Brinkman Ront II problem.

[neac1976]

Hello everyone.
I have owned the Brinkman Spyder, with three tonearms for more than eight years and it has performed flawlessly. I have continued to use The Ront Supply with no problems until last week.
1. The Ront will no longer power the motor...but the fuse appears to fine.
2. The motor lights will not light up.
3. When I look at the three tubes, they are all illuminated but again, the motor does not turn.
4. I can still use the s.s. power supply with no problem at all.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to what the problem is or how to fix it?
Thank you guys,
Mark

 

[Argonaut]

I am sorry to hear of your problem , Unless another member comes forward with some hands on practice advice I would recommend contacting the dealer who supplied your Brinkmann system if feasible ? As altho your Ront II is obviously out of its warranty cover they may well offer you some assistance , failing that I would contact Brinkmann directly and discuss the problem with them .

A couple of points off the top of my head , Altho the manual ‘lightly’ covers a unit entering into a ‘stand by state ’ and from recollection references the DD models , your unit might have become locked into such a condition ? Particularly were there to be a compost failure to that sub circuit.

Do you have a spare 5AR4 available ?

I expect that you have double checked the umbilical cable and connection at the Ront end ( as you have already trouble shot the turntable connection with your SS PSU ) Is it seated correctly within the socket .

 

[exupgh12]

It sounds like an issue with the motor drive circuit or voltage regulation in the Ront. Try these steps:

1. Check Connections – Ensure all cables are securely connected.

2. Measure Output Voltage – Use a multimeter to check if the Ront supplies power.

3. Inspect Tubes – Even if they glow, try swapping them.

4. Look for Damage – Open the unit (if comfortable) and check for burnt components.

5. Contact Brinkmann – Their support team may offer a fix or service.

Since the solid-state PSU works, the fault is isolated to the Ront. A technician may be needed.

 

[audioguy3107]

Hi Mark, this problem happened to me about two months ago, although I'm not entirely sure it's the same problem. Double check the middle tube, its that one lit up as normal? Mine appeared to be fine but when I took it to the dealer, they said the tube was bad.....said it was a known issue with that tube which is why Brinkmann designed a new tube for the RONT III. They replaced it with the newer one and everything has been fine since.

- Buck

 

[Argonaut]

Double check the middle tube, its that one lit up as normal? Mine appeared to be fine but when I took it to the dealer, they said the tube was bad.....said it was a known issue with that tube which is why Brinkmann designed a new tube for the RONT III. T

Yup … hence my hoping that the OP has a spare 5AR4 in the house , with a touch of luck he might be up and running Tout de suite .

 

[neac1976]

To the three men that responded;
Thank you for taking the time to post your ideas.
I have checked all connections and they are fine, I even tried various power cords to no avail.
I have multiple sets of tubes for The Ront and have just tried two different sets and still the motor does not spin but all tubes light up.
Yes, I agree that an email to Brinkman is next. It just seems like a simple problem that I should be able to fix.
Argonaut: your idea of the unit entering the standby state makes a lot of sense.
Mark

 

[DasguteOhr]

The tubes run at 180 volts DC with regulated 24 volts DC output to motor. Check whether 24 volts DC are present at the three-pin output. Check the plug of the motor connection cable to see if there is a broken wire. If not, Brinkmann Service should be able to help.

 

[neac1976]

Thank you again for this information.
Mark

 

[asb]

How did you resolve the issue ? Thanks

 

[neac1976]

Hello asb,
This might end up being a long email. Are you also having trouble with you Ront/motor?
I am always amazed at the amount of intelligence expressed on this forum. As an example, exupgh12, you might have been correct by suggesting it might be a problem with the motor drive circuit.

I spoke to Mathias at Brinkman. He suggested that I contact Soren Wittrup who is the authorized Brinkman repairman for The USA and Canada.
From my limited experience, Soren is an electrical, repair genius. He also repairs other high end audio products.

I first sent just my Ront only back to Soren, even though I asked him if he wanted my motor sent at the same time. He said, "no need". He found problems with my Ront, corrected the problems, tested for quite a while at his shop and all seemed to be fine. Yes, "seemed" is the operative word here. I installed my Ront back into my system and had the same problem. It would not power my Spyder, but of course the bearing heater continued to work and power the turntable.

After another long talk with Soren, he suggested that I send my motor, with the Ront this time. Yes, that Pabst(?) motor that nothing ever happens to, that can outlast all of us. Anyway, Soren did find something wrong with the motor drive circuit! It was either a capacitor or resister within the circuit. Soren made it clear that there is nothing wrong with the basic motor itself. And, at this time, the repairs that he made to The Ront are still working properly.

Here is the kicker. This exact problem has happened to (according to Soren) six other motors that he knows about. Soren continued to say that this single capacitor or resister was chosen by The Brinkman engineers for its specific "sound". Hmmmm...possibly. This specific part is nos and Soren has suggested to Mathias that a new part would be more reliable for this specific application. But Mathias says that by using the nos part, he thinks that it makes a difference in the sound of the t/t...I guess that is possible.

Here is the (almost) end result. Soren at this time, has traveled back to Belgium, for a couple of weeks, apparently, he has a close contact with Mathias there and is bringing back "a new board" for my motor from Brinkman itself. He will be speaking to Mathias about this specific problem.

So, that is the long and short of this problem. asb, I will post what the end result is, if you are still interested. But Soren seems to have the problem in hand. Personally, I am amazed that someone not involved in the circuit design of the motor has a better design idea then the men who designed all of the original circuitry.

Mark

 

[asb]

Thank you.

 

[exupgh12]

Thank you for the update, sorry to hear you're issue had not yet been fully resolved.