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Thorens TD-160 Motor replacement- "HELP"

R

rbtstock

New Member
Good evening AK members, I am in the process of getting an Old Thorens TD-160 up and running, I've had it for many years, and I finally have the time to devote to bringing it back to life, however the first thing I noticed was the motor spindle was wobbly, so I would like to replace it. I need advice on replacing the motor, I would like to know if anyone knows of a motor that would be interchangeable with the current thorens motor it came with, is there a Thorens technician that might be able to help me, I tried contacting Dave at Vinyl Nirvana, and he only works on the 125's, and maybe one other, but not the 160 any more, I've searched other forums and it has been said that the Linn LP-12 motor would work, however it would need to be retrofitted, beyond my skillset, everyone else I have tried contacting just advised me to look on ebay, as of today I did not see any motors for the TD-160, any help would be much appreciated?
 
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I think there's a problem replacing the td160 motor with one from a Linn, or Pro-ject motor; the Thorens is, I believe, a 16 pole motor whereas the Premotec
as used in the others is a 24 pole. This means the Thorens runs at 375 rpm on 50 Hz (450rpm on 60Hz), the Premotec at 250rpm, (300 on 60Hz). You would need a larger pulley,
and I don't think the speed change mechanism would cope with that.
 
Before going to a lot of trouble, I would ask if your 160 has the metal post next to the motor pulley that keeps the platter from making contact with the spindle? If not, that might be how your spindle wound up bent in the first place. So, have a look and if there is no post, it would be advisable to fashion one which has been discussed in other threads I believe as well as here:


Here's a detailed drawing of that post in case you don't have one (courtesy The Analog Dept.):

sftypost-Rs.jpg

If you don't already know about it, that site is an excellent resource for you as far as your 160 is concerned. Good luck, amigo!
 
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The TD-145 at least has the same motor, but its possible it also is the same in the TD165 and maybe other models. It would have to be one that doesn't have any electronics inside, those are lower voltage motors that run from the internal controller. You want the basic one that is just 2 caps and a power switch under the hood.
 
I had the same issue on a TD 160 Mk II and it turned out to be an azimuth issue with the motor (there is an adjustment screw). I purchased a very basic Harbor Freight dial indicator and adjusted until the wobble was gone. Someone may have tightened that screw down by mistake...like on my table, causing the wobble. I would check this adjustment before going down the motor replacement path.
 
rbtstock said:
Good evening AK members, I am in the process of getting an Old Thorens TD-160 up and running, I've had it for many years, and I finally have the time to devote to bringing it back to life, however the first thing I noticed was the motor spindle was wobbly, so I would like to replace it. I need advice on replacing the motor, I would like to know if anyone knows of a motor that would be interchangeable with the current thorens motor it came with, is there a Thorens technician that might be able to help me, I tried contacting Dave at Vinyl Nirvana, and he only works on the 125's, and maybe one other, but not the 160 any more, I've searched other forums and it has been said that the Linn LP-12 motor would work, however it would need to be retrofitted, beyond my skillset, everyone else I have tried contacting just advised me to look on ebay, as of today I did not see any motors for the TD-160, any help would be much appreciated?
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I have a new old stock TD165 motor with 60Hz pulley that never been used. If you would like to buy pm me.
 
I received the motor from rkay5, great guy!, now when I plug it in it spins, but I can't get it to stop when I move the top plate lever, what would be the first thing I should check, I was thinking the microswitch might be shot?
 
Switch, switch mechanical adjustment, or the cap across the switch. If that cap shorts it won't turn off, had that on an AR turntable.
 
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