ami-man's advice on Rowe Ami jukeboxes

[Ken Layton]

Here is a link to the service manual for the cdw wallbox:

https://www.coinopking.co.uk/manuals/rowe-ami-cd-wallbox-service-manual

[static1701]

I contacted them via email weeks ago and got no reply.

Scott

[Old Guy]

Hi!  I’m in need of help with an issue.  There’s a little bit of a “story” to explain to help you understand how I got here. 
I have a Rowe R90.  I also have an extra amp that I wanted to check before sending it to a friend in FL.  So I thought it best to take my amp out of the R90 and put the extra amp in (matching numbers on the amps 6-07438-06).  I put the extra amp in and got no sound from the jukebox.  So I put my original amp back in the R90 and now get a very low volume.  All the speakers are being powered and the remote volume control does get the limited volume to increase and decrease.  So I decided to put in an amp from a working Rowe R88 (same numbers) and it had the same limited volume.
What might have happened when I tested the extra amp that would have caused the loss of volume?  Is it in the amp or something external that I’m not thinking about?  I’ve swapped out the amp boards to see if that might be an issue but no change. 
I’m stumped.  Any help/advice would be appreciated.  Thanks
Rod

[Ken Layton]

I know on the cd100 machines, the volume control connector which plugs into the amplifier is NOT keyed and can be accidently plugged in backwards. Maybe that simple thing has happened in your machine?

Also, the jumper plug which plugs into the preamp board on the amplifier, it can also be plugged in backwards accidently.

The preamp board as well as the two driver boards in the amplifier are very prone to developing bad solder joints, particularly at the connectors.

[Old Guy]

Thanks, Ken
To make this information a little more complete I need to add that upon closer inspection I don't have anything coming from the left side.  I guess the sound was so soft that I couldn't tell until I unplugged the right side speaker. 
I'll check out the things you've mentioned and then get back. 
Thanks for your help,
Rod

[Old Guy]

Ken,
If I decide to check the driver/preamp boards would it be safe to use the amp from my R89?  It's a 6-09931-02 130W amp.  The amp from my R90 is a 6-07438-06 125W amp.  Should I be able to isolate which board(s) is/are bad by doing this one-at-a-time exchange?

Thanks for your help.

[Ken Layton]

Alan Hood ("ami-man" ) has moved to this jukebox forum:

https://jukeboxaddicts.proboards.com/

He can help with your questions. It's been so long since I last worked on a 45 Rowe, I don't remember which amplifiers have which connectors and which amplifiers interchange.

[phesson]

Hello,
This is Paul in Southern Ohio.
I have a Rowe CD100-A. The fluorescent light in the door flickers. I changed the starters but the flickering is getting worse. What is a suitable replacement for the ballasts? Can these be rebuilt?
Thanks

[Ken Layton]

An old fluorescent tube will flicker before it burns out. Sometimes you can get a bad tube out of a batch (especially made in China tubes) or if the ambient temperature is below 60 degrees, a tube will flicker.

[lilshawn]

99% of the time it's the tube. if you take it out i'll bet you find the ends are dark on it. the tube electrodes are worn out and no longer emit charged particles properly to fire up the tube.

the only time you need to replace the ballast is if you've run a bad flickery tube in it for an extended amount of time. (i'm talking weeks here) they cannot be "rebuilt" and must be replaced. by this point since you would have to hack out the ballast anyways, it's a perfect time to rewire it for some LED tube replacements.

if you are still set on fluorescent, know you might have an issue finding supply, as they have fallen greatly out of favor in some places making replacements almost impossible to find...and only moreso in the future due to their use of mercury and phosphor.

[phesson]

the only time you need to replace the ballast is if you've run a bad flickery tube in it for an extended amount of time. (i'm talking weeks here) they cannot be "rebuilt" and must be replaced. by this point since you would have to hack out the ballast anyways, it's a perfect time to rewire it for some LED tube replacements.

The bottom tube is chronic now so it is disconnected. Now the upper tube is beginning to flicker. I am not against led tubes. I have not found an identification of the wiring for the ballasts. I don’t want to cook anything 

[lilshawn]

the ballast is basically in line with the live wire, its function is to limit current after the striking of the tube. to bypass it you'd simply just cut the 2 wires and attach them together like attached photo.

EDIT:

well not actually like the pic...but the wiring in the Rowe is the same as this... sans the switch.

(live through  the ballast... to one side of the tube and so on.)

[David / Amy]

Hi Everyone. I need a bit of help with a R85. In short - I have just purchased this machine and it was going fine for a couple of days, but I was fiddling with the volume pot because it was a bit scratchy and not a nice smooth increase/decrease in volume and as I was fiddling the JB just stopped working mid song. The three lights are red on the power supply, other display lights are working, it sounds like there is power to the amp, going into service mode doesn't do anything, I have checked the fuses in the power supply and they look ok, and they look like slow blow types. I have another trouble free R85 so I have swapped out the CCC and the MCC but the symptoms remain the same.
I'm not much good with electronics, hence having two R85s so I can at least try to isolate the problem. But this has me beat so far. I do have the Field Service Manual but haven't found anything in it that seems to be my problem.
I'm hoping that an experienced hand will know where to point me to isolate the problem.
My apologies for being a bit of a mug with JBs but I will be grateful for any suggestions.
Thanks for your time
David

[Ken Layton]

There are fuses inside the amplifier.

[David / Amy]

Thank you Ken. I haven't checked these but I will now. If these have blown would it explain why the turntable just stopped mid song? It wasn't just the sound that stopped.
David

[Ken Layton]

The mechanism control board could have a problem.

[JohnnyNebula]

Hello Alan,

I've been tinkering with my Rowe Ami R-81 jukebox on and off for a few years now and I am wondering if you could help me out with a couple issues I'm finding. When I bought the juke years ago the tonearm/cartridge was loose in the unit. After replacing the stylus with a new Shure, I soldered the tone arm wires back into place, but now I believe I've done something incorrectly. I have the manual but can't find a schematic for the wiring from cartridge to the amp. Do you have any knowledge on how the tone arm is wired or even a close up picture of the tone arm and cartridge wiring? I am also hoping you could show me what the proper tap setup on the output looks like. As of now I have the connections made at E6 on both the left and right channels. Only the left channel seems to be working. The manual states to attach one common lead to E1, however I do not see another lead coming out from underneath the transformers to attach to anything. As far as I can tell I have one red lead and one brown lead. I believe the previous owner may have tried to replace the internal speakers so now I'm trying to sort through what was done correctly and what needs to be repaired. If you have a photo of proper wiring for the top speakers that would be appreciated too. Thank you for any wisdom you can bestow.

Thanks again,
John

[jlucey]

Hello all,
         I recently acquired an AMI R-83 that has an issue with the carousel. It does not spin under its own power at all. If I move it by hand it will grab a record and place it on the turntable and play the record. The belt appears to be intact as well. I am at a loss as to where to start with this issue. It also has some other minor issues with audio volume control, it is 100% or nothing but at least it plays. Any recommendations on getting the carousel to turn would be appreciated.

Thank you,
John

[Cub-Scout-Eddie]

I have a JAL that won't change records.  After playing a 45, the carousel rotates but stops and plays the same record again.  We've had it a few years.  Other than cleaning the stylus, we haven't done anything to it.  It worked fine until it stopped changing records.  I'm sure there must be a post on here somewhere that addresses this problem but I haven't been able to find it.  Thanks for any help you can provide.  I am ordering the manuals for it but I'm not sure if they will point me to the problem.

[jwarburton]

Hi, I have an rowe-ami R88 jukebox.  It's started to develop an electrical pop that seems to get worse the longer it's left on.  It can happen if a record is playing or not.

I'm starting to recap the amp and working my way through it but I'm unsure about the large smoothing capacitors

They are 4700uf 50v.  Do I just unsolder the red wires and run a new capacitor from the red wires to any of the black wires that are connected for each of the capacitors?

[jwarburton]

just watched this video so will go with this method.  Surprised they left them connected.

[RRJackson]

I have an R-83. Two selections, 138/238 and 149/249, play fine, but then the record is returned to the adjacent slot to the left. 138/238 will end up in 137/237 and 149/249 will end up in 148/248. I don't know if there's anything obvious about this issue, but it's kind of an annoyance.

-Rob Jackson