JohnMichael
Super Member
I recently upgraded the 14 year old motor in my equally old Planar 2 and I learned some things the instructions will not tell you.
My old table's surface where the motor is to be mounted was rough and porous. The double sided adhesive pad would not stick to the surface. Out of frustration and my thinking that I made my very dependable Rega a non functioning turntable I did some things differently.
I followed the instructions regarding soldering the switch wires to the pcb board before I knew the pad was not going to stick. The instructions also mentioned taping down the subplatter to keep it in place but with the time the table was upside down I decided to loosen the nut holding the bearing well in place. I then lifted the well and subplatter up from the plinth.
Once the old motor is removed I wiped the surface with an alcohol pad to remove any buildup from years of use. Since the pad would not stick to the surface I used a small amount of wood glue on the area for the pad. I let it dry for 24 hours. After 24 hours the surface was now smoother and shiny. I could tell by looking at it the pad would stick this time.
After the glue was dry and I was waiting on replacement pads I had another idea. My older Rega had two screw holes that held the old motor mount and the new motor also had two holes. Since centering the motor required flipping the table right side up to check it's placement I decided to line up the new motor's mounting plate holes with the holes in the plinth and draw an outline of the motor. This will help with the placement of the adhesive pad and when you have the pad in the proper place the motor will be centered. The motor mount is the same shape as the pad.
I wanted to attach the adhesive pad to the plinth first so I removed the paper cover and used the outline to place the pad properly. I could tell it was really going to stick this time. After about 4 hours I put the motor on the pad with the protective paper still over the adhesive. I held the motor in place and flipped it to see that the motor would be centered in the cutout of the plinth. Once I knew the motor would be properly centered if it aligned with the pad I removed the cover and placed the motor so it was aligned with the pad. I found this easier than trying to flip the table back and forth several times. It was also easier than trying to lightly stick the motor, recheck, pull from the pad and try again.
Once the motor is attached then back to the standard instructions. I hope this helps anyone who may try to upgrade an older Rega table. It is well worth the effort and I hope my methods make it easier for others.
My old table's surface where the motor is to be mounted was rough and porous. The double sided adhesive pad would not stick to the surface. Out of frustration and my thinking that I made my very dependable Rega a non functioning turntable I did some things differently.
I followed the instructions regarding soldering the switch wires to the pcb board before I knew the pad was not going to stick. The instructions also mentioned taping down the subplatter to keep it in place but with the time the table was upside down I decided to loosen the nut holding the bearing well in place. I then lifted the well and subplatter up from the plinth.
Once the old motor is removed I wiped the surface with an alcohol pad to remove any buildup from years of use. Since the pad would not stick to the surface I used a small amount of wood glue on the area for the pad. I let it dry for 24 hours. After 24 hours the surface was now smoother and shiny. I could tell by looking at it the pad would stick this time.
After the glue was dry and I was waiting on replacement pads I had another idea. My older Rega had two screw holes that held the old motor mount and the new motor also had two holes. Since centering the motor required flipping the table right side up to check it's placement I decided to line up the new motor's mounting plate holes with the holes in the plinth and draw an outline of the motor. This will help with the placement of the adhesive pad and when you have the pad in the proper place the motor will be centered. The motor mount is the same shape as the pad.
I wanted to attach the adhesive pad to the plinth first so I removed the paper cover and used the outline to place the pad properly. I could tell it was really going to stick this time. After about 4 hours I put the motor on the pad with the protective paper still over the adhesive. I held the motor in place and flipped it to see that the motor would be centered in the cutout of the plinth. Once I knew the motor would be properly centered if it aligned with the pad I removed the cover and placed the motor so it was aligned with the pad. I found this easier than trying to flip the table back and forth several times. It was also easier than trying to lightly stick the motor, recheck, pull from the pad and try again.
Once the motor is attached then back to the standard instructions. I hope this helps anyone who may try to upgrade an older Rega table. It is well worth the effort and I hope my methods make it easier for others.
) route and bought the P2 motor. Still an improvement over the original motor plus thinking about an MH Cruise Control.