Newest Addition: Odeon German Portable

[antique1973]

Well, the Odeon has arrived! The good news is the motor runs quite well, very smooth and quiet actually.
First problem was the catch for the crank handle was not working. I noticed a spring coiled around the
crank shaft was detached from a screw. I used needle nose pliers to reform the end so it can fit around
the screw and added a washer to better secure the spring. There is a close up shot of this part attached.

That completed all the necessary motor work. So I bolted the motor board back down and
the next issue was the auto-brake. It doesn't look like anything is missing but its just not working
right. In order to release the brake, I have to move it all the way to the right. By doing so, there is no
way the tone arm can complete a record without bumping the auto-brake prematurely. Its almost like the
auto-brake is not in the right place. Also I am not sure where the tone arm trigger post should be. To the
left of the brake, center or right?? I saw another Odeon machine similar to mine on the net but the brake
looks totally different. This one will require further tweaking.

Finally, the reproducer has dried out gaskets, but this is no surprise. I had enough gasket material to
replace one side for now but I need more to finish the job. It looks like some kind of aluminum membrane as
opposed to mica. I thought it may be some kind or ortho style soundbox at first but there were no ballberings
inside (to my relief!). It actually has a nice rich sound and I think it will sound very nice once I get that
other dried gasket replaced.

All things considered I am stoked that it just has some superficial issues to contend with. I thought for sure
I would have to tear the motor apart. Guess not. Once I finish the reproducer overhaul I will make a couple
videos for sure.

[jnorman111]

(J.M.J.)
Beautiful portable, let us know how it sounds when up and running.

[OrthoFan]

It looks like some kind of aluminum membrane as
opposed to mica. I thought it may be some kind or ortho style soundbox at first but there were no ballberings
inside (to my relief!).

Definitely, Orthophonic era (post-1925/26). Aluminum gradually took over from mica after the introduction of electrical recording, and by the 1930s, most portables were fitted with diaphragms made from aluminum (duralumin).

The ball bearing pivot design was patented, and only Victor (and later RCA) in the US used it. (Actually, to be accurate, the very first British built 1927 "HMV Re-Entrant" models were fitted with the same Orthophonic sound box used by Victor in the US, but only for a very short period. It was soon replaced with a modified version -- dubbed the 5a, and later, the 5b -- which still employed a spider driven aluminum diaphragm; but in place of the ball bearing ring mounted needle bar, the same type designed for the #4 sound box was used.)

Your sound box should perform very well once the second gasket is replaced. While the pivot may not be as compliant as the type used in the Orthophonic sound box, it will probably perform as well as the type used in the HMV #5a/b version.

[antique1973]

I don't know, but maybe I had the needle too loose during initial tests. I just played a couple records, one
acoustic and one electric. They both sound excellent, even with one bad gasket! I have to say that this $30
portable seems to have the best sound of all my machines.

I have a theory also about the brake system. It is possible this machine was not designed to brake
automatically. There are actually 2 brakes, one that you activate by moving the tone arm all the way to
the right and a second one that you activate by moving it all the way to the left (spindle brake).
So in practice, you have to manually stop the turntable by moving it all the way to the left at the end
of a record. Is anyone familiar with this type of system? It was throwing my head for a loop because I am
used to the Victrola style auto-brake and this one is more complex. Thanks for any info.

[gramophoneshane]

It's a very nice looking portable, and I'm not surprized it sounds so good. The HMV 101 design was copied by numerous companies in Europe because it was such a successful and great sounding model, and the addition of an ortho style soudbox would improve the sound greatly.
Once you've glued down all the paper, you could give it a coat of shoe renovating polish in the appropriate colour, and it should look like brand new.
Can you post a picture of the brake system with the turntable removed?

[antique1973]

It's a very nice looking portable, and I'm not surprized it sounds so good. The HMV 101 design was copied by numerous companies in Europe because it was such a successful and great sounding model, and the addition of an ortho style soudbox would improve the sound greatly.
Once you've glued down all the paper, you could give it a coat of shoe renovating polish in the appropriate colour, and it should look like brand new.
Can you post a picture of the brake system with the turntable removed?

Ahh, I was wondering how to remedy the torn up paperboard finish. Sounds like an excellent tactic!

As you can see Shane, the motor is a simple one springer. I recall you were wondering if it had
an electric option.

I will upload pics tomorrow on the brake set up. I messed around with it for quite a while and it seems like there is no way the left moving fork can trigger the activation of the outer brake pad. It doesn't appear to have any missing parts from what I can tell. Pushing all the way left will activate
the inner spindle brake pad but this won't happen on an automatic basis (during play) and must be manually pushed by hand. I think I will also make a video of the issue since its kind of hard to
explain without the benefit of a live demonstration.

[antique1973]

(J.M.J.)
Beautiful portable, let us know how it sounds when up and running.

Thanks! I certainly will.

[antique1973]

It's a very nice looking portable, and I'm not surprized it sounds so good. The HMV 101 design was copied by numerous companies in Europe because it was such a successful and great sounding model, and the addition of an ortho style soudbox would improve the sound greatly.
Once you've glued down all the paper, you could give it a coat of shoe renovating polish in the appropriate colour, and it should look like brand new.
Can you post a picture of the brake system with the turntable removed?

Pictures attached...

[alang]

Congratulations, a very nice portable indeed.
BTW: the little sign says:

Attention!
Before replacing the turntable move tonearm completely to the RIGHT.

Not sure if that will make a difference in the function of the brake.
Andreas

[SignatureSeriesOwner]

It looks like there is a little "catch" that should activate it when the arm bumps the nickel tab.

This may sound "obvious" but give every pivot a little shot of 3-N-1 oil. My stop tabon my Victrola took a while to actually move to the point it would slow down the turntable, due to age. A couple drops of 3-N-1, and all you have to do is basically look at it now and it'll release.