Sony PS LX3 Powers up but won't spin

[Kevinyomofo]

My friend found this turntable at the dump and it is in near mint condition, it looks beautiful! Had a Grado GF 1 cartridge on it which I am guessing is a pretty nice one, but no needle on the stylus. I am not about to put any money into this thing since most reviews indicate that this TT nothing special, but I would love to try to get it up and running if it is a fairly simple/ doable fix.

What it does: The turntable will power on and stay on, but when I hit the start button it will spin for about three-four seconds and the stop spinning. I put another cartridge to make sure there is sound and there is. It just seems that it is the motor that doesn't want to work for too long. Is this maybe something that a little oil or deoxit could fix or should I just throw this thing out?

Here are a few pics (with that awesome iphone camera resolution) if that is any help. Any suggestions are much appreciated!

 

[hakaplan]

Did you try it with a record on it? If I'm not mistaken, that light at the left rear is an optical detection mechanism that senses record size or presence. If no record is present, it will shut off.

 

[Kevinyomofo]

Did you try it with a record on it? If I'm not mistaken, that light at the left rear is an optical detection mechanism that senses record size or presence. If no record is present, it will shut off.

I did try that. Unfortunately same problem. Oh well, I am thinking that this thing may have been better off staying at the dump!

 

[jimbofish]

It may still be the reason... check here for another step.

http://www.vinylengine.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=36753

Does it work ok if you cue the arm manually?

 

[Mawerick]

I have that same turntable. You can't cue the tonearm manually... or actually you can, but the table won't start. I think the problem lies with the optic sensors under the platter. Check their connections first.

This table works well with high compliance cartridges and sounds pretty good, I wouldn't throw it away without tinkering with it first.

 

[jimbofish]

Does the 'lock' light come on when it starts? If not that may be why it shuts down.

IIRC there is a magnetic strip under the rim of the platter that is sensed by a pickup head on the chassis. The strip may be dirty/damaged or the head dirty/mis-aligned/disconnected.

 

[Kevinyomofo]

Interesting, may be those sensors underneath. The "locked" light does come on but then shuts off and turntable stops spinning. Excuse my ignorance, but where could these optic sensors be found? I honestly would not know what to look for at all.

 

[Mawerick]

You have to remove the platter first. Take the mat off and then just lift the platter off. You may need to tap gently on the spindle, but the platter should come off fairly easily. The sensors are easy to spot once you get the platter off, they're located on the left side, arranged between the light and the spindle.

 

[Kevinyomofo]

Well, all the connections seems to be in place, including those for the sensor below the platter, but it is still doing the same thing. I guess it was just not meant to be. Oh well, thank you all kindly for your suggestions. Always much appreciated!

 

[Mawerick]

Here's one final suggestion:

Try and short those two circled dots on both sensors. I just tested this on my deck, and when I shorted the sensor closest to spindle (the one sensing 7" records), the turntable thought there was a 7" record there and started normally. Try first shorting the same sensor, in case it's the faulty one. If that doesn't help, short the other one as well. This causes the table to think there's always a record on + it'll always default to 12" (if you short both sensors) so you have to move the tonearm manually when playing 7", but it should at least work.

edit: Just realised that you actually have a wrong mat on the table. The correct one should have six holes in it, arranged a bit like the star on Mercedes logo. They allow the light to shine thru to the sensors and a record naturally blocks it. Anyway, try the shorting and see what happens.

edit2: whatever you do, don't throw away that headshell! See here -> http://www.turntableneedles.com/Sony-SH-151-Headshell-Sony-Part-X-4874-226-01_p_1855.html

Oh and about the sound of the thing... listen to this: Dire Straits - Money For Nothing

 

[Kevinyomofo]

Wow, Mawerick, you are the man! She spins!!!!!!! The platter seems to be slightly scraping on something, but it is hard to tell what. It is unnoticeable when music is playing so I think I can live with that considering this is TT #4. That headshell seems to be worth something, huh. Am I correct in assuming that the headshells for the skinnier tone arms are a lot harder to come by? Also, would it be worth it to by a replacement stylus for the cartridge that came with it? I have heard excellent things about those Grados, but I don't know if it would be worth 80 some dollars considering my feeble income. Although maybe that is a sacrifice that should be made in the endless pursuit of great sound!

I cannot stress enough how wonderful and helpful the members of this forum have been in helping a newcomer out. What a delightful experience this has been so far.

AK is the sh*t!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mawerick]

That headshell seems to be worth something, huh. Am I correct in assuming that the headshells for the skinnier tone arms are a lot harder to come by?

Yup, it's not a standard headshell. Sony designed their own connections when they produced this ULM tonearm. It's very light, very very close to SME III arms, but a LOT cheaper. If I put my tonearm to float, it'll basically move if I stare at it for a moment. High compliance cartridges work well with this arm, I've got a Shure V15 III on mine.

Glad you got her back on track

 

[Jimtino]

Hello, I just dug my PS LX3 out of its dusty box this morning. To my extreme delight and surprise, it easily played an old Cars album. Since then it has been behaving as described in this post. I press the start stop button, the servo lock light comes on briefly then goes out and the table stops. I don't think it's the sensors. Could it be the magnetic pick up at the front edge under the platter? any ideas on how to troubleshoot this thing? My 14 year old has actually expressed an interest in seeing the thing work.

thanks in advance for any help or suggestions.

 

[Tucker99]

Reviving an old thread because I offered to help troubleshoot the same TT with the same problem.

I can see that the lamp for the sensors is out and it tests zero resistance.

Before I begin 'shorting' the two pair of sensors as indicated in the photos above can anyone who has more electronic knowledge than I tell me if that will help or if I need a more complex solution to bypass those controls? the owner will be perfectly happy if the TT only works on 12" LPs and not 7" 45rpm

I guess that other question(s) are 'can that lamp or lampboard be purchased and if so where?' or is that a generic bulb that would work?

Thanks for any guidance.

 

[Tucker99]

Anyone know the answers...or any ideas??

 

[Blind Tiger]

Anyone know the answers...or any ideas??

I picked one up recently that exhibited this same behavior. After checking system components for functionality and tinkering with the TT a bit, looks like the auto cycle was out of sync. Manually moving the tonearm through the full arc of a play cycle and back to the tonearm rest, then pressing start has corrected the cycle, and it is working correctly so far with 12" records. I've not tested 7" yet, but may forgoe that functional aspect since the TT mat is torn in a couple places, so I'll likely replace it with a woolen one that I have on hand.

 

[Blind Tiger]

I picked one up recently that exhibited this same behavior. After checking system components for functionality and tinkering with the TT a bit, looks like the auto cycle was out of sync. Manually moving the tonearm through the full arc of a play cycle and back to the tonearm rest, then pressing start has corrected the cycle, and it is working correctly so far with 12" records. I've not tested 7" yet, but may forgoe that functional aspect since the TT mat is torn in a couple places, so I'll likely replace it with a woolen one that I have on hand.

Continuing to tinker with the quirky behavior of this TT, I believe I've determined how it's meant to be used. The sensors must first pickup light from the LED post, and for this to be successful at every play attempt, the platter must be turned so that the cutouts in the mat align with the LED post. Then place or flip your record, and the auto cycle should work!