Regina Start/Stop mechanism for non-coin operated disc music boxes
On this page you can see two pictures of a 15½-inch Regina table top music box start/stop mechanism.
In the first image, the spring barrel is in the stop position with the spring-loaded lever restraining the governor start/stop wire. This keeps the governor from spinning. The other end of the lever is resting in the spring barrel slot.
When you want to play the disc, you move the start/stop indicator arm from the stop position to the start position which, in turn, shifts the lever up and out of the spring barrel slot and at the same time releases the governor stop wire allowing the governor to spin and the spring barrel to rotate, and, in turn, play the disc.
After the spring barrel rotates for 5 or 10 seconds the start/stop indicator can be moved back to the stop position since the lever is beyond the spring barrel slot and is now riding on the full diameter of the spring barrel. See the second image for more detail.
At the end of the song, the spring barrel will have rotated to the point where the spring barrel slot is present again and the spring-loaded lever will drop into the slot. At the same time, on the other end of the lever, the stop wire is arrested and the governor stops spinning.
In the stop position a disc can be removed and a new one put on, if desired. A disc should only be put on when the spring barrel is stopped in this position.
Most of the time all this action goes unseen by the person enjoying the music box as they simply move the lever from stop to start, but now you know how and what makes the disc stop playing.
