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Luxman Suckface, what was Luxman thinking?

Well the receiver is up and running. Seems an o-ring is too thick to replace the belt for the servo face so I'll order the belt eventually. I have the face pulled back and dialed in the offset and idle. There was no need to adjust the offset but the idle was close to 1-2mV and spec is 14±5 which it is now.

I also adjusted the fluorescent power indicator. The amp did not have equal gain with 28V on one channel and 26.5V on the other with a split 1kHz signal going into AUX. Seems the balance is off a bit or the output level is not quite what is reported.

This is a fairly limited flexibility-wise receiver. I have it warming up on a pair of Magneplanar MG-IIIa speakers and it handles them just fine to the power limit. Sounds good, too.

I understand the issues with the wobbly controls. There are plastic shafts to the pots a few inches behind the faceplate and that contributes to the flimsy feeling.

The remote is odd, too. A nice rectangular unit with nothing in the way of ergonomic shaping. There is no movement of the volume control or an indicator on the receiver of the muting being on or off. The receiver does have an on-off switch for the remote and the volume set on the receiver is the volume that the remote has to work with as it adjust up and down. Early wireless I guess.

A couple issues with this unit are the broken Speaker A switch which will not stay in and the lamp that illuminates the buttons from below is out. Any hints for these repairs, switch or lamp* to use would be greatly appreciated.

*Found the lamp on the schematic and it is 12V probably the same as many Luxman units used. I should have one of these.
 
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Correct, the original belt for that mechanism is quite thin and it's also square. I went slightly thicker than the original, worked fine with a good motor but the weak one just couldn't pull it, and eventually went up in smoke. Pretty sure it was carboned up to hell and gone inside, was pulling the drive voltage down materially before it gave up.

John
 
John, do you have the microswitch that controls the motor
?? Mine is missing the 1/2 round copper strap that directs the common contact to the "close" contact that it is moving away from. I am trying to fab a new 1/2 round piece but I don't think the broken plastic cam follower is going to stay.
 

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While this series of Luxman kept the sound quality of Luxman, they didn't age well. Especially the suckface and the switch gear and other cosmetics. Those features were of their era when cute gadgets were needed to attract customers.
 
laatsch55 said:
John, do you have the microswitch that controls the motor
?? Mine is missing the 1/2 round copper strap that directs the common contact to the "close" contact that it is moving away from. I am trying to fab a new 1/2 round piece but I don't think the broken plastic cam follower is going to stay.
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You might try machining/cutting/filing one from a chunk of UHMW. It's workable, durable, insulating, and self-lubricating.
 
I don't have that one, sorry. Sold the deck and what was left of the spare mechanism was trash, so that's where it ended up. The switch on that one was already fubar, probably one of the reasons the other guy parted the deck.

That whole mechanism is semi-flimsy in places, for sure. Almost put me off the whole brand, fortunately running into some LRS components subsequently has restored my faith in Lux.

John
 
That's the one I have rx-101, sadly the suck face does not work, still cool, dont use it really but refuse to get rid of it, I did hook it up recently and was surprised how good it sounded.
DL
 
I have for years avoided items like the noted receiver because the more moving parts, the more headaches. Sunroofs, convertibles and the great majority of all new cars are just one trip away from an expensive trip to the repair shop. I've worked on computers for years and can say with surety that most of the touchscreen and digital surprises in modern cars are just waiting to poop out at a moments notice. Its all a matter of luck.

You sound to me like you are thoroughly qualified to repair that great old piece. I wish you luck and can say that I am glad it is you not me. I'm having a hard enough time recapping a 40 year old Electrovoice integrated amp. Much luck in your endeavor. :thmbsp:
 
KingBubba said:
I have for years avoided items like the noted receiver because the more moving parts, the more headaches. Sunroofs, convertibles and the great majority of all new cars are just one trip away from an expensive trip to the repair shop. I've worked on computers for years and can say with surety that most of the touchscreen and digital surprises in modern cars are just waiting to poop out at a moments notice. Its all a matter of luck.
Click to expand...

Until a new moving parts option gets fully vetted there will be issues. My dad was against pop up headlights but I never had a problem with them on my 1979 Mazda, but that was decades after they were first tried on cars.

The value of the 7-series BMW drops like a rock from new because of all the technogadgets stuffed into the car. These will stop working and cost significant sums of money to repair (replace the motor, circuit board, whole computer or whatever). But the manufacturers have to load up the top models. Only recourse is to own these vehicles during the warranty and then sell em off.

Now that tech has trickled down to the regular rides, hopefully only the proven equipment has been used, but I doubt it.
 
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Luxman was thinking they could make a bundle on the "star wars / space shuttle" craze. I have seen this series numerous times in my travels but have always passed on them because of face not sucking. (That didn't sound right.)
 
A guy in my college dorm had one of those. It's quality unit, but the suckface serves no functional purpose. It's too faddish for my taste.
 
Blue Shadow said:
Until a new moving parts option gets fully vetted there will be issues. My dad was against pop up headlights but I never had a problem with them on my 1979 Mazda, but that was decades after they were first tried on cars.

The value of the 7-series BMW drops like a rock from new because of all the technogadgets stuffind into the car. These will stop working and cost significant sums of money to repair (replace the motor, circuit board, whole computer or whatever). Bu the manufacturers have to load up the top models. Only recourse is to own these vehicles during the warranty and then sell em off.

Now that tech has trickled down to the regular rides, hopefully only the proven equipment has been used, but I doubt it.
Click to expand...

Flip up headlights are awesome on the RX-7, or a Vette, because they preserve the sleek body lines and aerodynamics. They never appealed to me on cars like the LTD, etc.

Regarding the high tech advance in automobiles, I'm in trouble. I've always bought cars that were about 10 years old, and restored them to serviceability. Revamping an '05 era vehicle is going to be tough. Riding around behind an aging airbag doesn't seem safe to me. I won't be restoring one either.
 
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BUMP FROM THE DEAD WITH A SUCKFACE QUESTION:

How much noise is it supposed to make when it's operational? I just fixed my RX-101, and the motor is anything but silent. It's a loud BZZZZZT when face sucking is underway. But before I rip it back apart to see if lubing the motor would quiet it down, I wanted to see if the loud motor noise is normal.

I love the mechanism, silver painted plastic, stuff popping out, it's so RoboCop!

giphy.gif


Edit: Nevermind, I guess it's supposed to sound like this! Mine sounds the same as this one I found on YouTube ... (which I think is from a member here?)

 
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Probably the most inconsistent company is Audio. Design, manufacturing, SQ vary wildly in quality, depending which/when Luxman you have. Vintage Knob has an entire section on the schizophrenic corporate history.
 
Any updates on the RX-103? Permanent addition to the collection?

There was a very reasonably priced suck face offered locally. I held off (barely).

The look Luxman was going for certainly did change over the years. I'm partial to the anniversary series and tube gear (don't own any tube gear but one of those SQ-38 beauties would be sweet). The LRS stuff is cool in a very different way.
 
sx-70 said:
Any updates on the RX-103? Permanent addition to the collection?
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Yes, in the to do pile. I got a proper rubberband to use some sc belt that should be just the thing. It is getting close to being on the bench, especially when I found out that the suckface needs to be in to allow phono to work. My phono didn't, but should, I think. It has been a while. I think it has been so long that I need to find a picture how to on the assembly of the suckface system as mine is removed awaiting the belt.

When I used the unit is was not as clean and clear as some other gear I have which is probably the caps showing their age. When I get it fixed, it will get tried again.

I'm partial to the 50th Aniversary gear, Tube gear and LRS as you are but I would be happy to have a stack of the LSS gear (the -12, generally, stuff) as it is most excellent, too. But I would let it all go for some of their new stuff.
 
Blue Shadow said:
Yes, in the to do pile. I got a proper rubberband to use some sc belt that should be just the thing. It is getting close to being on the bench, especially when I found out that the suckface needs to be in to allow phono to work. My phono didn't, but should, I think. It has been a while. I think it has been so long that I need to find a picture how to on the assembly of the suckface system as mine is removed awaiting the belt.

When I used the unit is was not as clean and clear as some other gear I have which is probably the caps showing their age. When I get it fixed, it will get tried again.

I'm partial to the 50th Aniversary gear, Tube gear and LRS as you are but I would be happy to have a stack of the LSS gear (the -12, generally, stuff) as it is most excellent, too. But I would let it all go for some of their new stuff.
Click to expand...

It's really silly easy to replace the belt and get it to work. If you haven't ordered the belt yet, get yourself a 21mm I.D. 0.8mm thick square rubber belt (I got mine from eBay seller "dalbanicorporation"). That's probably all you need.

I would be glad to disassemble & reassemble mine and document it every step of the way if you are in need of a refresher on the assembly. Mine's an RX-101 not a 103 but I believe the mechanism is the same.
 
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