2. analog
  3. 1157059532

Building high-end 'tables cheap at Home Despot II

“For those who want the moon but can't afford it or those who can afford it but like to have fun and work with their hands, I'm willing to give out a recipe for a true high-end 'table which is easy to do, and fun to make as sky's the limit on design/creativity! The cost of materials, including 'table, is roughly $200 (depending, more or less), and add to that a Rega tonearm. The results are astonishing. I'll even tell/show you how to make chipboard look like marble and fool and impress all your friends. If there's interest I'll get on with this project, if not, I'll just continue making them in my basement. The next one I make will have a Corian top and have a zebra stripe pattern! Fun! Any takers?”

The Lead in “Da Thread” as posted by Johnnantais - 2-01-04

Let the saga continue. Sail on, oh ships of Lenco!
mario_b
justubes
47 posts
 
Is the LENCO L85IC a candidate for Jean Natias' Lenco Phenomenon??
mario_b OP
147 posts
 

Hi Justubes,

According to LencoLand this turntable is belt-driven with a lightweight, stamped platter and a good deal of automation - perhaps, not a good candidate for "the conversion".

That said, if this turntable is already in your possession, it might be worth a closer analytical look in seeing what can be done to improve on it.

Would the motor's flywheel be convertible to channel a nylon thread? Is there room underneath the platter for adding a bit of symmetrical weighting/dampning?

If so, and you're willing to work on it, this might turn out to be decent retriever.

If I'm not mistaken, the IC denotes a much improved tonearm - an S-shaped tube with an SME (non-detachable) headshell - a gimbled "modern" looking affair.

There are so many CD players in need of replacement out there, that any analog orphan can find a deserving home.
justubes
47 posts
 
Hi Mario
I just saw a local ad for this TT. Which Lenco should I keep my eyes on for "the JN conversion"?
mario_b OP
147 posts
 
Hi Justubes,

That would be L-75, L-78, L(GL)-88, L-(GL)-99.
There are other earlier models with heavy platters, but plastic idler wheels which are prone to warping like the L-61, L-68 and L-70 which shouldn't be dismissed as out of hand. I've got an American badged Bogen/Presto L-61 that has sounded great in unplinthed, temporary duty.

Retread the idler tire with an O-ring and it was off and running. Currently getting this wheel re-built after finding a reasonably priced re-building service.

If you're in the hunt, make Blue-In-The-Face's site a "Favorite":
http://www.btinternet.com/~a.d.richarson/hifi/lenco/heavy_lenco.html
mario_b OP
147 posts
 
Hi Fishwinker,

Been brooding about what could be causing your motor vibration ... and I'm still brooding ...

In the meantime, take a look at 4yanx's post from a while back and see if it applies.

04-27-05: 4yanx
"As a further aside, we've found that the proper "tension" placed on the nose end screw is such that it the cupped end just seats onto the end of the rotor spindle and allows free travel of the "springy" doo-dad (less than a millimeter). Too little tension causes slop and too much causes restriction. It is a very fine line and impossible to "see". It helps when you get it right to have one person hold the motor casing with one hand, and a small screwdriver set in the slotted end of the screw with the other, while a second person FIRMLY tightens the hold down nut. In our experience, tightening that nut otherwise almost always results in the screw tightening a bit along with it and mucking up the works. Too, if the nut is not secured tightly enough, it backs off - the screw along with it. On out first couple, the doo-dad was so frozen that we didn’t even know it was supposed to “give”. Getting the proper tension was a BEAR until we discovered that."

Is there a numeric designation on the GL Delta Lady?
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