Rock-ola 506 and 507

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    • #370
      starz69
      Participant

      Bought 2 wall boxes off eBay to go into my future mancave / bar

      Picture 1

      Just finished cleaning them up as a stage one, and also found a nice old speaker at the local reclamation yard for £5.

      Hopefully the transformer should be here tomorrow to see if it all lights up

      I’m planning on keeping the coin operation and fitting the wallbox2mp3 unit in a remote box, but also would like to fit a freeplay switch somewhere…I may need some advice on that 😉

      • This topic was modified 8 years ago by starz69. Reason: Trying to link pictures
    • #374
      Scudie
      Participant

      Hello Starz69
      Read your post was wondering if you had been able to download & install the software for the wallbox2mp3 emulator?
      So far I have downloaded the software but it does not appear to have installed on my laptop,I have the latest version of Java installed I don’t know what I am doing wrong, any advice would be appreciated.
      I am also intending keeping the coin mechs& cash boxes in my Wallboxes. l have put the emulator, transformer & 5volt power supply in a wooden box with a couple of speakers in the front. Using telephone cable to connect them.
      Just got to get the software issue sorted!
      Merry Christmas
      Scudie

    • #375
      starz69
      Participant

      Hi Scudie,

      I’ve had no problems with the software, it worked fine…my only small moan…and it is a small one…the play tickets don’t print out in order of the menu so you end up playing jukebox bingo looking for the matching selection.

      My problem is I’ve finally powered the wallbox up and nothing 🙁 got 25v going in but no lights or anything, so on the lookout now for someone who can repair the 506

      Alan

    • #376
      Scudie
      Participant

      Morning Starz69
      Glad to hear that you were able to open the software, my brother in law eventually managed to open the software for me, my laptop is on Windows 7 & apparently some are unable to double click on executable jar files.
      However now that we have accessed the software when I choose the make &model of my wall box and it opens the page to build the listings the page numbers are in the wrong order, so on my 5210 Wurlitzer the page numbers are listed as A1 B1 C1 D1 through to V1 this is also how my Seeburg V3wa 200 select is also set out the same.
      When I choose either of these on the software it lists them as A1 A2 A3 A4 through to A9 A0,which is the way that the pages are listed for a Wurlitzer 5250
      I am not familiar with the Rockola 506 507 but on all of my boxes they have an internal transformer that drops the 25v down to 6volt which powers the lamps if you have a volt meter I would check if that has a supply, also does the box have a service switch? If it has & this is off nothing will happen. I have service manuals for mine got them from Lou at Goodstuffnow.com who has been very helpful.
      Where in the uk are you?
      Happy new year
      Paul

    • #377
      starz69
      Participant

      Hi Paul and Happy New Year,

      I can see the transformer…buried on the left side, I gave up last night trying to reach it without stripping too much away, they didn’t make them very accessible lol but thanks for the info because I did wonder what the output voltage should be, it has 25v to it but can’t reach the output connections.

      I did think about buying a manual for it, my problem is limited time. Work, other projects and hopefully moving house soon is a killer for spare time.

      I’m in Macclesfield by the way

      Alan

    • #378
      Scudie
      Participant

      Hi again
      I guess the voltage of the bulbs may be stamped on them although Americans tend to stamp a gec number on them such as 52 or 55, if they have a number similar to that you can sometimes Google the code and get specs on line.
      Not sure if it will be of any use to you but if you have not already found it there is a schematic diagram of a 507 on this website under the support tag.
      I had a bit of a look at the diagram looks much more complex / electronic than any of my boxes, are they 1970’s? (Mine are all 1950’s)
      There is a local to me Juke box guy called Discamatics who has a very good electronics chap who works for him, if you get really stuck he may be able to help.
      I am in Mansfield Notts
      Regards Paul

    • #379
      starz69
      Participant

      Cheers, I’ve sent him an email…it’s partially working now which is a bonus, it allows you to make the first number of your selection, but still no backlights or second digit selection.

      Yes they’re 70’s boxes, would have liked something earlier but they came up at a good price

      Cheers

      Alan

    • #380
      Scudie
      Participant

      Hi Alan
      Glad to hear that you seem to be getting somewhere with it.Did you mail Mike at Discamatics?
      You can spend hours checking cleaning and solving problems with these old machines my Seeburg was unfortunately incomplete when I bought it, lamps & wiring missing and the dual credit unit had been doctored so you only got one play for 25 cents in stead of three 10 cent selections or two 15cent selections plus the coin mech had been tampered with so it rejected all coins except quarters.

      Wonder if you can advise me on the use of the software, I had ripped some Cd’s using windows media player which I then tried to import into the software Which failed to work, I then realised they had been ripped as Windows audio files, I have subsequently imported these into iTunes & changed them to MP3 files but so far have still not been able to import them to the software. How did you do it ?

      Regards Paul

    • #381
      starz69
      Participant

      You can rip them straight down to mp3 through media player…don’t like iTunes.

      If you open media player and click on Organize tab in the top left, then click options, click the rip music tab, then change rip settings format to mp3 they will rip straight into mp3 rather than the default windows audio.

      He has replied already…send it over but it might be expensive to repair…not a good start lol…might be sending off for the manual.

      Alan

    • #382
      Scudie
      Participant

      Morning Alan
      Thanks for the info about MP3s will give that a try later.
      I guess there is no way of knowing the cost of repairing something like this without first seeing and testing the unit. Do the two Wallboxes share any of the same internal components?
      My experience with the two Wurlitzers I have that although externally they are very similar the 5250 has a central coin slot & takes half dollars the 5210 has two coin slots and and takes nothing larger than a quarter, internally the button bank and transformer appear to be the same but little else.
      I got my manuals sent as PDF then printed them out off of Lou at Goodstuffnow.com not sure if he would be able to help with a manual may be worth sending him a email asking for advice. He has always been very helpful and patient with me even though I have not spent a penny with him.
      Regards Paul

    • #383
      starz69
      Participant

      Hi Paul,

      I’ve bought the manual for both of them now, there isn’t many bits that are compatible. If any one needs a copy and knows how to upload them to the site, I’m happy to share.

      I think I’ve managed to trace the problem down to one of the chips so hopefully it won’t be an arm and a leg

      Regards

      Alan

    • #384
      Scudie
      Participant

      Hello
      Sounds like your making progress with the box, if you struggle to get hold of the parts here in the uk, I have used a guy called Bill Butterfield in the states for spares, ones that I have not been able to locate in Europe his email is mffe@napanet.net postage from the states can be a bit steep, but spares are obviously more plentiful.
      I know Mike at Discamatics has a few Seeburg Dec units in storage I could pop in and ask if he has any spares for a Rockola 506.
      Am going to give the MP3s another crack tomorrow.
      Regards Paul

    • #385
      starz69
      Participant

      Cheers for the info, I’m going to try and get over to Discomatics in the next week or two. Safer to take it there than use a courier.

      Powered the 507 up tonight, everything was going well…select 1, select 2, select 3….buzzing noise and a warm smell followed by everything going off apart from four bulbs 🙁

      Regards
      Alan

    • #386
      Scudie
      Participant

      Hello Alan
      That’s not what you want to happen & does not sound like good news.
      Have had a go with the software tonight, not sure what if anything I am doing wrong but I was expecting perhaps wrongly to be able import a play list of 200 tracks into the software and then be able to move the tracks around so as to pair up tracks by the same artist, so as to create A & B sides. So far I have only been able to import three tracks indervidually with out any problems when I imported a fourth it overwrote one of the initial three! At this point I shut it all down, I am going to try to start a fresh tomorrow with a different PC & will rip the Cd’s in MP3 format this time. Did you import a single folder that automatically populates the title strip software?
      Have you had any contact from Fabien on this site ? Before I purchased the emulator I had found a email address on here, I contacted him & asked for dimensions of the unit, which he replied to, but since then although I have sent several emails with queries concerning the software problems I was experiencing, asking for advice I have had no response from him or anyone else on behalf of the company.

      Regards Paul

    • #388
      starz69
      Participant

      I’ve only had contact with him once through eBay, I just put all the tracks into one folder then just let the software sort them out because I didn’t want A and B sides, just a random selection.

      I’ve just tried adding 6 tracks using the 506 selection and they went in fine, what selection are you using on the drop down menu and I’ll give it a go tomorrow

      Regards
      Alan

    • #389
      Scudie
      Participant

      Hi Alan
      I have only tried the Seeburg 3wa 200 selection so far to actually build a page list.
      I Have got hold of another PC, I am going to give it a go on with it starting from the beginning, Iam going to do as you suggested and rip from the cd in MP3 format & Not involve I Tunes.
      Fingers crossed
      Cheers Paul

    • #390
      Scudie
      Participant

      Morning Alan
      Progress so far is, have acquired different PC & downloaded the software to it which opens from a short cut on the home page.
      Have changed the way that windows media player rips cd’s to MP3 and also set the quality to high.
      Have ripped two double disc albums and checked that they are in MP3 format.
      I can get any one of the four discs to populate the software but when I introduce another instead of adding it to it it replaces the first not sure what I am doing wrong.
      How do I put all four discs into one folder? Then I could import them allat the same time?
      Regards
      Paul

    • #391
      starz69
      Participant

      Hi Paul,

      So you have progress…I can see what you’re doing wrong, all the tracks must be in one folder. When you are asking it to import from folder it is expecting to populate the whole playlist, when you choose another folder it will start again from the beginning and hence the reason it’s overwriting.

      You have two choices,

      a) put all the songs in a single folder, create a folder that you are going to use as your master folder. Then copy all the songs from the first album, paste these into your master folder. Go back to the next music folder and repeat, copy all tracks and paste into your master folder. When you have enough tracks in your master folder then import them into the playlist. This will import them in a random order and not necessarily in the order you want them.

      b) more time consuming but if you want a particular order and matching a side to b side…copy and paste the songs into the master folder as above. When you have enough songs in the folder then you will have to use the selection menu builder, for want of a better description….and then choose one track at a time and load it into the list. So selection 1 in slot 1, selection 2 in 2 etc. etc. If you need to move them then use the arrows up and down in the middle to change the order. If you decide that you don’t want a particular song, you cant delete it, but what you can do is load another song into that position and it will overwrite the original.

      Hope that helps, give it a try and if you have any problems let me know.

      Hopefully my boxes will be going away for repair this week, I wanted to make sure the mp3 player was working ok though so the guy can test everything. Just hooked it up to some old PC speakers and set it to random play after 30 seconds….worked a treat 🙂

      Alan

    • #392
      Scudie
      Participant

      Hello Alan
      Many thanks for the information I will have another go Wednesday night.

      Ok does it matter where I create this master folder ? do I create this folder in windows media player or documents, or on the page that has all my short cuts on (home page)
      Once I have ripped a cd & I can see the album in the list of albums in media player,is it as simple as right clicking on the album image selecting copy then going to the folder and pasting it to it?
      If I do as in example A and import all the tracks at once could I then move them using the arrow keys?

      Are you taking both of your boxes over to Mike at Discamatics?
      Do you know when you will be taking them?

      Kind Regards Paul

    • #394
      starz69
      Participant

      Hi Paul,

      Sorry I’ve been working away and busy so haven’t had a chance to catch up….

      In answer to your questions, no it doesn’t matter where you have the master folder but the way the software works, you need to navigate everytime for every song back to that folder…again the software is a bit clumsy in that respect and time consuming.

      Media player will rip each cd down to it’s own folder within your music folder, assuming you have pointed media player to rip music to your music documents.

      With regards to copying and pasting, you will probably need to go to the actual folder that holds the ripped music and copy it from there. I’ve never tried doing it the way you suggest so couldn’t advise doing it that way.

      Once they are all in then yes you can just move the selections using the arrows.

      I ended up taking them to The Juke of Shrewsbury, I found him by word of mouth and specialises in old electronics, so fingers crossed he says he will get back to me in a few weeks.

      Regards

      Alan

    • #395
      Scudie
      Participant

      Hi Alan
      I have done as you said an created a master music folder and have figuered how to put MP3 files into it & how to organise the files by artist name, which is making it easier to delete any duplicates that I have mistakenly put in there.
      Do you know if is possible to edit the names of the artist when they are in the folder ?
      I have had been in touch with Fabien about the issues I have encountered concerning the way that my wallbox pages are set out & that it does not match how it is set out in the software sounds like he has been very busy of late.
      Have just bought another wallbox off eBay a Seeburg sc1 consolette that is missing the coin mech & box also its internal speakers, I think I am going to try & fit the parts inside this one as there should be enough space inside, due to it being incomplete.

      Glad to hear that you found somebody to look at your two boxes fingers crossed they can be fixed easily and economically.

      Regards Paul

    • #396
      starz69
      Participant

      Hi Paul,

      That’s good news then…

      In answer to your question “Do you know if is possible to edit the names of the artist when they are in the folder ?”

      Yes quite easily….

      1) Go to the folder and left click with your mouse on the track you want to modify
      2) When it highlights then right click with your mouse on the track
      3) From the pop up menu, the bottom choice will be properties – click properties
      4) When the properties pop up box appears, choose the Details tab at the top
      5) The top will be description – click in the “title” box and change the name of the track to what you want
      6) In the section media you will see a section “contributing artist” – click in the box and change the name of who it’s by
      7) Once you’ve made your changes, click “apply” at the bottom…then click ok

      Job done

      That will change the details, but if you have already put that track in your playlist you may need to delete it from the list and add it back in….I’m saying possibly as I don’t think wall2mp3 software will update it without reading it back in again.

      It’s kind of addictive…I’m looking at a Rockola 477 base unit…the guy wants more for the wallbox than his jukebox…I’m thinking it might fit in the corner of my room lol

      Regards

      Alan

    • #397
      Scudie
      Participant

      Hello Alan
      Thanks for the information will give it a go, sounds like you know what your doing with computers.
      The 477 is a Jukebox isn’t it?
      Why not if you have the room, mine sits in the conservatory it looks stunning in the dark when lit up (my opinion) only problem with them is you end up with the majority of the B sides that you don’t really want to listen to.Unless you are able to buy double a side records.
      Have you seen the hideaway unit on eBay item number is 272522578529 is complete with a working 506/ 507 he has the hideaway in his atic.
      Only bought the Consolette because it was cheap & I wanted another to play with when the 5250 is finished.

      Regards Paul

    • #398
      starz69
      Participant

      With work and as an interest I have found my way around computer software over the years…

      Yes the 477 is a 1970’s jukebox, I looked at that one on eBay the other day, the outer box is homemade and the 507 wallbox is rough with a capital R.

      I know what you mean about the vinyl verses mp3 bit…I’m just torn at the minute because he wants £150 for the box…or £110 for the mp3 plus transformer…I’ll need to think a bit more.

      Good luck with the changes…if you get stuck let me know and I’ll do some screen shots 🙂

      Alan

    • #399
      Scudie
      Participant

      Hello Alan
      So have you bought the jukebox yet? Any news on the 506 507 repairs?
      I think I have the hang of it now thanks to your advice I have managed to edit names of artists, and I have now got a folder with 200 tracks in it, I have mostly been able to organise the files in alphabetical order, thinking that when I imported the folder into the software that it would populate the play list in the same manner ie alphabetically, it just shows how wrong I can be as it mixes them up all over the shop. As I want to organise the songs as if they were A & B sides of a single it looks like it’s going to be a lot of mouse clicking to pair them all back up.
      Where did you buy your 25v transformers? Did you get one like the one shown on here that looks like a doughnut, if so did it come with the mounting washers and insulated washer? I Have seen them in the RS catalogue but it doesn’t show any mountings insulated or otherwise.

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