Need Help with a Philips 212 - Stuck on 45 rpm

redpackman

Active Member
I've got a Philips GA-212. My problem basically is that it only plays (judging by the strobe on the platter when looking at it with my fluorescent light) at 45 rpm. I can follow the service manual (which I have thanks to VinylEngine) and set the 33 and 45 controls to center and then adjust R471 to get the 45 rpm right on. But the 33 start button does start the turntable but it goes to 45 rpm and adjusting R449 or the 33 rpm trim does nothing. A couple of times when I first had it, it would play at 33 rpm AND the green light under the 33 would light. Now it plays at 45 rpm and the light stays dark though I know it's still good. The light for the stop button and 33 button both are good, but only the stop light works. There is no light in the 45 rpm socket.

I've adjusted R472 so that the voltage to the circuit board is -9v.

In short all three 33, 45 and stop buttons "work" in that they cause the TT to start turning or stop as directed, but the 33 rpm button starts it and it goes only to 45 rpm. I DO also know too that you have to press the "stop" button between selecting either 33 or 45.

Another question but unrelated to the above. The manual says that with the TT in the "stop" position and "on" one should get .75 volts "across" R404. Is R404 the light sensing cell? Secondly where does one take that reading? AT the end points of the two gray wires that emanate from the light sensing cell where they attach to the circuit board?
 
Which lamps are you using. If you use the wrong type, the circuits don't work right. The speed lamps should be 6 (or 6.3) volts at 50 mA. I think 47 type fits, but won't work. Also, check for loosed connections to the touch switches.
Lastly - did you clean the touch switches and are they completely dried out. When you use Windex, it takes about half a day to dry out and work normally. Other cleaners take even longer. The best work around, is to get some tissue on the end of a toothpick, and carefully clean the "trough" between the two conductors. This is off the cuff - need to look at manual for other questions. Good luck.
 
Success! Here's what I found out: I had one 6v .05A bulb in the 33 rpm socket that still had continuity. I had no bulb in the 45 rpm socket. When I had that arrangement everything ran at 45 rpm no matter what and the 33 rpm light wouldn't work at all.

Then I took the 33 rpm light out and the turntable would run at 33 and 45 rpm just fine. I tuned them up for right speed and sent for some new, proper voltage bulbs from Holland [ https://www.jukebox-revival.eu/staging/ ]. That was the only place that had even close to the right bulbs for a reasonable price (including the shipping to the USA). I waited around 11 days and the bulbs arrived. I put all new, proper voltage bulbs in the 33, 45 and "Stop" sockets. Now EVERYTHING works perfectly.

Do not let anyone tell you that the bulb voltages or their presence make no difference in the proper operation of this turntable. Their presence may make no sense to you or to me, but at least for this Phillips 212, they were essential!

They need to be present and they need to be the right voltages. Admittedly my machine, at least, would run proper speed at 33 and 45 if no bulb were in EITHER socket (with a bulb in one socket and none in the other all I got was 45 rpm) but I didn't want to settle for that.

The two speed sockets (33 and 45) need 6 v .05A (50 mA). The STOP socket and end of record sensor lamp need to be 6 v .1A (100mA).
 
Do not let anyone tell you that the bulb voltages or their presence make no difference in the proper operation of this turntable. Their presence may make no sense to you or to me, but at least for this Phillips 212, they were essential!
FWIW Phillips used transistor flip flop circuits to control the logic. They incorporate the bulbs as the load for the flip flops, and they don't work right if the bulbs are incorrect or open or missing. However, with the right resistance, you could put in LEDs....
 
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