Lenco demonstrator

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cressy
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#91 Re: Lenco demonstrator

Post by cressy »

One record side played and the rundown time is up to 3 minutes 25 seconds. No bearing noise and the idler noise is reduce quite alot with the Teflon washers in place

Used level 42 again for the torture tracks. If there were going to be any problems show up, the first side will show it up within 30 seconds. Particularly the tracks '43' and 'almost there'

Thank God for that
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Mike H
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#92 Re: Lenco demonstrator

Post by Mike H »

:thumbleft:
 
"No matter how fast light travels it finds that the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it."
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cressy
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#93 Re: Lenco demonstrator

Post by cressy »

Right. So mechanically the only thing left to do with this build is to strip and rebuild the motor. I don't think there are any horrors lurking in it, as it seems fine as it is.
The list of jobs completed is as follows.

1. Replace motor with non buggered one
2. Replace bearing with non buggered one
3. Replace main bearing bushes
4. Replace thrust pad and ball in main bearing
5. Replace on off lever
6. Replace on off lever bush
7. Replace idler wheel
8. Replace idler washers with Teflon ones
9. Cut and shape deck plate
10. Repair all linkages
11. Paint all linkage bars and deck plate
12. Modify on off linkage
13. Make link bar for modified on off linkage
14. Rebuild motor unit onto modified deck plate
15. Built plinth
16. Make trim ring
17. Make arm board
18. paint trim ring and armboard
19. Paint plinth interior and undersides
20. Fit threaded inserts for feet
21. Rebuild idler arm
22. Polish outer rim of platter
23. Clean up drive surface of platter underside
24. Mount motor unit in plinth for test
25. Mount armboard for test
26. Mount trim ring for test
27. Mount arm for test
28. Adjust on off linkage switch engagement position
29. Get frustrated
30. Sort out issues

Left to do
1. Strip motor and rebuild
2. Strip entry deck back down
3. Seal plinth with sanding sealer
4. Veneer plinth
5. Make earth lead
6. Fit switched fused iec socket.

There will be some bits I've missed, but this shows the mission this one has been. And its cost me alot more than it would have if it had been a good one in the first place, there would have been no need for a new bearing, idler, on off lever and bush, bearing bushes, washers for the idler or a new motor. At least the motor was free.
Id say there is about 40 hours in it so far, more to come with the veneering ect to still be done.

Im still toying with fitting a brace under the bearing as I built the plinth to accommodate this mod, bearing in mind that it was supposed to be built using standard bits. But that went out the window when i had to start replacing the knackered bits with new remanufactured ones. However the design for bracing the bearing I have in mind will mean that it can be adjusted away anyway, so I might just do it.

Im sick of the sight of it now........
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Mike H
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#94 Re: Lenco demonstrator

Post by Mike H »

I like #29 .. Image

So it's like a broom that's had a new handle AND a new head. :D
 
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cressy
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#95 Re: Lenco demonstrator

Post by cressy »

Exactly. Its triggers brush. The bits that actually make it work have all been replaced.
The bearing took 4 minutes 23 seconds to stop after the last set of records so i think that should be classed as a success
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IslandPink
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#96 Re: Lenco demonstrator

Post by IslandPink »

Sounds like a really nice unit now - sympathies with the work and the frustration - give it a couple of days and admire your handiwork.
"Once you find out ... the Circumstances ; then you can go out"
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cressy
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#97 Re: Lenco demonstrator

Post by cressy »

I think I will
Just hope it was worth it and that it does what it was built for
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cressy
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#98 Re: Lenco demonstrator

Post by cressy »

Ok so the veneer I bought has been sat for a couple of days and is good to go on.
This is a different type of veneer that i usually use, having used the contact cement method and the iron on method. This time I have decided to try a peel and stick type. The reason for this is that i saw some bright green, red and orange stained oak veneer of this type and thought it was groovy.
As the deck will not, or should I say should not be subjected to heavy wear from handling, moisture or temperature changes as for example a kitchen cabinet door might, i thought id give it a try.
This stuff has a pressure activated adhesive applied to a paper backed veneer which means that it can be obtained in wider widths than iron on, meaning no joints it the top veneered surface which can be a pig to do on this plinth as the join is over the hole for the motor unit which makes lining it up correctly abit hit and miss. It won't suffer from shrinkage from being heated up by an iron, or potential swelling and shrinkage from using a wet glue.
It looks to be a very stable, and ideal for this application.
It is applied basically like a big sticker, its abit tacky when the backing is taken off. It then needs a relatively high pressure applied to achieve the best bond.
This is done with either a veneer scraper which has a thin blade, abit like a windscreen ice scraper, or a wooden block.
Basically, you lay it on and then tow on it with as much force as you can.
The difference is that with contact cement or iron on it will take on a porous surface perfectly well, but this stuff requires the surface to be sealed.
Speaking to the bloke at the company I got it from, he says that a coat of paint or clear coat over the plinth will seal it nicely.
Id rather spray on a sealant than brush it on as ripples in the surface finish of the bare plinth will show on the veneer surface to a degree, and given the amount of work that has had to go in so far I really don't want that.

Abit of a gamble to try a new method, but its all a learning process, if it looks a bugger I can always go over the top of it with something else. If it works well, I can get some of the groovy bright green stuff too :D
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Toppsy
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#99 Re: Lenco demonstrator

Post by Toppsy »

Ant,
what sort of price are you expecting to sell these refurb'd Lenco decks?
I am at all familiar with the different Lenco deck models but looking at Lenco decks for sale on Ebay they appear to go for anything from £40 up to £400 with average hovering around £150 to £250.

With all the hard work you have put into this deck (and what you have done is top notch) disregarding the money you have spent to date getting it to the finely fettled state you have achieved with this build and the around 50+ hours of labour, you would have to achieve a pre tax profit of more than £360 just to achieve minimum working wage? So a likely selling price in excess of £500? Are folk willing to pay this sort of money for a Lenco? I don't know but hope there is a market for your decks at this price. I know from experience it is difficult to get a living wage not the least minimum hourly working wage trying to sell my speakers that seem to get good press.

I do hope this venture works out for you but if each build takes 50+ hours??
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cressy
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#100 Re: Lenco demonstrator

Post by cressy »

Hi Colin, the thing with this one is that it has been built out of a lenco that was essentially a complete write off.
The reason I chose this one out of the 2 i have was that I wanted to see wether it was possible to save one in such a bad state. The other one I have isn't pristine but it has none of the problems that this one had.
The other 2 that my dad and simon have averaged about 20 to 25 hours to build, and alot of that was working out how to do things. Now I've built this one i think I've worked all the kinks out and have a standard template to work from. I reckon It would be around 15 to 20 hours to build one from a donor in good working condition now I know what I know from fighting with this one. There was probably 4 hours just in cleaning up and painting all the linkages which was only necessary due to the condition they were in

To he honest if someone came to me with a deck in the state this one was in i would either say no, or charge a load more than usual if they really wanted it done as it is not worth anything like the time I have put into it.
This one being a demonstrator is worth the time as it is now about as good as I can build one using standard bits ( bar the idler wheel of course) and mechanically has had everything possible done as it seems to have had everything possible wrong with it.
And the other one I have is good to go when another one is wanted if somebody doesn't have a donor

I do the other stuff aswell such as the chassis and the preamps and other bits and bobs, these are partly an attempt to diversify and partly a chance to do something i really love to do :D
Cheers ant
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cressy
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#101 Re: Lenco demonstrator

Post by cressy »

Veneering started
Image

Half way there
Image

Trimmed
Image

Oiled and dry built
Image

Just needs a polish and I can get it finished
Image

I'll have to take some better pics of it tomorrow, the light in the room is weird at night
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Nick
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#102 Re: Lenco demonstrator

Post by Nick »

WRT commercial use of the lenco

http://www.inspirehifi.co.uk/enigma.html
Whenever an honest man discovers that he's mistaken, he will either cease to be mistaken or he will cease to be honest.
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Ali Tait
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#103 Re: Lenco demonstrator

Post by Ali Tait »

Looking good Ant.
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IslandPink
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#104 Re: Lenco demonstrator

Post by IslandPink »

There's a word I'm looking for. It's on the tip of my tongue ..... Dave ?
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Dave the bass
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#105 Re: Lenco demonstrator

Post by Dave the bass »

Sh.......Sh......Sho......... Bill Oddie!?
"The fat bourgeois and his doppelganger"
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