bad news
This weekend I dismantled my floating TT.
Although I thought this project to be a great success at first I now have to admit to the contrary.
Even though I stand by most of what I said regarding the way it sounded in the posts above one thing remained a problem: speed stability.
Often you could hear a definite wow, sometimes very bad, sometimes hardly there.
In the end I tracked it down to platter wobble. If the platter starts tilted it stays that way.
Even though the fluid greatly reduces wobbling it doesn’t cancel it completely. It looks like fluid stabilizes but doesn’t level the platter.
As this problem is a direct result of the unipivot principle it marks the end of this route for me.
I am now back with my Thorens TD-125 and though the wow problem is gone I really believe the DIY TT was better in most other respects. I contribute this mainly to the massive platter it used.
Of course I would have preferred the TT to succeed but I learnt an awful lot anyway. No progress without failure as they say.
This weekend I dismantled my floating TT.
Although I thought this project to be a great success at first I now have to admit to the contrary.
Even though I stand by most of what I said regarding the way it sounded in the posts above one thing remained a problem: speed stability.
Often you could hear a definite wow, sometimes very bad, sometimes hardly there.
In the end I tracked it down to platter wobble. If the platter starts tilted it stays that way.
Even though the fluid greatly reduces wobbling it doesn’t cancel it completely. It looks like fluid stabilizes but doesn’t level the platter.
As this problem is a direct result of the unipivot principle it marks the end of this route for me.
I am now back with my Thorens TD-125 and though the wow problem is gone I really believe the DIY TT was better in most other respects. I contribute this mainly to the massive platter it used.
Of course I would have preferred the TT to succeed but I learnt an awful lot anyway. No progress without failure as they say.
My project
I have made some progress and had a set back , on the side of progress my tonearm and pod are a resounding sucess made out of 100mm aluminum pipe with about 2kg of lead inside made the centre pivot out of brass with a steel rod sitting on a single ball have built in veraical height adjustment the counter weight is more brass on a threaded rod and is decoupled from main arm witch is made of more brass (tube wall thickness less than 0.5mm) wire silver.
The set back is the motor I could not get the Gerrard to run the platter at a stable speed I am currently playing around with a motor out of a 5" floppy disk drive it spins at 360rpm have made a pully with a diametre of 29mm my platter is 305mm and spining great so at this point my set back may be a blessing.
Over all the sound i am getting has blown away my old setup a Rega i keep hearing new things on records that i know very we the lack of noise from the table is amasing.
Any opions on my table welcome.
I have made some progress and had a set back , on the side of progress my tonearm and pod are a resounding sucess made out of 100mm aluminum pipe with about 2kg of lead inside made the centre pivot out of brass with a steel rod sitting on a single ball have built in veraical height adjustment the counter weight is more brass on a threaded rod and is decoupled from main arm witch is made of more brass (tube wall thickness less than 0.5mm) wire silver.
The set back is the motor I could not get the Gerrard to run the platter at a stable speed I am currently playing around with a motor out of a 5" floppy disk drive it spins at 360rpm have made a pully with a diametre of 29mm my platter is 305mm and spining great so at this point my set back may be a blessing.
Over all the sound i am getting has blown away my old setup a Rega i keep hearing new things on records that i know very we the lack of noise from the table is amasing.
Any opions on my table welcome.
Attachments
I have not given up on the floating platter...
I foolishly thought to start a floating platter thread, but this seems counter-productive...better to have all the stuff in one massive thread.
This makes great reading.
I've got some ideas to combine magnetic and oil bath tech to eliminate the wow factor. I think that with the right combo, I may be able to stabilize the platter.
Think about this...the floating center pin affair, made out of non-magnetic material. Then introduce balanced metal "dots" each of which has a corresponding magnet in the sub-platter. If the magnets and dots are close enough, they will "lock". If the metal dots are spaced correctly in a star pattern, it should balance the platter..no?
I'm going to try it with really light woods to see if it works.
I foolishly thought to start a floating platter thread, but this seems counter-productive...better to have all the stuff in one massive thread.
This makes great reading.
I've got some ideas to combine magnetic and oil bath tech to eliminate the wow factor. I think that with the right combo, I may be able to stabilize the platter.
Think about this...the floating center pin affair, made out of non-magnetic material. Then introduce balanced metal "dots" each of which has a corresponding magnet in the sub-platter. If the magnets and dots are close enough, they will "lock". If the metal dots are spaced correctly in a star pattern, it should balance the platter..no?
I'm going to try it with really light woods to see if it works.
What about one strong (neo) magnet under the platter in the senter and another one on a post below. Wouldnt that keep the platter centered?
If you have magnets under the platter further out they will most likely affect the pickup.
Cheers
If you have magnets under the platter further out they will most likely affect the pickup.
Cheers
Hi,
You can try but I'm afraid you'll be facing even more problems...
The magnets are likely to create a similar cogging effect as you'd have in direct drive TT only even more so.
Cheers,😉
You can try but I'm afraid you'll be facing even more problems...
The magnets are likely to create a similar cogging effect as you'd have in direct drive TT only even more so.
Cheers,😉
As soon as I get a suitable donor bearing I will try placing a neo magnet in the bottom of the bearing with a repeling magnet mounted to the bottom of the spindle. I've had some success with drilling a hole in the bottom of a large diameter bearing and pumping air into it, eventually failed due to leakage around the spindle. I was using a fairly beat up donor though, it would probably work better with a nice, tight tolerance bearing.
Hi guys
I added an idea for an air-bearing TT that runs w/o a centre spindle to the following thread (see Post #9):
Turntable "floating platter" attempts
I would like any comments on this. I just happen to think about it as I read that thread. I have not read this one so if it has been suggested, my apologies.
Enjoy,
Deon
I added an idea for an air-bearing TT that runs w/o a centre spindle to the following thread (see Post #9):
Turntable "floating platter" attempts
I would like any comments on this. I just happen to think about it as I read that thread. I have not read this one so if it has been suggested, my apologies.
Enjoy,
Deon
Maybe this is a silly question, but what is POM? I've seen it referred to several times in this gigantic thread, but I have no idea what POM is... Plain Old Metal? Pretty Obvious Material? Patently Obscure Matter? 😕 
Please enlighten me.
On a more serious note, I came across a very interesting material which looks very useful for bushing / thrustplate material. It's called Graflon. Here's a quote from this fascinating webpage:
Also, the machine described on that website uses a sliding ram device which looks like it has a bearing which could be nicely adapted for a linear tracking tomearm... small graflon bushings riding on a precision shaft. If what the author says about the coefficient of friction is true, then this would be the ideal material.
Please enlighten me.On a more serious note, I came across a very interesting material which looks very useful for bushing / thrustplate material. It's called Graflon. Here's a quote from this fascinating webpage:
If anyone knows where to get this stuff, I think there are lots of people who would be interested to try it out!
Also, the machine described on that website uses a sliding ram device which looks like it has a bearing which could be nicely adapted for a linear tracking tomearm... small graflon bushings riding on a precision shaft. If what the author says about the coefficient of friction is true, then this would be the ideal material.
Heh, you know, considering the kind of precision instrument this guy built in his garage (in the mid 1950's no less!) 
, it kinda makes our turntable efforts seem pretty humble. 😱
, it kinda makes our turntable efforts seem pretty humble. 😱
Stae of Play
Hey there.. well been reading all these posts re the turntable project. Its very refreshing to see all the talent out there, I take my platter off to you all.
Whats the state of play with the diy turntable? Has anyone buit one and if so are there any plans out there yet?
Regards
Nick Mega
Australia
Hey there.. well been reading all these posts re the turntable project. Its very refreshing to see all the talent out there, I take my platter off to you all.
Whats the state of play with the diy turntable? Has anyone buit one and if so are there any plans out there yet?
Regards
Nick Mega
Australia
diy Vinyl mat/top-platter
Hi all,
yesterday I read the great topic on DIY TT plan and ended up with the decision to try a vinyl-pvc based mat (or top platter, depending on thickness).
The same yesterday evening I took a scratched lp and used it as a mat. Boys, I don't know if it was a psychological effect but the performance of my TT did improve.
Comments are most welcome!!!
P.S.: I thought a cheap vinyl top-platter. Get a pack of scratched lps (I guess rather easier a task), get some vinavil (or vinylic glue) and sandwich lps and glue... any comments/expectation???
Stefano
Hi all,
yesterday I read the great topic on DIY TT plan and ended up with the decision to try a vinyl-pvc based mat (or top platter, depending on thickness).
The same yesterday evening I took a scratched lp and used it as a mat. Boys, I don't know if it was a psychological effect but the performance of my TT did improve.
Comments are most welcome!!!
P.S.: I thought a cheap vinyl top-platter. Get a pack of scratched lps (I guess rather easier a task), get some vinavil (or vinylic glue) and sandwich lps and glue... any comments/expectation???
Stefano
I did that once, made a very temporary platter out of some old Lp's, it sounded a lot better than the original MDF platter. But I never got to glueing them together, just used the disc clamp. I was told that when I like this sound, I should go for a acrylic platter. So I did, I'm waiting for the postman to deliver it....😀
Lp platter also worked well for me. But I cut the label and run in on the top layer, doughnut IOW. The Lp doughnut works well as a mat but is dinicky about centering.
"vinyl" platter
This has been done several times in the past to good effect (did I first read it on AA?). Coupling of the record and the DIY vinyl mat or platter is most excellent, no or few reflections--think of it as a constrained layer platter.
This has been done several times in the past to good effect (did I first read it on AA?). Coupling of the record and the DIY vinyl mat or platter is most excellent, no or few reflections--think of it as a constrained layer platter.
diy tt
Well,
I have to agree with planet 10 on this the real fun of making a turntables DIY is what tou can come up with the sublime to the rediculous a member I think he is Khrishu at Krishu.de has a turntable gallery and they are all different just whish i could hear them "LIVE"
it does show that you can make a nice sounding TT at little cost.
The greatest problem is a motor and speed contoll HAS ANY ONE GOT A CIRCUIT WITH EASILY OBTAINABLE PARTS FOR A PHASE LOCK LOOP
TO SPEED CONTROLL A D.C. MOTOR that would be an incredible assett
by the way i have an old systemdeck 2 the oil rig the round one sounds nice but my DIY as a very rough proto type eats it speed stability is a problem with a dc motor and no PLL
and the shapes you can gey are wow how about a permanent DIY Gallery people!!!!!
Fantasia
Well,
I have to agree with planet 10 on this the real fun of making a turntables DIY is what tou can come up with the sublime to the rediculous a member I think he is Khrishu at Krishu.de has a turntable gallery and they are all different just whish i could hear them "LIVE"
it does show that you can make a nice sounding TT at little cost.
The greatest problem is a motor and speed contoll HAS ANY ONE GOT A CIRCUIT WITH EASILY OBTAINABLE PARTS FOR A PHASE LOCK LOOP
TO SPEED CONTROLL A D.C. MOTOR that would be an incredible assett
by the way i have an old systemdeck 2 the oil rig the round one sounds nice but my DIY as a very rough proto type eats it speed stability is a problem with a dc motor and no PLL
and the shapes you can gey are wow how about a permanent DIY Gallery people!!!!!
Fantasia
Re: "vinyl" platter
Ciao Nanook, I've read of a sort of sun-driven warm melting, by packing a stack of LPs under a glass and let the sun do its work.
But when you are in a hurry and you have a cloudy sky, wouldn't a vinylic glue be reasonable and fine for glue the LPs together?
Stefano
Nanook said:
Ciao Nanook, I've read of a sort of sun-driven warm melting, by packing a stack of LPs under a glass and let the sun do its work.
But when you are in a hurry and you have a cloudy sky, wouldn't a vinylic glue be reasonable and fine for glue the LPs together?
Stefano
vinyl stacked platter...
sorry for my tardiness...
Wash the records to remove all the labels. If possible cut the label area out of 1 record, the top one . stack you records carefully. Place on a flat cookie sheet or Pizza stone, something that will not distort with heat. Place in an old oven and heat under minimal heat, and allow to cook. (an hour seems to be the time I recall). Allow to cool slowly. to room temperature..
However, the key here is not to use an oven that you plan on using for food. there are vinyl glues out there or even RTV oxygen sensor safe silicon sealant. Do as you would for any of the other stacked viyl methods, but use an old credit card "sqeegie" to spread the silicon, and place the next record on, and so on and so on. Stop when you are high enough (pardon the pun), and place a piece of glass or smooth granite, etc on top with weight if need be. Let it sit for at least a day. The key here is to have adequate RTV between the records so it gets sqeezed out of the circumfrence of the lps.When set up, trim off any silicon from the edges with a SHARP blade, and run a drill bit through the centre hole (by hand,think of it as a reamer).
sorry for my tardiness...
Wash the records to remove all the labels. If possible cut the label area out of 1 record, the top one . stack you records carefully. Place on a flat cookie sheet or Pizza stone, something that will not distort with heat. Place in an old oven and heat under minimal heat, and allow to cook. (an hour seems to be the time I recall). Allow to cool slowly. to room temperature..
However, the key here is not to use an oven that you plan on using for food. there are vinyl glues out there or even RTV oxygen sensor safe silicon sealant. Do as you would for any of the other stacked viyl methods, but use an old credit card "sqeegie" to spread the silicon, and place the next record on, and so on and so on. Stop when you are high enough (pardon the pun), and place a piece of glass or smooth granite, etc on top with weight if need be. Let it sit for at least a day. The key here is to have adequate RTV between the records so it gets sqeezed out of the circumfrence of the lps.When set up, trim off any silicon from the edges with a SHARP blade, and run a drill bit through the centre hole (by hand,think of it as a reamer).
Member
Joined 2004
Re: diy Vinyl mat/top-platter
Hi,
Instead of a scratched one for platter top you could search for a one-side-only record. One with a blank B side. I´ve seen one or two in a DJ store a few years ago. Hard to find, but would look neat, I think.
seppstefano said:Hi all,
yesterday I read the great topic on DIY TT plan and ended up with the decision to try a vinyl-pvc based mat (or top platter, depending on thickness).
The same yesterday evening I took a scratched lp and used it as a mat. Boys, I don't know if it was a psychological effect but the performance of my TT did improve.
Comments are most welcome!!!
P.S.: I thought a cheap vinyl top-platter. Get a pack of scratched lps (I guess rather easier a task), get some vinavil (or vinylic glue) and sandwich lps and glue... any comments/expectation???
Stefano
Hi,
Instead of a scratched one for platter top you could search for a one-side-only record. One with a blank B side. I´ve seen one or two in a DJ store a few years ago. Hard to find, but would look neat, I think.
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