Well if you could find one of these in NOS condition (not likely), they were sturdy enough for the Swiss Army. Or just get one to go along with your Swiss Army Knife ;-)
ferrucios Lenco
I don't think of a TD124 in the terms of outdoor use, though I'm certain one could be prepared for it, not unlike that Lenco.
-Steve
It's a work of art and a device of science. It was made at a time with very little to copy or build upon. I suspect Thorens looked at the Garard 301 and thought it a better idea.
It has the sound of a broadcast turntable. It's a bit like hearing the mastetape. Having used a Scully lathe as a turntable I can say that the LP is closer than you would think to that mastertape ( CD transfers are not as good ). It is rock solid in terms of imagine placement. It just sounds right. Records sound less damged sometimes. When it is the only copy you have it matters. A Lenco can do the same. I like SME M2 with the Lenco.
I checked the 33K in circuit and it measures 34.9K. The bulb looks dark and smoky inside the glass. The new ones in the pics on ebay look clear. Also, there is someone selling replacement mirror kits that include the mirror, plastic window and the bulb for $25.00. The bulb does not look the same and the original. I contacted the seller and asked about it. The seller responded that the bulbs are not original. They are 1/4-watt not 1-watt like the original bulbs. However, the seller said they work very well. I did some surfing yesterday and found 1/4-Watt neon bulbs with the same as original base for about $5.00. I think I'd prefer to stick with an original though.
FYI My bulb has written on the base:
Philips GL 1W
Made in Holland
Like this one I'm pretty sure. An original bulb after about 50 years of use. The one pictured still lights.
At present I am using a modern facsimile that has a larger diameter at the glass but otherwise fits the fixture. I wrote about it somewhere within this thread several years back. Use the thread search facility to find it. I believe it is a 125 volt bulb that I purchased from Mouser at $5.00 each. At present I can't find the part number within my notes. It is working fine at grid voltage in my area (125vac/60hz)
The bulbs Jurg Schopper offers, I believe to be NOS oem stuff. That would account for his pricing. That and the fact that it is in Switzerland where all things cost more.
-Steve
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I got lucky and was able to buy a few Philips bulbs for a pretty good price on eBay. The one in my 124 MKII had close to no hours on it and will run well into the future, the one that I initially put in the "basket case" (now anything but) had lots of hours and lasted only a couple of months before I had to replace it. I fitted an OEM bulb.
FWIW, I think the OEM bulb is just adequately bright at 110V - 115V where my tables seem to run best, I can't imagine a lower wattage neon is going to be fully satisfactory in a moderately bright setting or daylight.
A new OEM bulb will last your lifetime I'd wager, and it might be better to look for one on UK, French or German eBay - the price was and may still be much lower. (Basically got three for the price of one). Most sellers will ship worldwide, but their listings do not always appear on u.s. eBay.
FWIW, I think the OEM bulb is just adequately bright at 110V - 115V where my tables seem to run best, I can't imagine a lower wattage neon is going to be fully satisfactory in a moderately bright setting or daylight.
A new OEM bulb will last your lifetime I'd wager, and it might be better to look for one on UK, French or German eBay - the price was and may still be much lower. (Basically got three for the price of one). Most sellers will ship worldwide, but their listings do not always appear on u.s. eBay.
Thanks for the advice. I will look at the UK France & German ebay sites.
In the meantime I went over to Paragon in Madison, WI. Steve Puntillo was nice enough to let me dig around in his lamp bulb collection. The collection is in no logical order so it took a couple hours to go threw it all. I found one Neon bulb with a very similar glass envelop. However, it has a medium screw base. Not the dual contact bayonet base. It says 110V on it.
Steve said it is for a EMT turntable. I looked up the strobe bulb for an EMT table and found it on UK ebay. It looks identical to the one I got from Steve except it is 220V.
I know the TD-124 can run off 110V 60Hz or 220V 50Hz depending on how the table is wired. I've looked at the manual and to switch from 220V to 110V there is no mention of rewiring anything for the strobe light. How does the TD-124 deal with the bulb? Is the original bulb 220V or 110V or something else?
If I use this 110V bulb do I connect it the same way as the original? or do I look for a switched 110V source?
In the meantime I went over to Paragon in Madison, WI. Steve Puntillo was nice enough to let me dig around in his lamp bulb collection. The collection is in no logical order so it took a couple hours to go threw it all. I found one Neon bulb with a very similar glass envelop. However, it has a medium screw base. Not the dual contact bayonet base. It says 110V on it.
Steve said it is for a EMT turntable. I looked up the strobe bulb for an EMT table and found it on UK ebay. It looks identical to the one I got from Steve except it is 220V.
I know the TD-124 can run off 110V 60Hz or 220V 50Hz depending on how the table is wired. I've looked at the manual and to switch from 220V to 110V there is no mention of rewiring anything for the strobe light. How does the TD-124 deal with the bulb? Is the original bulb 220V or 110V or something else?
If I use this 110V bulb do I connect it the same way as the original? or do I look for a switched 110V source?
I got my lamp problem solved.
I measured the voltage drop across the bulb socket pins and got about 90VAC. The lamp I got from Paragon is 110VAC with a screw base. I thought a christmas tree lamp socket would work, but it was too small. I suspect it is some weird European size. Instead I soldered leads directly to the bulb and wrapped it with electrical tape until is was about the same size and the original socket. I then removed the original socket I wired the new bulb into the circuit using twist lock nuts. I slid the bulb up into the black plastic tube and clamped it in place. It works perfectly!
I suspect the shape of the glass is critical to the performance. I tried 110Vac neons that fit the original connector, but had cylindrical glass with a round tip. They seemed to light about as brite as the one I got from Paragon, but didn't seem to direct that light properly. The original (and the one I got from Paragon) has thicker glass with a flat end that looks almost like a lens.
I have found a similar bulb at Mouser electronics made by RAFI here is a link:
1.90.510.012/0000 RAFI | Mouser
Alas it is 220VAC. The ones on UK ebay for the EMT tables are also 220VAC.
If one could find these bulbs in 110VAC it would be a great solution for the TD-124. They sell cheap enough you could by 10 of them and try re-basing them to dual contact bayonet base. You could still come out ahead if you destroyed a few learning how to do it.
I measured the voltage drop across the bulb socket pins and got about 90VAC. The lamp I got from Paragon is 110VAC with a screw base. I thought a christmas tree lamp socket would work, but it was too small. I suspect it is some weird European size. Instead I soldered leads directly to the bulb and wrapped it with electrical tape until is was about the same size and the original socket. I then removed the original socket I wired the new bulb into the circuit using twist lock nuts. I slid the bulb up into the black plastic tube and clamped it in place. It works perfectly!
I suspect the shape of the glass is critical to the performance. I tried 110Vac neons that fit the original connector, but had cylindrical glass with a round tip. They seemed to light about as brite as the one I got from Paragon, but didn't seem to direct that light properly. The original (and the one I got from Paragon) has thicker glass with a flat end that looks almost like a lens.
I have found a similar bulb at Mouser electronics made by RAFI here is a link:
1.90.510.012/0000 RAFI | Mouser
Alas it is 220VAC. The ones on UK ebay for the EMT tables are also 220VAC.
If one could find these bulbs in 110VAC it would be a great solution for the TD-124. They sell cheap enough you could by 10 of them and try re-basing them to dual contact bayonet base. You could still come out ahead if you destroyed a few learning how to do it.
It's worth a look to see if the unused 220V tap is active when running at 115V. As the TD124 voltage switching is very simple it might be. This would work as a transfomer. As the load of a lamp is small it could be a way of using the 220V type. I don't know. I have a hunch it might be. It's not so on a Garrard. 220/230/240V are more or less how we came to say 230V +/- 10% ( 207 to 253 V ). The USA I think was said to be 117V a long time ago.
Any ideas for a record clamp for the TD-124?
I used a nice little POD collet type clamp on my previous table. It won't work with the TD-124 because the spindle keeps turning when you engage the clutch to stop the record. I have thought about using a simple weighted clamp, but am concerned it would deform the thin aluminum upper table when the clutch is engaged.
I have a metal lathe in my basement and would like to experiment. The only way I can think of to clamp the record on the TD-124 is to use one of those edge ring types. I don't know if anyone makes one for the TD-124. I can't do it on my lathe. It is only a 9 inch swing.
I used a nice little POD collet type clamp on my previous table. It won't work with the TD-124 because the spindle keeps turning when you engage the clutch to stop the record. I have thought about using a simple weighted clamp, but am concerned it would deform the thin aluminum upper table when the clutch is engaged.
I have a metal lathe in my basement and would like to experiment. The only way I can think of to clamp the record on the TD-124 is to use one of those edge ring types. I don't know if anyone makes one for the TD-124. I can't do it on my lathe. It is only a 9 inch swing.
Our 230Vac harmonised supply is -6% and +10%. i.e. from 216Vac to 253Vac
The reason they are different + & - tolerances is to (almost) include the old 240+-6% that applied in the UK 225.6Vac to 254.4Vac and include the 220+-6% in mainland Europe, with a slight uplift from the old low of 206.8 to 216Vac, to bring it closer to what European producers actually deliver.
I just got around to checking under the table. I checked all the voltages and found nothing higher than 121VAC. I found a schematic online and it says Green to Green is 220VAC and Red to Red is 110VAC. I measured these and they are both 116VAC +/- 6VAC
Therefore, if the 220VAC bulb is used in the US a small 110VAC to 220VAC transformer will be required. Please correct me if I missed something or I'm wrong.
Are any of you watching this thread....
THIS IS NOT YOUR FATHERS TD-124 | Page 11 | Audiokarma Home Audio Stereo Discussion Forums
Not your Father's TD124. running on AudioKarma. Link above.
Another piccie
I wonder if the original designer of the Td124, Louis Thevenaz, could see this, would he be spinning in his grave.... or would he applaud the effort?
One thing is for sure, that Td124 has been chopped into pieces.
-Steve
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
THIS IS NOT YOUR FATHERS TD-124 | Page 11 | Audiokarma Home Audio Stereo Discussion Forums
Not your Father's TD124. running on AudioKarma. Link above.
Another piccie
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
I wonder if the original designer of the Td124, Louis Thevenaz, could see this, would he be spinning in his grave.... or would he applaud the effort?
One thing is for sure, that Td124 has been chopped into pieces.
-Steve