Echolette pinch roller

[Toynbee]

It looks like two of the original black rollers are thinner than the tension arm roller (see pics). I tried replacing the two thin black rollers with polyurethane rollers which are about the same size as the thinner black rollers. I tried putting a metal roller on the tension arm, but it wouldn't turn when the motor was on. The tape just slipped over it. It might be that there isn't enough friction between the tape and metal roller. After that, I tried putting a polyurethane roller on the tension arm. I filed off the glazing from the pinch roller using an emery nail file and it grips a lot better. I uploaded a video of it to youtube.

Echolette with polyurethane rollers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkYMQhNiizY


Some new caps for the Echolette

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Motor-run-c...t/254231084664

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Doppelelko-...t/254231084674

[Mickey]

None of those rollers look original!

[Toynbee]

The black ones were on my Echolette.

[Mickey]

Strange! I have a number of Echolettes in my workshop at the moment including an early model NG51S similar to yours but none of these have black rollers. During my 50+ years of Echolette repairs I have never come across a unit with black rollers so I wonder if any other readers have seen them?
Have you sorted out any/all electronic issues? I have another person who is asking me a lot of questions at the moment but he is not that clear on tube electronics so I will suggest he takes his echolette to a senior service tech who is experienced with echolettes. I have recently repaired one which was in very poor shape after it had been "serviced" by another so called tech and it caused many a headache for me but it's going good after numerous unpaid hours spent on the unit.
Good luck.

[52 Bill]

...I have never come across a unit with black rollers so I wonder if any other readers have seen them?

While I have nowhere near the experience level that you have, I have fixed a few of these and I have seen one unit with black rollers before.

All of the rest have had the white plastic ones.

[Toynbee]

Most of the time, I used the schematic attached. I think I covered most of what I did with the electronics in other posts in this thread. I found a lot of information on the internet including other threads at music-electronics-forum.com


https://od.lk/s/OV8xNjc4OTM2MDFf/Ech...ontrols%20.jpg

https://od.lk/s/OV8xNjc4OTM2NjJf/Ech...o%20Manual.pdf

https://od.lk/s/OV8xNjc4OTM2NjNf/Echolette-layout.pdf

https://od.lk/s/OV8xNjc4OTM2NTFf/Ech...NG51-Klemt.jpg

https://od.lk/s/OV8xNjc4OTM2NDZf/Ech...051%20Bias.jpg

https://od.lk/s/OV8xNjc4OTM2MjNf/Kle...t%20layout.jpg

https://od.lk/s/OV8xNjc4OTM2NjRf/kle...-schematic.pdf

https://od.lk/s/OV8xNjc4OTM2MDZf/Lay...26-3xSchem.jpg

https://od.lk/s/OV8xNjc4OTM2MzFf/Pla...ermination.jpg

[Mickey]

Well it looks like you're on the way to solving your issues so when its all done let me know how and what you did to bring your echolette back to a useable working item.

[Toynbee]

OK, happy Thanksgiving.

[Mickey]

Appears my photos didn't download, so here goes!

[Mickey]

Hey Bill, there is an Echolette advertised on eBay which appears to have "Black" rollers, so there you go !

[Toynbee]

I found this while googling Echolette and Toynbee to find this thread.

Popular Music and Instrument Technology in an Electronic Age, 1960-1969
Farley Miller
http://digitool.library.mcgill.ca/we...5132402701~736

https://od.lk/s/OV8xNjgwMTg0NDJf/Pop...2019601969.pdf

[Mickey]

Spent most of the day restoring a Echolette E51.
These are rather difficult to work on and as stated by me and many others are probably best left to professional service/repair persons.
Although not unusual every capacitor that I replaced was faulty and care had to be taken that an appropriate size (physically) was used as a too large a capacitor can cause rubbing of the capacitor to the chassis.
All preset pots were checked and cleaned/lubricated and all in all, possibly because I had acquired lots of useful service information over time, the electronics of this Echolette appear to be in good condition.
Tomorrow I will tidy up some of my work and then commence an overhaul of the tape drive/transport system, first up a new rubber tape pinch wheel.
Mike

[Toynbee]

Mecaso posted a picture of one with a black roller on the tension arm here:
https://music-electronics-forum.com/...t=24634&page=4

My Echolette doesn't have a lot of PC boards in it.