Jim Campbell will make you a slate plinth in PA for about $800.
Technics SP10 MK3 Restoration
Just got my SP10 MK3 base (motor unit & controller) back from JP at FidelisAnalog.com
JP
is one of the most knowledgeable on the SP10 MK3 and is the one who
designed and manufactures the MN6042 Speed Control chip that keeps these
and other Technics turntable models still operating.
My SP10 MK3 came with the stock Technics SH-10B5 faux obsidian base.
It
has very low hours of use , no signs of wear at all on the bearing and
not a single blemish, other than some specs of dust and a couple spots
on the copper part of the platter that need cleaning.
but I would
like to have a 2 arm, constrained layer plinth built and have the motor
unit mounted 'naked'. I am presently searching somewhat 'affordable'
plinth builders and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
The work that JP did to both the motor unit and the controller:
1. Pre-refurbishment measurement to baseline the performance of the unit and to see if there are any underlying issues.
2.
Cleaning of all PCBs to remove the factory conformal coating. At~40
years this coating tends to become hygroscopic which can cause stability
issues.
3. Physical inspection of all solder joints under an
inspection microscope. Many of the joints will exhibit annular
deformities which can lead to joint fractures down the road. These must
be cleared of the factory solder and re-soldered. There will also be
poor joints that need the same treatment. You can’t just reflow as the
solder alloys aren’t the same which can also cause joint failure down
the road.
4. Electrolytic cap replacement and rectifier diode replacement.
5.
Disassembly and cleaning of the motor. Bearing inspection and service
work. Proper Anderol 465 oil is used for reassembly. Motor is then
checked for any areas of bearing drag.
6. The brake solenoids typically needs cleaned, and band tension is adjusted.
7.
Stop/start and speed selection switches in the motor chassis are
measured for contact resistance. Too high of resistance is indicative of
a switch failure in the future. In the control unit I typically replace
all the tactile switches, and the start/stop switch if needed.
8. Relocation of the brake regulator transistor to the heatsink to prevent overheating of the board (factory design flaw).
9. MN6042 replacement installation.
10. PSU ripple check at all critical stages (10).
11. Course calibration is performed and post-refurb baseline measurements for FG spectrum, motor drive phases, etc. are taken.
12. After 48-hour run-in final calibrations and verification measurements are performed.
The basic service returns the unit to factory or better specifications (assuming no permanent bearing damage has occurred). This service is quite exhaustive and very different from the typical work I see of just swapping some caps out, checking some voltages, and adjusting phase tracking.
The advanced service adds on top of the basic service:
1. Replace all polyester capacitors.
2. Replace drive circuit metal oxide resistors.
3. Replace all voltage regulator ICs and update circuits.
4. Replacement of certain diodes.
Rick
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I dont like plywood or panzerholz because they are dimensionally unstable in the long term - warping, expansion, contraction. I have had excellent results with Engineered Stone ( 95% plus quartz for premium quality european product ). There are many kitchen benchtop manufacturers with the requisite CNC machines to ensure accuracy at modest prices, particularly if you use offcuts which most have from large jobs. I have also used Ebonised Bamboo ply, this is a high density bamboo ply ( over 50% heavier than standard bamboo ply ) - it is 50% harder than maple. In this case I did the CAD drawings myself, and used a CNC contract cutter to do the cutting. You need very sharp quality router tips or blades to cut this stuff cleanly. Both of these are relatively modest in price if you do the construction yourself after outsourcing the cut materials. |
" I have much better turntables for my needs (I designed custom made racks for each of them), I happy that a question about plinth does not exist for me anymore (my Luxman PD-444 comes in super heavy aluminum stock plinth" @chakster The Luxman PD 444 do NOT have a heavy aluminum stock plinth. The weight is two thick steel plates sandwiched over a piece of bloody particle board, then epoxy glued to a thin sheet of brushed Aluminum for dress. Most of that 50 plus pounds is the steel. Besides didn't you say forget the table it doesn't matter its only the cart to worry about? Yet here you are with more bloated bragadocios nonsense and incomplete incorrect statements paraded as fact..... I owned one 40 plus years ago and even I can remember its make up .... |
I think the Individual in the Link knows a thing or three about P'holz. Worth a read on what is referred to as Tank Wood (which their used term for P'holz) Mono & Stereo © 2021: Interview with Rainer Weber of Kaiser Acoustics |
@chakster Your posts above 07-24/25-2021 would have to be some of your most ill informed posts ever, even by your own modest standards. Artisan fidelity plinth for Technics is also “just a box” (even if the wood is nice). No its not. the Artisan Fidelity plinth is a sophisticated constrained layer plinth using panzerholz and other materials and includes a drain block for the main bearing. OMA Graphite plinth are beautiful and designed by professional designer with a good taste! No - the plinth in the picture is a slate plinth, not graphite. Not sure if you are aware but one is a metamorphic rock with structured layers, the other is a mineral, a form of crystalline carbon quite soft. The properties of each material are quite different. Basically a plinth is just a plinth,No. The plinth construction and materials used can materially affect the overall sound of a turntable motor. I do understand that you might struggle to hear any difference with your knackered old 80's MM's that you think are state of the art. Luxman PD-444 comes in super heavy aluminum stock plinthNo, its a weetbix sandwich that uses magnetic steel plates, wrapped in thin alumium foil. You seem to listen with your eyes, not your ears, and prognosticate at length on items you have clearly never heard and have little or no understanding of, as evidenced by the posts above. |
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