Rega Planar 3 - Switches from 45 to 33rpm randomly?

pmwhelan

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Hi
My dad gave me a Rega Planar 3 and I've very little knowledge of record players.
It works fine but I've noticed sometimes if I flip a record it'll play it at a slow speed 33rpm(?) even after playing the first side fine (45 rpm?)

I switched it off and left it for five minutes and turned it back on and it played the flipside at the right speed then.

Any ideas as to whats causing these random effects?
Im not messing with any settings that I can see.

Thanks
P
 
How is the speed control? On may turntables, you simply have a two stage spindle on the driver motor, one for 45 rpm and another for 33 rpm. Other better turntable have electronic speed control.

Not knowing the type you have makes it difficult to comment.

If the stepped pulley on the driver motor is mis-aligned, then the speed can switch when the belt slips on the stepped pulley.

With an electronics speed control, perhaps some component has drifted off value, or some component or connection may be failing. In this case, the motor speed control mechanism will need to be repaired.

I'm not there, I can't see what his happening, I don't know the specific details, so the best I can do is generalize.

Steve/bluewizard
 
I believe that TT requires the platter to be lifted to access the speed change pulley. It seems unlikely that the belt is moving by itself & even more so that it would move back again. So you're probably looking at either the belt slipping or the motor control being faulty. You can download a manual here if you sign up & probably get good advice as to the likely problem from their forum.
 
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I believe that TT requires the platter to be lifted to access the speed change pulley. It seems unlikely that the belt is moving by itself & even more so that it would move back again. So you're probably looking at either the belt slipping or the motor control being faulty. You can download a manual here if you sign up & probably get good advice as to the likely problem from their forum.

Many thanks. I signed up and asked there.
Is there anything I could do about the belt slipping?
Thanks
P
 
Many thanks. I signed up and asked there.
Is there anything I could do about the belt slipping?
Thanks
P

You are now asking a new question?

Is the turntable shifting between 33rpm and 45rpm or is it simply slowing down as implied by the belt slipping? Or BOTH?

If you feel the belt is slipping and it has not been damaged (wear, stretching, etc...) in some way, clean the belt, the pulley, and the platter contact surface with alcohol (Isopropyl) and cotton swabs or cotton 'buds'.

When you put the belt back on, make sure you hands are clean, dry, and free of oil.

Steve/bluewizard
 
As BW said, cleaning everything may help & check that the belt is a uniform shape. But a quick Google suggests two other possible causes:

Apparently the pulley can become detached from the motor shaft allowing it to slip. Take the belt off & see if you can lift the pulley off the shaft. Cure seems to be a blob of Loctite.

The motor regulating resistor/capacitor can break down. Would cost pennies to replace.

This is simply me regurgitating a Google search for "Planar RP3 slows", so have a look for yourself.
 
As BW said, cleaning everything may help & check that the belt is a uniform shape. But a quick Google suggests two other possible causes:

Apparently the pulley can become detached from the motor shaft allowing it to slip. Take the belt off & see if you can lift the pulley off the shaft. Cure seems to be a blob of Loctite.

The motor regulating resistor/capacitor can break down. Would cost pennies to replace.

This is simply me regurgitating a Google search for "Planar RP3 slows", so have a look for yourself.

Which part is the pulley?
Is that the pencil type part of the sub platter?

Thanks
 
Sorry guys just to clairfy its not going from 45 to 33.
Its going from 33 to a bit slower.
Sorry my mistake.

It happens after about half an hours play which leads me to think that its the motor overheating.
I just played it for half an hour there. Played fine.
Then I flipped the LP and it was a bit slower.
I removed the platter and the belt was still on.
I took out the sub platter from the hole in the main unit and put it back in and turned it back on and it worked fine again.
It took about three minutes to do all that.

Would the motor cool down in that time?

Thanks for the help.
 
Sorry I might have my terminology incorrect

The large plastic round thing with the small black elastic band around it is called the?
The small silver thing which also has the black elastic band around it is called the?
 
OK I think the pulley is the smaller of the two.
I tried to pull that out and there's only a little give on it then it becomes stuck.
So I don't think it needs to be glued.
 
I'm not intimately familiar with this specific turntable, but from what I gather the turntable platter sits atop the larger turntable pulley. The belt then connect the larger pulley to the smaller pulley which is on the motor.

Check the condition and tension of the belt.

How old is the turntable? Belts can dry out and stretch over significant periods of time. I've had to replace my belt minimum once every 10 years.

Also, if the turntable is more than a couple years old, has it every been lubricated? The should be a hole at the top and bottom of the motor to drip in some very fine sewing machine oil. If you remove the belt from the motor and spin the motor shaft, you should not feel any resistance.

DO NOT use spray can lubricants on the motor or spindle. These can dry out and REALLY gum up the works.

If the turntable is more than 5 years old, I would replace the drive belt just on general principle.

Make sure the belt and pulleys are free from oil, and I don't necessarily mean motor oil, just oil from skin can be enough to cause the belt to slip.

Steve/bluewizard
 
OK I think the pulley is the smaller of the two.
I tried to pull that out and there's only a little give on it then it becomes stuck.
So I don't think it needs to be glued.
Yes, the motor pulley is the small silver cylinder with two different diameters. Moving the belt from one size to the other changes from 33 to 45. I would think that there should be no give at all, but again I'm no expert. Maybe try a little Loctitie to be sure?
 
Yes, the motor pulley is the small silver cylinder with two different diameters. Moving the belt from one size to the other changes from 33 to 45. I would think that there should be no give at all, but again I'm no expert. Maybe try a little Loctitie to be sure?


Thanks
Where should I put the glue?

There is some give if I try to pull it up
I've taken some photos of it up and tested
imgur: the simple image sharer
 

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