Rockola 425 gripper picks up too high on record

[tc1961]

Had to take the gripper assembly apart and cleaned up and it all works but the "outer" gripper arm doesn't grip the record in the center, it needs to drop about a 1/4 inch to be centered in the curve.Horizontal centering is fine. If I stop it after it picks it up wrong and nudge to the center it sets correctly. At rest it sits on the "dock". Manual only talks about centering at the turntable. If it picks up correctly, it lands correctly. Would be nice if I could adjust the gripper arm at rest down just a bit so it caught the record in the center. I know the problem happened because I tore it apart, but since the gripper would not move at all and I did not want constant blisters for a week, I took it apart, cleaned it, lubed it with 20wt and the mechanism works perfectly with the exception of centering on outer gripper arm. I watched the youtube videos on this procedure several times. Is it possible the inner gripper is not excerting enough pressure on the record to push the record to center at the outer gripper arm?

Thanks

Tony

[Ron Rich]

Hi Terry,
Can you send me a vid.?--- I might be able to see what's happening, or not happening there, as I don't understand your problem. Ron Rich
[e-mail]

[tc1961]

Youtube video of issue. If I let it do it without repositioning it doesn't set right and plays on 33-1/3- hits the sensors. Once I nudge to position it sets OK

youtu.be/mF8lEUajgew

[Ron Rich]

Tony,
That does not help-- need to see it grab, the record-- Ron Rich

[jukenorman]

How free is the inner gripper shoe? All I can come up with is that the gripper arm has started to lift before the inner shoe is fully extended to catch the record? More oil?

Norman.

[tc1961]

Here is a link to a picture I drew to try to explain. The record is in the magazine and as the gripper grabs it the gripper is not centered on the record and the bottom edge of the outer gripper arm makes contact with the record so it's not centered in the curved part of the outer gripper arm. It does not appear the arm raises before it picks it up which would explain why it was picking it up at that spot. I will take another video of picking up wrong and the set down, when I get home this afternoon. The "wrong" portion of my pic is a little exaggerated to explain. If I could adjust the arm down it would pick it up properly

[jukenorman]

There's a plate that the gripper arm rests on when it's over the magazine - is it sitting on that plate? Or has that rest plate been bent out of shape somehow (upwards) such that the gripper arm is not being lowered fully?

Norman.

[tc1961]

I had the time to make another video of picking it up and setting it down when the record is not centered in the outer gripper arm

youtu.be/ZuEZizU_9nw

[tc1961]

Jul 6, 2021 11:06:33 GMT jukenorman said:

There's a plate that the gripper arm rests on when it's over the magazine - is it sitting on that plate? Or has that rest plate been bent out of shape somehow (upwards) such that the gripper arm is not being lowered fully?

Norman.

Yes the arm sits on the plate. If I could move the plate down about a 1/4 inch and if the arm would sit on it at that location it would be ok, in my opinion. Just wondering if when it's picked up uncentered, should there be enough pressure from the inner gripper to push it to center. Jukebox was sitting in one house for 30 years and just moved from his house to mine and mech bolts tightened before move and loosened after move. That's all I know and it doesn't look like it's been molested.

[jukenorman]

It's hard to tell but it does look like the gripper arm might be lifting before the inner gripper shoe is extended fully. Stop the mech. just before the arm is about to lift and wind it manually to check.

Norman.

[Ron Rich]

Hi Gentz,
It appears to me that the inner shoe is not advancing to the record as it should--Tony, didja use any graphite grease in that gripper-- If not, I suggest you add some-- and maybe stretch the spring somewhat that pushes the inner shoe ? When you "wind it by hand" does it grab the record OK ? Ron Rich

[tc1961]

Jul 6, 2021 13:15:28 GMT Ron Rich said:

Hi Gentz,
It appears to me that the inner shoe is not advancing to the record as it should--Tony, didja use any graphite grease in that gripper-- If not, I suggest you add some-- and maybe stretch the spring somewhat that pushes the inner shoe ? When you "wind it by hand" does it grab the record OK ? Ron Rich

Ron, I think you are right. When I hand crank it, the outside gripper almost wants to slide past the record. so I back it up a little, then the inside "shoe" pops out and positions it correctly.

I will work on that and see where we wind up.

[Ron Rich]

Hi Tony,
FYI-- I am not always write--er, rite----er,ah, correct-- but I am NEVER wrong ! Hopefully you will get it--My thinking was that this unit may have sat for over 20 years with that spring "collapsed" which may have weakened that spring ?? Let us know-- Ron Rich

[doghouseriley]

Hi Tony,

I don't know if it will help but here's a link to a video I put on YouTube of the gripper mechanism of my Rock-Ola 468. I've only just remembered I posted it in 2016. It was to help a fellow enthusiast.

You can see the whole operation. Maybe you can compare it with what's happening with yours?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOLgJE2Dwbg

I guess other people have had similar problems, can't think why else it should have had over 6000 hits!

[Ron Rich]

Hi Tony,
You can see in Doghouse's video how much faster, and much more force the center comes out to grab the record-- yours is slow ! Try the following--
Select an empty slot-- allow the gripper bow to get to the top of the axis and stop it there. Push on the center piece and let it go back to the extended position by itself-- it should "snap" back, with force-- Do the same with the bow itself--CAUTION: when doing this use only the area where the bow is connected to the plunger-- do not bend the bow ! See if you can get it to snap with just 20 wt oil-- if not, I think, you will need to dis-assemble grease and add some pressure to that spring. Ron Rich