Amberola V Adjustments

[barnettrp21122]

I figure you mean the collar on the right end of the auto-stop rod. Although the stop mechanism will work without it, the collar on the right end ("A" in the picture below) positions the rod in the proper place so that when setting the indicator "B" at the end of the cylinder grooves the motor will then stop correctly as the rod is pushed to the right at the end of play.
My entire auto-stop assembly had to be removed and completely cleaned and polished so it would work smoothly.
When you've removed the collar for cleaning, notice on the end of the rod that there's a detent in the rear for the set screw to settle into (second picture)
Notice the flattened portion of the collar rim. That faces downward towards the bedplate.
Hope this helps!
Bob

[Edisone]

No, the collars on the auto brake rod are still there. This one is smaller and fits exactly on the mandrel's shaft. I removed it & tested some records - plays fine without it. Maybe I'll just move it over against the mandrel, so it doesn't touch the center bearing.

ps - Now that I know the little "whisker" must pass through flywheel, gear & shaft, I see that somebody reassembled this thing with the parts out of place & the shaft pushed almost inside the left bearing's mounting hole.

Upon moving things to their rightful positions, I find that the motor's gear noise has dropped at least an octave in tone. When a record is playing (even blank grooves) I cannot distinguish between surface noise & motor noise, even with the gear cover off & my ear nearly touching the moving parts! Nice. Also, it plays fine without the "whisker", but I'll replace that anyway.

pps - Thanks for the pics! Any information helps.

[barnettrp21122]

Glad you're getting the pieces back in order!
And you're right, there is no collar on the right end of the mandrel shaft. Maybe it goes somewhere else on the machine!
Bob

[Edisone]

Hoarding habit paid off! I went to the old car parts collection, and snipped the end off a tiny, delicate carb spring - the kind that has long, straight extentions with a hook at each end. It's a thin wire - really IS no thicker than a cat's whisker! Motor noise dropped even MORE, whether due to this or the new sticky gear oil I used (Sunoco 85/140 Gear Oil) and now cannot be heard once the lid is down.

Repacked the horn with old towels, just for fun, and put strips of thin rubber between the motorboard and cabinet. The reproducer to horn connection is virtually airtight, even before the grease & heavy oil I used on its sliding parts. This is the finest sounding cylinder machine I've even had - also the finest I've ever heard in person.

ps - In the bottom of the cabinet, just inside the horn opening, "A.WANG" is stamped into the wood. A worker in the cabinet factory, perhaps? Edison dealer in San Francisco ?

[Edisone]

I changed the heading from "problems" to "adjustments", so as to be more accurate.

Anyhow - One of the noises my V made at first was impossible to track down, but I thought *I* had fixed it with gear adjustments and heavy grease. BUT - it appears it was ACCIDENTALLY fixed.

Take a look at barnett's photos & note the end collar for the brake rod. The previous owner of mine apparently put it on without the set screw going into the rod's hole & overhanging the end of the rod; this allowed the brake rod to move too far to the left, consequently allowing the brake lever to rest against the large gear which sticks out of the gear cover. Result? Mysterious buzzing as the brake lever rubbed against the spinning gear!