My wife has a record player from her childhood that looks basically like this one. She has a ton of old kids’ records and we think it would be fun for our kids to use.
It runs, but the sound is very quiet. It does get louder when you turn the volume up, so the speaker isn’t totally dead, but it doesn’t get very loud even at max. Opening it up, nothing is obviously corroded or disconnected. I’m getting a multimeter so I can test the electronics.
Any tips or suggestions appreciated.
Sorry, no help from me on fixing it, but when you mentioned it was an old kids’ record player, I was picturing the one I grew up with. A big old heavy steel one. When I clicked on the link and saw the plastic one, I thought “Oh, yeah, he has young kids, so he and wife are a lot younger than me!”
It’s most likely the capacitors in the power supply. They typically fail after 25 to 30 years.
Easy fix for anyone with electronics training. Check around for someone that fixes guitar amps or vintage stereo amps.
A friend of mine collects pc’s from the 1980’s. (the original IBM pc is collectable now). They often need new capacitors. It’s surreal they’re already that old. Time has slipped by quickly.
Capacitor failure is a good guess, but there’s also the possibility that it’s the potentiometer in the volume control. They tend to wear out and get flaky. Is there an audible scratching/hissing sound in the speaker when you use the volume control? That would hint to a potentiometer failure.
That’s a very good point.
Squirt some Dexoit in the vol pot and turn the knob several times, may be a simple DIY fix.
This thread and especially its title reminds me of when “Mickey Mouse” was used as an adjective meaning inconsequential or corny, but sometimes could mean cheaply made.
I have… limited electronics training. I can certainly solder in new caps. Hopefully they are well-labeled.
The value of this record is low enough that it’s not worth paying someone to repair. If I can fix it, I’ll probably have fun doing so. But even an hour of someone’s time is going to blow the budget. I could just buy a new cheap record player.
If I just short across the volume control terminals, that will be full volume, right? I can test that pretty easily.
In this case, it’s both literal and figurative.
A dirty vol pot will often sputter and cut out as you turn it. It may sound scratchy.
I’m not that deep into audio hardware, but it’s possible that a potentiometer at full volume still has a certain resistance, and that you can overload the circuit by shorting it. I’ll leave that to the experts, but I’d be careful.
No scratch when turning the volume knob.
Worse comes to worse, you could probably exchange the entire power supply and amplifier with that of any similar portable record player.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the cartridge has deteriorated to the point where it needs to be replaced, and the electronics are all fine.
If the electrolytic caps were failing, you would get a lot of hum.
??? There isn’t much to fail in a cartridge, unless you are thinking of one where the needle is part of the cartridge.
Any elastomers used in the cartridge are likely deteriorated over the 30+ years…
Would that make things quiet? I’d assume that would make the sound… muddy or distorted, since the needle wouldn’t move as responsively. But it should still be loud if I turn the volume, right?
If it is the cartridge, it looks like there are many different designs and shapes out there. Do I have to find one that’s made for this record player?
Also, check there’s not a lump of fluff caught on the needle.
Serious suggestion: On your next Vegas trip, take it to the Pawn Stars shop and see how much they would give you for it.
They sell on eBay for like $40, so my guess is “not much”
Ah, well, then you’d be luck to get five bucks for it at Rick’s.