Rega Planar 3 - Belt slip

[admin_exported]

Hi,

Yesterday i purchased a second-hand Rega Planar 3 from a local dealer.

Upon getting home and setting up i couldn't get the belt to stay attached between pulley and platter when in the 45rpm mode.

I was informed the belt was recently replaced.

I'm not sure whether the belt is indeed too slack or whether this is plain old pilot error on my behalf.

So currently spinning only LP's but have a couple of thousand 7" singles i'm desperate to audition on my newly acquired Rega.

Any help will be most appreciated.

Thanks

Jon

 

[John Duncan]

I had this problem with a Systemdek but it was a case of getting the suspension aligned better. This shouldn't be an issue with a Rega is it's fixed so I'm at a bit of a loss if the belt has indeed been replaced recently. Are you able to see precisely what happens in terms of the belt slipping off when you engage 45?

 

[CJSF]

You should be able to see why the belt is coming of through the glass platter, remove the felt platter mat.

When I bought my Rega P5 last year as an ex dem., although the belt did not come off, I did not try 45rpm, it was obviously very slack and one could see this and hear it when a record was played. The dealer sent me a new belt without hesitation, however I very soon upgraded the standard belt for the 'Rega white drive belt upgrade'. A much better fit and stable sound IMHO.

The only other way the belt can come off is poor alignment of the pulley and sub platter:? . . . unlikely???

CJSF

 

[Anonymous]

Hi,

Thanks for the responses.

I was informed the belt had been replaced by the dealer.

When i move the belt from the top rung of the pulley and attach to the lower one for 45rpm playback, i place the belt round the sub-platter and as soon as i power up either with the glass platter on top or without the belt is back off within one revolution.

Things seem ok in 33 1/3rpm mode but for the life of me i can't keep the belt in place for 45rpm playback, with me being new (one day in fact) into ownership of a Rega i'm not sure whether the pulley needs to be re-aligned, i know this can be manually lifted and lowered but doesn't seem to want to sit at any other than the present height.

If you have any other suggestions i would greatly appreciate the help!

Many thanks in advance.

Jon

 

[Frank Harvey]

If you loosens the two screws either side of the pulley, and just pull e pulley slightly further away from the inner platter. Then tighten them again, that may solve the issue.

 

[Lost Angeles]

I presume the dealer told you to spin the platter before you switch the Rega on and leave it running when you change sides or LP.

 

[Anonymous]

Many thanks for your advice, i'll grab a screwdriver and see if moving the pulley away slightly makes a difference.

The dealer never mentioned leaving the platter in motion while changing sides of a record for instance.

Thanks once again for your advice, i'll crack on with moving the pulley now.

 

[Anonymous]

Many thanks for your advice Frank, I have done as you suggested and everything seems to be working great! I'm very happy and can now play my beloved 45's.

Kind regards

Jon

 

[Anonymous]

Just a quick note to say Thank You to all who offered me advice regarding my rega Planar 3 (belt slip). Much appreciated! Problem was resolved by following Frank's advice. :clap: :wave: :cheers:

Jon

 

[StanLee]

Had my Planar 3 since 1984, changed belt a couple of years ago but otherwise it was running perfectly well until a couple of weeks ago when I noticed speed errors and it slowing down. Sometimes the motor even ran backwards on startup!

Checked the following in order:

That the Pully was still tight on motor shaft - Rega glue them on and over time this can loosen - solution is to super glue it back again or insert a foil shim.

That the belt was not contaminated or old or worn and not slipping. Tip: if you have the old 'suspended' motor you can sometimes move on its rubber band backwards away from the spindle to tighten the belt a little. Change anyway if old.

That the turntable main bearing was not sticking, had sufficient Hypo Gear Oil and the ball bearing was present and not unduly worn. Clean out bearing/ball and re-oil anyway if it has not been done for many years.

After all this the motor would still sometimes run backwards and after playing a disc for about an hour would get slower and slower and slower! Just about to consign the motor to the bin and get the new super duper 24v DC 'upgrade' kit (for £129.00!) when spotted someone else who had found that the problem was actually due to a failed motor PCB Capacitor. Duly inspected mine and sure enough the 30 year old Cap was clearly kaput!

This was the source of the problem and a new Cap is about £3 or so and would be really easy to fit.

In my case I liked the idea of the new upgrade kit, better speed stability etc. so did get this eventually and would recommend it if you want to revive a tired old Planar 3, but you could just swap in a new Capacitor for a few quid if cost of upgrade is prohibitive.