Those of you who live in Europe might consult "Thuchan", who posts here from time to time. He evidently found a genius somewhere near where he lives (Bavaria?) who has a comprehensive understanding of this circuit and was able to repair Thuchan's TT101. Thuchan's real name is Eckard; I have no idea where he got the moniker he uses. He is a very nice guy. I sold him a chip to help in the repair of his TT101.
If your TT101 needs a push start or a touch of the platter, it most likely is NOT running optimally, even if the tachometer reads out correctly. Sounds to me like it might at least need to be calibrated, because the symptom suggests that torque is suffering. This is JP's lament; most of us do not know the true potential of these DD turntables, because most un-serviced tables are out of calibration after 40 or more years.
Best-groove, I got in trouble with Raul and Downunder for harping on the need to replace electrolytic capacitors, but in your case I would ask the repair guy why or how he has ruled out a leaky capacitor as the cause of or a factor in the repair of your unit. After all those hours of effort, it would take only one or two more hours to just do it. Other known issues: (1) micro-fracture cracks in the PCB that can cause short circuits if they cross traces in the PCB. (That was the problem in my unit, which you say had problems similar to yours.) You almost need a magnifying glass to see these defects. Your tech needs to know where to look for these, based on the nature of your problem. (2) the PCB itself absorbs moisture in a humid environment which can cause malfunction. I got these tips from JP, after he worked on mine.
If your TT101 needs a push start or a touch of the platter, it most likely is NOT running optimally, even if the tachometer reads out correctly. Sounds to me like it might at least need to be calibrated, because the symptom suggests that torque is suffering. This is JP's lament; most of us do not know the true potential of these DD turntables, because most un-serviced tables are out of calibration after 40 or more years.
Best-groove, I got in trouble with Raul and Downunder for harping on the need to replace electrolytic capacitors, but in your case I would ask the repair guy why or how he has ruled out a leaky capacitor as the cause of or a factor in the repair of your unit. After all those hours of effort, it would take only one or two more hours to just do it. Other known issues: (1) micro-fracture cracks in the PCB that can cause short circuits if they cross traces in the PCB. (That was the problem in my unit, which you say had problems similar to yours.) You almost need a magnifying glass to see these defects. Your tech needs to know where to look for these, based on the nature of your problem. (2) the PCB itself absorbs moisture in a humid environment which can cause malfunction. I got these tips from JP, after he worked on mine.