Digital Jukeboxes
Introduced in 1969, the LS3 was Seeburg's first digital
jukebox. The development took about two years, and included
the design of three custom integrated circuits. Two
were housed in a black plastic box (called, amazingly
enough, the 'Black Box'). One chip took care of
credit functions while the other took care of selections.
The system was designed to make it easy to attach the
new style Digital Electronic Consolette or DEC. To do
this, all selections (even those originating from the
console) were encoded for transmission as though they
came from a DEC. The third custom chip (housed in a
gray box, called -- you guessed it, the 'Gray Box')
decoded the selection and logged it into the Tormat
memory. The system was fairly complex, and Seeburg wanted
to prevent competitors from figuring out how it worked,
so the boxes were sealed and had to be returned to the
factory for repair. They never published schematics
for the boards inside the boxes or logic diagrams for
the chips. That information is available, however, in
my book 'The Seeburg
Black and Gray Boxes', which includes complete schematics,
simplified logic diagrams, and troubleshooting procedures.
Included on this page are the two 100-selection machines
using the CSP1 or Red Box, designed by me. These machines
are the 100-77D Topaz and 100-78D
Celestia. While these machines did
not use the custom chips, they did use digital logic chips.
Please note that the year listed below is the year in which the machine was
first produced. The machine would have first been
built in the fall of that year, and considered to be the
following year's model. The prices listed below came from
a Seeburg Phonograph Reference sheet, which was basically
a sheet listing various features of each machine.
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LS3
Apollo 160 selections, 45 RPM native, 33
⅓ RPM with Auto-Speed engaged.
Introduced fall, 1969. Price:
(September, 1969) $1545.00.
The first Seeburg Digital jukebox, introducing the Black and Gray boxes. Seeburg's marketing name for this new selection and pricing system was 'Microlog'. The name was featured in all their manuals and advertising, but in few other places. A more popular name for the system turned out to be: 'Black & Gray Boxes'. The cabinet itself was a 'warmover' (i.e., a slightly modified version) of the LS1, LS2-series cabinet design, which had been around since 1967.
There was a hideaway version of this machine (HLS3)
available for USD $1295. A hideaway is the mechanism,
gray box, amplifier, and control center in a plain cabinet,
designed for use exclusively with Consolettes.
Books applicable to this machine
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USC1
Musical Bandshell 160 selections, 45 RPM native,
33
⅓ RPM with Auto-Speed engaged.
Introduced fall, 1970. Price (August, 1970) USD
$1725.
Features an innovative new cabinet design by Bob O'Neil,
his first effort for Seeburg. All of the following Microlog
machines (and the 100-selection machines, starting with
the SX100) were
styled by him. This machine is quite stunning; it set
a new standard for jukebox cabinet shapes, featuring
the extensive use of metal castings for cabinet parts,
in a manner similar to what was done in the jukebox
'gold' and 'silver ages'.
A hideaway version (HUSC1) was available for $1295.00
Books applicable to this machine:
LS3, USC1, USC2
Combination offer,
Black & Gray,
Mech book,
Troubleshoot |
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USC2
Bandshell Firestar 160 selections, 45 RPM native,
33⅓ RPM
with Auto-Speed engaged.
Introduced fall, 1971. Price (August,
1971) USD $1695.
Facelift of USC1, limited primarily to cabinet graphics
and trim color.
A hideaway version (HUSC2) was available for USD $1295.00
Books applicable to this machine:
LS3, USC1, USC2
Combination offer, Black &
Gray, Mech book,
Troubleshoot |
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SPS160
Olympian 160 selections, 45 RPM native, 33⅓
RPM with optional Auto-Speed engaged.
Introduced fall, 1972. Price (August,
1972) USD $1695.
Completely new cabinet design, using many metal castings.
The graphics panels were also available in blue and
orange, in addition to the pictured magenta, see below.
Every machine I saw at the factory had magenta panels.
This machine introduced the SHP1 (Seeburg High Power)
Amplifier, which had some early production problems.
These were resolved during the production run. Starting
with this model, the Auto-Speed was made optional.
Books applicable to this machine
Black & Gray Combination
offer, Black & Gray,
Mech book,
Troubleshoot,
SHP Amp |
|
SPS160
Olympian alternate graphics colors. Photo courtesy
Hildegard Stamann of
Stamann Musikboxen.
Books applicable to this machine:
Black & Gray Combination
offer, Black &
Gray, Mech book,
Troubleshoot,
SHP Amp |
|
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FC1
Regency 160 selections, 45 RPM native, 33
⅓ RPM with optional Auto-Speed engaged.
Introduced fall, 1972. Price (December,
1972) USD $1795.00.
Seeburg's first attempt at the 'furniture console' design,
being pushed at the time by Rowe/AMI and RockOla. First
use of small 'grain-of-wheat' (type 2182) lamps for
an eye-catching display. These lamps were mounted behind
a perforated, painted metal screen, resulting in moving
'halos' of light as you walked by. I like this machine
so much I bought one from an Internet auction and restored
it. Originally, the trim (silver in the photo at left)
was to be gold, but that got changed prior to production.
I once owned the prototype machine, to which I added
a color organ, making the lamps (which were changed
to red, green, blue, and white) blink in time to the
music. The color organ was a project I was involved
in early in my Engineering career at Seeburg, which
never made it to production because it was too time-consuming
to install in a machine once in the field. Unfortunately,
I sold the machine when I moved from Chicago. If anyone
knows the current whereabouts of this machine, please
email me. This machine started Seeburg's
trend of using many extrusion sections as cabinet structural
and trim elements.
Books applicable to this machine:
Black & Gray Combination
offer, Black &
Gray, Mech book,
Troubleshoot,
SHP Amp |
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SPS2
Matador 160 selections, 45 RPM native, 33
⅓ RPM with optional Auto-Speed engaged
.
Introduced fall, 1973.
Facelift of the SPS160, including new, chrome plated
upper speaker grilles and title strip holder surrounds.
Quite an attractive machine.
Books applicable to this machine:
Black & Gray Combination
offer, Black & Gray,
Mech book,
Troubleshoot,
SHP Amp |
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SPS2 Matador Quad Conversion.
Very few of these conversion kits were made. The conversion
was done in the field by the distributors and operators.
Interested in reading more about Seeburg Quad? Click
here. Thanks to
Kevin Preston for supplying this photo, and the one
on the Quadraphonic page.
Books applicable to this machine:
Black & Gray Combination
offer, Black & Gray,
Mech book,
Troubleshoot,
SHP Amp
|
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STD160
Vogue II 160 selections, 45 RPM native, 33
⅓ RPM with optional Auto-Speed engaged
.
Introduced fall, 1974.
Previous models made extensive use of cast metal
parts for the cabinet structure. With this model
and the ones following, tooling budgets became restricted.
Instead, cheap extrusions were used wherever possible,
along with formed, spot welded, and painted
metal panels. First machine to use the improved
SHP3 Amplifier as standard equipment.
Books applicable to this machine:
Black & Gray Combination
offer, Black &
Gray, Mech book,
Troubleshoot,
SHP Amp |
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SQS160 Quadraphonic First Edition
This machine used a Hafler Quadraphonic Decoder (which was actually just three wire-wound volume controls mounted in a tamper-proof plastic box, connected across the amplifier speaker terminals, and external speaker systems), along with a different graphics panel. Otherwise, the SQS160 and STD160 are identical. Interested in reading more about Seeburg Quad? Click here. <"Red" Class="Serif">Books applicable to this machine<"Red">: Black & Gray Combination offer, Black & Gray, Mech book, Troubleshoot, SHP Amp |
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STD2 Entertainer 160 selections, 45 RPM
native, 33
⅓ RPM with optional Auto-Speed engaged
.
Introduced fall, 1975. Same basic cabinet design as STD160. The same lamps used in the FC1 were put into motion by a 5-bit Sequencer Electronic module designed by me. The lamps were mounted behind mirrored glass in a mirrored channel to give an infinity lamp effect. An off lamp travels through a field of four on lamps (for a total of five) repeated in a sequence. The illusion was that the off lamp traveled from the bottom to the top of the machine. The bulbs are difficult to replace, since their leads are pressed into insulation-displacement contacts along with the connecting wiring, using a special tool and a lot of patience.
<"Red" Class="Serif">Books applicable
to this machine<"Red">:
Black &
Gray Combination offer,
Black &
Gray,
Mech book,
Troubleshoot,
SHP Amp
|
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SQS2 Quad Entertainer
This machine used the same Quadraphonic decoder as the SQS160. Interested in reading more about Seeburg Quad? Click here. <"Red" Class="Serif">Books applicable to this machine |
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STD3 Sunstar 160 selections, 45 RPM native,
33
⅓ RPM with optional Auto-Speed engaged
.
Introduced fall, 1976. Same basic cabinet as the STD160. The front panels were changed to a foam material, poured into a mold and allowed to harden. After production started, it was noticed that the foam tended to warp when exposed to heat or sunlight. Many internal stiffening brackets were added to combat this problem. Foam was used because the molds were VERY cheap, and resulted in a cabinet, that while little changed from the previous year, looked quite different. The design featured attractive silk-screened graphics in a circular pattern with many-colored spokes, surrounded by a circular version of the moving lamp display. The lamp sequencer was carried over from the STD2. Here, the lamps were mounted on Printed Circuit boards, primarily due to pressure exerted by Underwriter's Laboratories and Seeburg's operators. A secondary benefit is that they are much easier to assemble initially and later to replace.
<"Red" Class="Serif">Books applicable to
this machine
|
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SQS3 Quad Sunstar
Quad decoder same as before. Interested in reading more about Seeburg Quad? Click here. <"Red" Class="Serif">Books applicable to this machine |
| Below is a publicity photo of
the
SQS3 Quad Sunstar. Photo courtesy Hildegard
Stamann of Stamann
Musikboxen. Interested in reading more about Seeburg
Quad? Click here.
<"Red" Class="Serif">Books applicable to this machine |
|
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FC2 Hutch 160 selections, 45 RPM native,
33
⅓ RPM with optional Auto-Speed engaged
.
Introduced fall, 1976. This machine used the same lid design as FC1, but the cabinet is now wood-grained, with no lights other than the fluorescent lamp for the title strips. All internal speakers were deleted, to be replaced by bookshelf speakers mounted on the optional hutch portion above the jukebox lid, shown in the photo at left holding knick-knacks. If the hutch was not used, extension speakers would be hung from ceiling brackets in the establishment. This machine was very low production.
Books applicable to this machine
:
Black &
Gray Combination offer,
Black &
Gray,
Mech book,
Troubleshoot,
SHP Amp |
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STD4
Mardi Gras 160 selections, 45 RPM native, 33
⅓ RPM with optional Auto-Speed engaged
.
Introduced fall, 1977. This machine also has the same basic cabinet as the STD160. It is the last digital (Black & Gray box) jukebox, and the last 160-selection machine to use the Tormat. The moving lamp display is now in the center of a set of three ovals, still using the same 5-Bit Sequencer.
<"Red" Class="Serif">Books applicable to this machine
|
| Below is a publicity photo of
the
SQS4 Quad Mardi Gras. If you have any
information about this, please email me.
Photo courtesy Hildegard Stamann of
Stamann Musikboxen.
Interested in reading more about Seeburg Quad? Click
here.
<"Red" Class="Serif">Books applicable to this machine |
|
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A quadraphonic version of the STD4 actually exists!
According to Jason Sneddon, who contacted me about this
machine, the serial number sticker on the back of this
machine says only 'STD4'. So this very rare version
may have been a field conversion. On the other hand,
it may have been the same machine in the photo above,
and was a one-off conversion used for the publicity
photo.
Photo from ebay
<"Red" Class="Serif">Books applicable to this machine |
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100-77D Topaz 100 selections, 45 RPM.
Introduced fall, 1977. New graphics on the previous-year's SB100 cabinet. The old electromechanical pricing and selection system of the preceding 10 years of 100-selection machines was replaced by the Red Box System (a much simplified version of the Black & Gray boxes), designed by me. The red box still used the Tormat memory. |
100-78D Celestia 100 selections, 45 RPM.
Introduced fall, 1978.
Yet Another facelift of the SB100 cabinet. This was the last machine to use the tormat, and the last to use the red box. Note the almost identical appearance of the 100-79M DaVinci, following.
The last of the machines using the Black and Gray Boxes was
the STD4 Mardi Gras. The Red Box only ran for two year's worth
of 100-selection machine production, and the number of 100-78D
Celestias built was probably quite small. Both systems were
replaced in 1978 by the MCU MicroComputer system, covered next.
Click here to see
these machines.
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