Technics SL-1200 DC Power Supply

Before dismissing KAB as a "hobby tax", the amount he provides is all you really need. Also, it would be wise to get the upgrade/replacement thrust plate that KAB provides (which includes the wax anyway), as it provides a better support for the spindle as well as a deeper well for the oil, allowing the spindle to stay better lubricated.

The KAB website may be hideous, but the products provided are extremely reasonable and effective for the price.
 
I see, thank you. And then just kinda shove it in there nice and tight, yes?
Yep

Before dismissing KAB as a "hobby tax", the amount he provides is all you really need.
Yeah, a couple of bucks for two blocks, is reasonable, but not after shipping etc. For the same amount you can get pure beeswax and have enough for other things like potting transformers, or making wax cream for your girls.

Also, it would be wise to get the upgrade/replacement thrust plate that KAB provides (which includes the wax anyway), as it provides a better support for the spindle as well as a deeper well for the oil, allowing the spindle to stay better lubricated.
The KAB website may be hideous, but the products provided are extremely reasonable and effective for the price.


As much as I like delrin as an idea for a thrustpad, as a DIYer I find it hard to justify 45 bucks plus shipping and customs for a piece of plastic that we can cut and drill ourselves for peanuts.

Their parts look well thought, but the price is hardly reasonable when discussing it in a forum of DIYers

Plus, as a web developer, I find their site really untrustworthy for real money transactions
 
I too am a web developer. And yes, the site is hideously outdated since probably the late 90's. But as I recall Kevin uses PayPay for payment processing, so that aspect should still be fine. Add to that the quality of the products and long history of people actually buying and using them, and it's not so bad... at least for those of us in the States. Shipping would probably start to be a discouraging factor overseas.

But yeah, if you can and want to do similar mods yourself, share your process. Always cool to see. But know that the KAB products are there as a fallback or inspiration for DIY, and not useless junk.
 
Good evening,

So I went and bought myself some beeswax and molded it to a disc measuring 38mm diameter and 5mm thickness. Totally forgot to weigh it but like 5-10grams. The bottom of the bearing pit measures like 39_ish mm and the space between the bottom of the thrust plate and the pit is like 2-3mm if my measurements aren't totally off. I'm rambling but anyway... The bearing thingamabob should squeeze into the wax nicely.

IMG_0933.jpg


The one on the right was thicker but not needed after all.

IMG_0938.JPG


Like KABusa website suggests, warming the wax with hairdryer when installing is a good idea as it softens the wax a little and makes it easier to install the bearing unit back.

Also since I was there I checked the thrust plate and

IMG_0935.JPG


Yeah, called my buddy who's in the business of selling plastics and asked him to sell me POM-H (almost but not quite Delrin AF) so my take on the thrust plate mod is now on it's way, too.

What the wax mod did to sound I need to re-listen tomorrow. Brain power is too low, almost too low to think in foreign language at the moment. Tonight I'd say after a quick listen and direct A/B comparison with out the mod that the wax does more adhesion to the sound, everything plays together quite nicely.

Anyway, thanks for reading 🙂
 
POM-H (almost but not quite Delrin AF)
Just add some dry PTFE lube and you have pretty much the same thing.
WD40 has a nice one


Scratch that, I forgot that the bearing is sintered. Just use some plain mineral oil. In that case, perhaps POM-C might be more appropriate, since it's more chemically stable and resists moisture more.
 
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I am busy with the DC power supply for a 1210 mk2. Currently regulating inside the player with a new pcb that receives around 27v DC from external ps, all works wonderfully and I am amazed by the improvement this had. Now i am planning to replace the regulation pcb with an even better one, but while testing it outside of the 1210 i notice it takes about 6 to 10 seconds before it reaches 21v. So i'm wondering if that would be a problem for the 1210? I was thinking of adding a relay that enables the output of the regulator PCB after around 10 seconds but don't quite like that idea.
 
Hi,

a supply for this application that requires 6-10sec to reach its nominal output voltage?
Certainly nothing I would call ´better´ but rather a technical fail.
I guess it´s a lytics overkill thingie?
But if it makes You feel better allright then.
If You wanna do technically better, than one of the modern IC-regulators and a decent SMPS with some LC-postfiltering ahead are an easier cheaper, smaller, easier -and yes- better way to go.
You might also think about additional measurements in the supply rails of the individual Technics chips on the board.
At least one of them gets its supply generated in a rather simple way which leaves room for improvement using a dedicated reg.

jauu
Calvin
 
Its critical to have a good low pass filter on the DC  before it enters the TT. If you let any HF junk in at this point, its going to get into the cartridge, especially if you need alot of gain (ie. MC). Ferrite beads and large inductors in series help alot, but don't expect capacitors to work miracles here. The parasitic inductance will let the HF go right past.

I had to put a LP filter on the AC power cord going into the SMPS on my external supply. This gets more impossible with high gain MC carts. You'll need to earth the tonearm separately instead of relying on the headshell ground. There may be some snaps and pops when high draw AC motors and loads are being switched on your electrical service.

I also shielded the platter cover with copper foil and connected the shield surface to neutral earth.
 
while testing it outside of the 1210 i notice it takes about 6 to 10 seconds before it reaches 21v. So i'm wondering if that would be a problem for the 1210?

In my experiments the slow ramp-up was not a problem for the SL1200. This is a byproduct of using the 10R resistors and large caps in the CRCRC filter. In theory it gives a better ripple rejection, but we do not actually need it since we are using a regulator right after it. The regulator is more than capable of handling things.
In my recent versions and tests, I have been using 1R resistors instead.