Manual to automatic turntable player conversion

A conversion device for converting a manual record player to an automatic record player, the manual record player having a housing, a turntable, and a tonearm, the tonearm being structured for movement between a rest position and a record ending position adjacent to a central portion of the turntable, the tonearm defining a range of tonearm motion between the rest position and the record ending position, the conversion device comprising:

• a base unit that is structured to be secured to the housing of the manual record player below a portion of the range of motion of the tonearm, the base unit comprising:
• a piston assembly, comprising:
• a piston, the piston being movable between a lower position and an upper position, the piston being structured to engage a piston-engaging tonearm element, and to elevate the tonearm, when the piston is in its upper position, the piston being further structured to disengage the piston-engaging tonearm element when in the lower position;
• a first motor assembly, the first motor assembly being structured to move the piston between its lower position and its upper position;
• a drive assembly having a second motor assembly, the second motor assembly being operatively connected to the piston assembly, the drive assembly being structured to move the piston assembly between a first position and a second position, the first position corresponding to the rest position of the tonearm, the second position corresponding to the record ending position of the tonearm;
• and
• a control system, the control system being structured to selectively raise and lower the piston, and to selectively move the piston assembly towards the first position and the second position;
• whereby the tonearm may be moved to a preselected position by moving the piston assembly under the piston-engaging tonearm element, raising the piston, moving the piston generally horizontally until the tonearm is in a preselected position, and lowering the piston.