VPI rimdrive squeaks

My rim drive is dead silent. My problem is with vibrations from the motor assembly being transferred to the platter and then to the tonearm. I find that great care needs to be maintained not to twist the rust colored O-ring as it is installed on the large drive wheel. It must be as straight as possible to maintain the precise edge to the platter, or unwanted vibrations are transferred to the arm. While viewing the Nordost wire loop that extends from the arm proper to the junction box, I can get it as quiet as possible, however there is still a very slight motion that can be seen if carefully scrutinized.

Stringreen.. Rust coloured O-ring ??? Mine is black as black. Do I have an old component which was changed by VPI because it caused such problems ?? This might explain why the replacement rimdrive they shipped made the same squeak.

AND, you will see from my earlier Response I said I'd address my Hummm problem. This was not electrical it was mechanical. I think I can add to your understanding even if I can't solve it. Maybe I should start a seperate thread.

the two small belts that drive the rim drive can produce squeaks. if you disconnect the rim from the platter and still hear the squeak, it's coming from the two smaller belts. clean the pulley of the motor well, that should eliminate the squeak.

if problem persists and squeak is not coming from motor belts, make sure the rim drive belt sits evenly in the groove. Mike suggest using a small pin or needle, carefully lift the belt off the rim drive and insert the pin in between belt and the metal rim, run it around the whole rim a few times, and pull the pin out. this should ensure rim drive belt sits evenly w/o bumps or twists.

Rateourmover....Actually the rust colored belt is an updated version of the original black belt. Also, the feet of the motor assembly has been changed to a kind of sponge rubber...the original ones were solid aluminum.

Hum and squeak are unrelated phenomena, as you seem to know. Hum with phono reproduction is usually a matter of grounding. First try grounding the turntable metal chassis AND the tonearm to the preamp. Make sure this is a firm connection; I like to use bare wire and scrape any paint or other finish off the chassis in the area of the ground connection, so that the wire really is crimped against the bare metal of the chassis. If you have done that and still have hum, then disconnect one or both grounds from the preamp and see what happens. Another more rare possibility is that with your table the motor is close enough to the cartridge so that its EMI radiations are being picked up. Try shielding the motor in that case. This is a totally solvable problem.

As to squeak, since you have now heard it with two different rim drive motors, I am kinda stumped. Like others say, be sure the rim driver wheel is plane parallel to the platter surface and perpendicular to the driven edge of the platter. Since the squeak is in synch with the drive wheel rotation, examination of the o-ring where it contacts the side of the platter is in order, as others have said and as I mentioned before too. Sorry, you are getting the same ideas from everyone over and over again.