Penny Record Eater - warped sound - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

fuzzyjonclay · 24th Feb 2020, 10:49 pm

Hello everyone

I have a Penny Record Eater (as shown in the attachments) and the sound seems to be quite warped. I've opened up the machine and can't quite work out what I need to tighten / loosen to make it work OK.

If I start the mechanism without a record inserted, the "turntable" seems to spin at a constant speed. However, once I insert a record the sound becomes warped and draggy, suggesting that the speed of the turntable is alternating.

I was wondering if anyone else owns one of these machines (OK, toys!) and has successfully fixed a similar problem.

Many thanks
Jon

Tractorfan · 25th Feb 2020, 11:36 am

Hi,
The turntable is belt driven on these, and it may well have become slack with age. The belt was snapped on the one I picked up for a couple of euros, and when replaced, it worked OK.
I found another one of a different design, but that one had suffered battery rot, so not worth restoring.
Cheers, Pete.

24th Feb 2020, 10:49 pm	#1
fuzzyjonclay Diode Join Date: May 2016 Location: London, UK. Posts: 6	Penny Record Eater - warped sound Hello everyone I have a Penny Record Eater (as shown in the attachments) and the sound seems to be quite warped. I've opened up the machine and can't quite work out what I need to tighten / loosen to make it work OK. If I start the mechanism without a record inserted, the "turntable" seems to spin at a constant speed. However, once I insert a record the sound becomes warped and draggy, suggesting that the speed of the turntable is alternating. I was wondering if anyone else owns one of these machines (OK, toys!) and has successfully fixed a similar problem. Many thanks Jon Attached Thumbnails

25th Feb 2020, 11:36 am	#2
Tractorfan Dekatron Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: St. Frajou, l'Isle en Dodon, Haute Garonne, France.(Previously: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, UK.) Posts: 3,183	Re: Penny Record Eater - warped sound Hi, The turntable is belt driven on these, and it may well have become slack with age. The belt was snapped on the one I picked up for a couple of euros, and when replaced, it worked OK. I found another one of a different design, but that one had suffered battery rot, so not worth restoring. Cheers, Pete. __________________ "Hello?, Yes, I'm on the train, I might lose the signal soon as we're just going into a tunn..."