The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I've had this small electric gramophone for a while, and never really used it as I can't figure out how to adjust the speed, does anyone know, there doesn't seem to be any governor or other obvious form of speed regulation that I can see, it's running a little slow currently

yes it has a governor inside and the speed control should alter the speed , perhaps the speed control arm is loose on the pivot ?

soundgen wrote:yes it has a governor inside and the speed control should alter the speed , perhaps the speed control arm is loose on the pivot ?

Someone has since bought it as is so not mine to worry about now but still interesting, there is no governor inside the casing, and no speed control arm, the arm on the front activates and de-activates the auto shutoff, under the motor plate is a simple pair of gears going directly from the motor shaft up to the spindle, I can only deduce the speed is only adjusted by the resistance in the motor circuit, the existing resistors likely a bit less effective than they were causing the speed problem, very simple design, and I suppose at the time this was released, 78rpm was the only speed you needed, I imagine very few people would want to play early records recorded at different speeds so having one set speed may have been appealing to some.

While I don't know the details of this particular unit, many inexpensive electric phonographs were equipped with synchronous AC motors which did not have speed adjustment capability. If it is running slow, it might just need cleaning and lubrication.

Electric current frequency (50 or 60 Hz) in most countries is pretty reliable. Although when I took my 50 Hz electric alarm clock to Moscow in 1979, it lost time. I calculated that rather than 50 Hz, it was running at around 47 Hz.

At the risk of stating the obvious, this motor must have some means of speed adjustment, otherwise it would not have been provided with a speed control.

epigramophone wrote:At the risk of stating the obvious, this motor must have some means of speed adjustment, otherwise it would not have been provided with a speed control.

Does it? The OP implies otherwise.

AZ* wrote:

epigramophone wrote:At the risk of stating the obvious, this motor must have some means of speed adjustment, otherwise it would not have been provided with a speed control.

Does it? The OP implies otherwise.

Then what is the speed control there for, if not to adjust the speed?

epigramophone wrote:

AZ* wrote:

epigramophone wrote:At the risk of stating the obvious, this motor must have some means of speed adjustment, otherwise it would not have been provided with a speed control.

Does it? The OP implies otherwise.

Then what is the speed control there for, if not to adjust the speed?

I don't see one. Where is it?

Then what is the speed control there for, if not to adjust the speed?[/quote]
I don't see one. Where is it?[/quote]


you need to go to Specsavers

soundgen wrote:you need to go to Specsavers

You may need to take your own advice. If you click twice on the original photo, you will see that item is labeled "AUTO BRAKE."