Project: 1959 Silvertone Syntronic


I decided to fire-up and take a listen to this 60-year-old record player I inherited. The motor works, but a few bits were in bad shape. I ordered a new belt and needle for it. Replacement idler wheels are expensive, so I figured I'd try to print one.

The basic design is a copy of the existing idler wheel with a 2" torus cut-out for an o-ring. I adjusted the final fit making the hole 0.7mm larger than the shaft. I printed it at 50% infill with eSun PLA+ while I waited for the other parts to arrive. For o-rings, I paid a buck each.

Next I need to trace wiring the tone-arm to the pre-amp. I got a $17 Pfanstiehl ceramic cartridge from V-M Audio Enthusiasts - which uses different connectors. I read that USB wire will make a good shielded 4-conductor.

Looking at this machine, it got me thinking about the expected lifetime of various materials. Rubber clearly doesn't last 60 years, but they built these parts to be serviceable. If antiques are what's left after all the broken crap gets thrown out - makes me wonder what from 2019 will still be working in 2079.

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