NSM Prestige E-160 issues

[CanuckAB]

Hello all,

I have recently come in to the possession of an NSM Prestige E-160 jukebox with a couple of minor issues. The carriage unit was apparently rebuilt 2 years ago but it had been sitting unplugged in a (moderately) traffic'ed area of a 1 man workshop. So there is dust and it needs a good cleaning (no critters, tho):

The issues are:

- the carriage when travelling seems to 'chatter' rhythmically -- ... 1, 2, 3, chatter, 1, 2, 3, chatter, ... etc

- sometimes (not all the time) it seeks back and forth (sometimes several times) between plays

- on the right half of the carriage it seems to mis-load (looks like an undershoot) at about a 3:1 fail rate to the left and (although unproven) seems to be worse the further right it goes

I pulled the carriage and gave the travel a good cleaning and that help with the chatter but did not completely get rid of it. I've looked at the carriage loader and can't see anything that I can do with it. I am feeling that the next step is to get in there and rip it apart, clean it up and get any dust/lube collection out of it. It doesn't seem bad (actually looks pretty clean) but there is clearly something amiss

ALSO, 3 additional questions:

1 - where is a reliable place to get parts for this unit? I have watch several YouTube videos and people say "search the web" but the choice is limited and seems to be mostly in Germany/UK. As these boxes were available here (Canada) there must be something on this side of the pond. I'd be looking to source a 'spares kit' of potentially troublesome to fine bits.

2 - when lubing things (like the carriage slide/rail, and carriage internals) is there anything wrong with using more modern lubricants (ie: PTFEs, graphites, etc)

3 - are there any tips, tricks, tuneups, upgrades I should know about this machine.

Thanks muchly in advance!

I attached the obligatory photo... please disregard the mess in the garage behind it

 

[CanuckAB]

So, to update on the previous message, regarding the issues:

- the carriage chatter seems to be caused by a 'melted' tooth on the gear that drives the carriage drive (see image). I will try to clean that up because I am nearly certain I'll never find that part, and if I do the cost may be approaching the GDP of a small nation.

- the opto wheel was pretty gunky. I've cleaned it up but I think I'll take it out of the opto itself and thoroughly clean it. I also found the pins on the interface board to be badly corroded, so I'll give them a good cleaning as well. I suspect a dirty opto with a poor connection could have caused this (details to follow)

- the mis-load issue is worse than I thought. It appears that the worm gear on the clutch can travel about 1mm up when under load. As it drives the main cam, this cam is stalling until the worm consumes all of the travel as well as the mechanical 'load' then it releases, dropping over the other side of the lobe. This energy release comes with an audible clunk and the cam jumps a degree or three. As things like the lift arm are on the cam, a few degrees results in significant travel to the other components. I suspect there is a missing washer, at the top of the clutch assembly, but I have yet to figure out how to get it out. I think I have to remove the bearing at the bottom of the shaft but with 2mm of clearance under a gear, I have no idea on how to do that (and nobody seems to know)

So, that is all for now... more updates as events warrant.

 

[newsheriffintown]

I must say that is a fine looking machine. Always had a special place in my heart for NSM.. I really don't think that there are many manufactures out there that sound even close to as good as NSM, but my experience has been limited to their cd boxes. Good luck getting it back to 100

 

[CanuckAB]

Thanks... Everything looks solid with little/no signs of wear, so once I find this lift issue it should be a solid machine for quite awhile