Mint Tractor

Sirspeedy
Regarding the excellent Graham jigs for the Phantom arm.
I made a few comments about the jigs through out the Feikert Analogue Protractor thread starting at 06-30-08.

Briefly, ever so carefully using the Graham cartridge jig, end results were close but not spot on.
I would have never of known this if I did not use the Mint tractor to check set up against the Graham jig.

With final set up using the Graham jig I found your simply relying on line of sight which result in an error in set up, for me anyway.

Also I believe different cantilever lengths in the Graham jig could also slightly throw off final set up.

I understand there has been a slight up date to the series two Phantom cartridge jig, a target line of sort for a reference guide.

Sirspeedy, even with the series two Phantom jig, the money spent on the Mint tractor for piece of mind would be money well spent....Double checking and getting precise alignment of your cantilever and stylus will have enormous sonic benefits.

Stiltskin,I am in full agreement.

Thanks

SirSpeedy,

I haven't seen/used the Phantom jig but I have used the one supplied with the 2.2.

Besides having no parallax arrangement for sighting accuracy (as noted by Stiltskin) the flip-over piece sat at a different angle depending on the height of the cartridge. This moved the cross-hairs forward or aft, which meant that overhang was only accurate when mounting a cartridge of the same exact height as whatever cartridge Graham designed the jig for.

If the Phantom jig is similar, I'm sure you'd find the Mint worth the investment.

I finally got the MintLP today! But I am a little disappointed, because I find that my initial setup using the VPI Jig agrees (spot-on) with the MintLP in terms of effective length. I only have to adjust the zenith angle very minorly. It took me less than 15 mintues to make sure everything is in place.

I haven't had the chance to 'listen' yet.

Doug/All, I tried to explain the features of the Parallax Feature on the Mintlp Tractor, but I know my previous descriptions fell short. Probably anyone's will, until they see for themselves how neat this protractor is, and put it to use on thier rig.

I feel, just for the Zenith Alignment feature alone, this Protractor is worth the price of admission.

This was one parameter I felt I had "nailed down" exactly with everything I had in my arsenal, which in truth isn't much, the Geodisc, the TB Mirror, and an emailed paper tractor from Ken Willis. (not to detract from Ken's stuff, this was just a simple print up he emailed me free)

Picture looking down a 1/4 mile drag racing strip, with your Cantilever Looking like a large Log sitting in the middle of the road. And the road slims as it goes further away from you, just like looking down any two lane Road. You'll position your Stylus at the center of origin of this "Road", then as you look further back, one can so easily see how the Cantilever either skews to the right, or left.

And to add even more, about how Doug, and everybody else is talking about here, there's that reflected image of the Grid Lines, on this Second Surface Mirror, akin to the cheapie TB Mirror Protractor. (No, this isn't a Telescope Mirror, which would have a first surface Mirror, with refelctive coating on a polished-figured surface)

This is one very important key-feature to making this Protractor really outstanding, that just a slight shift with your head, or eye, you can easily see you are not properly aligned with the protractor, to see proper zenith with Yip's design. As I said before, this man is very clever, and I applaud his craftsmanship, and design.

The eye is a quite sensitive instrument. I know of men who build, and can test world class Optics with Laser Interferometer, but the eye can be in many cases, the final criterion, surpassing even the worlds most delicate instruments.

Smartly, I configured another Turntable (Denon) to the exact same S-P Distance, and I'll be checking this one as well. Since nobody wanted my like new Benz Ruby 3 in my classified here, out it comes to go on the Denon.
As they "really" say, you only live once. Don't believe the "James Bond Movies". Mark