Table Top Electrola RE-40P

[Zkeener323]

I recently bought this model on E-Bay- I was excited to finally get my first true Electrola (usually I just hobble together something out of the parts bin). the radio works very well, the phonograph motor was seized but a little oil and patience freed it right up. It does have the 33 rpm function though I doubt I’ll ever play in one this. I was fascinated by the speed change being achieved by the two hubs on the underside of the turntable. In 78 mode, the two rotate together. But when the lever is pushed in for 33 rpm, it disengages the outer hub from the inner (causing only the inner to rotate) effectively gearing it down slower to 33 rpm. I’ve never seen anything like it and I was just amazed the speed change was all mechanical. One day I’d like to have the electronics fully gone over. I’m not familiar with older sets like this So anything beyond a capacitor replacement it out of my realm. My one complaint is that the record volume is low. The radio plays very loud but even when I hooked up a 3 volt crystal cartridge, the volume still wasn’t as loud as the radio gets. I swapped the cartridge with another that I had rebuilt (both read over 250 ohms) and it only provided better clarity, no volume change. I was wondering if it is the magnet, which seems strong to me. Or is there something in the amp that needs attention. When I plug in my rebuilt cartridge to a modern amp’s auxiliary, it sounds great and is plenty loud. Hopefully one of y’all can provide some insight for me. I just wanted to share some pictures of the instrument, these table top Electrolas aren’t very common. The only information I could find was at radiomuseum.com, they had some schematics, service notes, etc.

[Kirkwood]

I've seen these on eBay but never pursued one, and never saw one "in the wild". Obviously it's a more convenient size than the RE-45 or RE-57 or even the RE-17 which I ended up with (even if it's quite homely looking). There's a man up in Baltimore that can rebuild that pickup and re-magnetize the magnet if you needed it done.

While this might belong more appropriately in "phonographs seen in movies", this is an Electrola, so maybe putting the link here is OK. Bing sings a duet with himself in this movie clip, the record is playing via the RE-40P, in this case having undergone the full Hollywood treatment with white/ivory lacquer and shiny metal trimmings stuck on it. 1934 "June in January".....


https://youtu.be/S-Rdc8Dz6I0

[Zkeener323]

Thanks for sharing the clip! While I do prefer wood grain, it was neat to see the machine “Hollywood style”. Yes I’m thinking I should have one of the pickups professionally done. The one I rebuilt I even wound the coil and managed to get it up to 263 ohms with 44 gauge magnet wire. But maybe it’s the magnet I need recharged to bring up the impedance to give it a little more whollop. I like the size of the machine, but one day I hope to get a floor model, I find those to sound wonderful.

[startgroove]

I didn't read in your post that the pick up had been rebuilt with new resilient dampers and pivots. Using the correct high compliance dampers can cause an increase in volume over less resilient ones, or over the old hard ones.

In looking at the schematic, I note there a several capacitors, c-12, c-13, c-16, c-17 and c-18, which could affect the phonograph volume. Also, check the contacts on the V.C. switch. If they are not making good contact, it will affect the volume balance between the radio and phonograph. The switch closes when the volume control is in the extreme counter clockwise position. Be aware there are two separate volume controls, one for the radio and one for the phonograph.

Hopefully this will help. Cheers, Russie

[gramophone-georg]

I didn't read in your post that the pick up had been rebuilt with new resilient dampers and pivots. Using the correct high compliance dampers can cause an increase in volume over less resilient ones, or over the old hard ones.

In looking at the schematic, I note there a several capacitors, c-12, c-13, c-16, c-17 and c-18, which could affect the phonograph volume. Also, check the contacts on the V.C. switch. If they are not making good contact, it will affect the volume balance between the radio and phonograph. The switch closes when the volume control is in the extreme counter clockwise position. Be aware there are two separate volume controls, one for the radio and one for the phonograph.

Hopefully this will help. Cheers, Russie

Not to totally hijack this thread- but I am still fighting mediocre volume from the phono on my 331 Duo and am wondering what you use for high compliance dampening. I am wondering if that is my issue.

[Zkeener323]

I believe you are right about the dampening Russie- I took the one I rebuilt already (with new soft dampening) and found that when I changed out one of my rubber pieces. The volume indeed increased. I’m guessing on my modern amplifier this loss of output was nominal, but crucial on the Re-40P. I will have the original pickup rebuilt by a professional. I just experiment with any materials I can for dampening. so I too would be interested in what others preferred materials are. I was happy with my results on this one, it sounds nice to me, just lacking in the volume department. The pickup that came with the unit is a little different than what I have seen before with Victor and RCA Victor pickups. The back end of the pivot is soldered , keeping the pivot straight. And there doesn’t appear to have ever been a dampening block at the top. And the two steel pieces that form the pole pieces aren’t solid, my guess at an attempt to diminish weight. I’m curious to see how it sounds after a rebuild, and I’m truly interested in having the magnet recharged, just to see what difference that provides. As to the capacitors- I’ll have to wait for another weekend to delve into that. I’m already looking at ordering replacements. And I also need to look at the phonograph volume switch. It is the one in the photo that is missing it’s knob. The assembly itself is wobbly so that definitely needs some attention. All in all I’m looking forward to reviving the little guy and I appreciate any advice y’all have.

[startgroove]

It's a little hard to tell from the picture, but it looks like the first picture is a view to the top of the pu. It appears there is a gap between the armature and the damper (or perhaps the magnet pole) at the bottom and the armature is against the upper damper or magnet pole. That armature should be centered, and it is held centered by a pair of dampers (normally). However, It sounds like you describe the pivot as being soldered at one end. If it is, then there will be no dampers.

For the pivot dampening material, I use the white (also comes in black) rubber tubing that is normally used on talking machine reproducers. The size is a little tight, but with a little diluted dish soap it will slip on easily. Then razor blade off the excess.

For the armature dampers, I use Silastic rubber. It comes in blocks and sheets. I get the blocks and cut them down to size with a straight edge razor blade, copying the dimensions of the original dampers. I cut them a little oversize so they can compress or squeeze a little. When installing those, the flapper part of the armature must be centered between the poles. I find that if I adjust for a little extra material on the right side pole, that after some use, the armature will center. I think that is due to the pressure of the record groove against the needle as the groove pushes the tone arm toward the center. Lotsa mass in those tone arms.

I hope that will help. Cheers, Russie

[VanEpsFan1914]

Hope I'm not hijacking the thread, but how rare are these little machines, and how much do they usually go for? I've never seen one of these before and these are just too cool.

The little radio ought to sound pretty nice. What kind of antenna do you have it on? Depending on your location there are some great AM programs still out there, and of course there is always the micro transmitter hooked up to Radio Dismuke if you want to go full 1920s with your music program.

Is it easy on records?

[electrolaman 64]

Hi There!

George and Russie are giving you the right advice on your late horse shoe pickup situation. The best person to send that to is Chuck Azzalina for a rebuild.

By the way I hope you put a soft metal keeper across the poles of your horse shoe magnet as you were removing it from the frame or you have weakened its strength by a lot. Chuck has a magnetizer to recharge these though.

By the way the DC resistance (measurable with an ohm meter) for the coil for this pickup should be in the range of 290 ohms.

I once owned one of the RE-40s. They are very nice sounding Electrolas for having a little speaker. If you do not have the schematic for this I can scan and post it for you. Meanwhile here is the RCA data page for this set. It was announced and manufactured starting March 1933. List price was $49.95 with tubes. Aprox. production was 8,102.

Regards,
Carlton Smith
electrolaman 64

[startgroove]

This may help with your pick up repair, if you decide to do it yourself.

One thing I would add; when removing the magnet, be sure to observe polarity and re-install the magnet the same way it came out. This will prevent residual magnetism in the coil and poles assembly from working against the magnet.
Also, immediately upon separating the magnet from the coil and poles assembly, place an iron bar across the magnet poles and leave it there until you are ready to re-install the magnet. This will help preserve magnet strength.

Cheers, Russie