ELAC Miracord TT -share all about 'em

This was a surprisingly easy fix. Magic eraser lightly held to the Idler wheel and spun it a few times, then used it to clean the inside of the platter. Drop of Belt dressing to the wheel ( Naptha ) and all auto functions are working like they should. Now i can focus on how to properly hand clean some old vinyl. Thanks again!
 
A thing of beauty. Just don't stack too many, as you may find the cart. dragging on the last record. I have an adjustable sled on the 770h that prevents that. Next up for refurbished is my 10h, can't wait to get into that one! :music:
 
This was a surprisingly easy fix. Magic eraser lightly held to the Idler wheel and spun it a few times, then used it to clean the inside of the platter. Drop of Belt dressing to the wheel ( Naptha ) and all auto functions are working like they should. Now i can focus on how to properly hand clean some old vinyl. Thanks again!
Auto functions arn't the issue with my LAB 60. They work fine. I just can't get the idler low enough to get correct speed. I even took the motor apart to see if I could adjust the shaft. No dice.
 
gary7, can you shim the motor down so as to have the idler run on a smaller diameter of the shaft? it almost sounds like you may have a 50hz model tt running on 60hz, which naturally would be a bit fast. just grasping at straws here.
Auto functions arn't the issue with my LAB 60. They work fine. I just can't get the idler low enough to get correct speed. I even took the motor apart to see if I could adjust the shaft. No dice.
 
+1 on Catmanboo's theory. Maybe there is some info on the part somewhere. Sizing info that could be measured maybe?
 
Still the prettiest cab Elac ever made (mahogany or rosewood, can't tell).
 

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gary7, can you shim the motor down so as to have the idler run on a smaller diameter of the shaft? it almost sounds like you may have a 50hz model tt running on 60hz, which naturally would be a bit fast. just grasping at straws here.
The table is running slow. I can see the idler move up as I turn pitch control right to - (to smaller pulley diameter ) and down as I turn left to +. But I run out of adjustment before it reaches correct speed. I am fairly sure it is a 60Hz motor as the is listed on 110v-60 Hz on rear of the plinth.
 
I just received a beautiful 50H which looks like it hasn't been broken in yet (luckily survived being shipped around the world with the platter installed) and it's been exhibiting a haunted tonearm syndrome: after the needle drops, it tends to immediately lift again, go back to the tonearm rest and back to the platter, drop and lift again, and repeat this process ad infinitum.

It seems to me it's due to binding of the Startbuegel 142 (bracket that moves when pushing the buttons) and Starthebel 152, and it improved somewhat after oiling the bracket's hinges but continued to be very fickly.

I can now get it to operate normally almost every time by letting the pushbuttons snap back after pressing them to start the table, but it seems i'm missing something? Nothing else seems to be getting in the way of 142/152 returning to the resting position. I guess the return spring could be tired, but if that's the culprit i'd have expected the issue to come up more often.
 
I just received a beautiful 50H which looks like it hasn't been broken in yet (luckily survived being shipped around the world with the platter installed) and it's been exhibiting a haunted tonearm syndrome: after the needle drops, it tends to immediately lift again, go back to the tonearm rest and back to the platter, drop and lift again, and repeat this process ad infinitum.

It seems to me it's due to binding of the Startbuegel 142 (bracket that moves when pushing the buttons) and Starthebel 152, and it improved somewhat after oiling the bracket's hinges but continued to be very fickly.

I can now get it to operate normally almost every time by letting the pushbuttons snap back after pressing them to start the table, but it seems i'm missing something? Nothing else seems to be getting in the way of 142/152 returning to the resting position. I guess the return spring could be tired, but if that's the culprit i'd have expected the issue to come up more often.

It's a shot in the dark, but I wonder while shipped with the platter on it rotated a ton of times? Rotate the platter by hand until it cycles internally (might hear it click thru), then try the auto function. Not sure if Elac's work this way, but this worked on another auto TT I had.
 
It's a shot in the dark, but I wonder while shipped with the platter on it rotated a ton of times? Rotate the platter by hand until it cycles internally (might hear it click thru), then try the auto function. Not sure if Elac's work this way, but this worked on another auto TT I had.

Thanks, but i did cycle it through manually a few times already and the platter couldn't have moved much the way it was packed. With the platter off, i can see that the start lever (152) tends to stick, with the end pin, which 'peeks' up through a slit in which it moves back and forth, failing to return towards the spindle when the buttons are released. Unless i let go quickly enough to let the button snap back, and then it works ok 95% of the time. Maybe it does need an extra break-in period after decades of sitting idle :)
 
These old automatics need to have the grease and lube totally removed and replaced throughout the mechanism. I had a Miracord 46 that had the grease turn into an old bubble gum consistency. That is the first thing I would look into. Renewing the lube will often resolve such issues. There are service manuals available at the vinyl engine site and it is free to sign up and download.
 
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Sounds to me like the trip pawl is constantly engaged and not properly springing back to it's home position. I'd disassemble it, clean it, and maybe lube it. I'm pretty sure there was no lube on my 40A trip pawl.
 
My 10H developed an issue. When the start button is depressed, the arm is not lifting up high enough to clear the arm rest, and it sets the arm back down. Anyone experienced this and not the cause/s and fix/es? How does one adjust the lift up?
 
Just an observation, and not much help- that sounds like what happens when I accidentally leave the tonearm locked on the armrest. My 50H and 760 are designed to turn off if I try to start them with the tonearm locked down. If the 10H has the same mechanism it sounds like something is keeping the tonearm from raising (maybe it's catching on something) and that's what is activating the stop procedure.

Like I said, not much help...….
 
We sold both Miracord and Dual for close to 30 years. We had two techs that worked on TT;s exclusively and they both said Miracords were easier to service and worked for longer periods of time with out issues. The Duals may have had a touch lower rumble and wow and Flutter specs and better performance. But the Miracords just didn't have as many service issues. We sold Miracords 2 to 1 over Duals and yet there were easily twice as many duals in the shop. We could go months with out seeing a Miracord in the shop, while duals were always there. Parts delivery were slower with Dual it seemed, also. Both had issues with their automatic center spindles. But the Miracord spindle seemed to allow a recordd to float down to the platter where the Dual table experience seemed strained and uncomfortable. I never used the auto spindle with my Miracord. The Aluminum foil under the TD 125 was there to reduce the hum from the Ortofon MC cartridge. .Long ago copy.jpg
 
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Picked up this free Miracord 620U yesterday. I like the look - slightly more elegant than a Dual.
She keeps good speed (33.41, 0.2% W&F), but makes a gawdawful LOWD buzz (both channels). Headshell sled on or off, cartridge jimmied and shimmied on (didn't have time or the right leads to solder onto the sled carriage), the same buzzing. I tried adding a ground wire to the chassis, but this didn't help.
I've never done a tonearm rewiring - this may be my time to learn.
Also, the motor seems to get hot when just sitting there plugged in. Normal?
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Picked up this free Miracord 620U yesterday. I like the look - slightly more elegant than a Dual.
She keeps good speed (33.41, 0.2% W&F), but makes a gawdawful LOWD buzz (both channels). Headshell sled on or off, cartridge jimmied and shimmied on (didn't have time or the right leads to solder onto the sled carriage), the same buzzing. I tried adding a ground wire to the chassis, but this didn't help.
I've never done a tonearm rewiring - this may be my time to learn.
Also, the motor seems to get hot when just sitting there plugged in. Normal?
View attachment 1404741 View attachment 1404744 View attachment 1404745 View attachment 1404746

Don't rewire the arm just yet. What do the RCAs look like? My 40A hummed like crazy when I got it too. Turns out that the table is grounded through the left RCA and the jacks were all black with tarnish. I ended up cutting the RCAs off the wires and soldering on some new jacks to the existing wires. Problem solved.
 
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