Dual 505-2: Complete Service Part 2

Let's tackle the motor actuator switch, general lubrication and setup in this video.

[@graysonhoang3126]

Thanks for this series. Helped me revive my 505-2 that I inherited. Would have been totally lost without it. I found the video very detailed, paced well without skipping over steps or instructions. Definitely one of the best video diy tutorials out there.

[@badboo82]

Thanks a lot for making these videos. I just restored a 505-2 following your service videos and it went perfect and fully functional now. I found this 505-2 at a thrift store a year ago and was sittting in my basement waiting for a service, and right now I am listening to it.

[@williammartin6157]

I bought my Dual 505-2 in 1987 and, after many years good use, it stopped working. It's now back in action thanks to your very clear video - it was a sticky switch problem.

[@rmle23]

Very useful video, at this moment I´m refurbish a old Dual 505-04 and this video helps a lot. I see also the chapter one, thanks for sharing.

[@jamieneath2894]

Both parts of this have been great and well worth the watch. Thank you so much!

[@ChazzMetal]

I had one of these laying around and I've been dying to get it fixed. Thanks to you video, I got it fully restored and ready to go. Thank you so much!

[@jerryspeier9231]

This is great. I bought mine in 1985 and it has served me well, but it's time for a new belt and whatever else that shows up. Thanks for doing these!

[@derin111]

Excellent! I have one of these that I bought new whilst at university in about 1985. It’s been in a box, unused for AT LEAST 25 years. I plugged it in a couple of days ago and……nothing! Dead as a Dodo. I was on the point of either just dumping it or sticking it on Ebay at 99p No Reserve as ‘For Parts/Not Working’. But, I thought maybe there’s just some trouble-shooting checklist and found these two videos. I followed them to the letter, found that speed adjust belt was completely broken along the way, did all of the rest of the service and replaced that belt as described and also put on a new main belt and….it works! Amazing! Nearly 40 years old and it, the Marantz CD52 and the NAD 3155 Integrated Amplifier that I bought all at the same time still work perfectly! Thanks for the videos!

[@TurntableGuy]

Nice!

[@garryriley9203]

Very informative, a great help in restoring a CS505-3. I also had problems with the power supply burning up, replacing the capacitors cured this issue.

[@PhejutaWichasha]

Brilliant presentation of repairing DAL 505

[@mrhappy4982]

I had my 505 in storage for 10 years .. it did not work . From both part one and two. Done the motor. Done the switch. Now starts but sometimes runs in reverse. Replaced the capacitors on the motor PCB. All working again. Thank you. Music to my ears.

[@williammarchant2920]

Absolutely brilliant videos - thank you so much. I followed your instructions along with the vid. Great! I had exactly the same little challenges as you and hearing/watching you struggle to undo motor boxes etc made me confident I was doing it right as I had the same struggles!

[@highonpropane1213]

Thank you for the video! I was able to fix my 505-4 that had been in the attic for 13 years.

[@jeronronnunkoffunk4691]

Great video, have had some experience with some of the 6xx series and some of the other5xx series , was recently gifted this exact model, I am having success with everything else. I lubricated some pivot points, this has been helpful as I am having trouble with the speed selection it’s not fully engaging from 45 to 33, and I will have to order a pitch belt as the original is gone , probably from rotting away like I’ve seen on the other similar models. Great work and informative 👍🏽👍🏽🔥

[@Arni_Klbg]

Excellent Video. Helped me so much. Thanks!

[@ripley2651]

id reccomend a recap of these turntables after all this time as well. their power supply contains 2 x class rifa safety capacitors, notorious for bulging and going inoperative after years of disuse.

[@jamiewhite4238]

This Dual 505-2 Service is incredible! I watched both videos and I am now tempted to service my 505-2. Could you possibly give me a run down of the exact tools I would need, you have some very precise tools for removing and tightening the tiny parts eg springs, nuts etc Also the kind of synthetic grease you used when lubricating the switch, and the one you used on the main bearing under the sub-platter that seemed to be in some kind of trigger container? Thanks for putting these videos up, they are great!

[@anthonywillis5249]

Very interesting. I have just got one of these for nothing as my neighbour was throwing it out. I found it abandoned outside. I took it in and it worked OK-ish but there was a terrible hum coming through the amplifier. After asking a friend he said it was an earthing issue. Anyway I was taking it apart to check the wires only to break the steel strip that helps to change the RPM speed. Can this be fixed or should I trash it?

[@TurntableGuy]

Just manually set it at 33 and keep it.

[@jeronronnunkoffunk4691]

Good video man, I’m in strange spot with a dual 505-2 , I’ve came pretty far with it then the lever to change speeds from 45 to 33 it gets stuck in between until I nudge the mechanism attached to the tempered spring then the belt moves up to 33, going from 33 to 45 is no problem!!! I’ve cleaned and oiled the surfaces but to no avail same results and this is with new tight belts. And also I’ve now run into an issue where the platter doesn’t stop at the end of travel. could you maybe explain where I may have gone wrong because I am frustrated and lost my patience and if my buddy who’s a good tech had not stopped me today I can very close to taking this table to the trash bin!

[@virgilkinsley]

Thanks for the walk through. My issue seems to be the opposite of what a lot of videos are addressing. My plate won’t stop spinning. I have to unplug it to get it to stop. Is thre a switch that gets it to stop once the arm goes past a certain point?

[@JeffLevy99]

This video really helped me with a Dual 506 without sub-platter. The only issue I still have is the pitch control... i cant get it quite perfect and it seems to stop at a point in either direction. i.e. the pitch control will only go so far. It sounds fine though.

[@lifer9883]

On both videos can i do same on the 505-1? its okay you answered my question at the end of the video.

[@jimmygbent]

Great video, really informative! I just got a Dual 505 and went to set it up but the dial on the arm has no numbers left on it because they have worn off so I'm struggling to balance it because I don't know the zero point/baseline and the dial will just turn and turn in both directions. Any advice?

[@TurntableGuy]

Get yourself a digital scale. They are invaluable.

[@chrisharding5447]

Yes. I gotta get one myself...

[@hidingyouth4u]

Hello. Greetings from India. Thanks a lot for these two videos. The auto stop function does not seem to work on my 505-2. Any direction on what could be wrong or how to fix it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot in advance.

[@TurntableGuy]

Probably sticky grease near the speed changer/stop mechanism.

[@derin111]

As per my other comment, your extremely clear and helpful videos have helped me resurrect my 505-2 after cleaning, oiling and renewing the belts as you described. I thought it was working perfectly, however, today I’ve realised that it only allows 33 and doesn’t change to 45 speed when selected. What could be the cause of this? Many thanks

[@TurntableGuy]

There is a mechanism under the platter that manually moves the belt from one rung on the motor to another. But, the turntable has to be in motion for that to occur.

[@derin111]

@@TurntableGuyThank you for the reply. I’m going to take it all apart to check again this evening.

[@eah4187]

Thanks for a great informative vid. Concerning the homemade pitch belt, I was thinking of using a strip from an appropriate sized innertube. Do you think it would work?

[@lifer9883]

i received my dual 505-1 today, serviced it and added some oil to bearings, looked at back of turntable and it has an earth pin and a three pin din, i am confused, how do i connect turntable with a three pin din connector to preamp?

[@cockeygit5473]

Great video for the Dual 505. Do you happen to have worked on a Sony PS-X60? I have a real issue with the tonearm returning to rest but not lowering until you press start again. I'm stumped so any suggestions are most appreciated.

[@TurntableGuy]

No video on the X60 yet. Service manual should be available at vinylengine.com

[@cockeygit5473]

@@TurntableGuy Yes, I have the full service manual and checked everything within my limited electronic knowledge. Mechanically everything is spot on, I have serviced all parts it plays perfectly but when the tonearm returns it will not lower to rest until you start it again. It's a fabulous turntable and I can live with it not lowering but it would be nice to get to the bottom of it.

[@TurntableGuy]

@@cockeygit5473 I'd say the auto-return is not fully disengaging. Look for an arm that presses up on the arm lifter within the turntable.

[@the.record.collective]

I have this exact model and I followed your video, the tone arm doesn’t come down or up when I move the lever, I’ve looked at your two videos and I couldn’t find a missing piece, but I may be missing something, any advice please? Thank you

[@sethmarlow5352]

So helpful, thanks. I have a recently acquired 510 that has some kind of actuator issue where it starts turning when the arm is lifted but as soon as the platter starts turning it turns itself off. This only happens with the platter on. If anyone has ideas about this, I’d appreciate them.

[@umeshupadhyay...]

What is the difference between the dual models of 505,505 1,2 3 4.

[@derekzimmerman988]

Any idea where I can get a replacement dust cover for the cs 505-2? Doing a job for an older couple and he had this record player sitting in a old oak stereo cabinet. Asked if he was interested in selling it and he actually ended up giving it to me for free. Now i just wanna clean her up and service everything and the top dust cover is cracked. Id really love to replace it. Thanks in advance for any guidance.

[@TurntableGuy]

Ebay?

[@allanwales]

Hey, i have inherited an almost new-like cs505-3...plugged it in and it's dead....checked the fuse, no issues there....does this need the ground connector to be connected to work? I haven't bought an amp as yet, as only just inherited it!! Many thanks. :)

[@TurntableGuy]

No the ground is only for audio. You need to check power supply voltages. Download service manual at vinylengine.com

[@manmane]

Hi Turntable guy, I have just acquired a 505-4 and I am trying to restore and service it using your expert tutorial . When I received the 505-4 its belt had snapped . So I bought a belt , fitted it and I thought I would try it by resetting the actuator switch manually. It started spinning yay but then started smoking . I am hoping this is burning oil ( it smelt like that) and gunk rather than a faulty component resistor capacitor etc. My question is , is this due to several years of non use and lack of servicing. I have read that the components can also produce smoke but it's temporary. Help please before I service it I would love to bring back to life and good service . Thankyou .

[@TurntableGuy]

You probably blew the X-safety capacitor on the power supply.

[@manmane]

​@@TurntableGuy Hi thanks for your reply. I followed your brilliant video and the turntable is working fine (most of the time). When I turned it on after the service it smoked again but guided by another video I allowed it to smoke under supervision and it stopped smoking.... apparently it's storage dust, oil , liquid etc being burnt off by the high temp resistor. Anyways it works but now it has to further issues 1 in 10 times it runs backwards which corrects itself after a reset . 2 There is a hum on one channel when its attached to my receiver and correctly earthed on the Ground post. Any ideas ! When it runs tight it's great mechanically but the hum in one channel is a constant and the occasional reverse spin backwards is just annoying but I can work around that . Any help greatly appreciated 👍🏻

[@TurntableGuy]

@@manmane Running backwards is a cap issue. Change out all the caps on the board. The hum is a bad RCA plug. Look up my videos on cable replacement.

[@manmane]

Thank you , you're a gentleman 👍🏻

[@marcelocampoamor4761]

thank you!

[@gregeroberg3231]

Hello, very helpful, follow up question, I have the exact same machine where the resistor on the PCB gets HOT, smoking hot and the windings of the motor is giving different values, would you say that the motor is toast? The components on the PCB is all ok, they give the correct values. Maybe I need to get a new motor. Would very much appreciate any answer. Thanks.

[@TurntableGuy]

Haven't really heard of that issue yet. I know that these tables do have problems with the capacitors on the main board resulting in a backwards-rotating motor. Perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to replace all the components on the board - it should not be very difficult or expensive.

[@jeffsimon9594]

I had the same issue. Resistor tested in spec with meter so I just kept operating my CS505-1 and the smoking stopped. Apparently the resistor coating soaks up moisture whilst stuck in the shed or attic for two decades while its owner follows the herd and switches to some new trendy format like CD. This moisture usually burns off quickly then all is fine again, though please note if it persists it can mean the resistor is drawing too much current due to a motor or main bearing in need of lubrication. Which TG has brilliantly covered in these clips!

[@spenny6222]

Hi, I'm new to the science of audio so forgive me if this is a stupid question. Why isn't the speed / pitch set with a record on and playing? Surely the tone arm will create some drag, slowing the pitch!

[@TurntableGuy]

The rough adjustment can only be made with the platter off, but once everything is back together, you can definitely adjust the speed with the pitch control when a record is playing.

[@beccalubrin2073]

Hi - I have found be out f these and need to change the stylus/cartridge - can’t work out how to get it off! Can you help? :-)

[@kmartshopper281]

Extremely helpful. I have a 502 and when I bring the tone arm back to the reset position the motor doesn't reset. I have to go past the the tone arm rest in order for it to stop. Do you know if there's an adjustment for this?

[@TurntableGuy]

I would check for dried, sticky grease first. There should be a service manual for download on vinylengine.com

[@MarkRowland-fx8xg]

I have a 505-1 which doesnt turn on. The switch appears to be operating ok. The belt looks fine and the spindle turns freely. Any ideas what this could be. It was working until recently

[@TurntableGuy]

You need to start measuring voltages.

[@MarkRowland-fx8xg]

Now fixed. Was the ground connection which needed a clean. Thanks for your videos which were very useful@@TurntableGuy

[@abrewsterarchitect]

Great vid. I have a dual 502 with a cue lever that is not working, the spring seems to be broken, can you do a video on that?

[@TurntableGuy]

If a 502 ever crosses my bench, I will.

[@coneyblue9349]

Hi, Thank you for these vids, really helpful. I have a 505-2 which had not been used for 20 years +. When I try and play it now, there is only sound from the left channel and this is tiny. Also a slight mains hum. Could this be the stylus or cartridge need replacing? If so, what would you suggest? Many thanks from the UK.

[@TurntableGuy]

RCA plugs are shot. Replace them, or replace the cables altogether.

[@jeffsimon9594]

I had this same issue, turned out to be the cartridge leads no longer making good contact with the cart pins, a bit of gentle jostling brought the sound back. Yet one more issue arising from people neglecting these lovely decks for decades because of the advent of CD.

[@kay-rod7638]

Just wondering, how do you know which oil to use, and for what parts?

[@TurntableGuy]

It depends on the type of oil/grease that was used originally. Some manufacturers spec a certain type of oil for their tables and that can be in the instruction/service manual.

[@kay-rod7638]

I have a Sansui 2050c that the manual call for the oil that came with the turntable, which is long gone. What do I use as a substitute? Thanks

[@TurntableGuy]

@@kay-rod7638 Some 3-in-1 electric motor oil should be fine

[@Какяснималкино]

Tell me why the suorosti does not switch? Is it because of the belt?

[@rickc661]

late here - different but maybe kinda common issue - Thorens TD 240-2 auto T'table with the 'dual ' tonearm.... uses the common tiny 4 wires and cheesy plugs into back of cartridge, not even any insulation tubing for added strength/ durability. ( the design with 4 replaceable 2 inch wires is far superior , SME design ? ) so of course I broke one of the attachment plugs /wires -- I'm 73 hands not so agile -- and now the fairly expensive T'table is worth less than 2 cents. it looks pretty impossible to replace the 4 wires that go inside tonearm down the pivot to a solder connection in back. generic replacement 4 wires sets are easily avail for $ 30. >. do Ya think it is possible to thread new wires thru the tonearm probably starting from the cartridge end so the connecting plugs don't go thru the small dia. tonearm. ??

[@TurntableGuy]

Tonearm wiring replacement can be a nightmare job. I would definitely be using the existing wire to pull the new wires through. Having said that, I have not worked on one of these "new" Thorens.

[@rickc661]

@@TurntableGuy thanks for answer. and super quick. and 'stereo stores' or electronic service places (even TV ) don't exist at least anywhere near here .. >> edit. I did it . sort of. couldn't pull the original wires thru , apparently without actually removing the arm assembly (no way ) So ran new 4 tiny wire set from head shell outside the tonearm then down to wind / solder to the bare ends of the cables out to rca jacks. actually works, well on 3 rd attempt. hack job but the semi expensive T'table now works.

[@WinSchutten]

I've been thinking of getting a higher end system. Aside from mavbe a better cartidge, My dual 505 seems pretty good. Except maybe for the crappy RCA cables coming out of it.. Any advice for getting better shielded coax out and replace the stock cables?

[@TurntableGuy]

It's not the cables that's usually the problem with Dual turntables, it's the plugs on the end that fail. The stock cables are well shielded and perform perfectly fine.

[@WinSchutten]

@@TurntableGuy It's going to be the veeery last thing I'll add to my system,. but after Blue Jeans cables, I do wonder if adding special cables on this end do anything.. Other then it just being RCA cables,, the Dual has pretty much all the features I'd want.

[@cathound888]

What sort of strobe disk are you using, and are you using a strobe light in conjunction with it, can’t see any evidence of it in video? If you are using a light which type do you use?

[@TurntableGuy]

You can print off a strobe disk from vinylengine.com. Lighting will have to be 50 or 60Hz, depending on where you are in the world. Strobe effect does not always come across on video.

[@cathound888]

Thanks for such a fast reply🙂, so are you just using the strobe effect fro standard light source in the room (50Hz here in Ireland)? Also thanks for great service video, working my way through an old 505-2 I recently bought. Switch on circuit board was fused together when I bought it. I’ve re capped it, couldn’t get a replacement switch, but discovered you can pop out the switch mechanism and clean the terminals so switch working fine now, I’m sure you probably knew this already 😉

[@len9518]

Why not recheck the speed when you're done? I'm wondering how much effect the weight of the outer platter has, since you set the speed without it. I realize you had no choice.

[@TurntableGuy]

The main platter will not affect the speed, but the stylus pressure on a record will. That's what the pitch control is for.

[@graememorrison333]

Next up. How to service a sticky CS 505 arm... (please!)

[@TurntableGuy]

Remove the plinth from the case and check the underside of the arm. Something is getting caught in the start mechanism.

[@graememorrison333]

@@TurntableGuy Wow! what a speedy response! I've done that and squirted things with lube, but so far, no good. Will go for a further examination later.

[@dannyyy1012]

Have you ever resolved a persistent hum issue on these models? I have a 505-3 and a 506 which both have a hum when connected to an amp. Checked everything and made connections with the ground wires in various ways. Only thing is to swap for a more shielded cinch cable because when I get near the cable with my hands, the hum increases :( When working, nice enough TT, but with hum issues, oh boy...

[@TurntableGuy]

Hum can be the most difficult thing to track down and eliminate. Perhaps it is your cartridge?

[@johansandman1688]

Definitely sounds like the cable, change it. You can test with only one cable in and bend it and listen for hum if it changes, then you found the problem. Check the ground wire inside that its securely connected to the chassis. Or maybe broken also?

[@eah4187]

I have same problem, ground wire doesn't seem to be doing its job.

[@petecollins4925]

New phono and ground cables and new RCA's eliminated all of my hum problems.

[@Dee.J.Mogfry]

​@eah4187 110% rca cables! I upgraded mine...don't use the standard ones as they ain't that good.

[@joemartin6439]

What the best way to contact you in BC

[@mf1932]

Another excellent episode! OT and I know I sort of asked you about this before, but I was curious about your experiences with the Technics SL-Q2's rare IC chip failure issue. Knowing what you know about electronics, do you just generally think the builds on those 40-year-old direct drives are so solid that they'll likely outlive us all? Or do you think they have another 5-10 years left on them? Similarly, is the chip issue an inevitability, or just a freak occurrence that has happened to a few of them because of faulty production, etc.? Thanks, and sorry for the bother! (Oh, one more random question: have you heard of any good, compatible options for swapping out the old feet on a Q2. I've been having platter leveling issues recently with mine. Wish it had adjustable feet!)

[@TurntableGuy]

No one really knows why ICs fail. It could be voltage surge. Your guess is as good as mine. Some people believe it is due to capacitor degradation, but I'm not convinced about that. As for feet, check out organdonorparts.com for used parts. There are aftermarket options, but I like to keep the table original when possible.

[@mf1932]

@@TurntableGuy Thanks again!

[@antoniojoseandreomartinez9710]

🙋❤️👍