@oldaudiophile,
First, the Degritter is pretty complex device; and probably the most powerful for record cleaning produced with 300W from four 75W 120 kHz transducers pointed directly at the record. Its fully digital controlled with a water management system that includes a surface skimmer and filter, and the option to easily swap tanks. For the overall convenience, ease of use and performance it obtains for cleaning one record at a time, its the best available and with a very well written manual Degritter-manual-v2.2-ENG.pdf.
But that does not mean that the Degritter gets the best achievable cleanliness. People who aspire to that goal will at-least pre-clean their records - generally with a vacuum-RCM (since most already have one) and then final clean/dry with the Degritter - often with DIW only. But the Degritter filter system is limited so as good as it is, you can do better - but not with the same convenience.
Very simply - A 40 kHz UCM will produce cavitation bubbles about 75 microns diameter. These are not going to get into the record groove. A 120 kHz UCM will produce bubbles about 20 microns and these can get into the groove. The cavitation intensity is dependent on the bubble size and the transducer power. A high powered 40kHz UCM will produce greater cavitation intensity (good for record surface contaminants) than a 120kHz UCM, but the 120 kHz UCM produces more cavitation bubbles.
Can a UCM with bottom firing transducers equal what the Degritter can do with optimized transducer position. Yes, but you really need a very good UCM such as the Elmasonic P-series which is a high powered dual-frequency unit with 37kHz & 80kHz and also has a high-power pulse mode. Right now the Elmasonic P-series may be the best for cleaning multiple records with the right spinner and an industrial pump/filter system with 0.2 micron absolute filter.
Fundamentally, in the tank there are layers of peak energy with peak cavitation intensity that for bottom firing UT transducers should be in horizontal layers Ultrasonic Energy Distribution - Zenith Ultrasonics (zenith-ultrasonics.com). Ideally, the peaks will be spaced at ~1/2 of the wavelength lamda Microsoft PowerPoint - 1200_L_22_VWS_3.pptx (uiowa.edu). For DIW with a speed of sound of 1498 m/s, and 80 kHz, the peaks will be spaced at (0.5)(1,498,000 mm/80,000 Hz) = ~19 mm.
Many UT tanks have a sweep function that is intended to shift the operating frequency +/- some kHz to broaden the zone of peak UT energy (ergo-cavitation intensity); but it may reduce the absolute peak. They do this since the normal use of UT cleaning is with parts that are static in the tank. So the sweep function is intended to even-out the cavitation intensity in the tank. The value of sweep is debated in the industry.
BUT, cleaning records rotates the record and this means that the record is constantly passing through these peak-layers. As the record passes from lower to higher to lower zones of cavitation intensity, a scrubbing type action should occur; so standing waves should be good. And, the Elmasonic also has a Pulse-mode - that increases the UT energy by 20% which means the peak cavitation intensity should be higher. And this could be very beneficial for the higher kHz such as 80kHz since it improves removal of small particulate that requires a lot of energy to remove.
Is all this very technical - yes, and this is just skimming the surface. But this in many ways is what you are buying with the Degritte. Otherwise, you can get good cleaning by doing a pre-clean step prior to UT tank cleaning but chemistry, bath management, rinsing and drying can undo your best efforts if you are not paying attention to the details. If your are not into this, then the Degritter is a great way to go.
Will the HumminGuru all-in-one ultrasonic vinyl record cleaner be a cheap Degritter - no. But for many people who have only cleaned with a brush it will be a revelation.
Good Luck,
Neil
First, the Degritter is pretty complex device; and probably the most powerful for record cleaning produced with 300W from four 75W 120 kHz transducers pointed directly at the record. Its fully digital controlled with a water management system that includes a surface skimmer and filter, and the option to easily swap tanks. For the overall convenience, ease of use and performance it obtains for cleaning one record at a time, its the best available and with a very well written manual Degritter-manual-v2.2-ENG.pdf.
But that does not mean that the Degritter gets the best achievable cleanliness. People who aspire to that goal will at-least pre-clean their records - generally with a vacuum-RCM (since most already have one) and then final clean/dry with the Degritter - often with DIW only. But the Degritter filter system is limited so as good as it is, you can do better - but not with the same convenience.
Very simply - A 40 kHz UCM will produce cavitation bubbles about 75 microns diameter. These are not going to get into the record groove. A 120 kHz UCM will produce bubbles about 20 microns and these can get into the groove. The cavitation intensity is dependent on the bubble size and the transducer power. A high powered 40kHz UCM will produce greater cavitation intensity (good for record surface contaminants) than a 120kHz UCM, but the 120 kHz UCM produces more cavitation bubbles.
Can a UCM with bottom firing transducers equal what the Degritter can do with optimized transducer position. Yes, but you really need a very good UCM such as the Elmasonic P-series which is a high powered dual-frequency unit with 37kHz & 80kHz and also has a high-power pulse mode. Right now the Elmasonic P-series may be the best for cleaning multiple records with the right spinner and an industrial pump/filter system with 0.2 micron absolute filter.
Fundamentally, in the tank there are layers of peak energy with peak cavitation intensity that for bottom firing UT transducers should be in horizontal layers Ultrasonic Energy Distribution - Zenith Ultrasonics (zenith-ultrasonics.com). Ideally, the peaks will be spaced at ~1/2 of the wavelength lamda Microsoft PowerPoint - 1200_L_22_VWS_3.pptx (uiowa.edu). For DIW with a speed of sound of 1498 m/s, and 80 kHz, the peaks will be spaced at (0.5)(1,498,000 mm/80,000 Hz) = ~19 mm.
Many UT tanks have a sweep function that is intended to shift the operating frequency +/- some kHz to broaden the zone of peak UT energy (ergo-cavitation intensity); but it may reduce the absolute peak. They do this since the normal use of UT cleaning is with parts that are static in the tank. So the sweep function is intended to even-out the cavitation intensity in the tank. The value of sweep is debated in the industry.
BUT, cleaning records rotates the record and this means that the record is constantly passing through these peak-layers. As the record passes from lower to higher to lower zones of cavitation intensity, a scrubbing type action should occur; so standing waves should be good. And, the Elmasonic also has a Pulse-mode - that increases the UT energy by 20% which means the peak cavitation intensity should be higher. And this could be very beneficial for the higher kHz such as 80kHz since it improves removal of small particulate that requires a lot of energy to remove.
Is all this very technical - yes, and this is just skimming the surface. But this in many ways is what you are buying with the Degritte. Otherwise, you can get good cleaning by doing a pre-clean step prior to UT tank cleaning but chemistry, bath management, rinsing and drying can undo your best efforts if you are not paying attention to the details. If your are not into this, then the Degritter is a great way to go.
Will the HumminGuru all-in-one ultrasonic vinyl record cleaner be a cheap Degritter - no. But for many people who have only cleaned with a brush it will be a revelation.
Good Luck,
Neil