Rockola 1484

[pauz21]

Hi all.

I'm coming to this with zero knowledge. I have a background in pinball but a friend asked me to look at her juke box so I said I'd give it a try. My first hurdle is the plastic cover. In order to get it off to see what's going on under neath I need to elevate the selector arm. Not sure how to do that as the gears won't turn.

As for the machine itself, when you turn it on and add a credit, select a song the (forgive my virgin terminology) "selector wheel" on the right side of the cabinet above the coin box turns and stops at various rotations but nothing else happens. If I touch the axle of the drive motor it is turning as well for the turntable but due to the spring missing the drive wheel isn't turning the turn table. Nothing else seems to be alive. Not sure if it's ceased or if it's and issue of a motor gone or a broken gear. Can't see much with the plastic cover still on.

Also wondering what I should know about the amp. The tubes seem to get very hot and smell hot if I leave it on for a while. Wondering if I can pull the plug on the amp for now to focus on the mechanical side of things.

Any help you can offer would be appreciated. Thx.

[Ron Rich]

Hi,
I would strongly suggest that you un-plug that phono, purchase, and read the Service Manual prior to re-inserting the plug--
Use the terms in the manual, so someone MAY have a chance to understand wht you are attempting to say, and possibly help --
Ron Rich

[pauz21]

Alright. Thanks for that Ron.

Could anyone direct me to the best place to find said service manual?  I live in Canada if that helps pin point the best source. 

Then I could learn to describe the parts like the incorrectly described idler wheel missing the idler tension spring. (I know, I know. Quick learner. )

what id really appreciate help with is how to rotate the gripper manually in order to remove the plastic cover so I can actually see the components. That would be a great help. 

Thanks in advance.

[Ron Rich]

See the above list of suppliers, in FAQ's.
If by "cover" you are denoting the whole plastic shroud on the mech-- there ainna no way that I know of unless you can somehow manage to get under the shroud, and turn the knurled shaft on the gripper motor, by hand.

[pauz21]

So I stumbled in to a guy a couple hours from where I live pretty much by accident. This fella has been repairing jukes for years. Had a quick chat with him and he fed me enough info to get the gripper arm assembly apart which allowed me to remove the shroud.

The selector would select the song but everything would stop there before the carousel would seek out the record. I started by removing the motor which drives the gripper arm. Then I completely disassembled the gripper arm assembly, cleaned and re-greased everything.

Put it back together and it worked great when I turned the gear by hand. I reinstalled the motor and tried it out and it appears to be operating correctly.

Couple small things. About 1 out of 10 times or so the outside gear of the two gears that are part of the gripper assembly slips when in the rest position. When this happens the machine is jammed up tight.

In hindsight, I suspect that may have been the problem in the first place. It's easy to fix by hand if the shroud is off but once back together that could be a large pain.

It's almost as if the end of stroke switch that stops the motor in the finished position is firing just a hair late and it's over rotating. The bad part of this is not only that it jams up but also that when it slips the gripper arm closes while the carousel is still rotating to the rest position. It's caused a few vinyl casualties unfortunately.

What I'm wondering... Is there a way to adjust that switch slightly to stop the motor a hair earlier so it won't slip anymore. Once that's fixed I think it's good to go mechanically.

I don't know yet if the amp needs tlc as there was no needle in the machine. I've ordered one but I've not heard the machine yet. Kind of anxious to hear it.

Thanks in advance for the help and I hope my terminology has improved enough that this post makes sense. I still haven't tracked down a manual but as mentioned, I'm a quick study.

[pauz21]

To clarify, the "outside gear" I'm referring to is the one that controls the gripper arms "grip". One gear operates the movement of the arm while the other grabs and releases the record. It's the latter that is occasionally slipping.

[Ron Rich]

If it's only overrunning "sometimes" I would suspect a failing, rather then, a miss-adjusted switch !
Service Manuals/parts, are easy to find--see "FAQ's" posted above ! Ron Rich

[pauz21]

Jan 4, 2017 16:30:14 GMT Ron Rich said:

If it's only overrunning "sometimes" I would suspect a failing, rather then, a miss-adjusted switch !
Service Manuals/parts, are easy to find--see "FAQ's" posted above ! Ron Rich

You'd think that but even when it does in time, if I just tap on the gear often times it will slip. It stops literally JUST in time. And there is the one longer cog in that gear for that purpose.  No need to come that close.  Wondering if I can adjust it to stop earlier. 

[Ron Rich]

Got the Service Manual "Adjust it" per the manual--only !! What type of "grease" didja use ?? Ron Rich

[pauz21]

Ron,

I'm not sure if this is a jukebox hazing ritual or if this is just how you treat all new members to your board but it's no surprise this forum isn't exactly a buzz of activity. Maybe I'm over reacting but it seems like while you've been very quick to chime in on my every post you've seemingly gone out of your way to offer as little help as possible.

Is there a way to press the reset button on our early budding relationship so I could possibly tap in to what I can only assume is your vast knowledge of juke boxes? Or do I need to continue to ask what I feel are pretty simple questions to have you continue to peal through your books of jukebox knowledge only to offer up "get the manual" as a possible solution?

While I would love to have the manual, I've struck out in a couple attempts to reach out to suppliers of said manual and in that time I've taken a 180lb paper weight and made it in to what I believe will be a functional machine once the new needle arrives. So as far as a manual goes I'm to a point where unless the amp needs to be refurbished I hardly see it necessary to spend $50 on a manual to make an adjustment on one switch.

I can only assume that you and many of the others on this forum have adjusted a switch or two and could probably guide me through it. I also know, having brought more than a few pinball machines back from the dead before that adjusting a switch doesn't rank up there in difficulty as finding a cure for cancer so if we need to continue this charade I should be able to figure it out.

As for what grease I used, I'll save you the keyboard time in telling me it was the wrong one. Oh wait, that might actually be helpful. I guess I'll get the manual.

[Ron Rich]

Couple of reason I say get the manual, one is, I don't know RockOlas well enough to explain how to set up any switch in that machine--The manual is what I would need to refer to. I do know that some RO's use Micro Switches, which can be prone to intermittent "triggering"--and if that is you problem, no amount of "adjusting" will last for any time length-- Other reason, is because no one can see what's happening there, and therefore it makes it much simpler for someone to describe what's happening using "manual terms".

[jukenorman]

I've been around jukeboxes for longer than I care to remember and one thing I can say without fear of contradiction is that Ron Rich is a very helpful guy and if you want evidence, look at the Seeburg AY160 thread (special mention to RobNYC also, many of us would have lost the will to live by now). With regard to your 1484, these micro switches are notorious for giving problems and would be replaced as a matter of course in any refurbishment worth its name! By all means adjust the switch but you will require a special tool because the adjuster screws are Bristol spline but then you'll probably also need it if you replace them. In Eurpoe, Jukebox World sell them but I'm don't know about N. America. One last thing, I can never understand the reluctance to buy a manual; it's going to help you more than you know, people usually tie themselves in knots without it.
Norman UK.

[Craig]

Hey pauz21

Welcome to the site. Where about in Canada are you from? I'm about 1 hour north of Toronto.

While I truly understand how frustrating diagnosing something you aren't familiar with can be you have to understand where Ron and a lot of the other guys are coming from. You basically came to the site and asked them to give you technical directions to fix your jukebox without even doing any initial research or basic diagnostics yourself first. Nobody is going to be able to answer a question and direct you to a fix if you yourself don't at least have a basic understanding of how your jukebox works first.

That is the main reason you will always be directed first and foremost to get the correct manual for your machine and study it before doing anything. Do the basic diagnostic steps and adjustments withing that manual FIRST and then if you still can't find the problem at least then you will have the basic knowledge required to ask the right questions using the correct terminology and part names and be able understand the answers our "Old Timers" give you LOL.

Also FYI the forum may not seem like its "buzzing with activity" but i'm pretty sure that has more to do with it being little more than 1 month old rather than anything else.

Craig

Jan 7, 2017 0:51:10 GMT pauz21 said:

Ron,

I'm not sure if this is a jukebox hazing ritual or if this is just how you treat all new members to your board but it's no surprise this forum isn't exactly a buzz of activity. Maybe I'm over reacting but it seems like while you've been very quick to chime in on my every post you've seemingly gone out of your way to offer as little help as possible.

Is there a way to press the reset button on our early budding relationship so I could possibly tap in to what I can only assume is your vast knowledge of juke boxes? Or do I need to continue to ask what I feel are pretty simple questions to have you continue to peal through your books of jukebox knowledge only to offer up "get the manual" as a possible solution?

While I would love to have the manual, I've struck out in a couple attempts to reach out to suppliers of said manual and in that time I've taken a 180lb paper weight and made it in to what I believe will be a functional machine once the new needle arrives. So as far as a manual goes I'm to a point where unless the amp needs to be refurbished I hardly see it necessary to spend $50 on a manual to make an adjustment on one switch.

I can only assume that you and many of the others on this forum have adjusted a switch or two and could probably guide me through it. I also know, having brought more than a few pinball machines back from the dead before that adjusting a switch doesn't rank up there in difficulty as finding a cure for cancer so if we need to continue this charade I should be able to figure it out.

As for what grease I used, I'll save you the keyboard time in telling me it was the wrong one. Oh wait, that might actually be helpful. I guess I'll get the manual.

[pauz21]

Jan 8, 2017 23:04:09 GMT Craig said:

Hey craig. 


Im in Saskatchewan. I apologize if I've struck a cord, just felt like I was banging my head up against a wall a bit with this thread going in circles. 


As as an update I did finally find a manual in the way of a dvd purchase off eBay that is actually supposed to have manuals for several Rockola jukes on it. Haven't recieved it yet. 

yesterday the new needle cartridge arrived. I broke two of the four wires installing the darn cartridge but was able to solder them in to place surprisingly quick. (I hate soldering)


ive tried it out several times and the gear has not slipped yet. The switches do appear to have a small adjustment screw that looks like the Bristol spline screws referenced by another poster?  Does anyone know if it's a common size so I could seek one out without buying a set?


not going to touch it for now till I've tested it more and it shows that it actually needs it. 


One issue that is present now that the needle cartridge is installed is that the speed is clearly off. It's running slow. 


I suspect a few culprits. The rubber on the idler wheel is really old and hard. Likely slipping a bit. Also, I can tell that the record is also slipping on the turntable. 

both issues I suspect are related to worn out parts. (Idler wheel rubber / black ring on the turntable)


wondering if if there is anything else that could cause this issue?  Should I be testing the motors voltage?


the sound from the amp is surprisingly good. However I know someone with a tube tester. May get those checked out and I'm considering new caps. 


Any thoughs?  Thanks

Jan 7, 2017 0:51:10 GMT pauz21 said:

Ron,

I'm not sure if this is a jukebox hazing ritual or if this is just how you treat all new members to your board but it's no surprise this forum isn't exactly a buzz of activity. Maybe I'm over reacting but it seems like while you've been very quick to chime in on my every post you've seemingly gone out of your way to offer as little help as possible.

Is there a way to press the reset button on our early budding relationship so I could possibly tap in to what I can only assume is your vast knowledge of juke boxes? Or do I need to continue to ask what I feel are pretty simple questions to have you continue to peal through your books of jukebox knowledge only to offer up "get the manual" as a possible solution?

While I would love to have the manual, I've struck out in a couple attempts to reach out to suppliers of said manual and in that time I've taken a 180lb paper weight and made it in to what I believe will be a functional machine once the new needle arrives. So as far as a manual goes I'm to a point where unless the amp needs to be refurbished I hardly see it necessary to spend $50 on a manual to make an adjustment on one switch.

I can only assume that you and many of the others on this forum have adjusted a switch or two and could probably guide me through it. I also know, having brought more than a few pinball machines back from the dead before that adjusting a switch doesn't rank up there in difficulty as finding a cure for cancer so if we need to continue this charade I should be able to figure it out.

As for what grease I used, I'll save you the keyboard time in telling me it was the wrong one. Oh wait, that might actually be helpful. I guess I'll get the manual.

[jukenorman]

On another forum it was stated that the Bristol Spline is a 4 flute #76.