"Automatic" Technics SL-Q303 TT

[TheFrenchBob]

Hey there guys, I wasn't very present on the forum these days due to family problems *sigh*, I'll skip that, sorry for it btw.
I just recieved(yesterday) a turntable ! Yay ! It is, you guessed it, a Technics SL-Q303. It worked perfectly until today, when I came back home from school : I put a Deep Purple LP and press the "Start/Stop" button that is supposed to place the arm over the record surface and lever it down and also make the platter spin, but no reaction.. well, I tried another time later in the evening and still nothing.
What would be your conclusion ? Bad soldering ?

Peace, Bob.

 

[Fritz411]

First thing I would look at is the "record size sensor" on the platter.

 

[TheFrenchBob]

Hi. The sensor is alright, i tested it yesterday with regular 45s and maxi 45s, it works. I mean, the tonearm doesn't even move, I will check if the connections of the button are alright.

Peace, Bob.

 

[revox-b77]

So if you cue it manually will it play?

 

[TheFrenchBob]

Yes it does, the arm comes back at the end.

 

[revox-b77]

Sounds like cleaning the start button contacts may be in order.

 

[TheFrenchBob]

Alright, here's my conclusion : I checked precisely the sensor and it does not causes my issue : I checked for the repeat function with regular 45RPM and maxi 45RPM and it comes back to the right place everytime. I downloaded the service manual at vinylengine and i localized the area :
It corresponds to this schematic : and the "6" you see on the right part of this last pic is connected right to the "3" on the left part.
All this means I gotta open the TT and clean the contacts on the button and/or solder back some wires.

Peace, Bob.

 

[TheFrenchBob]

Aaaaaalright, the problem is solved. BUT it wasn't coming from the circuit (that was totally unexpected lol) but from the tonearm advancing mechanism, the last advancing sequence wasn't complete or something like that, so I and my dad opened the TT, cleaned it all, tried to see why the circuit was messing up (we knew after that it was alright) and it is in re-mounting it that we saw that issue, we put it back to its start position and now it's fully working !
Thanks to you guys who tried to help me, you didn't really solve my problem but I learned things with you

Peace, Bob.

 

[revox-b77]

Glad to hear it is working again.