running again. I did not open it up until I got it home.


All I know about the history of it is that:

• They got it when it was left behind at a house they bought

• They have had it since the late ’60s

• It has never worked

• He tried to get it fixed in the ‘80s and the repairman took a part to his workshop and then went out of business. (mystery part was never returned)




Any thoughts?

[Ron Rich]

Yea--first ff Welcome-- second --what do you wanna do with it ? I would advise you read the "Attn Newbies" and other posts above in the FAQ's--
Ron Rich

[irishhillsbrown]

Thank you Ron for replying. My hope is to get it working, but not looking for it to be perfect. Basically I would like to answer the question "Does it work?" with "do you have a nickel?"

The "e" part of 780e has me worried (as it appears to be in pieces on the floor of the jukebox). I have much more experience in fixing computers compared to 1940 electronics, but may be up for the challenge. At this point I'm hoping for a quick opinion on if it is achievable. Also, if there is an obvious missing part/component. Any help/advice is greatly appreciated. -Scott Brown

[Ron Rich]

Hi Scott,
I have worked on a VERY few e 780' but only know enough to be dangerous-- If you read "newbies" you know I'm going to say "start with the Service Manual/parts manuals---". Find out whats missing--post any questions in the WurliTzer section--go for it! Ron Rich

[irishhillsbrown]

Thanks Ron. I purchased the manual just before I found this board (hope I got a complete one...). This should be a fun winter project.

[Startgroove]

Scott,
I too have a 1940 780 which I found in Oak Creek, WI back in 1977. It has worked off and on over the years, but mostly it is reliable. When it sits for a long time without playing, the contacts oxidize and I have to run it through its cycle several times before it clears up. It is the third 780 I've owned.
Anyway, Wurlitzer made two versions of that machine, one is the mechanical selector which carries the model designation 780. The second is the 780E, which is mostly the same mechanism, but has an electrical selection mechanism. The double offering for that model happened during the period when remote selection was becoming a desireable option. The 780E is easy to attach wallboxes to, while the 780 required a model 300 adapter to allow wallboxes to be attached.  Yours appears to be a 780 with the model 300 adapter installed.  Yours also seems to be missing most of the coin mechanism.  That would not prevent getting it working, though it would be on "free play".
If you have no familiarity with electric circuitry, I recommend you learn it before tackling your 780, or get help from someone who is familiar with the earlier 24 selection Wurlitzers.
If you choose to tackle it yourself, the first thing to do is to be sure to check every single one of the relay contacts for continuity. This is the most common thing to go wrong on a pre-war Wurlitzer. Don't use any heavy abrasive to "sand" the contacts. Instead, cut a piece of writing paper into strips about 1/2" wide and 4" long. Dust both side with Ajax, Dutch Cleanser, or similar powdered cleaner. Don't add water, run the paper between the contacts, back and forth, and then test with an Ohmmeter to be sure there is good continuity. Blow out the dust with Dust Off or low pressure compressed air. There are other ways to safely clean the contacts, which other people may want to recommend, but I've successfully used this method since 1977 on jukebox contacts. Also check the continuity of the "safety breakers". These are prone to oxidized contacts, and often fail by the heating element in them burning open. If you find one that is burned open, you'll have to replace it, either with another original one, or with a newer inline fuse unit. Note: If one is found burned open, that likely is due to some component that is in the circuit, or was in the circuit, having a failure which caused excess current flow. Check for that.
There are many other things which can cause problems, which would take chapter to write. If you have any further questions, I would be glad to offer answers and advice. Russie

[irishhillsbrown]

Russie, Thank you so much for the advice and the offer for future advice. I'm hoping to get some time this weekend to start cleaning her up (and start sorting out the parts that are lying around in the jukebox.
I'll start a thread on the Wurlitzer page with some more info and pictures. I am real interested in the selector mechanism and if it has the adapter that can be removed to simplify things. Thanks again, -Scott