DIY TT Project

[jrevillug]

Right. After the success(-ish) of my DIY Tonearm, I decided to embark on a DIY TT.

It was to have magnetic levitation, a ball bearing to provide vertical location, and 3 idler wheels to provide lateral location. It was to be idler drive with a big, heavy, low-power AC motor, a Ladegaard tonearm and a platter mostly made from a stack of unwanted/damaged vinyl.

However, due to time constraints, I am not going to get a chance to build such a thing for quite some time (next summer at the earliest).

I still want to upgrade from my existing setup (or at least, try out a couple of ideas). So instead of doing a full-DIY TT, I am going over to the DD side , and am going to be rebuilding a Technics SL-2D DD.

So the plan is:
-Junk the plinth and arm (and the auto mechanism).

-re-plinth the motor/bearing/platter assembly - probably a layered effort based on Granite (chopping board) and ply.

-add a thick layer of old vinyl (10-30?) to the platter (disussed in this very fourm somewhere) to match the mechanical impedance of the material to the record, and to delay the reflaction of the sound waves to the point where it becomes irrelevant.

-build and fit a Ladegaard arm to suit (I have the materials - just need an air source and the time).

-Share and Enjoy.

I don't know how succesful this will be, but it should be fun and cheap finding out.

Any thoughts, constructive criticism etc. more than welcome.

James

[despotic931]

This looks like an excellent project! I am currently fixing up an old technics sl-1500, it's basically done, but now I am feeling the urge to mod it out. Keep us all up to date, and who knows, you may inspire me to undertake my own project...

-Justin

[jrevillug]

I received the TT today. It works well, with it reaching 33rpm within half a revolution and staying there (provided that you adjust the pitch control properly).

However, the plinth is a big, echoey plastic box and while the arm has reasonable bearings the anti-skate adjustment in particular is not very well implemented. With the amplifier not on, you can put your ear agains the plinth and hear a full-range rendition of the sound. I'm not convinced that this is a good thing for resolution. Also, the 'suspension' is a bit of a joke - just sprnug feet.

So I took it apart. I am now left with the platter, the PCB and motor and the transformer/PSU.

I clamped my DIY arm's board on and spun most of a side of a disc. The platter mat had gone hard and had cracked in some places, so I put a 4 old LPs on instead.

The bass is impressively deep and controlled, there is no wow (always an issue with my TD150) and there is more detail to the sound.

I am going to re-plinth this TT and put a linear arm on as stated above. Currently thinking about what to use for the plinth. Any suggestions?

James

P.s. Photos to follow later.