Hi Chris
What is the total mass ( in grams) of your counterweight including the hanging wire. I am thinking about making one out of molten lead
Thanks
muimui
What is the total mass ( in grams) of your counterweight including the hanging wire. I am thinking about making one out of molten lead
Thanks
muimui
Hi Chris,
I've been following your progress on both the WTA clone and the mechanical linear tracker. Your comments on both arms indicates your high degree of satisfaction with them both. I would like to see your impressions of one vs the other sometime. I've never lost my fascination with the WTA concept and may very well pick it up again in the future.
Rgds,
BillG
I've been following your progress on both the WTA clone and the mechanical linear tracker. Your comments on both arms indicates your high degree of satisfaction with them both. I would like to see your impressions of one vs the other sometime. I've never lost my fascination with the WTA concept and may very well pick it up again in the future.
Rgds,
BillG
Hello Bill
I'm in the process of refining the WTL arm so it has a smaller footprint. It's going on a restored Lenco 75 with stacked platters etc. Will post pictures when finished. This version will be about as far as I can go with its development-you can't do a great deal with a metal tube and a golf ball except make it look more aesthetically pleasing! As to performance-this is a superb performer with loads of detail-it outperforms every other arm I've had-especially on what were previously noisy pressings-and I've owned just about every arm you would care to think of in the past. As a result, it's staying on my Garrard 401 with slate plinth!
On to the linear tracker. I like these types of arm as there's a lot of 'twiddling' you can do-as my wife calls it - which impacts on the sound quality and is easy to reverse if you get it wrong. I currently have my version on what started as a Gyrodeck but is now very different-superb main bearing though. I'm currently spending time on another version using the two parallel 6mm glass rods for the track in the same configuration as Colin's- this arrangement certainly works-with 4 bearings I had all sorts of tracking problems. With this-it has no such issues. I've designed a new carriage and the mounting onto the deck will be beefed up. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of time as I'm currently spending part of the week working away from home-incidentally I'm part of a team closing down the manufacturing unit which supplied Pink Floyd's PA system. Not a very enjoyable job at present!
Back to the arm-it's already a very articulate and classy performer- even with an old VMS20E cartridge with 'special' stylus. However, it has much more potential to be a really top performer with a little more care and attention. As stated previously, it certainly outperforms the other linear trackers I've had in the past.
That's about it for now. Watch this space.....
Chris
I'm in the process of refining the WTL arm so it has a smaller footprint. It's going on a restored Lenco 75 with stacked platters etc. Will post pictures when finished. This version will be about as far as I can go with its development-you can't do a great deal with a metal tube and a golf ball except make it look more aesthetically pleasing! As to performance-this is a superb performer with loads of detail-it outperforms every other arm I've had-especially on what were previously noisy pressings-and I've owned just about every arm you would care to think of in the past. As a result, it's staying on my Garrard 401 with slate plinth!
On to the linear tracker. I like these types of arm as there's a lot of 'twiddling' you can do-as my wife calls it - which impacts on the sound quality and is easy to reverse if you get it wrong. I currently have my version on what started as a Gyrodeck but is now very different-superb main bearing though. I'm currently spending time on another version using the two parallel 6mm glass rods for the track in the same configuration as Colin's- this arrangement certainly works-with 4 bearings I had all sorts of tracking problems. With this-it has no such issues. I've designed a new carriage and the mounting onto the deck will be beefed up. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of time as I'm currently spending part of the week working away from home-incidentally I'm part of a team closing down the manufacturing unit which supplied Pink Floyd's PA system. Not a very enjoyable job at present!
Back to the arm-it's already a very articulate and classy performer- even with an old VMS20E cartridge with 'special' stylus. However, it has much more potential to be a really top performer with a little more care and attention. As stated previously, it certainly outperforms the other linear trackers I've had in the past.
That's about it for now. Watch this space.....
Chris
An update for Bill. Correction-when I stated that there wasn't much more I could do with the arm, I was wrong. I had a feeling that if I experimented with the depth of damping fluid in which the golfball hangs, it might make a difference. Guess what-it did! I've lowered the ball about 5mm further into the silicone oil and the improvements in presence, articulation and especially bass have been quite a revelation! That's the thing about working on Hi-fi: you think you have gone about as far as you can go and then you find you haven't. Nearing the end of development? Who Knows? Most likely not!
Chris
Chris
Hi Chris,
I think I alluded to the depth of immersion for the ball some time during my ramblings on WTA design and setup. Maybe not, in which case I apologize for the omission. I'm glad you tried it with success. I would expect that this could be a way of fine tuning the anti-skate force presented by the drag of the viscous fluid.
Rgds,
BillG
Hi Bill
I have always meant to experiment with different depths of immersion but hadn't bothered to do so far for two reasons:
Performance was so good as it was
It can get messy-that thick silicone gets to places where you don't want it to go no matter how careful you are
Anyway, glad I did!
Regarding bias- a half turn clockwise of the lines is all that's needed. Never had problems with anti-skating with any of my versions. It's an 11" arm anyway so doesn't really need bias (another discussion topic maybe?) It tracks every band of the HFS 75 test disc perfectly-something I have never been able to achieve in all my other arms previously- and I've had some very serious arms through my hands (no pun intended!) Considering 'drag' I don't really discern any difference in rotational freedom than previously
Regards
Chris
I have always meant to experiment with different depths of immersion but hadn't bothered to do so far for two reasons:
Performance was so good as it was
It can get messy-that thick silicone gets to places where you don't want it to go no matter how careful you are
Anyway, glad I did!
Regarding bias- a half turn clockwise of the lines is all that's needed. Never had problems with anti-skating with any of my versions. It's an 11" arm anyway so doesn't really need bias (another discussion topic maybe?) It tracks every band of the HFS 75 test disc perfectly-something I have never been able to achieve in all my other arms previously- and I've had some very serious arms through my hands (no pun intended!) Considering 'drag' I don't really discern any difference in rotational freedom than previously
Regards
Chris
Wow one year since Iv'e been back here!
Life/family.................
I saw this arm sitting in my garage all alone collecting dust yesterday so i thought I'd better get it finished(or try to).
Tried making a counter weight but failed as it was too light, bummer. It was filled with sand and seal up with silicon, back to the drawing board.
I managed to get the head shell sorted and fill the arm with chalk then fill the ends with silicon.
cotton used just to hang it and check count weight.
The arm rest will go up onto the platform after I get it cut to the right length.
could have made the base heavier as I still thinks its too light, but will wait and see.
Life/family.................
I saw this arm sitting in my garage all alone collecting dust yesterday so i thought I'd better get it finished(or try to).
Tried making a counter weight but failed as it was too light, bummer. It was filled with sand and seal up with silicon, back to the drawing board.
I managed to get the head shell sorted and fill the arm with chalk then fill the ends with silicon.
cotton used just to hang it and check count weight.
The arm rest will go up onto the platform after I get it cut to the right length.
could have made the base heavier as I still thinks its too light, but will wait and see.
Attachments
c/w
Enze,
Just slide it further away from the 'pivot' for now - for testing purposes!
Arguments exist for c/w nearer or farther away from pivot but I would imagine the effect on sound would be minimal whilst seeing how good the arms is😉
My twopenneth anyway
BTW - it looks real good
G
Enze,
Just slide it further away from the 'pivot' for now - for testing purposes!
Arguments exist for c/w nearer or farther away from pivot but I would imagine the effect on sound would be minimal whilst seeing how good the arms is😉
My twopenneth anyway
BTW - it looks real good
G
Can you share where you got the brass 'grommet' on the suspension arm? I'm using rubber grommets on mine for now...
It's just part of that threaded pipe cut down. But I do have concerns about it moving about while the tone arm is rotating or while I'm lifting it into place. Yes I too was concerned about the counter weight moving too far back away from the pivot point?
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