Working on restoring a non-selective ristaucrat and I'm puzzled about 2 cut off switches for the tone arm wiring. One cut off switch is a combination leaf switch in the front that also serves as the turntable power cutoff if no credits remain. The second cutoff is also a leaf switch that is currently activated during the record change. What puzzles me is that these switches are closed -making connection- when the system is inactive (switch 1 when power to the tt motor is cut b/c of no remaining credits and switch 2 during record exchange) while both these switches are open during record play. If anyone has any insights in this please let me know. I can find ways to bypass these switches but I prefer to hook everything up as intended. I suspect that leafswitch #2 should be closed during playing and should be opened during the record exchange. Those leafs were bent apart by a previous owner who did some creative bypassing. The other thing I don't quite get is why there would be two cut-off switches for the sound. Wouldn't one suffice? Thank you! Hans
Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone Get Outlook for Androidhttps://aka.ms/AAb9ysg
Open during play makes sense, the contacts are probably wired to short across the cartridge output connections to mute the output. If there's two switches as you say, they are probably wired in parallel, so either switch closed will lead to silence.
I can't directly make sense of having two switches, either, but maybe the TT motor can get shut off when the mechanism isn't in a change cycle, so the mech is in play position, and they wanted the system to be immune from hum, noise from being bumped, etc., in this state?
--> Steve
On Wed, Jul 29, 2026 at 06:50:22PM +0000, Hans Minderman via Jukebox-list wrote:
Working on restoring a non-selective ristaucrat and I'm puzzled about 2 cut off switches for the tone arm wiring. One cut off switch is a combination leaf switch in the front that also serves as the turntable power cutoff if no credits remain. The second cutoff is also a leaf switch that is currently activated during the record change. What puzzles me is that these switches are closed -making connection- when the system is inactive (switch 1 when power to the tt motor is cut b/c of no remaining credits and switch 2 during record exchange) while both these switches are open during record play. If anyone has any insights in this please let me know. I can find ways to bypass these switches but I prefer to hook everything up as intended. I suspect that leafswitch #2 should be closed during playing and should be opened during the record exchange. Those leafs were bent apart by a previous owner who did some creative bypassing. The other thing I don't quite get is why there would be two c ut-off switches for the sound. Wouldn't one suffice? Thank you! Hans
Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone Get Outlook for Androidhttps://aka.ms/AAb9ysg _______________________________________________ Jukebox-list mailing list -- jukebox-list@lists.netlojix.com To unsubscribe send an email to jukebox-list-leave@lists.netlojix.com %(web_page_url)slistinfo%(cgiext)s/%(_internal_name)s Searchable Archives: http://jukebox.markmail.org/
On 7/29/26 11:50, Hans Minderman via Jukebox-list wrote:
Working on restoring a non-selective ristaucrat and I'm puzzled about 2 cut off switches for the tone arm wiring. One cut off switch is a combination leaf switch in the front that also serves as the turntable power cutoff if no credits remain. The second cutoff is also a leaf switch that is currently activated during the record change. What puzzles me is that these switches are closed -making connection- when the system is inactive (switch 1 when power to the tt motor is cut b/c of no remaining credits and switch 2 during record exchange) while both these switches are open during record play. If anyone has any insights in this please let me know.
The switches should be wired in parallel with each other and across the cartridge wiring. When in a change cycle or idle, the switches short out the cartridge, muting the output.
With the high impedances of crystal and ceramic cartridges, this is preferred to simply disconnecting the cartridge. Leaving it open can act like an antenna and introduce hum and noise.
Thank you Steve and Jay, it makes sense now. I did not realize that shorting the wires could serve as a mute switch. It now also makes sense that there are 2 switches. When no credits are left the mechanism puts the tone arm at the start of next record leaving switch 2 open but switch 1 turns off the power to the tt motor and also closes the contact of the tone arm wires (mute). When a credit is established, switch 1 opens restoring the power to the tt and opening the tone arm wires at switch 1 unmuting the sound. Switch 2 was already open so the whole system is unmuted. At the end of the record, if there are still credits left, switch 1 stays open but the switching to the next record temporarily closes switch 2 and mutes the system until the start of the next record. Neat!
Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone Get Outlook for Androidhttps://aka.ms/AAb9ysg ________________________________ From: Jay Hennigan via Jukebox-list jukebox-list@lists.netlojix.com Sent: Wednesday, 29 July 2026 17:33:40 To: jukebox-list@lists.netlojix.com jukebox-list@lists.netlojix.com Cc: jay@west.net jay@west.net Subject: [Jukebox-list] Re: Ristaucrat non-select
On 7/29/26 11:50, Hans Minderman via Jukebox-list wrote:
Working on restoring a non-selective ristaucrat and I'm puzzled about 2 cut off switches for the tone arm wiring. One cut off switch is a combination leaf switch in the front that also serves as the turntable power cutoff if no credits remain. The second cutoff is also a leaf switch that is currently activated during the record change. What puzzles me is that these switches are closed -making connection- when the system is inactive (switch 1 when power to the tt motor is cut b/c of no remaining credits and switch 2 during record exchange) while both these switches are open during record play. If anyone has any insights in this please let me know.
The switches should be wired in parallel with each other and across the cartridge wiring. When in a change cycle or idle, the switches short out the cartridge, muting the output.
With the high impedances of crystal and ceramic cartridges, this is preferred to simply disconnecting the cartridge. Leaving it open can act like an antenna and introduce hum and noise.
-- Jay Hennigan - jay@west.net Network Engineering - CCIE #7880 503 897-8550 - WB6RDV
_______________________________________________ Jukebox-list mailing list -- jukebox-list@lists.netlojix.com To unsubscribe send an email to jukebox-list-leave@lists.netlojix.com %(web_page_url)slistinfo%(cgiext)s/%(_internal_name)s Searchable Archives: http://jukebox.markmail.org/
jukebox-list@lists.netlojix.com
-
Hans Minderman -
jay＠west.net -
Steve Wahl