ZENITH 75
Allen - Hough record changer
This page is preliminary and the links are not working yet. In time I will be adding content to the links. Thanks for reading!
The 1930-31 Zenith model 75 uses a record changer made by the Allen-Hough Carryola Company of Milwaukee Wisconsin.
Unfortunately, there is precious little information about this obscure changer. It exists, that is about it.
I've found a bit in the March 1931 issue of Radio Retailing of an improved model that can play 12" records which the one in the Zenith 75 cannot do at all.
This changer is missing so many parts as they were made with potmetal. They've long since crumbled and were lost. I am fortunate that Robert Barnett was willing to share photos of a working changer! So, there may be hope for this after all. Though dimensions of the missing pieces are not available.
The mechanism is an extremely simple one. It looks as if the raising and movement of the tone arm is entirely done above the deck. A sloped riser comes up, lifts the tone arm. The tone arm slides down the slope and comes in contact with a stationary post. Once the record has dropped, the riser drops allowing the tone arm to slide down the stationary post and onto the record. The post determines the position of landing on the record.
Below deck, the mechanism operates the sloped riser and record eject arm by way of a shaft with a couple cams.
The motor is a "Green Flyer" built by the General Industries Co. of Elyria Ohio. The magnetic pickup appears to be a Webster Electric which was also manufactured in Milwaukee Wisconsin.
Whether or not I can ever make it change records is in question. It is encouraging to see photos of one that does indeed function! The mechanism is simple enough that perhaps with some trial and error and machining, I may be able to do something with it. But that is in the future. I have only a small hobby lathe to work with.
The Zenith radio is complete. It is currently in pieces as the variable capacitor has been disassembled.
A future project.
The following image was sent to me by Robert Barnett. It is NOT my changer.
It does show the missing parts on mine.
Thank you for reading!
Home