Teppaz 3310 More car booting....

[Wishiknewmore]

Teppaz Luggable Record Player 3310

As my car booting affliction has flared up recently I bought more mid-century French tech.
This time it’s a Teppaz 3310, cosmetically it’s in nice, but not perfect condition, the most obvious fault is the rubber platen mat is degraded and started to crack.
The main reason for my post is that I know absolutely zero about record players and I don’t want to damage anything by doing something foolish, and the set is original enough that it would be a sin to spoil it through ignorance.

I have some official information about it including a circuit diagram (attached)

My plan would be to strip it out to check for obvious damage/insulation breakdown etc. then check out the mechanics to check nothing is stuck or seized.
Perhaps then to isolated the deck from the amplifier and treat them separately?

The amplifier

Probably wise to replace the coupling capacitors (the 2 x 0.1uF to the grid on the 6V6’s - please confirm) replace the main electrolytics, then power up through lamp limiter.

The deck

Do I use a lamp limiter?
What problems can I anticipate with the “drive chain”?
The device does not have a sylus, but it does have a “cartridge“ marked “Teppaz” and turns from marked 78 and M how to check/replace/ availability
The machine is marked “3 vitesses” which I assume is 3 speeds, but I don’t understand how this is changed, there is a lever marked LENT 78 VITE but seems more like a speed adjuster than a speed change. Suggestions?
The main thing is what NOT to do! and what problems to expect?
Philip

[paulsherwin]

Push pull output! Should sound pretty good when working. The biggest danger is that the cartridge is knackered, though you should be able to fit one of the red Chinese jobs, and may need to anyway if you can't find the right stylus.

All wax caps are suspect as with anything from that era.

[Hartley118]

That's an interesting piece of kit Philip. The push-pull 6V6s and the mike input facility imply that it's a small PA sytem/record player for clubs, dance classes etc. It should be capable of 8-10W output, though that may be more than the internal speaker can handle.

As Paul says, most capacitors are likely to be leaky, so I'd certainly replace the inter-valve coupling capacitors. As for the HT electrolytics, before condemning them, I'd be inclined to give them a chance to reform on your lamp limiter.

The deck is a bit of a puzzle. The motor looks like a governor-controlled 78 rpm job with a simple speed control lever acting on the governor. That doesn't fit with a turnover cartridge that implies it'll play microgroove discs. Maybe the governor will slow it to 45 and 33 rpm. That would explain the 'trois vitesses' claim. Worth a try running it up on a strobe to find out.

Martin

[dseymo1]

That's a cut above your usual record player!
Looks a bit as though it was built for commercial use, perhaps dances etc.
Edit: cross-posted!

[Edward Huggins]

I am nearly 100% sure that the pick cartridge fitted is designed for Mono LPs/45s only so don't attempt to play any stereo records on it ! Might have also be built for (rugged) Schools use.

[paulsherwin]

Yes, it could well have been built for schools use.

[Audio1950]

I reckon it was once a "78 only" deck, and the arm has been replaced with a more modern one.

[Wishiknewmore]

I have played about a bit! I isolated the amp and powered up the deck via the lamp limiter. and fortunately the motor spins
The lever that is marked "Lent 78 Vite" does change the speed, based on counting the revolutions and a stop watch I seem to have two speeds 31 rpm and 42 rpm but no 78ish
On investigation the cartridge come out by undoing the small knurled nit at the front of the arm ( no stylus though)

Some further pics attached

Thanks for interest shown

Philip

[Techman]

You won't get full speed running it through a lamp limiter.

[paulsherwin]

I agree with #7, it's a 78 deck that has been converted in the late 50s. 78 decks often allowed the speed to be varied above and below the 78 standard as older records sometimes had different speeds. I think 80rpm was quite common at one time.

[Techman]

I'm not sure about that, Paul. Look at the pictures in the original documentation shown in #8.

[paulsherwin]

Hmm. Certainly unusual. I wonder if it was designed as a 78 player (hence the slow / fast adjustment) but with the provision to play microgroove records. The valve lineup suggests early rather than late 50s.

[Wishiknewmore]

I have found the 78 rpm, well 72 without the lamp limiter, the spindle shaft in the middle of the platter/platen apparently goes up and down, when down we get high speed

Also attached pictures of the cartridge

I think the motor/gearbox might get a little further investigation as to why it is slow

Philip

[Hartley118]

Seems like there's more to that governor motor than meets the eye. It looks like it has a gearchange facility activated by raising or lowering the centre shaft. In the early 50s there was an urgent need for turntable manufacturers to use ingenuity to quickly introduce 33 and 45 speeds. For example Garrard created a somewhat Heath Robinson arrangement of belt-driven triple idlers in their RC80 and TA family.

It sounds like your gearbox and governor would benefit from lubrication. If you pull off the turntable from the centre shaft, you should see the fixing bolts which retain the motor/gearbox on to the underside of the motor board. If you release the motor/gearbox, you should find further bolts that retain the lid of the gearbox. Remove those and remove the lid. You should then be able to see how the speed change works - I guess we're all eagerly awaiting whatever you find!

3 in 1 oil or similar is suitable for the bearings and gear teeth. You should also oil the pads which bear on the governor disc. Then it should run as intended.


Martin

[Herald1360]

I wish my carboots had stuff like that! The original documents are the frosting on the icing on a rather nice cake!

The 12W (max) amplifier should give a good account of itself through the optional external speaker- don't fancy your chances for an original one of those, even less for the rotary converter for 24V battery operation!

It's a '50s all-in-one disco box

[Hartley118]

You can readily check the turntable speed with a stroboscope. There are various free printouts available such as http://www.pathefilm.uk/music/musicstrobo.htm .

Pity the turntable mat has gone the way of most elderly rubber. I tend to use one of the replacement felt mats available at reasonable prices on eBay.

Martin

[newlite4]

The Teppaz machines are beautifully made with "proper" amplifier stages. I have a Teppaz Presence which I bought from a RWB auction some five years ago, I was amazed at the build quality. The cartridges are not readily repairable so any appropriate mono cartridge will do here. Your machine seems to have that bit more complexity than the domestic versions.
Neil

[Tractorfan]

Hi,
Be careful with old French electrical stuff, as the national line voltage back then was often 110 volts. Make sure the voltage selector is correctly set for 230/240 volts.
I have a deck that takes the same cartridge as that one. I imagine it will be nigh on impossible to fit a modern type due to the odd design of the headshell'
Cheers, Pete.

[Wishiknewmore]

Perhaps I have unintentionally mislead about the original documentation, that has been web searching finds, but still of interest.

The gearbox has been stripped, cleaned and reassembled, so now we know more...
It is definitely a three speed gearbox and the spindle operates a "piano wire" selector that engages into the appropriate gear for the chosen speed,
the selector was slightly misshaped making gear changes very very stiff

The speed adjusting lever operates a brake pad of felt on a brake disc on the the main motor shaft, this in turn has a centrifugal governor arrangement that changes the pressure/position of the brake disc (I think) ( I must have got the 32 rpm on the 45 setting with the brake adjuster hard on!)

So the old oil, grease and muck are off, a bit of Vaseline and sewing machine oils on, now runs at three speeds, 45 is now 50! but that should be sorted buy the speed lever...

So far so good....

Philip

[Hartley118]

Fiendishly clever French innovation!

Never ever seen one of these before.

Martin