Turntable guys, I have questions on vintage gear repair...

[dustinbagby]

So, as a peace offering, I ordered my daughters mother a Realistic Lab-60 turntable (Made by ELAC in the 70s I believe). It was a table she had in the past and it got ruined in the tornado.

The seller told me he was certain it needed a new belt and stylus. The listing stated "other possible repairs" but after a brief correspondence he told me that he was confident it would just need the belt and stylus and would be good to go, so going on good faith and his 100% positive feedback rating I took him as his word.

When I got the table I opened it all up and wow, it's perfectly mint physical condition. Much better than the one that was lost to the storm. However when I hit the "start" button, the table does nothing. Nothing at all. The red speed light illuminates, but that's the extent of the "powering up."

Any suggestions as to where I can look? I would hate to send it back on go back on the quest to find another, but I also don't want what is turning out to be a relatively expensive decorative piece.

[bungelow_ed]

Replace the belt, that should get everything working properly. What is the cartridge in it? You may want to replace the entire cartridge depending what is installed and the availability of styluses.

[dustinbagby]

It is the Realistic R1000E cartridge, I have a new stylus for it already (Shure N91DE). I was wondering if the missing belt would cause it to do absolutely nothing or not. I'll install the new one when it gets here and see what happens.

[bungelow_ed]

Realistic rebadged Shure cartridges so you should be able to get replacement stylus for years to come. Good luck with the TT.

[Æ]

So, as a peace offering, I ordered my daughters mother a Realistic Lab-60 turntable (Made by ELAC in the 70s I believe). It was a table she had in the past and it got ruined in the tornado.

The seller told me he was certain it needed a new belt and stylus. The listing stated "other possible repairs" but after a brief correspondence he told me that he was confident it would just need the belt and stylus and would be good to go, so going on good faith and his 100% positive feedback rating I took him as his word.

When I got the table I opened it all up and wow, it's perfectly mint physical condition. Much better than the one that was lost to the storm. However when I hit the "start" button, the table does nothing. Nothing at all. The red speed light illuminates, but that's the extent of the "powering up."

Any suggestions as to where I can look? I would hate to send it back on go back on the quest to find another, but I also don't want what is turning out to be a relatively expensive decorative piece.

Did you bother to check and see if the motor is in fact turning? If you cannot see the motor and spindle, then place your ear very close and listen if you can hear anything. Otherwise you'll have to lift the platter and look directly at the motor/spindle to see if it is spinning.

[dustinbagby]

Did you bother to check and see if the motor is in fact turning? If you cannot see the motor and spindle, then place your ear very close and listen if you can hear anything. Otherwise you'll have to lift the platter and look directly at the motor/spindle to see if it is spinning.

That's the problem. The motor does nothing, no sound or rotation from it at all. Another thing that bothers me is that the red light for setting the speed comes on as soon as the table is plugged into an outlet, not when the start button is pressed. On the old one that wasn't the case.

When I open it up it is all pretty foreign to me, but it almost seems like nothing is connected to anything else as though it's missing parts or someone didn't reassemble it correctly. I really have no way of knowing though, and may have to send it to someone for repairs.

[Whitneyville1]

The motor probably just needs lubrication with about 2.5W oil. DO NOT use 3-IN-ONE oil!!! Try turning the motor pulley by hand. It should turn with very little effort. The speed/power light may go off if you move the tone arm to the center of the platter and let it return by itself. Go to Vinyl Engine.com and lots of us would be happy to do minor repairs free.

[weinstro]

Confirm voltage present at the motor. If no voltage, you will need to open it up and look for faulty switch, relay or fuse. Next most likely problem would be a power supply problem for whatever control circuitry is present.

[JRT]

Next most likely problem would be a power supply problem for whatever control circuitry is present.

WAG: Maybe look for some leaky electrolytic capacitors in the power supply.

[Æ]

That's the problem. The motor does nothing, no sound or rotation from it at all. Another thing that bothers me is that the red light for setting the speed comes on as soon as the table is plugged into an outlet, not when the start button is pressed. On the old one that wasn't the case.

When I open it up it is all pretty foreign to me, but it almost seems like nothing is connected to anything else as though it's missing parts or someone didn't reassemble it correctly. I really have no way of knowing though, and may have to send it to someone for repairs.

I would recommend that you obtain a repair-service manual for your turntable. They are usually available online, I obtained one from A.G.Tannenbaum for an older Pioneer turntable.