Stumbled across this thread a while back and thanks to all you fellas on here, decided to have a go making my own taking what I thought were the best elements of all the interesting designs. I particularly liked the idea of using magnets to attach the motor unit to the UC.
I wanted something compact that I could quickly and simply place on the UC when cleaning records and quickly remove to use the unit for other general cleaning purposes. It also needed to be something I could make with basic tools.
In the end, I based the design around the Vinyl Stack label protector:
They also agreed to supply me the magnetic metal boss from their Sonic Spin Kit:
My parts list as follows:
Turbo Worm Gear Motor 0.6rpm
12v Power Supply
6L Ultrasonic Cleaner
Vinyl Stack Label Protector and magnetic boss
2mm 150x150mm 406 Stainless Steel
130mm right angle stainless steel bracket
6mm coupling & steel rod
Black Plastic Project Box
Panel mount DC Female Jack Plug
Magnets
Pillow Block Bearing
Bolts, Nuts and screws
Total Cost = £256
The end result is a compact integral motor/magnetic record clamp unit that simply rests over the lip of the UC and attaches to a single magnet bonded with Gorilla glue on the back of the unit:
Removed from the unit:
Single magnet bonded to UC:
Closeup:
With magnetic Vinyl Stack kit attached:
Front View:
The hardest part in making the unit, was drilling of the holes in the metal plate to screw mount the motor and project box and the holes to mount the pillow bearing used to support the weight of the Vinyl Stack and records. Fortunately the motor had a technical drawing with the description on Ebay that I was able to use whilst waiting for the motor to arrive from China. Drilling the holes with a cordless hand drill was time consuming. If I were to do it again, I'd get a local engineering firm to do it.
Once the motor was screwed in place to the metal plate, I drilled a hole in the bottom of the black plastic project box, installed the jack plug and soldered wires between jack plug and motor before fitting the project box to conceal the motor.
Whilst it will take 4 records at a time, I only plan to do a max of 2 for better cleaning efficiency as the distance between the discs is only 15mm. I've cleaned one record so far with filtered water and the results were very good. Looking forward to experimenting with some of the potions suggested on here.
Thanks to everyone for your inspiration and hope I've given you some useful ideas.
I wanted something compact that I could quickly and simply place on the UC when cleaning records and quickly remove to use the unit for other general cleaning purposes. It also needed to be something I could make with basic tools.
In the end, I based the design around the Vinyl Stack label protector:
They also agreed to supply me the magnetic metal boss from their Sonic Spin Kit:
My parts list as follows:
Turbo Worm Gear Motor 0.6rpm
12v Power Supply
6L Ultrasonic Cleaner
Vinyl Stack Label Protector and magnetic boss
2mm 150x150mm 406 Stainless Steel
130mm right angle stainless steel bracket
6mm coupling & steel rod
Black Plastic Project Box
Panel mount DC Female Jack Plug
Magnets
Pillow Block Bearing
Bolts, Nuts and screws
Total Cost = £256
The end result is a compact integral motor/magnetic record clamp unit that simply rests over the lip of the UC and attaches to a single magnet bonded with Gorilla glue on the back of the unit:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Removed from the unit:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Single magnet bonded to UC:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Closeup:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
With magnetic Vinyl Stack kit attached:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Front View:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
The hardest part in making the unit, was drilling of the holes in the metal plate to screw mount the motor and project box and the holes to mount the pillow bearing used to support the weight of the Vinyl Stack and records. Fortunately the motor had a technical drawing with the description on Ebay that I was able to use whilst waiting for the motor to arrive from China. Drilling the holes with a cordless hand drill was time consuming. If I were to do it again, I'd get a local engineering firm to do it.
Once the motor was screwed in place to the metal plate, I drilled a hole in the bottom of the black plastic project box, installed the jack plug and soldered wires between jack plug and motor before fitting the project box to conceal the motor.
Whilst it will take 4 records at a time, I only plan to do a max of 2 for better cleaning efficiency as the distance between the discs is only 15mm. I've cleaned one record so far with filtered water and the results were very good. Looking forward to experimenting with some of the potions suggested on here.
Thanks to everyone for your inspiration and hope I've given you some useful ideas.
Stumbled across this thread a while back and thanks to all you fellas on here, decided to have a go making my own taking what I thought were the best elements of all the interesting designs. I particularly liked the idea of using magnets to attach the motor unit to the UC.
I wanted something compact that I could quickly and simply place on the UC when cleaning records and quickly remove to use the unit for other general cleaning purposes. It also needed to be something I could make with basic tools.
In the end, I based the design around the Vinyl Stack label protector:
They also agreed to supply me the magnetic metal boss from their Sonic Spin Kit:
My parts list as follows:
Turbo Worm Gear Motor 0.6rpm
12v Power Supply
6L Ultrasonic Cleaner
Vinyl Stack Label Protector and magnetic boss
2mm 150x150mm 406 Stainless Steel
130mm right angle stainless steel bracket
6mm coupling & steel rod
Black Plastic Project Box
Panel mount DC Female Jack Plug
Magnets
Pillow Block Bearing
Bolts, Nuts and screws
Total Cost = £256
The end result is a compact integral motor/magnetic record clamp unit that simply rests over the lip of the UC and attaches to a single magnet bonded with Gorilla glue on the back of the unit:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Removed from the unit:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Single magnet bonded to UC:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Closeup:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
With magnetic Vinyl Stack kit attached:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Front View:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
The hardest part in making the unit, was drilling of the holes in the metal plate to screw mount the motor and project box and the holes to mount the pillow bearing used to support the weight of the Vinyl Stack and records. Fortunately the motor had a technical drawing with the description on Ebay that I was able to use whilst waiting for the motor to arrive from China. Drilling the holes with a cordless hand drill was time consuming. If I were to do it again, I'd get a local engineering firm to do it.
Once the motor was screwed in place to the metal plate, I drilled a hole in the bottom of the black plastic project box, installed the jack plug and soldered wires between jack plug and motor before fitting the project box to conceal the motor.
Whilst it will take 4 records at a time, I only plan to do a max of 2 for better cleaning efficiency as the distance between the discs is only 15mm. I've cleaned one record so far with filtered water and the results were very good. Looking forward to experimenting with some of the potions suggested on here.
Thanks to everyone for your inspiration and hope I've given you some useful ideas.
yes cleaning just two or even one record at the time looks more efficient, don't matter if take more time to me.
but if you clean 2 each time, you replace the water for the next two? or each how many records you replace the water??
I've had a few cleaning sessions and cleaning one at a time seems to be the most effective with my particular cleaner. Most I've cleaned in one session was 10 discs, 2 at a time for 8mins at 40Deg Celsius and no need to replace the water as the dirt just drops to the bottom of the tank. Guess it depends on how dirty the records are in the first place. Mine were superficially clean but had stubborn dirt in the grooves.
For particularly dirty records, using water alone didn't work well so I tried adding a degreaser that I've used for years as a car valeting product and also use to clean carpets, upholstery and our glass walled shower to great effect. Some might wince at the thought of using it on vinyl LP's but it works a treat as an additive in the UC and is harmless to the vinyl. The combination of degreaser, heat and ultrasonic seem to really breakdown the dirt in the grooves.
Britemax GRIME OUT
I then rinsed the records under a tap whilst still in the Vinyl Stack to protect the labels and did a final rinse with distilled water through a Knosti.
Hey Spock, That Britemax product looks very intriguing. NTA, the primary active ingredient, is hard to find as the primary ingredient in cleaning products here in the US due to (largely unfounded) concerns about industrial groundwater contamination and possible carcinogenic effects after very long term exposure.
But, at the dilute levels that are present in Grime Out, a home user shouldn't have any concern. And the action of that cleaner would seem to be perfect for plastic/vinyl/PVC. Nice.
Is it scented?
Cheers,
B B
I wonder if it would work for getting out mineral deposits as well. Used as a pre-cleaner before a vac wash and/or ultrasonic wash, this might be interesting... Hmm...
Hi BB, yep, it smells like Maraschino cherry's. Makes me want to mix a Manhattan whenever I clean my records
I only use a couple of gluggs of it mixed with tap water. Seems to do the trick. For really filthy records I'd imagine a few minutes soak in neat solution before the ultrasonic clean would be very effective. In any event, it really seems to work and goes a long way diluted and saves having to mix various solutions. Shame you can't get it in your neck of the woods.
Hi BB, yep, it smells like Maraschino cherry's. Makes me want to mix a Manhattan whenever I clean my records
I only use a couple of gluggs of it mixed with tap water. Seems to do the trick. For really filthy records I'd imagine a few minutes soak in neat solution before the ultrasonic clean would be very effective. In any event, it really seems to work and goes a long way diluted and saves having to mix various solutions. Shame you can't get it in your neck of the woods.
Spock,
There is at least one vendor that sells the product in the US:
Britemax Grime Out
The only thing that gives me pause is the scent (and potentially other) additives. Probably not a big deal using a highly diluted concentration, but some purists may want 0 additives.
Thanks for the tip,
B B
Hey BB, I'd imagine most "purists" would die a million deaths at the thought of using a car valeting product on their LPS's!
I similarly wouldn't use anything that damaged my cars paintwork or plastics. This product is widely used by professional detailers over here due to its effectiveness, versatility and the absence of caustic ingredients. Having used it to great effect on my cars, I originally tried it in my Knosti when I ran out of the Knosti fluid. I figured far more R&D bucks goes into products like this than vinyl LP cleaning fluids, so was worth a try and it significantly outperformed the Knosti fluid. The scent is very subtle BTW and really only noticeable if you sniff the bottle, not when diluted and the ultrasonic cleaners running. And there's no residual smell left on the records whatsoever. I buy the 3.78L bottles which is much better value for money. I'll certainly be trying some of the cleaning fluid suggestions in this thread however to compare it to the Britemax.
Doc,
Oh, you mean the 1 gallon bottle...
($30 at the US supplier)You know, your comment about real R&D money is spot on --- I agree with your reasoning. High end audio is, in relative terms, a cottage industry. Research, development, and product testing in audio can produce good results, but is often not very thorough in examining all the options available, just due to the budget and size limitations of the industry.
I think you've convinced me to buy a 3.78L bottle of this stuff and give it a try.
Cheers,
B B
P.S. Forgot to mention I like the looks of your build. Very compact and efficient.
Doc,
Oh, you mean the 1 gallon bottle...
We used to do Gallons her too when I was a wee lad but we were told we had to be European
Cheers and thanks for starting this thread. I'd never have thought of attempting something like this beforehand. Anyway, it seems to be working well and the wife's had me cleaning her jewellery too so everybody's happy
Last edited:
Well, sorry - obviously!
(Perspex is very 'staticy'.)My first question is ... was the dust you wiped off the top of the cover deposited there during the play of the previous side ... or hadn't you cleaned the cover for a while?
My second question is ... given perspex has lots of static, have you thought about the fact that having the lid down while playing an LP, probably means the arm is being slightly lifted off the surface of the LP (by the staticy cover) ... so VTF is too light (compared to what you measured it at, without the cover on)?
Wow! You must live in a building site!
Given I make a point of wiping with a CF brush before & after playing each side, I don't notice any dust collecting on the CF brush. So AFAIAC, neglegible dust deposits on the LP surface during each play.Regards,
Andy
PS: Do you have a heating system in your house which blows hot air around? Or even worse, an open wood fire?
Last edited:
Wow this is the day for dredging up ancient material! Just had an inquiry about 2SK389 substrate biasing from years ago.Well, sorry - obviously!
My first question is ... was the dust you wiped off the top of the cover deposited there during the play of the previous side ... or hadn't you cleaned the cover for a while?
My second question is ... given perspex has lots of static, have you thought about the fact that having the lid down while playing an LP, probably means the arm is being slightly lifted off the surface of the LP (by the staticy cover) ... so VTF is too light (compared to what you measured it at, without the cover on)?
Wow! You must live in a building site!
Regards,
Andy
PS: Do you have a heating system in your house which blows hot air around? Or even worse, an open wood fire?
According to SY, a simple change in the dustcover material would mitigate its propensities toward acquiring a large charge. But yes, it occurred that setting tracking force was done without the cover and might not be quite right. The bigger problem was to notice that the person who installed the SME V didn't finish tightening the mounting screws. I wondered why it didn't sound as good as I expected!
I had an evil thought when I noticed the arm-lift effect when I dusted the cover (and yes, no furnace, but there are a lot of particulates that come in through the window, both pollen from nearby trees and dust from automotive tires). The evil thought was that this might be an opportunity for a product that would assure that a dustcover's inner surface be actively kept neutral. The easiest means in principle would just be a coating of indium that is grounded, but I read that the world is running out of indium.
Meanwhile, with an identical turntable but with a higher-mass arm and MC cartridge, and having completed an MC step-up stage, I'm a happy camper. Even with that, I play records with the cover off, ever since the hinges broke out on BOTH covers. I run out of fingers counting the number of things wrong with the Heybrook TT2, starting with failing power supplies (I had to repair each on receipt). I will return to the MM cartridge table soon however, as a cooled-termination synthetic 47k preamp is nearing completion in breadboard.
I also use a carbon fiber brush before and after each play, but there is still a noticeable accumulation after several plays and a record wash is needed. I can also see the dust buildup on things like this laptop. Another telling measure is when the sun is low enough and one looks at the dust in the air via that intense light. In fact I should move the air filtering machine into the listening area, turning it off during playback.
Very interesting. That's a good trick - to use the setting sun to see the dust motes; I will try that in the new year, when we move into our new house (which has a big westerly window).
I don't use the cover when playing LPs - only between sessions. But I'm probably lucky in that I live in a section of town with obviously a lot less traffic than you have to put up with.
But I also makes sure I have a hydronic heating system, not blown air.
Regards,
Andy
I am careful. I use a lab grade detergent which is specially formulated for plastics: Fisher Versa-Clean. Maybe every vendor is careful to use an equivalent, but I trust a scientific supplies company rather further.
Pre-ultrasonic cleaning was done with a VPI 16.5, formulation was minimum recommended detergent, 10% ethanol and distilled water. Post ultrasonic, leave out the ethanol.
Pre-ultrasonic cleaning was done with a VPI 16.5, formulation was minimum recommended detergent, 10% ethanol and distilled water. Post ultrasonic, leave out the ethanol.