I have a Thorens disc music box that came out of a 1960s-era ice
cream truck. It's driven by an electric motor that turns a worm gear
that turns two disc gears. One of the disc gears is plastic and --
Surprise, surprise! -- it broke, so I'm looking for a replacement
if such a thing exists. Let me know if you need me to provide any
pictures.
Another issue is the built-in amplifier is broken. It has an RCA
audio jack on the rear, but currently it's not putting out any signal.
I don't understand exactly how the amplification works, but there's
some thin wire wrapped around the comb part of the music box, which is
attached to a magnet. From there it goes to a volume potentiometer,
then to an amplifier. Something is broken somewhere in the line, since
I'm not getting any output. The amplifier hasn't worked since I've
owned it so I have no theory there.
Thanks for any help, and let me know if any more information is needed.
Jaques Haas
[ An old-time auto radio shop can repair the amplifier for you.
[ The audio transducer is "variable reluctance magnetic", the same
[ technique as used in guitar pickups placed underneath steel strings.
[ -- Robbie
|