Help needed for Auxetophone

[alang]

I visited the Johnson Victrola Museum in Dover, DE today. They have such a great collection and I always enjoy chatting with their all volunteer staff. Unfortunately their Auxetophone has been broken for several years now and they have not been able to find someone knowledgeable to repair it. Looks like they had offers in the past, but the problem was always money. Admission to the Museum is free and they don't get much funding. Since an Auxetophone is such a rare machine and I have never seen one before in person I did not want to offer mucking around with it myself, even though it may just be a broken spring. They described the problem as a big loud bang during a presentation. They also claim that the compressor still works, but they cannot wind the motor up anymore. Is there anyone who has worked on an Auxetophone before who would be willing to repair that machine on a volunteer basis?
Thanks
Andreas

[Jerry B.]

The spring motor is no different than the same motor that was in the top of the line machine which was current at the time of manufacture. For example if the Vic VI, at the time of manufacture, had the spur motor, the Auxetophone would have the same motor. It should be a simple spring job repair. Jerry Blais

[MTPhono]

Jerry, do the Vic V and VI share the same motor? I was under the assumption the Auxetophone motor was based upon the Vic V.

Andreas, can you post a picture of the "compressor"?

Thanks,
Scott

[Garret]

I heard this Auxetophone play once...it really was quite the experience. I'd be nice to see a collector step up to the plate and fix it, although if it happens, I'd be surprised.

[Jerry B.]

To try to answer Scott's question... The Vic D has the early motor. The Vic V has the later motor. But they are both called a "Victor the Fifth" in advertising. The early Vic VI's had the early motor then they transitioned to the later motor. The Auxetophone could have either motor depending when it was made. Jerry

[TinfoilPhono]

It definitely sounds like the spring broke and made a lot of noise as it released. That's a straightforward repair. It should be a Victor V motor.

That Autetophone has a reproduction blower unit made by Paul Baker about 10-12 years ago.

[alang]

OK, I thought based on what I read in the Victor Data Book that the motor might be just a regular Victor motor, but as they say, you should never "assume". If this is the case and it is simply a 3 spring motor I will be happy to offer them to do the repair myself. Will depend on if the curator is going to trust me...

Unfortunately I did not take any pictures of the machine or the compressor, the picture I posted is from their web page. There is a picture of the blower unit on the Mulholland Press website http://www.mulhollandpress.com/Auxetophone.html. I'll try to remember next time to bring a camera and also document the serial number etc.

Is there anything specific I should watch out for when touching this machine? From what I could see from the outside it looks like a key allows the lid to open and the motor is simply attached by 3 screws. Is there anything special about the motor itself, the turntable removal, or anything else out of the ordinary I should know?

Thanks
Andreas

[alang]

It definitely sounds like the spring broke and made a lot of noise as it released. That's a straightforward repair. It should be a Victor V motor.

That Autetophone has a reproduction blower unit made by Paul Baker about 10-12 years ago.

Thanks for the additional information. The text on display only states that the machines had been completely restored in 2003.

Any thoughts if to replace only the broken spring in this three spring motor or replace all three? Is a modern reproduction spring OK or should I look for an original NOS or used to keep the spring power "balanced"?

Thanks again
Andreas

[TinfoilPhono]

The blower in the picture on Bob Baumbach's site is an original, not a Baker reproduction. I don't think that's the same machine as the Johnson one shown above it. The air equalization tank is the early style. The cabinet design on the Johnson Museum's Auxetophone should have a smaller air tank in the upper right rear corner.

Edit to add: I dug through my pictures and indeed, the picture on Bob's site shows another machine, which happens to belong to a forum member.

[Andersun]

I.M.O. It surprises me that a museum like this wouldn't have someone around that could fix the machine unless the problem is more complicated and involves the compressor aspect of the mechanism. Volunteers and/or staff should at least know how to replace a spring. If this museum was near me, I would help out on anything they needed no matter how complicated or not. To let it sit there for a couple of years seems crazy. I bet if the museum just reached out, they would get all the help they ever wanted.