A Revolutionary Pivoting Tangential Tone Arm

That there looks like the other part of the sensor for the floating headshell. The little round part floats over the top of the rectangular sensor (magnetically coupled sensor) and provides feedback to the servo motor so it will move in relation to the record groove. Notice also the two extra wires, (as shown in the left hand view), other than the four wires for the cartridge? That's my best guess.

I'm wondering if these will be for sale as a kit or complete assembly? Or, is the OP showing his work? Great work and craftsmanship!
 
I wish I am smart enough to figure out what's going on in that arm

Hello directdriver,

You're smart enough, I just did not provide enough information in my posts.
If I had provided lots of info at the beginning, it might have been overwhelming to many readers of this forum. (not meant to be a slight) Therefore, I'd rather trickle it in, by responding to individual posts. However, there are some features of this tone arm that I would like to keep to myself for the time being.

Sincerely,

Ralf
 
What I see is a Birch-like geometry

He stated also that there is no skating, although the headshell is angled .
The „floating headshell” can move laterally on the „offset headshell cradle” on five ball bearings, but what for? What is the function of the small counterweight on the floating headshell?

Hello alighiszem,

My tone arm has nothing in common with Birch geometry.

By making the floating head-shell independent of the rest of the tone arm, I achieve absolutely ZERO tracking error and ZERO skating.
The small "counterweight" is actually an aluminum cylinder containing a very small magnet, and the nearby black rectangle is a Hall effect sensor. Between those two components, they keep the tonearm/cradle aligned with the floating head-shell as it tracks the groove.

Sincerely,

Ralf
 
That there looks like the other part of the sensor for the floating headshell. The little round part floats over the top of the rectangular sensor (magnetically coupled sensor) and provides feedback to the servo motor so it will move in relation to the record groove. Notice also the two extra wires, (as shown in the left hand view), other than the four wires for the cartridge? That's my best guess.

I'm wondering if these will be for sale as a kit or complete assembly? Or, is the OP showing his work? Great work and craftsmanship!

Hello Duke58,

The two extra wires are actually three: 5VDC. Ground and Hall output.
99% of the effort is in the making of the parts. Considering that the tone arm would have to sell for several thousand Dollars, a customer would not save much. Also, not knowing the level of skills a potential customer has, I could not guarantee the correct functioning of my tone arm.

Sincerely,

Ralf
 
why is the "offset cradle" angled, and how is the horizontal rotation of the tonearm coupled to the rotation of the servo.

Hello alighiszem,

The reason for the offset cradle is my secret. I am trying to file a patent application for my tone arm and once that happens, that secret will be public knowledge. I have discovered the "other reason" to offset the cradle and thus the head-shell.

As the head-shell/phono cartridge track the groove, as it does in any other tone arm, the Hall effect sensor feeds the position of the head-shell back to the servo motor, which in turn controls the position of the cradle/tone arm relative to the position of the head-shell. If the head-shell encounters an eccentric LP, it simply floats in and out on the cradle in a STRAIGHT LINE, The servo is deliberately too slow and does not allow the tone arm to follow the outward motion of the head-shell. Therefore, there is no eccentricity wow!

Sincerely,

Ralf
 
Hi, Wonderful looking piece of engineering, congratulations.
However from my experience the only way you will get this commercially made is by going to China or the like, possibly Thailand. You will find that western industry charges like a wounded bull for sort terms runs. (less that 1,000) With the some projects I manufacture I could get it manufactured in China for 15% of the cost of manufacturing in my home country New Zealand. However far eastern manufacturing brings it's own set of challenges, and not only language, but also their concept of quality, which is appalling.

Have you been able to compare your arm sound wise against a known reference?

Good luck with your endeavor.

Hello gigigirl,

If someone stepped forward, to manufacture my tone arm, I would very much like to come along as a consultant. I have a lifetime of experience in designing and manufacturing and I am somewhat fiendish when it comes to quality :).
However, I am perfectly capable to run a CNC machine and make parts myself.
The problem as I see it is, to find customers. I do not have a name in the industry, No-one knows me.
I don't know any golden ear persons with a high end audio system to independently test my tone arm. Friends and neighbors think it sounds great, but they just love music and are not audiophiles.

Sincerely,

Ralf
 
Hello alighiszem,

The reason for the offset cradle is my secret. I am trying to file a patent application for my tone arm and once that happens, that secret will be public knowledge. I have discovered the "other reason" to offset the cradle and thus the head-shell.

As the head-shell/phono cartridge track the groove, as it does in any other tone arm, the Hall effect sensor feeds the position of the head-shell back to the servo motor, which in turn controls the position of the cradle/tone arm relative to the position of the head-shell. If the head-shell encounters an eccentric LP, it simply floats in and out on the cradle in a STRAIGHT LINE, The servo is deliberately too slow and does not allow the tone arm to follow the outward motion of the head-shell. Therefore, there is no eccentricity wow!

Sincerely,

Ralf


Ralf,


While the arc traversed by offset pivoted arms adds a multiplication factor to the effects of eccentricity wow, the eccentricity itself intrinsically causes groove velocity to wax and wane as the record rotates. Whether the servo follows the groove on the outward swing or not, the fundamental eccentricity wow will still be there. Your arm at best will perform on par with air bearing linears like the ET, mechanical linears like the Souther, and servo linears like the Rabco in terms of minimizing eccentricity wow down to the intrinsic minimum, but you can't totally eliminate it.


Ray K
 
Moderator
Joined 2011
The problem as I see it is, to find customers. I do not have a name in the industry,
No-one knows me. I don't know any golden ear persons with a high end audio system
to independently test my tone arm.

Many small companies get started by sending in a new product for review, and then sell direct
to interested customers based on the review. The best person for reviewing this arm is
probably Michael Fremer. He has extensive experience with many recent high end arms.
Read some of his tone arm reviews for an idea of what to expect. Tonearm Reviews | Analog Planet

Here is some of your potential competition.
Recommended Components: Fall 2018 Edition Turntables, Tonearms, Cartridges, etc. | Stereophile.com
 
Last edited:
The best person for reviewing this arm is
probably Michael Fremer. He has extensive experience with many recent high end arms. Read some of his tone arm reviews for an idea of what to expect. Tonearm Reviews | Analog Planet

Here is some of your potential competition.
Recommended Components: Fall 2018 Edition Turntables, Tonearms, Cartridges, etc. | Stereophile.com

Hello rayma,

I am a subscriber to both, The Absolute Sound and Stereophile. They do not review audio equipment unless there are five dealers selling that particular item. Some time ago I wrote a letter to Art Dudley, whose writing style I liked, concerning a review of my tone arm. To my surprise, I received, what I considered a rude answer about "getting a leg up on the competition" whatever that means. There is a recent issue, where they are making a big deal about not reviewing prototypes. I'll see if I can find it. I am not saying that my tone arm is the last word in tone arm design, but I wonder how many great audio inventions fall by the wayside with that kind of attitude.

Sincerely,

Ralf
 
Stereophile reviewing policy strictly forbid testing prototypes. Only when you reach continuous production, then you can offer your arm for a review to them.
I don't think that any audio magazine in the world will accept reviewing a prototype.

Stereophile five dealers policy is only for - a dealer selling system! You can choose direct selling instead, but (quote from Stereophile):
"It is the editor's decision whether a product distributed by mail-order or via the Web qualifies for review. However, at minimum the company must have a formal US presence and must offer a 30-day, money-back refund policy."

Good review in Sereophile or The Absolute Sound certainly will help selling the arm. Worth the trouble negotiating with at least five major dealers, or establishing a mail-order company.
 
audio press

You can't blame Stereophile for not reviewing prototypes. It's not really a hobbyist magazine. It's more of a consumer guide. And as a consumer based on the recommendation of a magazine, people want to have some assurance the company will be around long enough for maintenance and repair of the equipment they just purchased. Since most major magazines do cover audio shows and you can have a booth or room to showcase your invention and get coverage but that understandably might be a financial burden for an independent maker.

One of the interesting stories I read is the designer of the $28,000 Swedish Analog Technology (SAT) tonearm approached Michael Fremer and offered him to review the product. At least Fremer was sympathetic. If nothing else, at least it established some kind of credential. (Even military technology background helps!)

So, I think, after acquiring your patent, going to audio shows and approaching people in the audio press can help. Even meeting fellow designers can be educational. You should at the minimum have a website or blog, which can be free, that explains your goal and invention so you have an online presence. People feel more confident when a product has a website. Just human nature.

Another example is Durand tonearm maker, who started out in forum threads on elaborating on his experiments and getting feedbacks from members and then turned it into a commercial product. He, of course, also benefited from knowing a local high roller audiophile who happens to belong in the audio press. Getting coverage and exposure certainly helps.

Best of luck to your endeavor. Please keep updating here and educate us on your invention. This is a great thread!
 
Ralf,

I'm intrigued by your tonearm for a number of reasons. The engineering and craftsmanship are superb. I sent you a private message, but can't attach photos.

Marketing this product might be like musician's trying to break into the music business. So many people say that there are no good bands/musicians today, but that isn't true. A couple years ago, 10,000 hours of music was uploaded to YouTube alone. But the music industry is no longer like it was when we were kids (I'm 60 years-old). In order to get heard, even a shout out on social media from a popular band/artist can make a huge difference.

Vinyl is popular today mostly because you get something you can physically hold and own, rather than just downloading a digital version of the song. You get extras like posters, the album cover artwork, etc.

So, I agree with Directdriver regarding marketing your tonearm at the audio conventions with the hope that someone involved with the audio social media will review and write a positive article about your invention.

My experience has been that many DIY people are like you- they know they can build something better than money can buy. They take pride in their work and they focus on the excellence of their work.

Unfortunately, I don't have the "ears" to listen and hear the minute differences in tubes, interconnects, linear vs tangentially tracking tonearms. However, I do know how to machine and appreciate the craftsmanship that went into your tonearm and am looking forward to reading about how it sounds.

Attached is a photo of the 3/4" scale live steam Shay Locomotive I'm building. The only parts I did not machine are the gears, although I did modify them to fit. The parts that were machined were modeled in SolidWorks and a tool path created in MasterCAM.

Duke
 

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Hi,

Since it is built with "German precision", reviewing by a German audio magazine, like Stereo, Stereoplay or Audio might be also an option.
You may be able to get a ´short teaser´ but very probabely no full review.
Also be prepared to only get a benevolant review, or You can guarantee for at least 2 years of advertisement.
You also won´t get a top notch review in a comparative test against well known brands with a big image or a potent distributor behind.
And finally .... most of the writers have not the slightest (technical) clue what they are writing about.
Nowadays most reviews in german magazines feel like copy and paste from the official flyers.
I can´t recommend them at all ... it´d probabely just a big waste of money for You.

jauu
Calvin