Thanks for the reply Zg925. Those links are perfect, and as a bonus that motor is 25% of the price of the the one i was planning to buy!
I was actually thinking of going by a camera store later to pick up some photo flo. Why do you prefer Triton X 114?
Spyre,
Kodak Photo Flo, Dow Triton X-100 or X-114 all will work and won't cause any problems at the concentrations that have been discussed here (a couple of drops in the URC tank). The only-downside to X-114 is that it's the most expensive of the bunch.
You can experiment and try cleaning records without the surfactant too. You might find you're satisfied with the results without adding any of these.
Regards,
B B
Kodak Photo Flo, Dow Triton X-100 or X-114 all will work and won't cause any problems at the concentrations that have been discussed here (a couple of drops in the URC tank). The only-downside to X-114 is that it's the most expensive of the bunch.
You can experiment and try cleaning records without the surfactant too. You might find you're satisfied with the results without adding any of these.
Regards,
B B
Propylene Glycol must be the most cost effective. It's also used as a wetting agent in industry .
Going OT for a moment. Has anyone tried using a high speed water jet to clean records ? It should be faster and clean well . Not sure if it can damage the grooves above a certain speed. Anyone with some information ?
Going OT for a moment. Has anyone tried using a high speed water jet to clean records ? It should be faster and clean well . Not sure if it can damage the grooves above a certain speed. Anyone with some information ?
IMHO First you would need to be able protect the labels adequately. There are a couple of products out there where you can put the record between a label protector then clean with a sprayer from a sink whether they can stand up to pressure washer is a question. Off the top of my head using high speed water jet would seem to be inconsistent, inefficient and fairly expensive. Granted a good 60 khz US cleaner isn't cheap. At least a US cleaner uses x amount of water (distilled preferably) dependant on tank size a water jet would use a lot more water in the process. The inconsistency would be from making sure the grooves are all hit equally and for how long. I could see using the process on an exceptionally rare dirty record with gunk stuck on thick and copiously before cleaning with a more refined method. How much pressure would have to be experimented with on some test records using maybe a power washer or ? .
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I just started looking into this after losing my remaining patience with the effectiveness of my KAB EV-1 (using AIVS No 15 and Ultra Pure water and Listener Select brushes), thanks in part to being curious about the aforementioned Vinyl Stack Spin Kit. Since it looks like VibrattoLLC has closed up shop as of Christmas Eve (DOH! I showed up a month too late!), it looks like the Sonix IV ST136H from FindingsOutlet is the best remaining buy in the States.
I'm curious, bbftx: Have you put any thought into assembling and selling kits based on your setup? It seems very clean, logical, and practical for home use, and certainly more professional looking than some other stuff that I've seen for sale out there. The parts list that you provided is excellent, but unfortunately requires tools for which I do not have access (ie: band saw, drill press, etc). A kit that merely required assembly, even with some minor soldering, would be ideal. Who knows, with enough general interest perhaps you could get parts fabricated in bulk to keep costs down. What if you specced out a solid or hollow sand-fillable plastic mount for the top of the US vat, with just the arm and motor still being metal? Perhaps something size adjustable for wider tanks? Just throwing ideas out there. Thoughts?
I'm curious, bbftx: Have you put any thought into assembling and selling kits based on your setup? It seems very clean, logical, and practical for home use, and certainly more professional looking than some other stuff that I've seen for sale out there. The parts list that you provided is excellent, but unfortunately requires tools for which I do not have access (ie: band saw, drill press, etc). A kit that merely required assembly, even with some minor soldering, would be ideal. Who knows, with enough general interest perhaps you could get parts fabricated in bulk to keep costs down. What if you specced out a solid or hollow sand-fillable plastic mount for the top of the US vat, with just the arm and motor still being metal? Perhaps something size adjustable for wider tanks? Just throwing ideas out there. Thoughts?
Just a quick note about our company, Vibrato, LLC.
We have suspended sales pending a review of our business and whether to continue manufacturing ultrasonic cleaners.
We intended to launch our 80khz model on 01/02/2015, however, our enclosure vendor failed to deliver.
As soon as we reach a decision whether to continue or not, we will inform this community. We appreciate the kind words and support of the DIYAudio forum!
Thank you,
Louis Steele
Owner
Vibrato, LLC.
We have suspended sales pending a review of our business and whether to continue manufacturing ultrasonic cleaners.
We intended to launch our 80khz model on 01/02/2015, however, our enclosure vendor failed to deliver.
As soon as we reach a decision whether to continue or not, we will inform this community. We appreciate the kind words and support of the DIYAudio forum!
Thank you,
Louis Steele
Owner
Vibrato, LLC.
Louis - I'm late to the news of your biz situation and am sorry to hear that you may have to cease operations. Your products and (especially) your service are still very much appreciated and hard to find or replace.
Please let our little community know what's next for you. Your idea for a dual mode unit that first cleans at 40-60khz and then at a higher frequency to penetrate even further sounded like an innovative idea for our particular needs.
I'm sure that many of us would consider reaching out to you independently on an ongoing basis if you were able to accommodate special orders (even if Vibrato must close on Tindie?)
Again, much respect and please keep in touch.
Cheers
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Market Research for Vibrato, LLC.
We continue to receive positive support and interest in our Vibrato Ultrasonic Cleaners, which makes us question our decision to cease manufacturing!
I'd like to pose some questions to our followers and supporters:
1) Would you be interested in purchasing the circuit boards to build your own ultrasonic cleaner?
2) Do you have enough electronic experience to build an ultrasonic cleaner?
3) Would you prefer a completed/working ultrasonic cleaner available for purchase?
4) What type of enclosure would you prefer - plastic, metal, wood, etc.?
5) What frequency ultrasonic cleaner do you prefer - 40khz, 60khz, 80khz, 135khz ?
6) What do you intend to clean with an ultrasonic cleaner?
7) What features are you looking for - simple on/off timer? Digital Display Timer? Heated tank? Digital heater controller? Frequency Sweep? Dual frequency (40khz/60khz, 60khz/80khz) ?
Instead of filling up this forum with answers that are off-topic, you may email them to me, at louis(at)vibratollc.com
Thank you, and I apologize for the spam.
Louis Steele
Vibrato, LLC.
We continue to receive positive support and interest in our Vibrato Ultrasonic Cleaners, which makes us question our decision to cease manufacturing!
I'd like to pose some questions to our followers and supporters:
1) Would you be interested in purchasing the circuit boards to build your own ultrasonic cleaner?
2) Do you have enough electronic experience to build an ultrasonic cleaner?
3) Would you prefer a completed/working ultrasonic cleaner available for purchase?
4) What type of enclosure would you prefer - plastic, metal, wood, etc.?
5) What frequency ultrasonic cleaner do you prefer - 40khz, 60khz, 80khz, 135khz ?
6) What do you intend to clean with an ultrasonic cleaner?
7) What features are you looking for - simple on/off timer? Digital Display Timer? Heated tank? Digital heater controller? Frequency Sweep? Dual frequency (40khz/60khz, 60khz/80khz) ?
Instead of filling up this forum with answers that are off-topic, you may email them to me, at louis(at)vibratollc.com
Thank you, and I apologize for the spam.
Louis Steele
Vibrato, LLC.
Hi pack
Thanks for your kind words about my efforts.
I've received a number of requests to build units for people. I'd enjoy enjoy doing so, but I'd have to charge more than almost everyone would probably be willing to pay. Parts cost isn't the issue. Neither is equipment. I have everything needed; except enough time! My time is simply more valuable to me on other endeavors (professional, family and hobbies!) than most people people wanting to buy a URC would be willing to pay.
As Audiostar pointed out, price is a factor for turnkey units. Most folks don't want to pay enough to make that a worthwhile effort for an individual or small company. Yet, they still want a "custom" unit. And just look at all the variations Vibrato is being asked about. Same issue -- many folks want a different setup or different level of completeness. I've seen this on other DIY projects I've been involved with in audio, metalworking, and automotive. Frequently, I've been asked to do a custom job at mass production price. There's nothing wrong with that, and I'm not complaining; I find the requests flattering. But, it's not worth my time currently.
It would be more exciting for me, and ultimately more economical for people, to buy some tools and start their own diy efforts instead! There have been a couple of folks in this thread for whom building a URC was their first real DIY project. That is fantastic and exciting to see, and I think more people should take that plunge.
Cheers,
B B
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Perfectly understandable, bbftx. Again, I only asked because apartment living isn't conducive to stuff like band saws and drill presses, especially when wives and cats are involved. 
I'm certainly all for diy, up to a point. I've built computers, modded headphones and headphone amps, tinkered with various Linux installs, and finally got into vinyl ripping to scratch the diy itch while making better digital copies of albums I loved than what I could find elsewhere. I also share the recordings sometimes since I know full well that decent analog equipment is expensive and difficult to set up properly (it took me almost 3 years to finally truly LIKE my sound output for longer than a week or two). I do chafe at requests for hi-res cover scans, though. Decent recordings require specialized gear and setup, while looking at a cover requires just buying the record. I also generally don't declick or resample the final recordings, as different people have different tolerances, so I get the "everyone wants something different" factor, and wanting people to do the last few steps themselves.
So in this case, I suppose I can try to track down some different parts that are pre-cut and pre-drilled for more varied use. We'll see what I can figure out. Probably won't be as sturdy or resilient as your build, but hopefully I can work out something useable. I could always just get the Vinyl Stack Spin Kit and call it a day (keeping records 1" apart), but I like your build better in that you can keep the records rotating while completely outside of the tank, along with the slower motor. Cheers!
I'm certainly all for diy, up to a point. I've built computers, modded headphones and headphone amps, tinkered with various Linux installs, and finally got into vinyl ripping to scratch the diy itch while making better digital copies of albums I loved than what I could find elsewhere. I also share the recordings sometimes since I know full well that decent analog equipment is expensive and difficult to set up properly (it took me almost 3 years to finally truly LIKE my sound output for longer than a week or two). I do chafe at requests for hi-res cover scans, though. Decent recordings require specialized gear and setup, while looking at a cover requires just buying the record.
I also generally don't declick or resample the final recordings, as different people have different tolerances, so I get the "everyone wants something different" factor, and wanting people to do the last few steps themselves. So in this case, I suppose I can try to track down some different parts that are pre-cut and pre-drilled for more varied use. We'll see what I can figure out. Probably won't be as sturdy or resilient as your build, but hopefully I can work out something useable. I could always just get the Vinyl Stack Spin Kit and call it a day (keeping records 1" apart), but I like your build better in that you can keep the records rotating while completely outside of the tank, along with the slower motor. Cheers!
Pack, I often forget about the limitations of apartment life. Thanks for the reminder. We therefore need to add another limitation to our list: time, equipment, dollars, expertise, motivation, etc., and that limitation is space!
One resource that might help some people, if they live in the right area, is a place like TechShop. They offer access to a very broad list of machinery and equipment, along with classes on how to use them. Other similar resources in different towns/cities might include some community colleges, artist workshops, etc., that would offer access to machines and training.
Tech Shop Locations
One part that I could do relatively simply, but that no one has asked me for, interestingly enough, is boring a 9/32" shaft to accept the ⅛" motor shaft of the Herbach / Rademan motor.
Best,
B B
One resource that might help some people, if they live in the right area, is a place like TechShop. They offer access to a very broad list of machinery and equipment, along with classes on how to use them. Other similar resources in different towns/cities might include some community colleges, artist workshops, etc., that would offer access to machines and training.
Tech Shop Locations
One part that I could do relatively simply, but that no one has asked me for, interestingly enough, is boring a 9/32" shaft to accept the ⅛" motor shaft of the Herbach / Rademan motor.
Best,
B B
Nuts, nothing near me for TechShop (Philly area about equidistant from both DC and Pittsburgh, emphasis on DISTANT, and the colleges around here are stupid expensive for ANYTHING). Perhaps there's something else around. I know how to operate the equipment, thanks to the fun times in shop class waaaaay back in high school, but I just don't have any of it available nearby as far as I'm aware. :/
But hey, if I get to the point where I can buy a suitable tank and build a suitable mount for the motor, I might bug you about the shaft boring. Essential component to be sure, but kind of the last one to worry about.
Thanks for the feedback!
But hey, if I get to the point where I can buy a suitable tank and build a suitable mount for the motor, I might bug you about the shaft boring. Essential component to be sure, but kind of the last one to worry about.
Thanks for the feedback!
Have you checked out NextFab in Philly, Packgrog? I don't know exactly what they have, but the concept appears similar to TechShop.
About NextFab
Cheers,
B B
About NextFab
Cheers,
B B