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Old 31st Mar 2023, 5:00 pm   #41
OldTechFan96
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Default Re: BSR UA8 intermittent fault

I don't know what the original grommets were made of, but they always seem to have turned rock hard. Replacement are available from a few sources online.

The fault did occasional happen with a 45. Though it did seem to happen more with an LP. Originally I thought the issue was larger records causing the tonearm to bounce too much when it dropped and throwing the mechanism off. I stopped thinking this when singles sometimes had the same issue.

I had a Black Box in 2017 with a UA8 fitted and it never had this issue. I wonder if the spindle design was changed? The UA8 I've just worked on is from 1958.

Looking at the service manual for the UA8, it mentions that the first record loaded on the spindle should properly engage with the shoulder of the spindle.
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Old 1st Apr 2023, 8:08 am   #42
leslie5555
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Default Re: BSR UA8 intermittent fault

So surprised to see my original thread on this subject re opened from 8 years ago, can't believe it was that long ago.
Brings back memories of endless frustrating hours trying to figure it out.
I have since stopped restoring and selling record players and all the Pye black box players with the auto decks have been sold off. However I still have and use daily a Pye black box with the single play collaro deck, which is great because it's so simple to use.
I'm pleased this thread has helped many of you who had the same problem.
Good luck and continue having fun with these old beautiful machines.
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Old 1st Apr 2023, 10:55 am   #43
Edward Huggins
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Default Re: BSR UA8 intermittent fault

Yours with the Collaro 3 (or the later 4) speed single deck will be an early version and are now quite rare. The pick up head should be removeable so easy to upgrade the cartridge if needed.
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Old 1st Apr 2023, 7:49 pm   #44
Techman
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Default Re: BSR UA8 intermittent fault

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Originally Posted by Techman View Post
I'll have to try stacking and spinning some old LPs on it to see if I can make it replicate this fault.
So I tried it today.

I first tried a single 45, both just randomly plonking it on the spindle and letting it drop, then deliberately putting it to the edge of the shelf with the over arm (or control arm if you must) placed on, and the record dropped as normal and played in the usual way. I then tried a stack of 45s and they played as normal. Then I tried an LP, both just plonking it on with the overarm and then deliberately moving it to the edge of the spindle shelf with the overarm in place and after a few attempts at trying to replicate the fault it just dropped and played perfectly each time. I was going to try stacking several LPs at a time, but a mate turned up with (in) his latest vintage 'relic', off topic for this forum, and that distraction stopped the experiment for the rest of the day. This particular deck, which is in a 50s HMV radiogram, was serviced by me several years ago and seems to still be working perfectly, and I couldn't make it replicate the described fault, although I can go and have another go with it over the next few days if required. So it's very much looking like there's more to this issue with the UA8 than meets the eye, and that these other decks possibly still have some sort of undiagnosed fault condition.
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Old 1st Apr 2023, 10:37 pm   #45
John10b
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Default Re: BSR UA8 intermittent fault

I was reading an article in 1957 Practical Wireless which I found interesting, forum folk might also enjoy.
John
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Old 2nd Apr 2023, 7:06 am   #46
slidertogrid
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Default Re: BSR UA8 intermittent fault

As far as dropping the record and then switching off without playing it, this is usually a problem with the thickness of the record. It will only occur usually if one record is stacked or on the last record to drop from a stack. Probably not a problem when these decks were current as L.Ps were generally thicker back then. A tweak that may cure particularly fussy decks it to very slightly and carefully bend the stacking arm. It only needs the slightest adjustment.

I have fond memories of the UA8. When I was a kid my family spent a lot of weekends at Hunstanton, the pier amusements had a UA8 for years in the change cubicle playing records all day. The music was played all around the amusements from speakers dotted around. The deck sat in a plinth in the corner of the cubicle with a huge pile of LPs, none of which were in sleeves.
The person in the cubicle just stacked them on and left it playing all day. when it ran out they turned the whole stack over. As a geeky kid I used to like to watch it change a record. Then one day it was gone! Replaced with a cassette player! That didn't stay very long compared to the UA8. The 'piped around' music was removed and a Jukebox was installed so the music was then earning money...

I have had a few 'battles' over the years with autochangers throwing up random and very intermittent problems, some problems like records sticking together through static, thin examples, 45s that slip, are sometimes not easy to predict. I am of the opinion that autochangers are not an exact science they can be a bit hit-and-miss...
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