What happens to those cartridges in old 45 RCA record players like Model 45EY2? Are they crystal that crack or what? They always seem to be dead.

John,
Inside those cartridges is a Rochelle Salt Crystal. It is sandwiched between two pieces of foil with contacts on them. These are the cartridge leads. There is also a sheet of rubber inside both covers to cushion it. The end of the needle assembly is also attached to the crystal. When the needle vibrates it also vibrates the crystal, producing a voltage in the cartridge wires. This is called the piezoelectric effect.
Over time, the crystal deteriorates and turns into powder, which is what you might find inside. But they also filled a lot of those "45" cartridges with lanolin, which has been found to be a carcinogen. So it's not safe to handle the stuff inside the cartridge. That's probably why not many places rebuild "45" cartridges anymore. Other types of crystal cartridges don't use lanolin. I've never rebuilt a crystal cartridge. I have heard that there is some piezo material, available somewhere, I'm not sure where, that can be cut to shape to replace the deteriorated crystal and restore the cartridge to working condition.

I hope that this helps,

Dave
:What happens to those cartridges in old 45 RCA record players like Model 45EY2? Are they crystal that crack or what? They always seem to be dead.
:

John,
I rebuilt an old RCA phono cartridge (crystal) using a modern ceramic stereo purchased from RS. Put it inside orig case, but built a new armature that uses orig stylus. Not for the faint of heart.

marv

:What happens to those cartridges in old 45 RCA record players like Model 45EY2? Are they crystal that crack or what? They always seem to be dead.
:

John: I have read that the crystal breaks down due to moisture in the air and that they only lasted about five years when new. They can also crack. The crystal pickup in my RCA wireless phonograph was cracked. Mark from Kalamazoo

Rebuild service for catridges...
http://www.west-techservices.com/p1.htm

:What happens to those cartridges in old 45 RCA record players like Model 45EY2? Are they crystal that crack or what? They always seem to be dead.
: