63 Motorola 3-channel console stereo
 

This has 11 speakers total - 5 per channel, and that 15" woofer in the middle. It uses a separate set of push-pull 6V6s for each of the 3 channels. Like that 61 Zenith I picked up over the summer, it also has a built in reverb amp. Other neat features are stereo FM and a tuning eye tube.

The tuner and the amp work, although I'll probably recap them anyway. The phonograph doesn't.

Looks impressive! What changer is in it?

It's the more Deluxe changer made by VM for Motorola. :thmbsp:

The changer should be easy to repair as well. Parts can be obtained from: http://thevoiceofmusic.com/

I had an earlier version of this stereo and the sound was awesome. Nice find!

I love that changer. Here it is on another portable system. Nice price .... not :(
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1960s-Motoro...wAAOSwa-dWs8T2

I have a 1962 Vintage 3-channel suitcase record player from Motorola and it has 8 tubes in it, a push-pull center channel and a single-ended remote stereo channels it has 6 6BM8 tubes, 1 12AX7 tube and 1 6CA4 Rectifier tube and it has a fuse built into the power supply as well, and I didn't have to do any work to the unit when I got it, it worked as found and that's because all of the coupling capacitors in it were of the mylar variety from the factory, and the power supply filter capacitor can is original as well and still runs cool and hum free. Its probably the best sounding record player I've ever owned.

There isn't too many of those around because they were rather pricey.
Some buyers realized, you get what you pay for.
They really were outstanding! :thmbsp:

I think I had the opportunity to get one off the curb when I was ~6-8 years old. Spotted it when my folks were driving Grandma to the airport.....I got a chance to look, but no room in the car, it rained after that, and the folks would not let me get it claiming the rain must have ruined it...I was not happy.

Anybody here know how this stereo uses the 6 6BM8 tubes. Seems like only 4 would be needed to function as described. :scratch2:

jr

PPP center? Parallel sing ended sides?

I'm working on the changer. Something isn't right. Whenever I put it back together, it either tries to reject continually, or just gets stuck.

Adam, That looks like an SK77, probably the most desirable model of 1963. I have two of this era, one has 11 speakers and a 15" woof like yours and the other has 5 with a 12"woof. Both have three sets of 6V6 PP and are waiting to be recapped.

My experiences with V-M changers is in a thread here. http://www.videokarma.org/showthread.php?t=264983

In the last year, Ive worked on 16+ record changers, half those were the V-M changers installed 1960s Zenith, Motorola and Philco consoles. There were slight differences but all had similar issues and it took testing-tweaking, repeated disassembly and lube, etc.

I found that once I loosened, cleaned-lubed and then repeatedly operated every part no matter how clueless I was to its function ; motor, pulley, linkage, motor mounts, sliding bar, trip slider, spindle actuator and tone arm adjustments, they were reliable automatic changers once again and worked as designed. If I skipped any step, I always had to go back and do it.:sigh:

Rejecting continually is a symptom of the record stack arm not conveying the fact a record has dropped.

Stalling during change cycle can be motor bearings not being fully clean and re-lubed (easy-cheap to fix), motor shaft misalignment engaging pulley due to 3 collapsed rubber motor mounts (just needs cheap parts) or a dry-hardened rubber idler pully (more expensive part needs rebuilt).

I repaired 2 record changers last year, just by taking them apart cleaning and lubricating them, and putting them back together. The belt drive unit in my 61 Zenith (which I took apart completely) and the V-M changer in my 66 Zenith (which I took apart only partially). In neither case did I completely understand how it all worked, but the 61 Zenith now works exactly as it should, and the 66 V-M still has some issues when I use it as a changer, but works fine manually.

I did the same to this unit, which was initially just frozen stuck. I partially disassembled it, cleaned, lubed it, and put it back together - but it just keeps rejecting or gets stuck now, mostly gets stuck. I can tell for certain that the rubber idler wheel is dried out and slipping. But I think there is something else wrong with it too.