Jukebox Wallbox/iPod Conversion

Having been into vinyl jukeboxes for a few years, I've acquired these over the last year.
I'd like to have a "Silver Age" jukebox in the house, but my wife won't have it. So I've two 60/70s machines in our summerhouse. A glorified garden shed is no place to keep a machine which would set me back a few thousand pounds. So I will just have to "suffer it."

These are a "compromise" as she already puts up with my leccy piano and tenor sax in the front room.

The "science" for these, for those still reading and are unfamiliar with this relatively new innovation, is in the YouTube write up.
My music tastes are reflected in the 360 tracks available between the two machines.
The three pages in each of the magazines contain one of Jazz standards, one of Motown and Soul and one of Pop through the ages from the fifties.
The tracks are a selection from my own CDs, some mp3 downloads from the days of Audio Galaxy and more recently, YouTube videos downloaded as mp3s.

 

Thank you for your kind words.
Each wallbox has a capacity of 160 selections. My youngest son having seen mine last year, now has an AMI wallbox from the fifties, installed in their kitchen, but this only has a capacity of 100.
The greatest number would likely be 200, from the last of the vinyl jukeboxes.

Although an iPod can accommodate far more, you're limited to what the total for which the wallbox was designed, given that originally this was dictated by the jukebox or "hideaway" to which it was connected. That's why with two wallboxes I need two iPods.
For me, it beats playing CDs, as you can select anything up to the capacity of the wallbox in any order you choose and it'll play them in order of selection. With CDs' you're constantly "getting up and down" changing them, as I'm sure many like me don't want to hear a whole CD. I can add and subtract recordings to each playlist. I download quite a few recordings from YouTube. I'm a fan of the US TV series "Nashville" so at the moment I've about half a dozen of the songs from the series on one wallbox. But if I get tired of them, it's easy to update the playlist with something else. The title cards are dead easy to produce in minutes, using a free facility from a jukebox enthusiast's site. These adaptions have given a new lease of life to jukebox wallboxes, which couldn't be "given away" a few years ago, but now are snapped up when offered on e-Bay. They are actually being re-introduced to a few diners/restaurants in the USA.

 

Thanks for the interest, all the information is in the write-up in the YouTube video.

But I don't mind giving it again.
Each box requires a 24volt DC power supply to drive the solenoid switches, lights and pulse train motor (it's a similar system to the old fashioned "dial up" telephone). I've an "unseen" transformer which provides this. Then there is a two wire connection from the box to the adapter. Behind each box are two "quick release" two pin connectors so that I can take either box off the shelf if necessary. From these two sets of twin cables pass down the bit of conduit to behind the radiator. Each pair of twin cables can then be connected by other quick release connectors to one set connected to the transformer and the one that passes behind the big unit to the adapter. From the adapter there's a connection to the 9 volt transformer you can see next to it that provides the power for it and charges the iPod. There's a connection to the iPod, one to the "cancel button" and one to the Realistic 3-way stereo selector. I need this, as the connection to the tuner amp and then the speakers, is used for the wallboxes, the record deck, the old cassette deck, the sound from the unseen TV, DVD/CD player and a VHS recorder when I choose.
I may simplify the connections if I can get the 24 volt transformer back that I temporarily loaned my son until he'd got his own equipment for his wallbox. This has two 24 volt outputs. So I'll then be able to turn on both wallboxes at the same time. Then it'll just be a question of swapping over the signal line connections and the iPod when I want to change from one wall box to use the other.
The adapter from Datasync Engineering of New York is quite cute as the code you give the iTunes playlist (instead of calling it Playlist 1 or 2 0r whatever) tells the adapter which make of wallbox you have, either as in this case Rock-Ola, Seeburg, AMI or Wurlitzer. The code also tells it which of the many models of wallbox you have, in my case a "507" and whether you're on 50 or 60 cycles AC. You can add a code to set it for, autoplay, 4-minutes, 20-minutes or continuous, but I don't bother with that. Great isn't it?

 

Cool - great fun I bet.

Excuse me asking - did you source the units in the UK or did you have to import them from the USA?

I'd love to have a setup like this.

Best Wishes,
David

 

Hi David, Sorry I didn't reply earlier, I forgot about this thread.

Both wall boxes I bought on eBay for around seventy quid each, about a year apart. The first (the one on the right) is cosmetically pretty much immaculate, with no pitting of any significance on the chrome. The other is nearly as good.
The first worked "straight out of the box" though I did give all the contacts a clean and the moving parts a bit of lubrication. It was complete with cash box and keys, there wasn't a mark inside the cash box so it must have had very little use. It gives seven plays for an old 50p.
The other is nearly as good. That one didn't work, had no cash box or key. Although the serial numbers are a few thousand apart, the key for the first fits the second and one of my jukeboxes! This is just a happy coincidence. as they are Illinois keys and they are hard to get over here.
The second one needed a bit of persuading to work, but only by giving it the same attention as the other. This one had been converted to "free play" by just disconnecting the credit canceling system. Neither had been used for a couple of decades. The second one came out of a pub in Stretford about thirty years ago and had sat in someone's workshop until I bought it a year ago.

You can get these ready-made up on eBay now. One like mine is on offer for about £600. The vendor is into making these conversions to sell on eBay.
But they use a small amp and the adapter fitted in where the cash box would go and the tiny 3" speakers, you won't be too impressed with the performance. So I don't use the wall box speakers at all.
Wall boxes have suddenly become very popular, because of the availability of these USA adaptors. I found out about them a couple of years ago from someone a USA jukebox message board. Consequently, they don't seem to come up that often and when they do they are often expensive. I'm pretty sure the vendors from whom I bought mine, weren't aware of the possibilities.

I've had this other wall box for a while. As it's non-functioning I changed to over-size speakers. I use it to play mp3s on my laptop.
The technical stuff is in the write- up.




"I've since had permission from the war office" to make the two in our front room a more permanent fixture, with their own dedicated shelf over a radiator. The two pairs of wires from each box is now hidden in trunking that is attached to the top of the skirting boards. Colour-coded connectors make it easy to swop them over.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXFX8TK3tjU

Over Christmas I put a couple full Christmas albums as two individual selections as you can with this system, but it's easy enough to change them for something else.
You can print off the title cards in a variety of styles, fonts and colours from a dedicated free site.

 

Awesome, thanks for sharing. I've been 'looking after' an AMI wall box that I found and had hopes of doing something with for a long time. Started to do a little research and came up with your post. I'm in Manchester, do you know if there is a supplier here in UK now for these adapters? You've given me hope that I can achieve this and for not too much money too.

 

I love this idea!

 

So do I, and I know where I can find a Rock-Ola wall box to do this to.

 

DoghouseRiley

Wonder if you can help?
Have acquired 2 Rockola 507's and hope that I should be able to get one working
so I can carry out an i-pod conversion.
My first job will be to test if either machine will work with power added.
And if at least one does, then I may invest in a manual.
My question is where does the power from my transformer connect to?
Would it be live to the no 1 position on the bottom left? if so where would the neutral connect to?
Many thanks for hopefully an answer
Allan

 

Sorry, I've only just notice your message.

One wire of the 25V AC supply goes to the first terminal on the left and the other to any earth point.

 

Hi I hope to do this conversion on a Seeburg wallbox.I am having no success emailing datasync to get a price for the adaptor shipped to the UK.Have emailed them through their website 3 times without a reply.Do you have an alternative contact address?
Thanks
Mick

 

Have now had a reply and ordered my adaptor!
Mick