Thorens Excelda repair information.

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ldelin
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Thorens Excelda repair information.

Post by ldelin »

I just acquired a Thorens Excelda that is in need of some repair. I'd love to hear from someone who has some experience with them, and could answer a few questions about disassembly and repair of the motor.

Thank you.

JerryVan
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Re: Thorens Excelda repair information.

Post by JerryVan »

ldelin wrote:I just acquired a Thorens Excelda that is in need of some repair. I'd love to hear from someone who has some experience with them, and could answer a few questions about disassembly and repair of the motor.

Thank you.

Probably the best way to begin is to ask your questions. Pictures help.

ldelin
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Re: Thorens Excelda repair information.

Post by ldelin »

I believe the primary problem is the fiber/nylon gear. When I wind it up and lower the speed lever, it unwinds quickly and barely moves the governor. I expect it also needs cleaning and lubrication.
But my first problem is removing the motor from the case. There are three screws on the underside that would appear to be holding the motor/frame in the sheet metal case; but when I remove all three screws, the motor assembly will not budge. I thought the whole motor assembly would come out intact, making it much easier to observe and diagnose the problem. Now I wonder if the motor must be disassembled piece-by-piece to remove it.
It sounds and looks like the main drive gears in the motor are not firmly engaging the governor shaft as it unwinds; but I can't get a very good look at the mechanism while it's inside the case. I think that the fiber gear is what engages the governor shaft, and that it's worn to a point where it allows the motor to "freewheel" when unwinding.

I raise the speed control lever; and wind it up. When I move the speed lever down just slightly, the motor quickly unwinds at a furious speed. As this happens, I'm hearing a "racheting" like sound, like the teeth of a gear skipping, instead of engaging.

I'm hoping to find someone who has been through one of these; who can advise me of the pitfalls and bonehead mistakes I'm likely to make as I go through it. Firstly, that would be getting the motor assembly out of the case; so I can see and determine exactly what's wrong.

JerryVan
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Re: Thorens Excelda repair information.

Post by JerryVan »

The fiber gear is a common problem with these. Unfortunately, I don't believe anyone is reproducing them.

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Curt A
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Re: Thorens Excelda repair information.

Post by Curt A »

Regarding the fibre gear, you might be able to find a clock repairman nearby who could re-make the gear in brass... just a thought. I have an Excelda machine, but never tried to remove the motor, so I'm not sure about that procedure...
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VintageTechnologies
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Re: Thorens Excelda repair information.

Post by VintageTechnologies »

I had a couple of those 30+ years ago. I don't recall any problem removing the motors for cleanup and lube, so the details have been forgotten. I thought they were a bit underpowered for 10" records that had any wear. And course, the sound was not great, but better than you might expect. They seemed well made and were a cute novelty, but my chance to make a profit was stronger than any desire to hang onto them.

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alang
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Re: Thorens Excelda repair information.

Post by alang »

I have an Excelda and I am sure that I took it apart to clean the motor when I hot it. I don't remember any difficulties, so removal of the motor must have been quite simple and obvious. Are there any screws from the bottom or side that you may have missed? Or maybe it's simply stuck to the paint? Sorry that I cannot be of more help here. You may be interested in the original instructions: http://keithwright.ca/Thorens/Thorens%2 ... ctions.pdf

Good luck
Andreas

ldelin
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Re: Thorens Excelda repair information.

Post by ldelin »

Thanks to all who have replied. I got the motor out. It was stuck to some fiber washers under the bottom plate. I see now that my fiber gear is shot, so I'm looking for a new one. Failing that, I may try to have one or some made locally. I'm now wondering how many other Excelda owners are out there who also need this gear.
I've attached an old forum picture of the gear. Does anyone know of a source for this gear? Does anyone else need one?

Thanks,

Les Delinski
Attachments
gear1.jpg
gear1.jpg (87.53 KiB) Viewed 3162 times

soundgen
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Re: Thorens Excelda repair information.

Post by soundgen »

I have a box of these gears if you let me know the overall diameter , internal diameter and the no of teeth I can see if I have a match

ldelin
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Re: Thorens Excelda repair information.

Post by ldelin »

soundgen wrote:I have a box of these gears if you let me know the overall diameter , internal diameter and the no of teeth I can see if I have a match
I will remove the gear from the shaft and PM you with the dimensions.

Thank you!

Les Delinski

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