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Restoring a Pioneer PL-630 Turntable

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KingBubba said:
Rich knows well of what he speaks. He is presently rehabbing my CTF-950 and has often proven to me that, if I had tried to do the rehab myself, I would have failed. If he had not taken on my deck, it would be lying in a heap of parts.
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She is currently singing sweetly to me, from the bench. Repair operations are complete. Restoration operations are now pending. I won't want to let her go when I am done. I can already tell...

You could have done it. It just takes time and patience...and the occasional parts unit.

You will not recognize her when she comes home. I promise.

Enjoy,
Rich P
 
Unfortunately I have an additional shadow that interferes with getting things done and that is pain. What used to take me 20 min. now will take 3-4 hours. Somehow that takes all the fun out of it. I am glad to trust you Rich and just enjoy your good work, I too have post 2015 appointments with Avionic and Mattsd and look forward to enjoying their great work. Thanks for all your help. I hope you had a pleasant Holiday.
 
KingBubba said:
Unfortunately I have an additional shadow that interferes with getting things done and that is pain. What used to take me 20 min. now will take 3-4 hours. Somehow that takes all the fun out of it. I am glad to trust you Rich and just enjoy your good work, I too have post 2015 appointments with Avionic and Mattsd and look forward to enjoying their great work. Thanks for all your help. I hope you had a pleasant Holiday.
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Shadow?

Rich P
 
I believe he defines the shadow as pain. Many people who suffer from chronic pain have "shadows", things that keep us from being able to do what we used to. Sucks, but one just has to keep their head held high and keep going.
 
buildingnut said:
I believe he defines the shadow as pain. Many people who suffer from chronic pain have "shadows", things that keep us from being able to do what we used to. Sucks, but one just has to keep their head held high and keep going.
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I see that now. Thanks.

Rich P
 
pustelniakr said:
I see that now. Thanks.

Rich P
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No problem Rich, thank you for such a great thread, It has helped many people and will help many more in the future. You have a great deal of knowledge and it is very nice of you to share your wealth of knowledge to help others!
 
buildingnut said:
No problem Rich, thank you for such a great thread, It has helped many people and will help many more in the future. You have a great deal of knowledge and it is very nice of you to share your wealth of knowledge to help others!
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That is a very gratifying thought. These tables are worthy. They have much singing left in them. They have a couple of Achilles heels, like every other human creation. The solidity of the design is revealed, in that, the Achilles heels do not tend to show up until the better part of 3 decades has passed. Many of the PL-630s I lay hands on even have their original tonearm belt installed, and they are still working pretty well.

If restored properly, the singing will again begin to break forth. Making people happy with music is one of my joys in life. I think you may know what it feels like to introduce someone to serious music for the first time, and to watch them settle back, close their eyes, smile and nod. Another one hooked.

I have a lot of respect for the Pioneer design team, that produced so many of these nice pieces from back in the day, myself being a member of the Otis Elevator design team since back then. I can see the care that went into these designs. In fact, I consider myself a kind of self-appointed Pioneer product support engineer, a de-facto member of that venerable design team. That is why I am such a stickler on how these things should be restored and kept running.

I have one of these, that came from somewhere in Hawaii, via eBay. She is pretty much a basket case, and is beaten up, rotted, and corroded. I originally considered that she would be one of my only hangar queens (parts units). As time passed, I just could not do that to her, gutting her like that. So, I began to obtain needed parts, to restore her functionality, beauty and reliability. I have just acquired the last part that I need, and soon she will step out into the light, and begin breaking forth in song, as beautiful as she was when she first came off of the line. It has taken years to accumulate everything I need for her. I think that, when she is finished, she will become my number 1 PL-630 in my main rig (I usually have 2 of them there, and do at this time).

Enjoy,
Rich P
 
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So gentlemen, after spending some time perusing thru this great thread, I have but one question.
I have the opportunity to purchase a fully functioning pl630 ,absent the dust cover for $150. some of the lettering is worn thin but its all there and works.
Opnions please . Gettng bored with my pl518 and pl7
 
wildchild said:
So gentlemen, after spending some time perusing thru this great thread, I have but one question.
I have the opportunity to purchase a fully functioning pl630 ,absent the dust cover for $150. some of the lettering is worn thin but its all there and works.
Opnions please . Gettng bored with my pl518 and pl7
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Questions of value should be asked in the "Dollars and Cents" sub-area of this forum. Discussions of such in this thread will get it locked. Please start a new thread in that area and you will get the desired responses.

Rich P
 
mkane said:
Loving our's but for the life of me I just can't seen to get the feet adjusted to my liking.
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If you are trying to adjust them for leveling, they are not good for that. If you are measuring level by putting the bubble on the platter, that will not work, since the platter has a slight inward dip (to remove slight warps). For leveling you will have to use some kind of external method. The feet won't do it.

To properly adjust them, pull each one (center screw), set the adjusting collar to middle of the range, and reinstall. When done, check the adjustment by dribbling the platter up and down. The feet are adjusted properly when the platter can move up and down equally, without hitting the upper or lower limits too soon. The adjustment is not there for leveling, but to compensate for changes in the springs and rubber over time.

The rubber boots are essential for proper functioning. They damp the springs, so they do not oscillate.

The 4 springs are not the same. There are 2 stronger ones and 2 weaker ones. The stronger ones go in the rear right and front left. The weaker ones go in the the other two positions.

Rich P
 
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I have an 'empire 598' that runs flat center groove TT's of models manufactured to auto use or commercial are not balanced to begin with. A TT is like a waste of time with springs unless using a 3 point leveling feet. 4 mounted feet offers no leveling. Tone arm to center bubble must be level. Flip is you may be listening to records worn off the cut or just worn out and left channel is really one rut worn out.

bink
 
Have a PL 510.. one of the more basic models and not as pretty... very reliable though, even today!

Rebuilt the feet, using some materials from the local Lowes and salvaging rubbers from the original. The suspension reinstalled was not as bouncy but very stable and provided the same isolation over all.

Just wondering, about how much did your 630 cost new? I believe the 510s ran about $120 in their prime.
 
pustelniakr said:
If you are trying to adjust them for leveling, they are not good for that. If you are measuring level by putting the bubble on the platter, that will not work, since the platter has a slight inward dip (to remove slight warps). For leveling you will have to use some kind of external method. The feet won't do it.

To properly adjust them, pull each one (center screw), set the adjusting collar to middle of the range, and reinstall. When done, check the adjustment by dribbling the platter up and down. The feet are adjusted properly when the platter can move up and down equally, without hitting the upper or lower limits too soon. The adjustment is not there for leveling, but to compensate for changes in the springs and rubber over time.

The rubber boots are essential for proper functioning. They damp the springs, so they do not oscillate.

The 4 springs are not the same. There are 2 stronger ones and 2 weaker ones. The stronger ones go in the rear right and front left. The weaker ones go in the the other two positions.

Rich P
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Along the lines of shot rubbers and wondering if Mcmaster Carr would have a substitute. ( probably thought of long ago)
 
mkane said:
Along the lines of shot rubbers and wondering if Mcmaster Carr would have a substitute. ( probably thought of long ago)
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Most of what folks try to do with substitutes is much too tight, and restricts the suspension. I treat the rubber parts like puzzles, and use super glue to stick them all back together. Depending on broken up the boots are, this can take a while. The reassembled boots are then used as a form for the reinforcing layer of black RTV. The results are not beautiful, but the RTV'd boots work just fine.

I am currently considering a fix, where a 2-part urethane rubber is mixed thick, and the springs are dipped in the rubber to form a new boot that won't rot. It will be a while, but I'm pretty sure that it will be do-able. I will need to work on the durometer of the rubber used, and getting it to bridge the spring coils, but I have a couple of ideas in those directions. For now, just reassemble the boot parts and reinforce with RTV. This method has worked for me for years.

Enjoy,
Rich P
 
without all the 'dogma' or genius'.. most of this stuff is about much to do being a 'hobbyist. And I sure could use a pair of 'weather rubber over shoes' about now. :D
 
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