T i m wrote:
Tim finally gets the superglue off his fingers and types
Thanks to all that replied and the advice warnings re a diy belt. ;-)
The Maplin solution (not the same as the stuff for disolving
intestines PeterS) looks pretty good but with the diameter of the
drive flange (I can say 'flange'' here can't I?) at about 200mm I
don't know if a 195 or 210 diameter one would be best (the drive
spindle is about 15mm away from the flange (there, I said it again))
;-)
However, even with the p&p doubling the cost it still might just be
cheaper than driving to my *local* HiFi shop if I knew where that was
(but thanks for that Geoff) and being ripped off for one (=A35.99
against =A32.99 at Maplin if I one was near?). Either way it still
seems
a lot of money for a rubber band?
Ok, I could borrow a decent deck (T.N.P.) if ....
1) I knew anyone that had one ...
2) Was likely to get them to lend it to me .. "Fred, your Linn
Sondek
LP12 turntable, how easy is it to get it off that concrete plinth ..
"
?
The retired couple across the road have offered the use of their
radiogram but I'm not sure how well it would cope with Quo or how
well
the album will cope with a stylus that has re-treaded a good few 78's
in it's time ?? ;-)
it would work, and in most cases not damage, but the worst ones do
eventually trash records, grinding noise and distortion into them.
Might improve the sound of the bands chosen. Its crystal pickups and
broken needles that are the problems. Ceramics are more popular than
xtal, but anything that looks 50s or earlier is better avoided if you
want to keep the records long term.
BTW dirty records can be cleaned with water and washing liquid, but it
takes repeated wiping along the grooves to dislodge the deep crud.
It would be an education for her to hear just how totally sh1te those
grams sound, but would no doubt put her right off records. 8 tracks
next, or wire recorders?
78s are a lot more flexible, so to speak, in that you can play them
with a plastic cup, a thorn and a huge card horn. Sadly the almost non
existence of anything worth listening to is a problem. But you can
record your own on ali sheet blanks.
You can always make your own pickup and feed it thru the hifi. I had
good results (ok, delete the 'good') with earpieces, copper wire and
assorted needles.
So, it's off to "Elastic bands R us" tomorrow to see what I can find
if you must make your own belt, use flat knicker elastic and sew the
ends together with thread. You'll want to use pliers to force the
needle through, it grips like a grippy thing. If the elastic is wo weak
you cant butt sew it, make the overlap lump curved to avoid a thump as
it crosses the motor spindle. Avoid cotton covered elastic if poss, it
can work, but not well.
If you keep the belt tension low you wont notice any thump, even with a
bad join. Thats assuming its an ali platter, not a 5g plastic one,
which create their own noise and amplify it as a sort of ongoing
perennial winge about being made of plastic. Those can at least be
tamed a bit with a thick rubber mat, or lots of plasticine underneath.
Tension needed is minimal, it has to turn a tt on a central bearing and
deal with the friction off a massive 2g of stylus.
You can explain that wow and flutter is a good 1000x what it is on
computerised systems, and with one of those strobe speed cards watch
the lines go backwards and forwards as the speed goes up and down each
revolution. And watch the pickup geometry as it progressively twists
relative to the grooves. And explain why it howls when you turn the
volume up, and where all the snap crackle and pop comes from. And if
her IQ is in single figures, why no-one uses them any more. Yes you can
make top quality decks, but not at sensible prices.
NT
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