I now do enough cartridge installation and tone arm set up that I am
considering buying a mechanical gauge to make it a quick job.
Does anyone have any recommendations?
I am thinking of something like this:
Clearaudio - CARTRIDGE ALIGNMENT GAUGE-Audio Advisor
Anyone use this or anything similar?
thanks
considering buying a mechanical gauge to make it a quick job.
Does anyone have any recommendations?
I am thinking of something like this:
Clearaudio - CARTRIDGE ALIGNMENT GAUGE-Audio Advisor
Anyone use this or anything similar?
thanks
If you have autcad you can make one in about ten minutes. I'll make you one if you want. What is your spindle to pivot distance and what alignment do you want. I'll post a pdf of one. It will allow arc tracing and the two null point alingment lines for the cantilever.
P.S. It doesn't solve your mechanical need though
P.S. It doesn't solve your mechanical need though
After years of getting frustrated with homemade and paper gauges, I recently forked out the dough for a feickert gauge. It's worth every penny - it would have saved me hours of crappy setup woes.
It's especially good with homemade tables and arms where you need to accurately set up pivot - spindle distance etc. Its quick, easy and accurate.
It's especially good with homemade tables and arms where you need to accurately set up pivot - spindle distance etc. Its quick, easy and accurate.
Soundtraktor
I may have misspelled the name of this thing. It is no longer made, but works very well. It is a single point protractor that has a pointer that goes over the tonearm pivot, so it corrects for different spindle-to-pivot distances.
The only problem in using it is that the grid on which the stylus sits is molded plastic, rather than etched on perspex or something similar.
I may have misspelled the name of this thing. It is no longer made, but works very well. It is a single point protractor that has a pointer that goes over the tonearm pivot, so it corrects for different spindle-to-pivot distances.
The only problem in using it is that the grid on which the stylus sits is molded plastic, rather than etched on perspex or something similar.
SGregory could you do one for coolzero?
Effective tonearm length 8,6 " (218,5mm)
Effective tonearm mass 8,5g
Overhang 19mm
Thank you
Felipe
You know, a lot of printers aren't terribly accurate (i.e., they introduce significant distortion). I'd be suspicious of one prined from a PDF, no matter how accurate the "original". YMMV.
Cheers,
The Denneson was a great tool, so if the Clearaudio is based on it, I'd say you're looking at the Gold Standard. I use one made by DB Systems but it was made in the 70's and I'd be shocked if it's still available. I believe that there may be something available from REGA since I do know they prefer different null points than usual. The choice of null point is not critical in my opinion, but there you go; there's more than one school of thought on the matter, for what it's worth.
I don't know about Windows or Linux printers but on MacOS when you set Global preferences at (OSX 10.6 used in this example; but it's similar on every version of MacOS going back to System7):
System Preferences: Language & Text: Formats
... you see a drop down menu at: Measurement Units where you are given a choice of US or Metric. I use all three OS's but always print any critical documents on MacOS.
If you live in North America, choose US, even if you are in Mexico or Canada and use the metric system, or live in the US and prefer Metric for some other reason. You may find if you selected "Canada" or "Mexico" when you set up the machine, that it's set automatically to Metric already. Change it at this preference pane.
The reason is this will set the standard printer default paper size to US Letter, which is the standard size of paper reams you buy for printers in these countries. Finally, be sure US Letter is selected (it will be the default, but you might have changed it) in print dialogs at 100% as well (because that's the paper you will have on hand) and it will always print exactly the correct size on the printer.
This should work as well in Linux since it also uses the CUPS print system that OSX uses, but I don't know that for sure ... I just let Linux print whatever it wants since it will be documentation only, not graphics, photos or some other dimension critical need. It's worth checking out in Windows; it may solve your problem, but again I don't print dimension-critical documents in Windows so I don't care and don't know for sure.
Similarly, if you live in the UK or Europe and buy paper in A4, be sure to choose Metric @ 100% even if you prefer inch measurements; same thing it will always print exactly correctly.
A lot of the time people choose one or the other because they are thinking of the defaults in an application they will be using; CAD or perhaps home construction, for example. They think they can jsut change it in the print dialog, but now you are relying on the printer's software and drivers to get it right, and they don't always.
Even if you do work with dimensions in some particular application, these apps will always have both options so don't worry about it. Simply set it according to what the prevalent paper you buy is (for Staples/Wall Mart paper, you usually have no choice; you get what the prevalent paper size format where you live is. An architect in North America might buy his paper in A4 but you probably don't; similarly US Letter is unheard of outside North America).
I don't know about Windows or Linux printers but on MacOS when you set Global preferences at (OSX 10.6 used in this example; but it's similar on every version of MacOS going back to System7):
System Preferences: Language & Text: Formats
... you see a drop down menu at: Measurement Units where you are given a choice of US or Metric. I use all three OS's but always print any critical documents on MacOS.
If you live in North America, choose US, even if you are in Mexico or Canada and use the metric system, or live in the US and prefer Metric for some other reason. You may find if you selected "Canada" or "Mexico" when you set up the machine, that it's set automatically to Metric already. Change it at this preference pane.
The reason is this will set the standard printer default paper size to US Letter, which is the standard size of paper reams you buy for printers in these countries. Finally, be sure US Letter is selected (it will be the default, but you might have changed it) in print dialogs at 100% as well (because that's the paper you will have on hand) and it will always print exactly the correct size on the printer.
This should work as well in Linux since it also uses the CUPS print system that OSX uses, but I don't know that for sure ... I just let Linux print whatever it wants since it will be documentation only, not graphics, photos or some other dimension critical need. It's worth checking out in Windows; it may solve your problem, but again I don't print dimension-critical documents in Windows so I don't care and don't know for sure.
Similarly, if you live in the UK or Europe and buy paper in A4, be sure to choose Metric @ 100% even if you prefer inch measurements; same thing it will always print exactly correctly.
A lot of the time people choose one or the other because they are thinking of the defaults in an application they will be using; CAD or perhaps home construction, for example. They think they can jsut change it in the print dialog, but now you are relying on the printer's software and drivers to get it right, and they don't always.
Even if you do work with dimensions in some particular application, these apps will always have both options so don't worry about it. Simply set it according to what the prevalent paper you buy is (for Staples/Wall Mart paper, you usually have no choice; you get what the prevalent paper size format where you live is. An architect in North America might buy his paper in A4 but you probably don't; similarly US Letter is unheard of outside North America).
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I am using this and I'm happy. Good for Azimuth adjustment too.
Turntable Basics. Turntable Belts, Parts and Accessories.
Turntable Basics. Turntable Belts, Parts and Accessories.
Johnny2Bad,
That's not what I am talking about. I am talking about errors caused by inaccuracies in the printer paper feed and transfer mechanisms which cause subtle (and sometimes no-so-subtle) distortions of the printed image. That's why people for whom accuracy is important pay big bucks for really good hardware. With average consumer quality printers, it is more of a crap shoot.
Anyway, as I said, YMMV.
Cheers,
That's not what I am talking about. I am talking about errors caused by inaccuracies in the printer paper feed and transfer mechanisms which cause subtle (and sometimes no-so-subtle) distortions of the printed image. That's why people for whom accuracy is important pay big bucks for really good hardware. With average consumer quality printers, it is more of a crap shoot.
Anyway, as I said, YMMV.
Cheers,
Jacques Merde,
You are correct an average printer is a crap shoot. I usually put reference marks in for dimension check. A decent laser jet is remarkably accurate. Okay not micro meters, but better than the naked eye or even one with a 5x magnifying glass.
Felipe,
I will work one up at lunch tomorrow. What alignment would you like?
You are correct an average printer is a crap shoot. I usually put reference marks in for dimension check. A decent laser jet is remarkably accurate. Okay not micro meters, but better than the naked eye or even one with a 5x magnifying glass.
Felipe,
I will work one up at lunch tomorrow. What alignment would you like?
The 'Mint' protractor is the best available, if you're willing to spend the time necessary to mount a cartridge as accurately as possible. It's virtually custom made for each tonearm/table combo, allows you to use the cantelever rather than cart body to adjust zenith, and will also get azimuth as close as possible with mechanical means. Best of all, it's only 110.00, or 120.00 with a jeweler's loupe (recommended if you don't have a good magnifier). That leaves you enough money to buy a computer microscope that will allow you to adjust SRA to the usually-prescribed 2 degrees off of vertical relative to your budget for the 'Clearaudio' alignment tool. Much more info from many, many satisfied users at Audiogon. Lacking this, I'd just print an arc protractor off of Conrad Hoffman's site-free, and amazingly good.
No vested interest, blah, blah, blah, just satisfied.
Best Tractor / Arc Protractor / Mint Tractor / tonearm alignment / Yip Mint Protractor / Mintlp Protractor
No vested interest, blah, blah, blah, just satisfied.
Best Tractor / Arc Protractor / Mint Tractor / tonearm alignment / Yip Mint Protractor / Mintlp Protractor
Buy most any alignment tool you want, because they will only get you inthe ballpark anway.
Then read the Guru Alignment white paper and get to work:
http://www.vacuumstate.com/fileupload/GuruSetUp.pdf
Regards, Allen
Then read the Guru Alignment white paper and get to work:
http://www.vacuumstate.com/fileupload/GuruSetUp.pdf
Regards, Allen
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