DIY sota armboard

Gabrielshorn · 15th November 2002, 09:50 PM

Hi all,

I just got hold of an older Sota Star turntable. The only problem is that it came with an SME armboard. I need a Rega. Any ideas on making my own, or is this a case where I shouldn't be cheapskate and should shell out the $200 for an OEM composite armboard?

Thanks,

Greg Grimes

Holger Barske · 15th November 2002, 11:14 PM

That shouldn't be too much of a problem. Rega RB 250 - RB900 just need a round hole of 23 mm diameter with a center distance of 222 mm to the platter axis. That's all. You should not have any problems of doing a board on your own.

Gabrielshorn · 21st November 2002, 08:07 PM

Thanks for your reply. I also found another armboard that is pre-drilled for a Sumiko arm. Would that be Rega compatible as well? In any regard, I think I'll experiment with making my own.

GaryB · 24th November 2002, 09:16 PM

Why not just make your own?
I owned a SOTA a few years back and made my own armboards out of 3/4 inch MDF (19mm for metric fans). The stock armboard is thinner at about 10mm, so something like 1/2" material would be a bit better. To tune the sound you can even experiment with different hardwoods.
I just traced the original armboard on the new piece of wood and cut with a jigsaw. A bit of sanding and drilling for the mounting holes was all that was needed to be read to go.
I still have an extra homebuilt 3/4" armboard sitting around someplace if it would be of any interest
---Gary

Gabrielshorn · 3rd December 2002, 02:25 PM

Thanks, Gary. One thing I'm a bit worried about is that the Rega doesn't have a VTA adjustment. Raising the arm higher is no big deal, but lowering it is. Are all SOTA armboards 19 mm thick, or just the MDF ones?

Thanks,

Greg

GaryB · 4th December 2002, 01:07 AM

Gabriel,
The standard SOTA armboard is 10mm thick.
The DIY armboard that I built using MDF was 19mm thick. At the time, I was using a Grado tonearm that had lots of room for VTA adjustment, so the extra 9mm height was not an issue. I've never used a Rega tonearm, so I don't know if the extra height would be a problem but your message seems to imply it would be.
---Gary

15th November 2002, 09:50 PM	#1
Gabrielshorn diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2002	DIY sota armboard Hi all, I just got hold of an older Sota Star turntable. The only problem is that it came with an SME armboard. I need a Rega. Any ideas on making my own, or is this a case where I shouldn't be cheapskate and should shell out the $200 for an OEM composite armboard? Thanks, Greg Grimes

15th November 2002, 11:14 PM	#2
Holger Barske diyAudio Member Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Ruhrgebiet	That shouldn't be too much of a problem. Rega RB 250 - RB900 just need a round hole of 23 mm diameter with a center distance of 222 mm to the platter axis. That's all. You should not have any problems of doing a board on your own. __________________ Best regards: Holger www.holgerbarske.com - Deutschsprachiges Paradise-Support-Forum

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21st November 2002, 08:07 PM	#3
Gabrielshorn diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2002	Thanks for your reply. I also found another armboard that is pre-drilled for a Sumiko arm. Would that be Rega compatible as well? In any regard, I think I'll experiment with making my own.

24th November 2002, 09:16 PM	#4
GaryB diyAudio Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Silicon Valley	Why not just make your own? I owned a SOTA a few years back and made my own armboards out of 3/4 inch MDF (19mm for metric fans). The stock armboard is thinner at about 10mm, so something like 1/2" material would be a bit better. To tune the sound you can even experiment with different hardwoods. I just traced the original armboard on the new piece of wood and cut with a jigsaw. A bit of sanding and drilling for the mounting holes was all that was needed to be read to go. I still have an extra homebuilt 3/4" armboard sitting around someplace if it would be of any interest ---Gary

3rd December 2002, 02:25 PM	#5
Gabrielshorn diyAudio Member Join Date: Jun 2002	Thanks, Gary. One thing I'm a bit worried about is that the Rega doesn't have a VTA adjustment. Raising the arm higher is no big deal, but lowering it is. Are all SOTA armboards 19 mm thick, or just the MDF ones? Thanks, Greg

4th December 2002, 01:07 AM	#6
GaryB diyAudio Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Silicon Valley	Gabriel, The standard SOTA armboard is 10mm thick. The DIY armboard that I built using MDF was 19mm thick. At the time, I was using a Grado tonearm that had lots of room for VTA adjustment, so the extra 9mm height was not an issue. I've never used a Rega tonearm, so I don't know if the extra height would be a problem but your message seems to imply it would be. ---Gary