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#1
06-20-2012, 07:28 PM
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What can go wrong with the cutting heads used in those old record cutters? I read a post in another VK forum recently in which a member whose family owned a Wilcox-Gay "Recordio" radio/record cutter said the cartridge in the record cutter "burned out", and a replacement could not be found. Was that part something special, even when these units were new in the (I'm guessing) '30s-40s? What if anything can burn out in them that will render the record cutter unusable?
 I'm guessing that cartridge had rather high voltage across it and was reasonably well insulated when it was new, but over time, as the insulation began to wear out and deteriorate, the voltage would arc across the cartridge's connection terminals (or even inside the cartridge itself), damaging the cartridge in an instant. Or did these cartridges just deteriorate on their own over time, to the point where the output of the cartridge, which I am guessing is crystal (not unlike the cheap crystal phonograph cartridges found in kids' phonos of the '50s), just dwindled down to zero or close to it?BTW, I used the turntable and tone arm (the latter containing a cheap crystal pickup) from an old, beat up kids' phono from the 1950s-early sixties in a Part 15 AM radio station I had for a short time in the early 1970s, before I got my ham radio license. I removed the amplifier and connected the cartridge directly to one input of a 4-channel microphone mixer. It worked well as far as being able to drive the transmitter (a 3-tube Lafayette Radio KT195 "wireless broadcaster") well enough to be heard on the pipsqueak output signal, fed to a 10-foot length of wire in my basement. I doubt, however, if I'd have had nearly as good results had I used a turntable with a magnetic or other type of cartridge that ordinarily requires the use of a preamplifier stage ahead of it, to give the next stage enough signal to work with.
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Jeff, WB8NHV Collecting, restoring and enjoying vintage Zenith radios since 2002 Zenith. Gone, but not forgotten. Last edited by Jeffhs; 06-20-2012 at 07:55 PM. 
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#2
06-20-2012, 07:36 PM
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That was probably my post. Dad tried for several years to find a replacement cutting head for his Recordio.
A friend of mine that passed on a few years ago had a really nice record cutting machine, and he had the cutting head rewound twice during the time I knew him. I'd like to aquire a Recordio today, now that I could easily work on it.
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#3
06-20-2012, 11:05 PM
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I think you just answered one of my questions: what may have burned out in the record cutter head on your dad's Recordio. It must have been a coil, if his was anything like your friend's record cutter. I guess those coils had a habit of burning out, depending on how much the record cutter was used. The one in your dad's Recordio, as I mentioned, must have been a very special type of part if he searched for several years (with no luck) to find a replacement. Strange. I thought those cutting heads were pretty much all alike, with one universal part fitting just about any type of record cutter available at the time. Keep your eyes open on eBay and CL if you are looking for another Recordio. I'm sure they turn up on either site now and then.
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Jeff, WB8NHV Collecting, restoring and enjoying vintage Zenith radios since 2002 Zenith. Gone, but not forgotten.
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#4
11-14-2012, 09:36 AM
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The other common style would be a magnetic cutter head. It works just the same, and unless the coil is open should be a candidate to repair. Both types would have rubber suspension parts that would be deteriorated and hardened and would need to be replaced. The armature that holds the cutter needle would be cradled in a rubber sleeve of some sort. Most of these cutters designed for consumer recorders were designed to be driven by relatively low-power amplifiers, in general the same amplifier that provides the play-back audio. Replacement cutter heads were still offered in Allied and Lafayette catalogs as late as 1965, but these may have been remaining stock.
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#7
06-26-2012, 05:21 PM
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#8
06-27-2012, 01:47 PM
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Dave
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Relax and  Fisher, Grundig, Motorola & Magnavox Consoles | Dahlquist DQ-30 | DCM TimeWindow 3 | PSB Stratus Gold i | RtR II-F | Klipsch KG-4 | KLH 6 & System 20 | Nakamichi PA-7 | B&K Monoblocks | Outlaw Audio 950 | Carver MXR-130 | Pioneer SX-1250 | Sansui 9090DB
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#9
06-28-2012, 01:03 AM
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Can we see a pic of the whole thing?? I love console Hi-Fi. I have a '62 Motorola 3 channel and LOVE it
 http://videokarma.org/showthread.php?t=169924
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My TV page and YouTube channel Kyocera R-661, Yamaha RX-V2200 National Panasonic SA-5800 Sansui 1000a, 1000, SAX-200, 5050, 9090DB, 881, SR-636, SC-3000, AT-20 Pioneer SX-939, ER-420, SM-B201 Motorola SK77W-2Z tube console McIntosh MC2205, C26 
Last edited by zenithfan1; 06-28-2012 at 01:09 AM.
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#10
06-28-2012, 11:43 AM
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Dave
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Relax and Fisher, Grundig, Motorola & Magnavox Consoles | Dahlquist DQ-30 | DCM TimeWindow 3 | PSB Stratus Gold i | RtR II-F | Klipsch KG-4 | KLH 6 & System 20 | Nakamichi PA-7 | B&K Monoblocks | Outlaw Audio 950 | Carver MXR-130 | Pioneer SX-1250 | Sansui 9090DB
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#11
06-28-2012, 01:06 PM
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Edit: Just caught the link to your model: Different Cabinet , but same massive 3 ch PP 6V6 chassis and multiple speaker complement ! Last edited by NewVista; 06-28-2012 at 01:38 PM.
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#15
07-04-2012, 12:55 AM
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These are all fine looking models. One day, I'll get together some pictures of mine.
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http://www.youtube.com/user/radiotvphononut
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