2. analog
  3. 165856-118372

Help! Antiskate with only a weight...no dial, and she's skating away!

I have a project rpm 10 carbon with 10cc evolution tonearm that has a weight on a string for antiskate. There are three notches on which to attach the string based upon the tracking force range of the cartridge. I currently have an ortofon cadenza bronze tracking at 2.5g and have the antiskate weight in the appropriate notch (according to the Pro-ject manual) from which it hangs. The table is level--checked and adjusted to ensure. The tracking force is at 2.514g (the range for the cadenza is 2.2-2.7 with 2.5 suggested by ortofon) checked with a digital scale (Riverstone Audio digital scale). The soundstage sounds great, vocals are centered, other instruments are placed in space according to the recording... Also the alignment was carefully set up using the WallyTractor and is spot on. 

But sometimes when I lower the stylus to the lead in groove, it will slide very quickly towards the spindle as though no antiskate were present (it doesn’t skip over the record, it falls into the first song groove--and yes I have confirmed that the stylus is present). But it’s a big jump vs just sliding into the groove.

So I found a blank side of an album and lowered the stylus onto the surface and it immediately slid all the way across the surface towards the spindle as though no antiskate were in play. I then disengaged the antiskate weight and experienced the same (expectedly so). But there seemed to be little or no difference between antiskate being engaged/disengaged.

So I engaged the weight again and lowered the stylus, but this time I placed a little extra force on the weight with my finger and was able to get the tonearm to stay in position--applicable antiskate force in play with this extra force. Of course, I have no way of measuring how much extra weight I applied.

The help I need:
Why is the recommended antiskate parameters set by pro-ject seemingly having no effect?
Is something else wrong?
The table and tonearm are obviously manufactured to handle this level of VTF, no?
The tonearm wires don’t appear to be impeding the arm movement.
What can I do to remedy this?
Do I need to do something to remedy this?
I wonder if I’m causing harm to the cantilever with what appears to be no antiskate, yet the music sounds great and the Analogue productions test LP record antiskate tracks "sound" equal to my ears. (But my ears aren’t young anymore, so I don’t think I can place full confidence in that audible test).

Any thoughts, suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
cabalaska
oldhvymec
5,101 posts
 
I can't see the anti skate CW very well, you're sure it's hooked up correctly?

Why would it just start doing that? Is it new? Your trying to set it up?

It has to have enough weight on the headshell end too.

It is the correct weight and in the right groves on the rods? You got pictures?..

I went through that KINDA, I just needed to get the weight and string in the right grove for the cart weight.. Dampening oil too, if there is a place, slows down the reaction time, to START skating.

Regards
cabalaska OP
21 posts
 
oldhyvmec,

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I have confirmed that it's hooked up correctly.

Yes, new table to me.

Received it about a month ago but only obtained the cartridge about a week or so ago and finally got around to setting everything up.

The headshell is stock and I've quadruple checked the alignment, VTF, VTA etc. There is only ONE weight that comes with this tonearm for antiskate and it's adjusted according to the groove in which the string is placed. I have confirmed this placement as well. 

As I'm kind of new to the world of complex set-up, I wouldn't know where there would be a place for dampening oil??

Not sure how to attach pictures? 
cabalaska OP
21 posts
 
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AkXg5D6fJYs/Uz2kIZnoJtI/AAAAAAAAX3k/aLy-9DpyaOw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04...

This is a pic of the back of the tonearm. If this link works, you will see the number "2" arrow pointing to the right. If you follow in that direction you will see a silver colored "pin" with three grooves in it sticking out from the black oval and to the right of the inverted bearing.  Those three grooves are where the string attaches and then is looped over the silver bar with only one groove at its end which is found just up and next to the counterweight.

The three grooves are specific for a range of VTF. The innermost groove is for VTF ranges 10-14mN, the second is for 15-19mN and the outer most groove is for 20mN and greater. This is where I have it attached.  As I said, there is only one weight supplied and nothing is mentioned regarding the need for or the option to add more weight. But with this correctly in place, I do not appreciate any antiskate force being applied. 
More to discover