That Toho plinth for the Victor is interesting but I don't like stand alone arm pods.
me too, you will find one Toho arm pod in this system
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
That Toho plinth for the Victor is interesting but I don't like stand alone arm pods. me too, you will find one Toho arm pod in this system |
Toho plinth - I discovered vintage TOHO cast iron plinths online. I don't have technics Sp10mkII anymore. But Toho plinth for Victor TT-101 is interesting (not so big and not so heavy). What happens when the cleaning lady, sorry - non binary cleaning supervisor, decides to clean under the arm pod and forgets to tell you they moved it. Answer - a year later you wonder why all your favourite records are mistracking. I subscribe to the loop rigidity principle - platter, bearing & arm mount must be absolutely rigidly locked together in position to measure the groove accurately. Arm pods in my view are only as good as what they sit on, and often will compromise loop rigidity |
@dover I subscribe to the loop rigidity principle - platter, bearing & arm mount must be absolutely rigidly locked together in position to measure the groove accurately. Arm pods in my view are only as good as what they sit on, and often will compromise loop rigidity. This is where my mentors in Turntable Design have guided me to. I stick with this Design Intent and see no reason to seek out an alternative method. Plinth Materials that have very stable properties in an environment are key to this. A plinth must have two properties in my view above any other: 1, It should not deform from its flatness across the different seasons and moisture levels being met in the air. 2, It should not expand in any dimension due to different moisture levels being met across the different seasons. If the Design for the Plinth is to have a materials which offers a Specific Intrinsic Damping Factor Measurement and offer the above properties then Densified Wood is looking likely to be the material to offer these properties. As for Stand Alone Tonearm Pods, much of my listening is carried out on other systems and one uses a Pod. I don't detect that any enjoyment of the music is lost, and it might need a very detailed analysis between the differing Tonearm Mounting Methods to produce an assessment of the Pro's / Con's where listening and perceived sound quality is the basis of the investigation. |
Pindac If by denified wood you mean panzerholz or lignostone then it is not stable. The stuff bends. You would need to anchor it to some other material or structure to prevent warping over time. I have seen some very expensive plinths that use panzerholz, and over time, you can see they are starting to come apart. |