A new way of adjusting anti skate!


I was looking at the Wallyskater, a $250 or so contraption used to set anti skate. https://www.wallyanalog.com/wallyskater  It is reputedly the most accurate way to set anti skate. Talking about fiddly. 

The appropriate figure is 9 to 11 percent of VTF. So if you are tracking at 2 grams you want 0.2 grams of anti skate.
My Charisma tracks at 2.4 grams so I should set the anti skate for 0.24 grams..................................Bright light!.
I readjusted the Syrinx PU3 to zero so that it was floating horizontally. I set up a digital VTF gauge on it's side at the edge of the platter so that the finger lift would be in the cross hairs, activated the anti skate and was easily able to adjust it to 0.24 grams. I started at 0.18 grams and just added a little more. Whatever you measure the anti skate from it has to be at the same radius as the stylus. If you do not have a finger lift at the right location you can tack a toothpick to the head shell and measure from that. As long as you have the whole affair balanced at zero you will be fine. Added cost $0.00 as long as you have a digital VTF gauge. 

I would not buy stock in Wallyskater.
128x128mijostyn

My remaining question about Mijostyn's method is whether the typical Chinese-made digital VTF gauge is accurate when used in the vertical, rather than the horizontal orientation.  I am trying to figure out how one would test for that.  Or maybe Mijo tested for that.  If so, how?

 

For the above reason, I have been conjuring a different method also using a digital VTF gauge that permits the scale to measure in the horizontal orientation.  Place, say, a 5g weight on the scale.  Place the scale with the weight on its pan to the left of the headshell or between the headshell and the spindle.  Attach a thread to the 5g weight that pulls vertically on the weight and then goes over a pulley so the thread can travel in the horizontal direction and attach to the headshell.  Now exert the AS force on the headshell.  The reading on the scale should go downward from its baseline reading, e.g., "5g" will appear to lose weight.  The difference between the no AS reading and the AS applied reading should equal the AS pull in g.  Haven't yet figured out how to stabilize the headshell during this operation.

Hi Lew, (BTW the no pun intended was pretty funny)

I have the Technics SL-1200G with stock tonerarm and a DL-301mk2 Denon MC cart on a common (forgot the brand) headhshell.

I used the Technics provided gauge to mount the cart, the arm obviously follows Stevenson, based on Technics they recommend IIRC to set AS same as VTF? so VTF goes from 1.2 to 1.6 for that specific cart.

 

Using the HiFi news record, it has different tracks which you use to confirm all parameters like resonance frequency and others and the sound will tell you pretty much where it sounds best

I set the VTF to 1.4, for that VTF the test track for AS sounds best with no high pitching sounds at 1.6 - 1.8, which is more than what Technics recommends but it sounds best like that.

The stylus is slightly slanted to one side and the cart is aligned with the HS, maybe I should align the stylus and make it straight with the HS / tonearm?

 

Anyway that's the method ... if it is valid or not I don't really know, it sound terrific with the cheap Denon I can tell you that

 

https://www.denon.com/en-us/product/turntables/dl-301ii

 

 

@lewm , You bet. I tried to read vertical with two different gauges and both would not function this way. They have to be horizontal which is why I built the Gizmo the way it is. Don't try it with a cheap bearing. It will not give you repeatable measurements. You have to use a dry instrument bearing. 

I think it was you who asked where the 10% figure came from and I found out.

AS Force = sin(headshell angle) X VTF X kinetic coefficient of friction                     

 

@luisma31 , I have the HFN analog test record. The problem with this method is in order to get the cartridge to miss track audibly you have to use very high groove velocities. This then over estimates the antiskating required for your average passage. The blank record trick also over estimates the anti skating force because the very tip of the stylus digs into the vinyl increasing the frictional force. Play a blank record then look at it under the light and you will see the spiral scratch. 

The most accurate way to set your average antiskating force is to trust the math and shoot for 9 to 11% of VTF. 10% is a nice round number. You can do this by measuring it directly which is what I do or spend $250 and get a Wally Skater. It works. It just seems to be a bit much for a few pieces of acrylic and a string. You can get a digital stylus force gauge for $30. But, you have to change the force vector from horizontal to vertical.