Camerabox phonograph by Plaza Music Co, the Kompact

[jboger]

This is an interesting small portable machine that comes in two versions: with and without the butterfly appendages that extend the radius of the platter to accommodate larger records. I suspect that the non-butterfly version of this phonograph came first, which is what I got, and the butterfly version came later to "solve" a problem, that problem being that one can not even play Wonder Records on the darn thing because the tone arm and reproducer are too heavy and tilt the records to an unplayable angle. Terrible on small wonder Records and even worse on 10-inchers. My plan is to take a lead weight and drill a hole in the bottom slightly large than the spindle diameter, such that when and if I play a record on this cute little contraption, it plays properly. That's my plan.

Curious about other people's experiences with the Kompact and any other miniature machines. I believe Plaza also sold a machine the looked very like a camera. Does that even work?

[gramophone78]

This is an interesting small portable machine that comes in two versions: with and without the butterfly appendages that extend the radius of the platter to accommodate larger records. I suspect that the non-butterfly version of this phonograph came first, which is what I got, and the butterfly version came later to "solve" a problem, that problem being that one can not even play Wonder Records on the darn thing because the tone arm and reproducer are too heavy and tilt the records to an unplayable angle. Terrible on small wonder Records and even worse on 10-inchers. My plan is to take a lead weight and drill a hole in the bottom slightly large than the spindle diameter, such that when and if I play a record on this cute little contraption, it plays properly. That's my plan.

Curious about other people's experiences with the Kompact and any other miniature machines. I believe Plaza also sold a machine the looked very like a camera. Does that even work?

Here is some reading for you... . The bottom link, George P posted a little while ago on our forum regarding "off brands" like Plaza.
http://keithwright.ca/Thorens/Kompact.html
http://www.antiquephono.org/brand-talki ... j-wakeman/

Regarding playing larger records...I thought the version without the butterfly's has a extra long spindle.??. This would keep the record in place and not allow the record to pop off or tilt down.

Kompact.jpg (148.29 KiB) Viewed 2764 times

[jboger]

Thanks for the links. The first I've seen, plus a few others about the Kompact. There is even a Youtube of a fellow playing a Kompact with a 10-inch record. It sounds terrible. The table is spinning less than 78 rpm either due to an underpowered motor and/or the tilt of the record is causing the needle to rub against one side of the groove thus slowing things down. The other link is an excellent article on off brands. Thanks for that.

I don't think an extra-long spindle would solve the problem. You see, of necessity the record's center hole must be slightly larger than the diameter of the spindle, else the record would not slip over the spindle easily. That play in hole size is what allows the record to tilt once the reproducer it put into position. This is true for Wonder Records, which look to be either 5 or 6 inches in diameter, that is, they're larger than the platter. The outer part of the record is unsupported by the platter, which by the way is quite stable.

I have played a Wonder Record with a weight on top of the record and next to the spindle such that the weight is off center. (My lead weight with a hole drilled in the bottom should solve that problem.) With the weight holding the little record down I have managed to play the entire record. I doubt that I could ever satisfactorily play an entire 10-inch record.

One other thing. I wrote that I was able to play the entire Wonder Record. That's true, but the table turned less than 78 rpm. I may still need to do a bit of work on the governor. Not sure about that. This little machine may have been underpowered from the git-go. Or, after 90 years the spring has taken on the shape of the barrel and has become tired. This needs further investigation.

[phonogfp]

Not to be a nit-picker, but I think you mean you've been playing a LITTLE WONDER record. There are a handful of Wonder records known to exist, but you certainly wouldn't want to be playing them!

George P.

[jboger]

George P: You are right. Little Wonder, as in, there's little wonder that I'm wrong again. My memory doesn't work as good as it once did.

[phonogfp]

My memory doesn't work as good as it once did.

I'm feeling you!

George P.

[estott]

Try stacking two 10 inch records on the turntable & using a piece of cut cardboard as a clamp. If there is enough power in the spring (might need work) it should improve playing. Excelda machines use a screw hold down & they recommended putting two records on the turntable - it helps to damp the vibration and add stability

[bob27556]

I've got a Kompact with the same problem. It's got the worst tracking error I've ever seen. After trying to figure out a way to correct it without making major alterations I finally gave up and just don't use it. The Peter Pan Gramophone is a very unique and dependable 'cameraphone' that can be had for a reasonable price.

[jboger]

bob27566: I had looked at my Kompact again over the weekend and found that most of the small tacks that hold the "horn" in place are missing. The tone arm is fixed to one end of the horn. With the horn loose, there is added play in the tone arm. These tacks are necessarily short because they should not puncture the case, which is approximately ⅜-inch thick. I could see missing tacks as a problem for this machine because every time one moves the tone arm, pressure is put on these tacks. If the horn is loose, then the tone arm has some slop in it. You might want to check your Kompact to see if any of the tacks are missing that secure the horn. I don't think it will solve all our problems, but it might help.

[jboger]

This post is a bit of a reiteration of my previous one, but this time with a photo. I think I may have identified a problem with the Kompact camerabox phonograph. I don't flatter myself to think I'm the first, but it may be of interest to both those who do and don't own one of these machines. I've taken a photo of the horn, which is found in the lid. You can clearly see that most of the brads that secure the base to the case are missing. In fact I think all are gone except for the rounded-head brad in the top right, which I think may be original You can also see a nail that has been driven into one of the holes. If I firmly hold the horn in the correct place, the performance of the machine improves dramatically. I think there will still be a problem with 10-inch disks because the weight of the tone arm is such to cause the record to tilt, as discussed above. But with the horn held in place, then the tonearm does not have all that schlop (good technical term) in it and rotates properly as the needle moves towards the center of the record. In the past the whole tonearm flopped over sideways as the needle moved towards the center, this due to the horn not fixed rigidly in place. I suspect that a loss of these brad and loose horns and tonearms is a problem with many of these machines. (Don't really know because this is the only one I've seen up close and personal.) Over time, I'm willing to bet, that those short nails have popped loose for many of these Kompacts, especially with repeated movement of the tone arm in and out of the lid. The solution is to drive new brads of the proper length into the existing holes without puncturing through the walls of the case.