Oftentimes, a platter not rotating at the correct speed is simply due to dirt holding it back or too much friction. And the easiest of all is a simple cleaning and routine maintenance. Your best bet is to begin with the easiest solutions and work your way up. The good news is that it is usually a simple fix. This obviously distorts the sound, so it’s something you want to fix. Sometimes the problem is not that your record player won’t spin at all, but that it is spinning too slowly.
How To Fix A Record Player That Spins Too Slow Regular upkeep and oiling also help elongate a record player’s life.
Keeping the appliance clean and free from debris is a good precautionary measure. Regular maintenance is the best way to prevent such issues. While it generally isn’t too difficult to fix these problems by yourself, it can be difficult to figure out which parts need replacement, and then to find the appropriate replacement parts. There is also the probability that the power to the motor is cut off or (ideally, though you’ll feel like an idiot) the player simply isn’t plugged in. A jammed platter or a faulty on and off switch can create problems too. These include debris and dirt stuck in the motor components and shaft. When it comes to direct drive record players, there are numerous possible reasons why the record player might be malfunctioning. Another potential cause for a platter that has stopped spinning could be problems with the internal mechanism of the direct drive motor. With direct drive record players, it can be difficult to locate the issue. Belt issues are common with belt-drive record players like the MMF 1.3 from Music Hall. If, however, the belt has completely withered away, you will have to buy a new one, since it is not possible for a belt drive record player to function properly without one. If the belt is just loose or out of place, you can fix this problem by repositioning or tightening the belt. When the belt is not in its proper place, or is damaged, the platter stops spinning.įor this reason, it is imperative to first understand where the problem lies. If the turntable is a belt drive model (read belt drive vs direct drive), it is possible that the belt has become loose or crumbled away. Always make sure to always reset the arm before you start playing a new record, in order to avoid this issue. This is a surprisingly common problem that has left many users of record players wondering where they went wrong. You should hear a clicking sound to indicate that it has been reset.
If it looks like the tonearm may not be pushed back far enough, simply lift it and move it toward the right hand side. If it is not reset, the player will not spin.
Most manual record players have a tone arm that needs to be pushed back into the reset position for it to work properly. If this is the issue, great! It’s very easy to fix. One possible problem could simply be that the arm has not been reset. While it’s easy to feel like something’s broken inside the record player and that your favorite device can no longer be salvaged, that’s rarely ever the case with a record player that no longer spins. If your record player suddenly stops working, it’s only natural to assume the worst, especially if something like this has never happened before. That is true whether you have a record player with a direct drive turntable or one with a belt drive turntable,įor that reason, I’ve covered some of the basics of the working mechanism of record players to help you diagnose and solve your particular problem more easily. In order to accurately diagnose the issue, it always helps to have an understanding of how a record player works. Record players stop spinning due to a number of reasons.