From time to time the forums have new members asking about a 'record player' they've obtained. They're puzzled because "no sound comes out of it" and, for that matter, they're puzzled because "it doesn't seem to have a loudspeaker".
Although it's easy to lampoon, the aforementioned statements are understandable given that these 'add-ons' are survivors of a bygone age when people really did have to 'watch the pennies'.
So this post is not exactly concerned with repairs but has been considered worthy of inclusion due to modern-day unfamiliarity with these units. Some advisory notes are included at the end of this post nonetheless. There is a brief mention of add-on units in the attachment
here but we'll elaborate with some
history in this post.
The purpose of add-on record decks (a term more appropriate than "record player" for the purposes of this post) was to convert a suitable radio receiver into a radiogramophone (radiogram). This may seem pointless in the 21st century but many decades ago it was a case of 'that or go without or make do with the wind-up gramophone'. At one time, in pre credit card, personal loan etc days, only the well-to-do could afford a proper purpose-built radiogram and this situation lingered right up to the availability of cheaper transistorised and, in some cases foreign-made, perhaps light(er) in weight and more compact equipment which didn't take four beefy blokes to shift it. The turning point was perhaps the 1960's when Mr Average, who had a steady job and perhaps had paid off the mortgage, was able to buy one of the then-proliferating mass produced radiograms of the period. Similar machines, albeit basic and somewhat drab in appearance, were around prior to the 1960's of course (discounting the hugely expensive and lumbering beasts of prewar days), but we can take this period as being, loosely, the time when add-on record decks fell out of favour.
So the average working man of 50-60 years ago was lucky enough to own a fairly decent radio receiver but not a purpose built radiogram. so to play the family records which were probably screechy old 78's which often only emerged as a means of getting rid of the in-laws quickly when they turned up on a Sunday afternoon, the wind-up gramophone had to suffice as mentioned earlier. The add-on deck, electric, was an affordable step up which allowed the records to be played through the radio. The radio, of course, will have had a proper volume control (as opposed to stuffing a pair of socks into the gramophone horn - the origin, incidentally, of the expression "Stick a sock in it" and probably a tone control too.
The add-on deck could not be played through just any radio receiver though. Most, but not all, receivers designed for the purpose were for AC mains (only) and had to be provided with sockets, usually located at the rear, for connecting the add-on deck. The radio may or may not have been provided with a 'gram' position on its wavechange switch; if it wasn't you simply tuned to a silent spot on any waveband, put a record on and away you went.
^ Here are two images of the gram input sockets on the rear of two different radio receivers. On the left can be seen the sockets on a Pye Fenman (Thanks to Mike Phelan for the image). On the right can be seen the sockets on a German Blaupunkt receiver. The use of symbols isn't overly common on British-made receivers; just the initials "PU" (PickUp) or sometimes the word "Gram" being more the usual. Likewise,
Aerial and
Earth (Aerial Earth, that is, not mains Earth) are more often abbreviated to just A and E. Use of symbols, as per the Blaupunkt, is more common on non British receivers.
Among the earliest, if not
the earliest, of these add-on record decks were the products of Messrs J & A Margolin and were marketed under the self-explanatory "Plus-a-Gram" brandname. Do a forum and/or web search for that brandname and you'll find illustrations and other information. These early offerings by Margolin were quite substantial and solid efforts, often in console (floor standing) cabinets and often designed with a flat top to permit a radio receiver of suitable size to sit upon. The ensemble was practical, albeit a little ungainly. We must remember that, back in those days, the radio was given a spot in the lounge and there it stayed as a sort of focal point, so the non portability of these Plus-a-Gram units wasn't an issue.
Not all were console types though, some were designed to be dumped on a sideboard or whatever, with the radio again sitting on its top or beside it according to the choice of the householder. Cabinets, console or otherwise, had storage space for records; almost always in the case of consol types and sometimes in the case of other types. The deck itself could be an autochanger or a single play job, with earlier ones being 78RPM only of course.
J & A Margolin, incidentally, later became much better known by their "Dansette" brandname.
Margolin were not, however, the only ball on the pitch. Other manufacturers produced add-on decks and in due course these became smaller, lighter and, unfortunately, flimsier. These types could, of course, be left in situ with a radio receiver or could be got out and put away again as and when required. The flimsier types could be in a pathetically thin plywood case or, in the worst cases, simply a stiff card case ('vanity case' style) with equally flimsy lid which would warp and defy all attempts to get it to open and close with ease. Philips produced some like this which, when also fitted with their infamous 'rocking' tonearm head, were positively ghastly contraptions once their newness had worn off.
Before I get too carried away knocking Philips we'll move on. Some of the portable add-on units, including later Plus-a-Gram offerings, came in rather sturdier wooden cabinets which resembled picnic set cases when closed. Others, however, came in rexine (or other material) covered sheet metal cases. Perhaps unsurprisingly Philips also did one of those; I once owned one, albeit a Stella branded example (same shop, different facade), but they were by no means the only manufacturer to do so.
This is a convenient point at which the end the brief history and move on to the
technical issues.
As will be understood by now, these add-ons consist only of an electric deck and some sort of cabinet. There will be an on/off control or, in the case of single play examples, an on/off control integral with the actual deck and operated by the tonearm.
Potential faults with add-on decks are the same as found on any other deck. However, add-ons which turn up these days have, due to their obsolescence, very likely been stored away out of use for a considerably long time. This could well be for much longer than a 'proper' record player and in less than ideal conditions too.
In these cases the motor will benefit from an overhaul; essentially removal of its bearings, cleaning and relubrication of same and as described elsewhere. What little mechanical linkage there is may also need attention, again as described elsewhere.
The main issue and from the
safety angle is the
wiring. Internally there will be wiring to/from the motor and any switches which may be present. Check this for corrosion and perished insulation and renew as necessary. Externally there will be the mains flex plus two wires, or a two-core flex, which carries the signal to the gram sockets on the radio receiver. Typically the signal wires terminate with two jack plugs ('Wander' plugs, if you like); one for the 'ground' socket on the radio and the other for the 'pickup' socket. These, their wiring and the mains flex should also be checked and replaced if necessary.
^ This image (taken from
this thread) shows a fairly typical add-on deck and in this instance the cabinet is a relatively sturdy wooden affair. The two cables seen on the left are the mains lead and the lead for connecting to a radio receiver. Note the apparent lack of controls; unfortunately this example is a Stella (Philips in disguise) and Philips/Stella machines are mentioned in more detail in the next post.
^ Close up of a Philips add-on deck showing the wanderplugs for connecting to a suitable radio receiver. The red plug has been removed to show more clearly the coaxial (screened) lead used to connect deck to receiver. The black plug connects to the outer part of the lead, ie the screening which links to the 'ground' side of the cartridge, whilst the red plug connects to the inner core of the lead and carries the signal from the cartridge. The screening also, at least in theory, prevents the lead from acting as an aerial and superimposing unwanted interference onto the audio from the record.