RockOla Maintenance - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

ScottishColin · 8th Oct 2022, 5:10 pm

Hi - we have had our Rockola Princess 471 for a few years now; it plays just fine but I suspect it would be a good idea if I gave it a little TLC.

The only thing that doesn't work is when I put a 50p in, it's not recognised, but I can cope with that.

Can anyone help or point me at a sensible set of maintenance I should be doing just to keep it playing nicely?

Thanks.

Colin.

vidjoman · 8th Oct 2022, 8:21 pm

Most manufacturers service manuals will give you the details you need. The coin switches may need cleaning or the paddles are bent, you should be able to see them and carefully straighten if bent.

winston_1 · 8th Oct 2022, 11:42 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottishColin

Hi - we have had our Rockola Princess 471 for a few years now; it plays just fine but I suspect it would be a good idea if I gave it a little TLC.

The only thing that doesn't work is when I put a 50p in, it's not recognised, but I can cope with that.

Can anyone help or point me at a sensible set of maintenance I should be doing just to keep it playing nicely?

Thanks.

Colin.

The 50p coin got smaller some years ago. Maybe your machine is set for the old one.

ScottishColin · 9th Oct 2022, 12:22 pm

It uses the older large 10p coins which work. I'll try a smaller 50p as a test.

I didn't word my question properly - apologies.

My question is really related to the mechanisms and electronics inside - what oiling/lubrication/cleaning/testing do I need to do?

Can anyone point me at the 471 service manual?

Thanks.

Colin.

vidjoman · 9th Oct 2022, 1:57 pm

Look on eBay for a manual. Sometimes appear used but you may have to buy a new one from a jukebox dealer as they will have originated in the US.

ScottishColin · 14th Oct 2022, 11:49 am

OK - I've got the service manual as suggested and there's nothing in there about Preventative Maintenance.

So - back to the question; does a jukebox need Preventative Maintenance?

If so, does anyone have any suggestions - or do people fix on fail?

Thanks.

Colin.

vidjoman · 14th Oct 2022, 5:07 pm

Most manuals I've seen show at least 1 page as a Lubrication chart/drawings. I have found that some original manuals are split into sections - If your manual is a 'reprint' then the printer may often leave out some pages and incorporate some from other parts of manuals.
After this period of time (circa 50 years) so much may/may not have been done to a machine by way of lubrication or just left to work until it fails.
These machines would have been lubricated regularly by the operators/hire companies to ensure they kept on working - a drop of oil saves breakdowns and lost revenue. Most would have been seen every few weeks whilst in commercial use, to change the records, and a brief check would be carried out to ensure continued working.

Basically you need to carefully and sparingly lubricate most parts that move. It should be obvious to anyone with a basic knowledge of engineering. Use a good quality thin oil, NOT WD40, that'll cause many problems.

8th Oct 2022, 5:10 pm	#1
ScottishColin Octode Join Date: May 2012 Location: Perth, Scotland Posts: 1,803	RockOla Maintenance Hi - we have had our Rockola Princess 471 for a few years now; it plays just fine but I suspect it would be a good idea if I gave it a little TLC. The only thing that doesn't work is when I put a 50p in, it's not recognised, but I can cope with that. Can anyone help or point me at a sensible set of maintenance I should be doing just to keep it playing nicely? Thanks. Colin.

8th Oct 2022, 8:21 pm	#2
vidjoman Dekatron Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: East Sussex, UK. Posts: 3,326	Re: RockOla Maintenance Most manufacturers service manuals will give you the details you need. The coin switches may need cleaning or the paddles are bent, you should be able to see them and carefully straighten if bent.

9th Oct 2022, 12:22 pm	#4
ScottishColin Octode Join Date: May 2012 Location: Perth, Scotland Posts: 1,803	Re: RockOla Maintenance It uses the older large 10p coins which work. I'll try a smaller 50p as a test. I didn't word my question properly - apologies. My question is really related to the mechanisms and electronics inside - what oiling/lubrication/cleaning/testing do I need to do? Can anyone point me at the 471 service manual? Thanks. Colin.

9th Oct 2022, 1:57 pm	#5
vidjoman Dekatron Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: East Sussex, UK. Posts: 3,326	Re: RockOla Maintenance Look on eBay for a manual. Sometimes appear used but you may have to buy a new one from a jukebox dealer as they will have originated in the US.

14th Oct 2022, 11:49 am	#6
ScottishColin Octode Join Date: May 2012 Location: Perth, Scotland Posts: 1,803	Re: RockOla Maintenance OK - I've got the service manual as suggested and there's nothing in there about Preventative Maintenance. So - back to the question; does a jukebox need Preventative Maintenance? If so, does anyone have any suggestions - or do people fix on fail? Thanks. Colin.

14th Oct 2022, 5:07 pm	#7
vidjoman Dekatron Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: East Sussex, UK. Posts: 3,326	Re: RockOla Maintenance Most manuals I've seen show at least 1 page as a Lubrication chart/drawings. I have found that some original manuals are split into sections - If your manual is a 'reprint' then the printer may often leave out some pages and incorporate some from other parts of manuals. After this period of time (circa 50 years) so much may/may not have been done to a machine by way of lubrication or just left to work until it fails. These machines would have been lubricated regularly by the operators/hire companies to ensure they kept on working - a drop of oil saves breakdowns and lost revenue. Most would have been seen every few weeks whilst in commercial use, to change the records, and a brief check would be carried out to ensure continued working. Basically you need to carefully and sparingly lubricate most parts that move. It should be obvious to anyone with a basic knowledge of engineering. Use a good quality thin oil, NOT WD40, that'll cause many problems.