[Jukebox-list] Rowe-AMI TI-1 fuse issue *SOLVED*

[Wesley Dean]

    Bob, if you have deep pockets, go ahead and keep on blowing expensive fuses. But I, being close of coin devised a way to monitor the short circuit without blowing fuses. Acquire a lamp of like voltage of the circuit to be checked.  This lamp may be as large as the fuse rating. Solder two small wires on the lamp and attach the other ends of the wires across the fuse holder. Now instead of blowing fuses, the short will only illuminate the lamp to full brilliance. Now you can poke around looking for the short ay your leisure. Wes 
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "NotarySojac" <notarysojac at sbcglobal.net>
To: "Jukebox_List" <jukebox-list at lists.netlojix.com>
Sent: Monday, November 20, 2006 7:09 PM
Subject: [Jukebox-list] Rowe-AMI TI-1 fuse issue *SOLVED*


Ron R, Kyle, and all other interested brothers and sisters:

First off, thanks for your insightful commentary regarding fuse-ology, I certainly learned a lot!

I had to resort to *GASP* Radio Shack again to buy more 3amp and the 2.5amp  slo-blows Ron R. recommended. I went to two 'electronic' supply shops and not one had 3amp, 2.8/10amp, or 2.5amp fuses! As it turned out the RS stuff was cheap and worked out once I figured out what was causing the fuses to blow. Read on.....

So, I got the fuses home and put a 2.5amp one in to see what would happen but disconnected latch solenoid first (to attempt to eliminate it from the mix). As soon as I took the mech out of scan and into 'on', the fuse blew! That at least eliminated the latch solenoid from the line up of suspects.

I plopped a 3amp in after unplugging everything from the junction box and then began plugging things in one at a time and checking the fuse each time. As soon as I plugged the mech in the fuse popped! Something in the mech is the culprit. Next I started to poke around the mech to see if there was anything obvious. It was then that I noticed something, but first a little background: The Rowe-Ami TI-1 is one of those machines that will play 45s and 33 1/3s. It has this little sensing pin on the spindle that detects when a big hole (45) or small hole (33) is present. I play a lot of European 45s in my juke and I refuse to dink them. IMHO they sound better than US pressings and dinking is just, well... just not right! Sort of on the order of gutting an old Victrola to turn it into a liquour cabinet.. but I digress. A long time ago I disabled the solenoid that makes the 45/33 spindle go up and down, forcing the mech to ALWAYS play at 45 regardless of hole size. I merely
 disconnected one of the two wires that supply power to the solenoid. I 'thought' I had that wire tucked neatly away from things but it somehow managed to snake its way back towards the solenoid but didn't quit make it to its post. It was '*slightly* resting atop the pole where the other wire was connected! A bloody short! So that explains why the fuses were blowing intermittently at first and then all of the time. So I aggressively wound that damned wire up and out of the way, put in a fresh 3amp fuse and now I'm happy!

This is enough for me to be thankful for this season. I'm looking forward to putting all my Christmas 45s in this week so I can rock around the Christmas tree!  

So thanks again for everything, List. Have a safe and happy holiday season!

Bob
Chicago

P.S. I also noticed that the little grommets that the latch solenoid ride upon have crumbled away. It is sitting 'loosely' on the chassis. Do you thing making some new felt feet and torquing it down would be OK to lessen the noise it makes? 

>Buzzing?  That sure sounds like AC to me.  ;-)
>If the juke is on free play or credited for a while, the solenoid is 
>probably getting hot and upping it's resistance.  That's enough to blow a 
>fuse.
>
>Replace it, or maybe someone here could suggest a resistor to add.
>
>Kyle ~
>Mechanical Music of San Francisco
>
>Re:  Buzzing selection latch.
>
>Bob,
>  I don't recall what type latch sol is used in that phono, but if it's an 
>AC
>type, that's the nature of the beast, when old.
>Ron Rich
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