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Author Topic: Rowe WB-100 CD Jukebox Neon Trouble-Need Help  (Read 2707 times)

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jonpin

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Rowe WB-100 CD Jukebox Neon Trouble-Need Help
« on: January 25, 2018, 02:27:38 pm »
New to the forum here.  Hoping to find some help.  Recently bought 2 Rowe WB100 Berkeley Model CD Jukboxes.  One was working and one was "parts".  Got both up and going 100% except for the neon tubes are giving me trouble.  Went through the schematics and there isn't much there on the circuit.  Checked for cracked joints, blown fuses, and the bridges for the start all good.  These units power supplies do not have the pot for brightness adjustment.

Unit 1 had a bad LM317.  13 volts-ish in and 5 volts out.  Checked value on resistors and seemed good.  Changed out the LM317 and the diode for good measure.  Now neon lights and is on for 1 minute before dimming to a point of flicker.  LM317 gets hot.  Have no basis on temp before...

Unit 2 had a hack with a 5 watt resistor in place of the diode that bypassed the LM317 circuit.  This had a blown fuse and when replaced it "worked", but I am assuming it had the blown fuse because of over loading the circuit.  I let it go for 30 minutes like this and the neon stayed lit.  So I reinstalled the diode to see what happened and the neon lit but quickly cut out.  Replaced the LM317 and now it is acting like the first.  Lit initially and then dims out slowly over a minute or 2 with a hot LM317.

So this forum was the only place I found in google that had discussion on these units.  Any ideas, common fails, things to test???  Hate to reinstall the hack, but want to wrap this issue up and move on. 

I attached the schematic I was referring to above.

Thanks, Jon

ami-man

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Re: Rowe WB-100 CD Jukebox Neon Trouble-Need Help
« Reply #1 on: January 29, 2018, 06:03:24 am »
Hello Jonpin,

It sounds as if you need to replace the neon transformer and repair the power supply again.

Regards
Alan

Alan Hood
ami-man
UK

jonpin

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Re: Rowe WB-100 CD Jukebox Neon Trouble-Need Help
« Reply #2 on: February 05, 2018, 01:41:19 pm »
Alan, thank you for the response.  Though it is not the transformer you did put me on the right path.  For anyone else out there with this same issue I will share what I have learned.

I called Tech 22, the manufacturer of the GEN3-8K20/12 neon transformer.  They put me in touch with a tech that told me the testing protocol and the basics of function for the neon.  The transformers tend to work or not.  The LM317 was being overloaded and dimming down with increased resistance from the load.  Neon tubes CAN draw more amperage as they get older and still light up.  The design on this system supplies a 12 volt power supply to the transformer that apparently does not have alot of room for aging neon tubes.  To find the culprit tube he said to use an alligator clip jumper wired to bypass a tube in the circuit since there are 3 in this jukebox(be careful as they are HIGH VOLTAGE).  When the weak tube pulling the extra amperage is out of the circuit, the LM317 will hold the load and not dim out.  That tube will have to be repaired/regassed at a neon shop.

Since this testing would be difficult to do on the assembled jukebox and it is cost prohibitive to have the neon tubes serviced for this jukebox project(this is the most likely problem with the system), he proposed 2 alternatives.  One was replace the transformer with one that they sell that works off of 120 volts and do not use the original power supply for the neon anymore.  Second, was a work around that uses a 20 turn trimming pot to turn down the output of the transformer.  On the transformer(on the top as mounted in the jukebox) where the red and black power wired enter the transformer, you can turn the pot to reduce the output of the transformer.  He said this will actually increase the life of the tubes as they will not be worked as hard and it will decrease the power needed by the transformer.  According to him you cannot strip the pot and you just dial it counter clockwise for the lowest setting.

I tried this on both units and it worked.  I have had the units on for 8 hours a day for a few days now and the neon is bright and the power supply heat sink is notably cooler.  The only negative is that there is now a noticeable buzz from the transformer as you would hear from a neon bar light or some fluorescent shop lights when they are on.  I turned the pot to the point of the buzz going away and the neons began to dim out again, so I returned it to the lowest setting.  For my home use jukebox needs I can live with this as it is for now because the unit will be on an hour or 2 at most 1-2 times a week.  If the problem persists I will switch to the 120 volt transformer. 

Good luck out there.

Jon