Back to it after a nice vacation seeing friends and family in the Great Northwest. This means getting back on the New G. I have a buyer and it is my priority. I went out to the garage, cranked up the music, and started re-assembling the mechanism. Motor and clutch done. Applied voltage with a jumper cord and watched it run back and forth manually tripping it occasionally to see how she do. It do fine. Installed the rack aligning it to the mech. Took apart and cleaned the contact block installing the replacement contact. Same thing with the selection slide block. I make sure the two lamp sockets have a clean connection and also the copper slider pieces.

The selection indicator channel had been rechromed but the original yellowed number strip was still attached. I guess it went for a ride through the various tanks at the chrome platers. Didn’t hurt it at all from what I can see. But….that strip has to go. This is a delicate undertaking. I do not have the type rivets originally used. I use a split rivet that can be installed by hand. They are 1/8″ and eleven are cused. Once I get the old rivets out and the old strip removed everthing has to be drilled with a 1/8″ bit. The chrome channel piece, the plastic strip, and the metal bar that backs the plastic strip. I move slowly and pay strict attention to what I’m doing. It’s so easy to make a mistake and mar a cosmetic piece.

These split rivets have an attractive head and short legs perhaps 5/16″ long. I’ll insert a couple through all three pieces for an initial fit and slowly work the split legs apart until I can flatten them gently with a hammer and punch. There’s usually a little mis-alignment which calls for more light handed drilling. Once assembled I’ll run it back and forth over the selection indicator slide to make sure there are no hang ups. Once installed on the rack and the pop meter hood in place the mechanism is starting to look pretty good.

Today was SMC1 day. I propped the upper lid up with a pipe and replaced the gas springs made by Suspa. Incredibly Suspa is still in business and replacement springs can be ordered directly from Suspa. Seeburg used 120 pound springs. I use 90 pound. These hold the lid up with no problem and more importantly allow the lid to gently close. The original 120 pounders can take quite a tug downward to get closed. I broke the back out of an SMC3 that had just been finished closing the lid for the first time after installing new 120 pounders. Made me sick. These cabinets are made of cheap particle board with practically no support. Just to finish the story I did get the SMC3 repaired using a very innovative fix with a lot of metal bolted in for side-to-back support. The part number for the 90 pound springs is C16-24190. These are direct bolt-in.

With the mechanism serviced and the amplifier making noise it is time to see what I have. The PCC had been tested in the prior SMC and works. I removed the CPA unit. Or, Collection/Play/Audit Microcomputer Memory Bank. Quite a mouthful for the piece with all the service switches. It also has a small automatic reject board that gets inspection and a cap replaced. I’m not sure why but I’ve never seen one of these CPA’s that has a clean top and this one was no exception. I pushed the top connector through, taped off the hole from underneath, sanded the top down and sprayed with silver metallic hammer tone spray paint and remounted everything.

The MCU from this juke works. I had to replace one of the voltage regulators in the MCU case and the battery holder which is usually corroded from the batteries being left in them for umpteen years. These will operate without batteries which are used to keep coin audit and pop meter data in memory for the operator to use. I am fortunate there was no battery corrosion on the boards. Just some on the metal case which got cleaned off and repainted.I also use a smaller AA battery holder setup rather than three larger, heavier C batteries.

I installed the MCU held my breath and turned it on. The mech scanned and the MCU inititated. I made several selections and shut it off. Today was just to get to this point. I have a working jukebox. I’ll fine tune it and finish the cosmetics as I can or when I find a chunk of time.