Wow and flutter on Edison Triumph D

[37mogman]

I have just joined the board to get some advice on a problem I have with an Edison Triumph D phonograph I purchased recently.   I am not a machine collector but a music enthusiast and I bought the machine to play my British Music Hall cylinders which i have been acquiring over the last 15+ years.  In other words I wish to get the best sound from the cylinders I can.  The problem i have is 'wavering' or 'wow and flutter'.  I've listened to a lot of cylinders being played acoustically on youtube and they don't seem to have this problem.  Could anyone advise where the problem may be with the machine?  Overall the machine is in excellent condition so it has obviously been looked after.  I've read somewhere that the governers on the triumphs can cause problems although I wouldn't know how to recognise this.  Any advise much appreciated.

[lucius1958]

Hi: welcome to the board!

First off, you should probably disassemble, clean, and re-lubricate the machine, if it hasn't recently been restored.

Now, speed variations may have a number of causes.

If the cylinder itself is out of round, or is not quite true on the mandrel, you are going to get flutter. (You can see whether this is so, while watching the machine in action).

Any slight irregularity in the mandrel bearing may affect playback: if it were any worse, the mandrel would not turn at all.

Belt tension is important.

Finally, there is the governor. If it is clean and properly lubricated, and you still have flutter, check these points:

- Is there too much play in the bearings? End play can be adjusted by tweaking the bearings: but side play would indicate those bearings are worn, and need to be replaced.

- Are the weights all properly adjusted? Under a strobe, or fluorescent light, you should see a nice, concentric circle as it runs: alternatively, you can (carefully) hold a colored pencil or marker close to the weights as they spin. If one of the weights gets marked more than the others, check to see whether it is firmly attached to the spring: if it's loose, tighten it up. One good way to even up the weights is to (slightly) loosen the screws that hold one end of the springs to the shaft. Let the motor run for a few seconds, until the weights reach an equilibrium; then stop the motor and tighten the screws back down.

One other possibility is that the governor disc may have become slightly warped. It is possible for a good technician to get it back to true.

I hope at least some of this post may be of assistance to you.

BillS