MICRO SEIKI AIR PUMP REPAIR
I have an RX-1500, but this information is applicable to any Micro Seiki air pump for any model. First a discussion on how the various turntables that originally came with an air pump work.
Some models have an air bearing that when properly pressurized enables to turntable to turn freely. Without an air pump the turntable will not turn freely. I’ll call the pumps that are needed for these table “blow” pumps.
Some models are designed for an air pump to suck the record down firmly onto the turntable. I’ll call the air pumps for these models “suck” pumps.
Some turntables need only the “blow” and others only the “suck” however many models are designed to use a pump that both blows and sucks. In my case the turntable was obtained used and came with a pump that both “blew and sucked”, even though it had no air bearing and thus didn’t need a blow function. Like almost all old pumps mine didn’t work.
I took apart the box and found inside a pump hooked to crumbling and cracking “aquarium” tubing. It was impossible to tell from what was inside the unit how the tubing had been originally been hooked up. I had to “figure it out”. Not all that hard. There was tubes that had been labeled “A” ”B” “C” and the owner’s manual (downloaded online” showed where those tube were supposed to hook up. There being only one fitting on my turntable that was obviously for the tube that sucks my job was simple. On the other hand, the tubes from the “suck” end of my pump (the pump that is inside the box that houses the pump) runs to the motor as does the tube from the “blow” end of my pump. Tubing runs from the motor to the turntable, and it was easy to determine which tube sucked and needed to be hooked to my turntable and which tube blew and had no place to attach it to my turntable.
What about the jars? They acted as a “manifold” doing the job of evening out the pressure from the pump. Inside the pump unit is a “bellow” which is squeezed by two arms when the actuating electromagnet is energized. As the arms move together they squeeze the bellows and disconnect the electricity to the electromagnet which allows the arms to open and thus open the bellows to take in new air. The air sucked into the bellows, as well as the air forced out, “pluses”. To get a more even air flow a some bottles or jars are used between the bellows and the tubing that runs out of the box that houses the air pump to increase the volume and soften the pulses.
That fixed my unit for about five years until the pump failed completely. It got weaker and weaker then stopped working.
If all you need is the blow function to pressurize your bearing on the turntable any aquarium pump will work. It doesn’t take much pressure to pressurize the bearing.
What about noise? Look at the original pump housing. It’s full of sound dampening material. Shove an aquarium pump in there and make sure it has a way to take in air. Or put the aquarium pump in a shoe box full of cotton if you don’t care about keeping things looking original. Just make sure the pump has access to air for the air intake and run ordinary aquarium tubing to the bottles or jars and from the jars to your turntable.
Let’s assume you have a turntable that only needs suction. An aquarium pump won’t suck. It blows and the air intake is usually a grate or possibly a cloth filter covered grill. If all you need is the blow function to pressurize your bearing on the turntable any aquarium pump will work. It doesn’t take much pressure to pressurize the bearing.
Visualize putting the aquarium pump in a ball jar or mayonnaise jar. Drill a hole in the lid of the jar for the power cord. OH, takes a big hole, doesn’t it? Cut the plug off and run the wire through the hole, then put on a new plug. I think they cost $1 or $2 at the hardware store or electrical supply. Or, you could just bare the wires, twist them together and put on wire nuts.
Calk around the wire where it comes out of the jar. Now if you plug in the pump it will suck and blow in the jar, creating air circulation in the jar and nothing else. Drill another hole in the lid of the jar and run aquarium tubing in through the hole and connect it to the aquarium pump where air blows out of the pump. Hook the other end to your other jars in the box that housed your original pump, then run aquarium tubing to your motor or turntable. DON”T PLUG THE PUMP IN! It has no way to take in air!!! It will burn up.
Now for the solution for sucking. Drill another hole in the lid of the jar that holds the aquarium pump. Insert some aquarium tubing and caulk around it. Now the aquarium pump can take in air through that last piece of aquarium tubing. Run that tubing to your turntable or to the other jars in the unit or to you motor, however the tubes were hooked up originally. You have a jar that both blows and sucks. Encase it for sound using the original box or a shoe box full of cotton or whatever you like. Make sure there are no kinks in your aquarium tubing. This worked for me…then things got better.
I found a pump in Russia that looked like my original pump but was in the wrong housing so it blew only. I disassembled both pumps, moved parts from the blow only pump to my original pump housing and ended up with a blow and suck pump just like I had originally. It’s all back in the original box that houses the pump and jars and the tubing in all like original.
Ken Guared, FL USA
.
I have an RX-1500, but this information is applicable to any Micro Seiki air pump for any model. First a discussion on how the various turntables that originally came with an air pump work.
Some models have an air bearing that when properly pressurized enables to turntable to turn freely. Without an air pump the turntable will not turn freely. I’ll call the pumps that are needed for these table “blow” pumps.
Some models are designed for an air pump to suck the record down firmly onto the turntable. I’ll call the air pumps for these models “suck” pumps.
Some turntables need only the “blow” and others only the “suck” however many models are designed to use a pump that both blows and sucks. In my case the turntable was obtained used and came with a pump that both “blew and sucked”, even though it had no air bearing and thus didn’t need a blow function. Like almost all old pumps mine didn’t work.
I took apart the box and found inside a pump hooked to crumbling and cracking “aquarium” tubing. It was impossible to tell from what was inside the unit how the tubing had been originally been hooked up. I had to “figure it out”. Not all that hard. There was tubes that had been labeled “A” ”B” “C” and the owner’s manual (downloaded online” showed where those tube were supposed to hook up. There being only one fitting on my turntable that was obviously for the tube that sucks my job was simple. On the other hand, the tubes from the “suck” end of my pump (the pump that is inside the box that houses the pump) runs to the motor as does the tube from the “blow” end of my pump. Tubing runs from the motor to the turntable, and it was easy to determine which tube sucked and needed to be hooked to my turntable and which tube blew and had no place to attach it to my turntable.
What about the jars? They acted as a “manifold” doing the job of evening out the pressure from the pump. Inside the pump unit is a “bellow” which is squeezed by two arms when the actuating electromagnet is energized. As the arms move together they squeeze the bellows and disconnect the electricity to the electromagnet which allows the arms to open and thus open the bellows to take in new air. The air sucked into the bellows, as well as the air forced out, “pluses”. To get a more even air flow a some bottles or jars are used between the bellows and the tubing that runs out of the box that houses the air pump to increase the volume and soften the pulses.
That fixed my unit for about five years until the pump failed completely. It got weaker and weaker then stopped working.
If all you need is the blow function to pressurize your bearing on the turntable any aquarium pump will work. It doesn’t take much pressure to pressurize the bearing.
What about noise? Look at the original pump housing. It’s full of sound dampening material. Shove an aquarium pump in there and make sure it has a way to take in air. Or put the aquarium pump in a shoe box full of cotton if you don’t care about keeping things looking original. Just make sure the pump has access to air for the air intake and run ordinary aquarium tubing to the bottles or jars and from the jars to your turntable.
Let’s assume you have a turntable that only needs suction. An aquarium pump won’t suck. It blows and the air intake is usually a grate or possibly a cloth filter covered grill. If all you need is the blow function to pressurize your bearing on the turntable any aquarium pump will work. It doesn’t take much pressure to pressurize the bearing.
Visualize putting the aquarium pump in a ball jar or mayonnaise jar. Drill a hole in the lid of the jar for the power cord. OH, takes a big hole, doesn’t it? Cut the plug off and run the wire through the hole, then put on a new plug. I think they cost $1 or $2 at the hardware store or electrical supply. Or, you could just bare the wires, twist them together and put on wire nuts.
Calk around the wire where it comes out of the jar. Now if you plug in the pump it will suck and blow in the jar, creating air circulation in the jar and nothing else. Drill another hole in the lid of the jar and run aquarium tubing in through the hole and connect it to the aquarium pump where air blows out of the pump. Hook the other end to your other jars in the box that housed your original pump, then run aquarium tubing to your motor or turntable. DON”T PLUG THE PUMP IN! It has no way to take in air!!! It will burn up.
Now for the solution for sucking. Drill another hole in the lid of the jar that holds the aquarium pump. Insert some aquarium tubing and caulk around it. Now the aquarium pump can take in air through that last piece of aquarium tubing. Run that tubing to your turntable or to the other jars in the unit or to you motor, however the tubes were hooked up originally. You have a jar that both blows and sucks. Encase it for sound using the original box or a shoe box full of cotton or whatever you like. Make sure there are no kinks in your aquarium tubing. This worked for me…then things got better.
I found a pump in Russia that looked like my original pump but was in the wrong housing so it blew only. I disassembled both pumps, moved parts from the blow only pump to my original pump housing and ended up with a blow and suck pump just like I had originally. It’s all back in the original box that houses the pump and jars and the tubing in all like original.
Ken Guared, FL USA
.