Vintage DD turntables. Are we living dangerously?

Sadly, Lew, a fair number of serviced units aren't in calibration either. 

Freeze spray helps, as does not being afraid to twist the board back and forth a good 30 degrees or so.  This will likely cause more joint issues, but they were about to become issues anyway. 

This is why, when I was working on such things, I charged so much for the TT-101.  It takes a lot of time when your goal is to try to ensure that particular unit never sees your bench again. 

BTW, I think the TT-101 service manual is excellent - far better than the SP-10MKII.  Granted, there are no troubleshooting flow charts, but they do go through great pains to explain how the circuit works.  The downside is you have to take the time to actually understand it.

@chakster, you likely have a fractured joint or trace on your board that is opening after the unit warms up.  The self-shutdown is due to an over-current condition in one or more of the drive amps.  This protection is there to prevent things from burning up should the motor be stalled. 

@lewm Tuchan’s technician in Regensburg, Germany: www.Audio-Reparatur.de
He stated the estimate cost at 1000 Euro for repair.
thanks @halcro 

Hi guys

@lewn I read many times this and other threads to understand the problems of TT-101 and I reported all the information possible to the repairman but the conclusion was a failure.

Unfortunately, the TT-101 is a complicated and delicate turntable, each operation requires to mount everything and try, disassemble and reassemble disassemble and reassemble continuously with the risk of breaking a cable or other; all this is frustrating as well as increasing the hours for waste of time.

I also read the comment of chackster for the cost of Audio-Reparatur.de 1000 € is madness ........ you can look for another TT101 running for that price and keep the other TT-101 dead for spare parts.

Unfortunately the hourly costs of a repariman are high all over the world ..... it would be necessary to find a retired repairman who does it for passion at a flat rate.

@best-groove, if one uses threaded rod and a couple washers and nuts in each of the three mounting holes, you can lift the entire unit up a good 12", leaving room directly underneath.  This is why the cables harnesses are so long - so the main board can be turned over with component side accessible, laying on the work surface below the suspended unit.  

Most DD's can be worked on this way. 

Dear @lewm @best-groove  and friends: Today we don´t have to live " dangerously " any more and we don't have to follow buying vintage DD turntables and certainly not the TT-101 that's not a " superlative " TT and way inferior to the Technics an even to Denon and for what we can read here and elsewhere no a truly great electronic design as the Yamahas,  Denons,Pionners, Technics or Kenwoods. TT-101 is an inferior unit.

Obviously that people that makes the refurbish work as JP always will speaks according and nothing wrong with that.

Anyway, the today new Technics units are at really nice price with no sproblems and in many ways are better designs that its vintage brothers.

I think is the way to go. I'm not telling you to put on sale your Kenwood or Exclusive or DP-100 but to forget the other units including the vintage Technics.

I was a proponent of those vintage Technics and other DD unit ( never the TT-101. ) but today that " tale " is end/closed. We have a " new kid in the block ".

All of you make you a favor and if your unit fails just forgeret and give up with and go for the " new kid...".

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.