THE CAROUSEL WON'T TURN. MUSIC IS FINE. LIGHTS ARE WORKING.
I realize this post is way old, but wanted to thank LtJim for his description on how to take it apart.
It turns out the reason mine was not spinning is that one of the plastic mechanisms that make the horses go up and down (located under the main piece that comes off with LtJim's directions) had partially broken and that horse would go all the way to the bottom and then the carousel would stop spinning.. There was no way to fix the plastic, but by holding the horse up with zip ties hidden under the top got the thing to work again. Thanks again!
SOURCE: mr christmas double decker carousel rotation stopped.
These things are really hit or miss. The company (Mr. Christmas) is virtually useless in the realm of tech support. Caveat Emptor and all that. Personally I have no use for this sort of thing but I must admit they ARE cute (when they work)!
I met a gentleman at the Citigroup Station Model Train exhibit (where I work as a train operator during the holidays) who had a problem similar to yours (in his case it's the music which doesn't work). I offered to attempt to fix this fellow's Mr. Christmas carousel (which he bought used, strike one!). Being a model railroader, I have vast experience repairing model trains but thought this might be a challenge. I did some online research and came to the same conclusion you did (ie Mr Christmas doesn't give a *%&^ once you've bought something, and there's NO viable tech support or schematics to be found). I was nearly about to throw in the towel and return it when I figured out how to open it. I will at least get you to the innards.
My guess is that these carousels are more or less mechanically similar (this fellow has the Disney Carousel, model 94448). The carousel consists of an outer "roof" which snaps around an inner roof (where the horsie poles insert; there are four little tabs which keep it attached to the outer roof). To get the outer roof off, however, you need to carefully remove the "crown" (which is glued on with some sort of silicone based adhesive) It is glued on with some sort of silicone based glue. BE CAREFUL removing it! Once the crown is off, you'll see a screw. Unscrewing it allows you to remove the outer roof.
If you feel mechanically adept enough, continue but TAKE NOTES as there are a LOT of screws and parts from here to the bottom base (where the motor and electronics are located). Once the roof is off, you will see the light wipers and contact pad. You will need to unsolder the two wires from the sprung wipers (be careful not to lose the springs!). You can now unscrew the hexagonal nut which holds the light wiper bracket/wipers in place. CAREFULLY remove this piece! You will now need to unscrew the contact board. pull it over the central shaft. You can now remove the inner roof. Once the inner roof is removed, you can lift up the main assembly (ie the horses, &c); CAREFULLY place this aside!
You are now at the base. There are several screws holding the motor and central shaft to the plastic base. This will come free but will remain wired to the switches. FYI the whole mess is a rubber band drive (sort of like an old cassette player or VCR). If there is no rubber band connecting the motor to the shaft, that is your problem! If the motor plain doesn't work, check the wiring fro the motor to the switch!
To reassemble, just reverse the directions. HINT: the roof will only go on top of the mechanism one way, so if it doesn't quite fit just rotate the roof until it does! Good luck!
SOURCE: I have a mr. christmas carousel that needs a drive
You may have to do some searching if you can't get it from the maker try hobby shops for cars and trains they may have what you need
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