playing multiple jukeboxes at the same time

gottliebgreg

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Hello everybody, new member here.
I have been collecting jukeboxes for more than 20 years and currently have 5 setup, several more soon be set up. All are 45 machines from the 50's and early 60's. An issue I ran into with multiple jukeboxes was more than one having selections made and then playing simultaneously. I have designed a controller that allows multiple jukeboxes to have selections pending, sequencing through the jukes playing one selection at a time. In effect making all of my jukes act as one. So, has anybody else done this? If I were to make this commercially available, would there be any interest?
The jukes I have ganged together right now are:

Rockola 425
Rockola 418
Wurlitzer 2900
Seeburg DS160
Seeburg HHF100R

Adding soon:
Rockola 1454
Rockola 1488

Adding not so soon:
Seeburg M100B
Seeburg M100C
Wurlitzer 1800
Wurlitzer 1015
AMI E120
Williams Music Mite
 
I have never heard of this before. The most jukeboxes I have ever seen operating at once are two.

We had a few locations back in the day that were restaurants with a bar. There would be a seperate jukebox & speakers in the restaurant and a seperate jukebox & speakers just in the bar.
 
Currently I have 4 in one room, 2 in another and a hideaway. I'm working on driving background music speakers (70V) throughout the house with the jukes, using my 'sequencer' to control the source. I'll be using a 70V-line level converter to drive a PA amp that will drive all the remote speakers.
 
I wouldnt think there would be a huge market for anything to make this work.


As far as commercial establishments go, they are all wanting internet jukeboxes these days.
 
I'm not thinking it would be targeted at commercial environments, rather hobbyist/collectors who have tired of jukeboxes "contending". Agreed it would be a small market, possibly not worth it. I have had this running for about ten years now, I can't imagine not having it. It's one of those things that you realize you can't live without once you have it.
 
Depending on price, I'd be interested in one. My kids are always selecting songs on both of my jukes at the same time regardless of my telling them not to.

I have a Rockola 488 and a Rowe R-89

Sounds like a cool product if it can interface between different makes of jukes.

Tom
 
"My kids are always selecting songs on both of my jukes at the same time regardless of my telling them not to."

This. I grew tired of people selecting tunes on more than one box. As far as the price goes, I'm thinking it would be in the area of $200 to interface two jukes. This would include the master controller and two satellite boards that mount inside each juke, wire not included. Additional satellite boards would be roughly $30. Master controller can handle 8 jukes, more with an adapter. I have also developed a multiplexor that allows the selected juke to drive a 70v speaker system, so your jukes can drive external speakers. (at additional cost). These prices assume a reasonable demand (>100 units), which doesn't seem likely.

"Sounds like a cool product if it can interface between different makes of jukes."

Yup, this is what it does. I haven't interface to an AMI (yet), but I'm confident that I can. Solid state jukes will be more challenging, but not insurmountable.
 
I'm guessing that this involves tricking the jukes into thinking the records are still playing?
 
Sort of. All electomechanical jukes go thru these 3 states:
1. idle
2. selection pending
3. selection complete

Obviously there are more states but these are the ones of interest. Each of my jukes has an interface board that monitors the state and reports back to a central controller. The controller then enables the jukes that have a selection pending, one at a time, waiting for the selection complete state to be entered. When the selection is complete, that juke is disabled and the next juke in line that has a selection pending is enabled. And on and on and on.
Different makes of jukes require different methods of interfacing, but most (all?) jukes have a circuit that is completed when a selection is made to start it scanning. By monitoring this I know when a selection is made, and by opening that same circuit (I put a relay in series with this circuit) I can disable the juke. Monitor the circuit that tells the juke that the record has been returned to the magazine for indication that the selection is complete and you have everything the controller needs.
 
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