Collaro A27 motor repair advice please

[Curt A]

If it is too short, then a replacement may be the best choice.

[poodling around]

If it is too short, then a replacement may be the best choice.

Yes, a very good point. I don't really want to replace the original but it is broken with terrible tracking so maybe there is a silver lining in that cloud.

Thanks CurtA

[poodling around]

Does anyone know please which turntable was originally sold with the Collaro A27 motor ?

(I assume that when people originally bought the motor it came with standard fittings, like speed control, brake and turntable ?). Maybe there is an old advert some-where ?

[Oedipus]

Yes, motors came with a set of accessories, but the gramophone manufacturer would have had some choice, particularly in the type and colour of turntable mat. Collaro turntables in the 1920s were usually of cast iron, full of holes like a string vest, with a nickel plate steel 'tyre' that clamped the mat in place. At some point, don't know exactly when, probably about 1930, they changed to an all-steel hollow rim turntable just like Garrard.

[poodling around]

Yes, motors came with a set of accessories, but the gramophone manufacturer would have had some choice, particularly in the type and colour of turntable mat. Collaro turntables in the 1920s were usually of cast iron, full of holes like a string vest, with a nickel plate steel 'tyre' that clamped the mat in place. At some point, don't know exactly when, probably about 1930, they changed to an all-steel hollow rim turntable just like Garrard.

Thank you VERY much Oedipus. What you describe is the turntable which is with my Collaro motor - so I am now reasonably sure that it is original !

I am very grateful indeed !

(I would also like to know what the original speed control looked like but hey !).

[leels1]

Glad you sorted the spring!

Unfortunately with mine there wasn’t enough left to reuse the old one. It kept snapping and slipping.

Thank you leels1 !

I am sorry that you could not re-use your non-return spring. You mentioned earlier in this thread that you may try to make a new one from a whisk or a coat hanger. I hope that was successful. By coincidence I was out and about a week or so ago and came across some wire coat hangers. So I bought them thinking that they may have a gramophone use one day !

I am careful not to wind this gramophone up too much incidentally, in case the now shorter non-return spring slips or breaks . I guess the more the main-spring is wound the more the non-return spring has to deal with more tension ?

Yes it definitely worked and is holding up well. The whisk isn’t the best solution as it’s quite short. Coat hanger can be a bit too thick for some motors, but it’ll work. The force on that spring when it’s fully wound must be immense!