My version of an Ultrasonic Record Cleaner

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I used to work for Sonix IV and can confirm that those are 60khz Transducers, but are only 35 watts each.

The circuit board was redesigned by me, because there was a flaw with their original - two circuit board traces were too close and would arc, causing the board to burn and fail.

They also had a problem with the transducers cracking or falling off.

-Louis
 
Louis, I'm curious about orientation of the transducers. I noticed that all the US cleaners the transducers are on the bottom. Is there a reason not to put them on the sides of a tank? The reason I ask is I have some spare Sonix transducers and thought puuting them on the side might add to the effectivness of the tank.
 
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Louis, I'm curious about orientation of the transducers. I noticed that all the US cleaners the transducers are on the bottom. Is there a reason not to put them on the sides of a tank? The reason I ask is I have some spare Sonix transducers and thought puuting them on the side might add to the effectivness of the tank.


I believe the only issue is spacing. There isn't a lot of space between the enclosure and the tank. If it's too close, there could be arcing/shorting. Perhaps a coat of 'NoArc' or silicone.
The bottom of the tank is where the most vibrations can occur, since the sides are attached to the enclosures with glue/silicone, but side mounted transducers do work.
-Louis
 
Terrible photo, but here's my new pump & filter setup in action. I need to kludge together a clamp for the output hose, but this works surprisingly well and quietly. Parts list as follows (thanks to someone else here for most of this):

bayite BYT-7A015 DC 12V Solar Hot Water Heater Circulation Pump with DC Power Supply Adapter Low Noise 3M Head 8LPM 2.1GPM - - Amazon.com
Pentek 158110 3/8" #5 Slim Line Clear Filter Housing: Replacement Water Filters: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
Amazon.com: Hydronix SDC-25-0501 NSF Sediment Filter 2.5" OD X 4 7/8" Length, 1 Micron: Industrial & Scientific
Watts SVIG10 Pre-Cut 1/2-Inch Diameter by 3/8-Inch Clear Vinyl Tubing, 10-Foot Length - Plumbing Hoses - Amazon.com
Banjo HB038-90 Polypropylene Hose Fitting, 90 Degree Elbow, 3/8" NPT Male x 3/8" Barbed: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AB5WYVC/

Order total with free shipping was about $60. Does the trick! Got a couple of different nozzles from Kohl's and Home Depot since I needed 1/2" into the pump (pump came with 3/8") to match the output nozzle and hose of the tank drain, and the output nozzle from the filter hadn't arrived yet so I got a brass one instead out of impatience. :p

Once all parts were set, it was maybe 20 minutes to get everything working. Super easy, works great.
 

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TIP!

What I use on my DIY USC to clamp fast (and uptionally have half a twist to tighten) instead of running the nut all the way on the 6mm thread (only enough room for a couple of LP's on the unit due to its size)

I thought it could be useful for other people as well ;)
 

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I don't know if all of you* realize it, but this monster thread has become the touchstone for many audiophile efforts at an ultrasonic cleaning machine that betters the commercial, made for LP products- there are several articles drawn from the thread and experiments using different ultrasonic baths (the Elma being the not cheap but often preferred one), disc spinners, filters and the like.
I signed up a while ago, even though I've only used the commercial "audiophile" units- the Audio Desk, which was far too complicated mechanically, and the KL, which is well made, but does not allow for the use of surfactant or variable frequency. My plan is still to DIY when the KL croaks, not because I'm looking for a more cost effective alternative- rather, the DIY versions provide better feature sets and more flexibility, e.g. I don't think the forced air drying is as effective as using a point nozzle vacuum, like the Monks or Loricraft, and I use a reagent grade 1 water rinse as a final step in the cleaning process. Time consuming, but extremely effective in resuscitating some records I would have written off as groove damaged.
I'm curious- is the thread starter @bbftx?- still based in Austin?
I moved to Austin a year and a half ago and would love to interview a few of you for an article (I publish a non-commercial blog on vinyl records and am not shilling for the blog, but figured I'd go to 'the horse's mouth') ---
I hope this isn't an impermissible request and/or that you don't see me as trying to commercialize something DIY- I'm not, I just want to provide more information to potential readers who may find the thread daunting, or want to cobble together a DIY using a ready made disc spinner and simple parts for the pump/filter.
_______
*Though I'm now living in Texas, as a Yankee, I don't feel qualified to say 'y'all".
 
Newbie experience

I have put together the canonical system. It uses a 1rpm motor and a Mettler ME11 (11 liter 67hz cleaner that I just bought used). It does not have a heater. It appears to be working. A full running tank shows agitated water although not the noise that may complain about for some cleaners. With the disks in the tank, the can see the standing waves between disks (spaced 1.5 inches).

I have no idea as to what a through cleaning job looks like.

I have used a bath of water, a fraction of its cap of photoflood and a 1/4 cup of isopropyl alcohol.

I have run three runs of 4 disks (one run a repeat).

I note that when the records come off the bath there are many many particles on the wet disks. I have rinsed the disks with water and these seem to flow off.

Q Is the appearance of these particles before rinse typical??

Q The fact that the water is unheated and about 65F reducing cleaning effectiveness.

More data:

I am using tap water as we have unusually clean water up here in Rochester from the Finger Lakes, comparable to the water in NYC.

The bath itself shows accumulated dirt on the bottom tank.

Any comments/advice?
 
That is, does the relatively low bath temp reduce cleaning effectiveness? ?. Ought I raise the temp somehow?

Hi Phillip,
A higher bath temp will improve contaminant removal from your dirtier records. In the absence of a tank heater, I'd suggest heating your water to 110 or 120F (e.g. in the microwave) before adding the water to your tank mixture.

Reading the Water Quality Report for Rochester, I see relatively high chloride content of 250 ppm. This can come from a combination of water treatment chemicals and things like road salt too. That's not outrageously high, but I'd recommend at least using water that's been run through an activated charcoal filter (e.g. Brita). You'll reduce the chloride content by quite a bit with such a filter.

Residue on your tank bottom is generally indicative of some (good) cleaning going on.

Are the particles you're seeing on the LPs after cleaning coming from your dividers? Are you using cork or something else? Do you have photos?
Cheers,
B B
 
Here is a photo that I think shows the situation. Note that these particles wash off right away. Is it just that my water needs to be changed? I noticed this with the first wash of some used records.

Phillip, If it's not your spacers shedding, I can't imagine what else those particles would be. If they're floaters, one thing you can do is use a fine mesh aquarium fish net to skim them off the surface.

Do you have a filter setup? Even if you do, you do need to change out the cleaning solution regularly. I don't use any solution that sits overnight.
Cheers
B B
 
Thanks for the advice. I did change the water after my initial posting and although not apparent from a tank view, the dumped water was really filthy. I am initially running thrift shop finds (all classical) and am finding that the process does get rid of a considerable number of crackles. I did follow bbftx's lead and have the components for a filter system which I will put into operation when I get a chance.


On another subject: One of the things I have not heard discussed is the noise levels in the first few minutes on a disk. I hypothesize that this is caused by stylus drop damage and the reside of handling. I just put a 1954 pressing (which was remarkably scratch free and by appearances not dirty) through 3 times and noticed a very large reduction in noise. One thing I did with this disk was to wipe the first 1/2 inch of the circumference with a paper towel. I do not know if this helped at all. Any experience of others?