VPI Scoutmaster static

Walt,

I had the same problem with my VPI TT awhile back. It got so bad that static charges would occur during the playing of a record and emit a loud pop through the speakers.

I cured the problem by taping a piece of wire to the outside of the metal shaft under the TT that the platter bearing sits in. I then connected this to a grounded source. In my case it was another wire run from a cold water pipe but I suppose you could try connecting it to the grounding terminal on your preamp.

Give this a try and see if it does the trick.

Good Luck!

Scifi

the environment is very plain office one, only walls and some furniture, no carpets, rugs etc. there is an air conditioner though, so the air us pretty dry indeed. scifi, can you send a pic to me of what you did to waltwalden at hotmail dot com if you still have your vpi around. i read a posting on TNT and static as well and was wondering if that would do the trick for me, but have not tried yet.

this is quite frustrating if one has invested so much into it. thanks for your contributions.

are a wide range of factors that can affect the amount of electrostatic charge that can build up as a voltage on personnel. Some common major factors include:

The floor material and its electrical resistance, and resistance-to-ground

Personnel footwear, especially the materials of the shoe sole and its electrical resistance

Atmospheric humidity

The manner in which a person walks, e.g. scuffing and friction of the shoes against the floor

Actions of brushing against furniture, sitting and rising from seats

Static electric charges are separated whenever two materials make and break contact. This occurs with regularity between the shoe sole and floor material in walking action. Charge tries to dissipate and recombine where possible, but this cannot happen if it is prevented from moving by insulating materials. Charge builds up if the charge is generated faster than it can dissipate, and a high voltage can quickly result.

Shocks are felt by people when they touch a discharge path (e.g. metal frame or another person

I would now take the Turntable off the "OAK RACK" and isolate it from the other euiptment. Place your VPI on a seperate table such as an IKEA lack table. If you have an ikea near you or even a Lowes they sell a small table that is made of composite materials this might work best.

Assuming you have carpeting. Spray static guard once or twice a week over where you walk.

You said you checked the ground from the TT to the Phono Stage. Did you check the ground from the underside of the arm to the RCA junction box?

BTW- Your English is great!