excuse my ignorance here, but I am but a layman. I am pretty good at building things tho and i do have quite a few tools.
I am seriously interested in building a tone arm. Started off thinking a magnetic one, but now extremely interested in the air bearing as I have always been a sucker for linear tracking turntables (Rabco ST7 was my 1st real table).
I have seen and found a lot of great info, but one thing I have not found is a website or page where someone is actually documenting their build.
Does anyone happen to know of a link like this ? I would love to find a link where the person pretty much documented all of the steps - plus things to watch out for etc.....
as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.
Would also help out us poor ignorant people who can build things but are not that creative....
thanks for any info......
May be blasphemy to some, but I have some serious plans on a DIY table using some parts from my Empire 398........a do it myself following someone else's directions tonearm would top it off nicely
I am seriously interested in building a tone arm. Started off thinking a magnetic one, but now extremely interested in the air bearing as I have always been a sucker for linear tracking turntables (Rabco ST7 was my 1st real table).
I have seen and found a lot of great info, but one thing I have not found is a website or page where someone is actually documenting their build.
Does anyone happen to know of a link like this ? I would love to find a link where the person pretty much documented all of the steps - plus things to watch out for etc.....
as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.
Would also help out us poor ignorant people who can build things but are not that creative....
thanks for any info......
May be blasphemy to some, but I have some serious plans on a DIY table using some parts from my Empire 398........a do it myself following someone else's directions tonearm would top it off nicely
thanks for the links. I did stumble across those. Having become infatuated with this, i have been spending way too much time surfing for info.
My thing tho is I am as layman as they come. I believe i have it all figured out from going thru ladegaard's site and the one's u mentioned, among many others.
My thing tho, being the layman that I am, I have found that sometimes the simplest things are left out as for the most part, the people diy'ing these things are experienced and know what they are doing.
I have found that, sometimes not all the time, if someone actually takes you thru a build, with pictures of course, I often find out a few things which can be important, but were taken for granted by everyone else.
Guess i just need a DIY site for dummies lol.
hey, have to start some where. Actually, while looking for info on this, I have found a bunch of projects i am going to give a shot.
Very intrigued by those Voight-Pipe speakers, a tube buffer and a tube phono preamp -
maybe i will try to get pics and have a "stupid man's guide to DIY" 😀
last pic on the page may be my house burning down or me in an ambulance....but hey, no pain , no gain.....
I always see people saying how they love the project but is out of their skill level - if i get enough generous people to answer my stupid questions - i will try anything once
hey, gives me an idea, a "Haynes" manual for diy projects.......bet someone could make some extra cash with a few of those
My thing tho is I am as layman as they come. I believe i have it all figured out from going thru ladegaard's site and the one's u mentioned, among many others.
My thing tho, being the layman that I am, I have found that sometimes the simplest things are left out as for the most part, the people diy'ing these things are experienced and know what they are doing.
I have found that, sometimes not all the time, if someone actually takes you thru a build, with pictures of course, I often find out a few things which can be important, but were taken for granted by everyone else.
Guess i just need a DIY site for dummies lol.
hey, have to start some where. Actually, while looking for info on this, I have found a bunch of projects i am going to give a shot.
Very intrigued by those Voight-Pipe speakers, a tube buffer and a tube phono preamp -
maybe i will try to get pics and have a "stupid man's guide to DIY" 😀
last pic on the page may be my house burning down or me in an ambulance....but hey, no pain , no gain.....
I always see people saying how they love the project but is out of their skill level - if i get enough generous people to answer my stupid questions - i will try anything once
hey, gives me an idea, a "Haynes" manual for diy projects.......bet someone could make some extra cash with a few of those
look here toowww.newwayairbearings.com
type number S302001, 20mm Air Bushing same as used in kuzma airline
type number S302001, 20mm Air Bushing same as used in kuzma airline
cool as heck, thanks for the site. perusing the site - so many ideas.
I have found a few linear bearings that would work great - problem I am running into is finding prices and where to buy them.
Thought the boxway would be perfect, but I believe it is a 2k plus piece, then just the regular linear bearings, but can not find a place that sells them without asking for quote ....
guess they believe only manufacturers use this stuff. we like to play too
I have found a few linear bearings that would work great - problem I am running into is finding prices and where to buy them.
Thought the boxway would be perfect, but I believe it is a 2k plus piece, then just the regular linear bearings, but can not find a place that sells them without asking for quote ....
guess they believe only manufacturers use this stuff. we like to play too
thats true the are exspensive and you need an airdryer as well and a silent compressor these wii\ll cost you even more than the actual bearing. But i already have an compressor for airbrushing so for me thats no problem. What you can try to to get to pieces of aluminium tubbing, one with a diameter of 16mm and one with a 20mm diameter, in my case te one with the 20mm fits snuggly over the 16mm one, polish the 16mm one and the inside of a piece of say about 8 cm of the 20mm one. Drill small wholes in de 16 mm one at say 8mm apart hook this pipe to a compressor and the 20mm tube wil slide very smooth over the 16mm one. the small holes have to be located at 90 degrees over the pipe. Ive trie this and this works fine, have not build an arm with it. but it was a lot of fun to experiment with it. good luck
roy algra said:
That's the route I am taking. Careful sizing of aluminum pipe and tubing from Online Metals yields pieces that will work.
Martin
k, thanks. Looks like that is direction i will head.
I just figured I would google linear air bearing and come up with a ton of choices - I get a ton of manufacturers, but not anyone selling individual bearings/bushings. Ones i do fine are the slides, which are very expensiive....
I just figured I would google linear air bearing and come up with a ton of choices - I get a ton of manufacturers, but not anyone selling individual bearings/bushings. Ones i do fine are the slides, which are very expensiive....
I intend to build an air bearing arm and use an old Rec-O-Kut Rodine2 platter. The NewWay bearings are about $200, but have a tremendous advantage over most diy stuff- they use hardly any air. I'm planning to use tire tank and just pump it up again after a few LPs. I did some mass calculations for various configurations and I think the large 20mm bearing is too big. If you have the bearing in the arm and feed it thru a tube, there will be residual forces. The arm mass will also be quite high. If you make the bushing stationary, the tube mass is excessive. My plan is to use a 0.5" bearing, stationary, with a light weight movable arm tube. I had a thread on this at the Vinyl Engine. I actually have everything except the bearing, and am just looking for time to get it going. I may also try machining my own bearing. It won't be porous carbon, but I think I can hold the tolerances tight enough to keep air usage to a minimum.
conrad - where did you find the new way for sale ? I just keep finding sites that deal with manufacturers.
I have a Empire 598 that I want to use for parts. It has a great platter, very heavy plus apparently about as balanced as u can get.
Also has a very highly regarded motor -
so 2 of the obstacles are taken care of, which means I can worry more about the bearing.
I like the new way and others like it for a couple of reasons.
Obviously more precise then I am going to make, so less air (tho I plan on having a dedicated air compressor just for this. I am building a listening room, so can build a small sound proof room for the compressor and build the lines into the wall -
but I also like the more finished look. Using a new way and the appropriate tube, anondized, chrome etc, I was thinking it would not only be more accurate and precise, but give it a more refined look.
and as I have most of the other parts I need, the bearing would be the most costly part - so I could still build it pretty cheap.
But I can not find a reseller of the individual bearings.....I have spent hours looking...
obviously not in the right place.
I have a Empire 598 that I want to use for parts. It has a great platter, very heavy plus apparently about as balanced as u can get.
Also has a very highly regarded motor -
so 2 of the obstacles are taken care of, which means I can worry more about the bearing.
I like the new way and others like it for a couple of reasons.
Obviously more precise then I am going to make, so less air (tho I plan on having a dedicated air compressor just for this. I am building a listening room, so can build a small sound proof room for the compressor and build the lines into the wall -
but I also like the more finished look. Using a new way and the appropriate tube, anondized, chrome etc, I was thinking it would not only be more accurate and precise, but give it a more refined look.
and as I have most of the other parts I need, the bearing would be the most costly part - so I could still build it pretty cheap.
But I can not find a reseller of the individual bearings.....I have spent hours looking...
obviously not in the right place.
Well, I bought one for a project at work some time back, and I can't remember if we bought it direct from NewWay, or a distributor. I've called NewWay and they don't seem to have any problem discussing designs and approximate pricing. No doubt they'll also tell you who the closest distributor is. Buying a single piece should be no problem. I've also wondered if a few people got together if we could get a better price on a quantity, though I don't know if we could find a dozen people or so who have the interest.
air bearing "madness"
Hi Conrad and all the others that have succumbed to this malady.
Having gotten my Schroeder clone working real well I had to do something with some stuff left over from that project. Hence a linear tracker with air bearing. I built the start of a Ladegaard but ran into some problems getting the traveler to fly. It didn't even budge with fish tank pumps but did with a Binks airbrush pump. Then I saw reference to a tripod leg which set off a new train of experimentation. In my junk box are several legs from an old Davidson tripod. The bottom extension measures 5/8" diameter and is nicely finished with grey anodizing. Then one day at the local ACE hardware store I happened on plumbing part, a 12" length of full slip repair coupling (copper) which slid over the tripod leg ever so smoothly. Cut a 12" length of tripod leg and a 4" length of coupling tube. Made a row of air holes spaced about 3/4" apart and lined the tube with a strip of adhesive backed copper foil that stained glass workers use. Next I punched 0.012" holes in the foil strip. Put the whole thing together, closed off one end with my palm and pressurized it with my good old lungs. Well let me tell you that traveler flew from one end to the other and back. Next I built up a first try at an actual arm based on the first experiment. The big difference was to use 3 rows of air holes spaced 120 degrees apart to equalize the air flow around the pipe. Then to run a length of air hose up from the cellar to the living room and set the prototype arm on the turntable. With no careful setup it played a half dozen records without a hitch and no tracking errors or distortion. The crude experiment has been gussied up a bit and I'm going to do some serious listening and more reporting to the forum on how it performs. Given some luck I'll attach a picture of the gussied up model. Let me know what you all think of it please.
Bill G.
Hi Conrad and all the others that have succumbed to this malady.
Having gotten my Schroeder clone working real well I had to do something with some stuff left over from that project. Hence a linear tracker with air bearing. I built the start of a Ladegaard but ran into some problems getting the traveler to fly. It didn't even budge with fish tank pumps but did with a Binks airbrush pump. Then I saw reference to a tripod leg which set off a new train of experimentation. In my junk box are several legs from an old Davidson tripod. The bottom extension measures 5/8" diameter and is nicely finished with grey anodizing. Then one day at the local ACE hardware store I happened on plumbing part, a 12" length of full slip repair coupling (copper) which slid over the tripod leg ever so smoothly. Cut a 12" length of tripod leg and a 4" length of coupling tube. Made a row of air holes spaced about 3/4" apart and lined the tube with a strip of adhesive backed copper foil that stained glass workers use. Next I punched 0.012" holes in the foil strip. Put the whole thing together, closed off one end with my palm and pressurized it with my good old lungs. Well let me tell you that traveler flew from one end to the other and back. Next I built up a first try at an actual arm based on the first experiment. The big difference was to use 3 rows of air holes spaced 120 degrees apart to equalize the air flow around the pipe. Then to run a length of air hose up from the cellar to the living room and set the prototype arm on the turntable. With no careful setup it played a half dozen records without a hitch and no tracking errors or distortion. The crude experiment has been gussied up a bit and I'm going to do some serious listening and more reporting to the forum on how it performs. Given some luck I'll attach a picture of the gussied up model. Let me know what you all think of it please.
Bill G.
Attachments
I love it!!! It looks so simple. Can't wait to try something similar. My sister has a good friend who runs a repetition engineering business, I'll have to start some serious thinking...
mhconley,
Any luck with the aluminum tube from Online Metals? I'm looking at Speedy Metals. They have a .5 inch OD and a 5/8 inch OD (with a .509 ID...so clearance of .009) tube, that I think with a little polishing would work great?
bgruhn,
What size was the copper tube you found at ACE?
Any luck with the aluminum tube from Online Metals? I'm looking at Speedy Metals. They have a .5 inch OD and a 5/8 inch OD (with a .509 ID...so clearance of .009) tube, that I think with a little polishing would work great?
bgruhn,
What size was the copper tube you found at ACE?
K&S Engineering offer pre-cut 12" (300mm) lengths of various type tubing through hobby stores that could be an easy, low cost option for playing around with 'air bearings'. Their display units seem to be readily found in Australian hobby stores, but not always with their larger diameter tubes available. The range is apparently telescopic, which should help matching tubes for the air bearing.
http://www.ksmetals.com/products.html
Their Chicago factory offers a 'cut to length' service as well from quite a selection of tubing sizes, but I think with minimum quantities required.
http://www.ksmetals.com/CutToLength.html
Small Parts & Bearings, an outlet in Australia, have some interesting pre-cut tubing in smaller lengths, although not all sizes and types offered are held in stock.
http://www.smallparts.com.au/store/categories/tube/
They also sell short lengths of various diameter CARBON FIBRE tubing - possibly good for arm tubes?
http://www.smallparts.com.au/store/partslist/tuberoundcarbonfibre/carbonfibrematerials/all/1/3/
They also stock tube cutters, bearings, and other interesting small engineering parts. They will ship Worldwide.
Simon
http://www.ksmetals.com/products.html
Their Chicago factory offers a 'cut to length' service as well from quite a selection of tubing sizes, but I think with minimum quantities required.
http://www.ksmetals.com/CutToLength.html
Small Parts & Bearings, an outlet in Australia, have some interesting pre-cut tubing in smaller lengths, although not all sizes and types offered are held in stock.
http://www.smallparts.com.au/store/categories/tube/
They also sell short lengths of various diameter CARBON FIBRE tubing - possibly good for arm tubes?
http://www.smallparts.com.au/store/partslist/tuberoundcarbonfibre/carbonfibrematerials/all/1/3/
They also stock tube cutters, bearings, and other interesting small engineering parts. They will ship Worldwide.
Simon
just as an aside have you considered a mechanical linear tracking tonearm such as the 0pus 3 by Rauna of Sweden? here is a related thread. http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34126&highlight=linear+tracking+tonearm
Hi,
Watch out for airbearings......They steel the bass.😕
What happens?
Anyone heard an airborn (sic) tonearm yet which had good bass?
Wondered why?
Cheers,😉
Watch out for airbearings......They steel the bass.😕
What happens?
Anyone heard an airborn (sic) tonearm yet which had good bass?
Wondered why?
Cheers,😉
They steal the bass?
If you read any reviews of either the Air Tangent, Versa Dynamics or even the cheaper Eminent technogoly,s ET1 or 2 Lackluster bass was not an issue.
Having a couple of ET1,s and subs myself I can assure you deep bass is not a problem.
An air bearing has 2 small and different low freq. resonant peaks, Horizontal and vertical. A gimbaled style has 1 huge resonant point, depending on compliance/mass of course.
This at least gives your system a better chance at getting those lows to flow without interaction.
No bearing chatter for me!
Regards
David
If you read any reviews of either the Air Tangent, Versa Dynamics or even the cheaper Eminent technogoly,s ET1 or 2 Lackluster bass was not an issue.
Having a couple of ET1,s and subs myself I can assure you deep bass is not a problem.
An air bearing has 2 small and different low freq. resonant peaks, Horizontal and vertical. A gimbaled style has 1 huge resonant point, depending on compliance/mass of course.
This at least gives your system a better chance at getting those lows to flow without interaction.
No bearing chatter for me!
Regards
David
- Status
- Not open for further replies.