Dear Mr. Graham,
You wrote:
"(why else would Rolex and other fine watches use ruby if it weren't for better performance? The cost difference is insignificant).. "
The main advantage of the use of rubies, sapphires or even diamonds(endstones only) as watch bearings is that they are chemically inert and will not be affected by the oil turning acidic over time. While other bearing materials can be polished/burnished to a high surface quality, this smooth/flat surface will develop tiny "craters" as more and more material is "washed out" by the acid.
This happens with ruby equipped watches too. But it is the burnished steel pivot which suffers first, then, as more and more foreign particles find their way into the gap between pivot and bushing, the pivot acts as a file and destroys the finish of the ruby.
And when you are selling hundreds of thousands of watches, the price difference becomes significant.
For an interesting read on Unipivot arm design and as proof that the basis for your new design is well founded but not exactly revolutionary, I recommend:
"Une approche rationelle du bras de lecture
1. Considerations théoretiques"
by Gérard Chrétien
in a summary of articles from the french magazine "L'Audiophile", called "Selection de L'Audiophile", tome2: Les Transducteurs
published by editions frequences 1985(the article first appeared a few years earlier...)
As mentioned in an earlier post, the bearing in my arms can be(and has been) executed so that there is no variation
in tracking force when VTA is changed. The tracking force will ALWAYS vary when any arm/cart combo tracks a warped record. Inertia can´t be overcome...
A question: Am I correct in my assumption that the Phantom has higher friction in the horizontal plane than the 2.2 as it has to move the Magneglide assembly with it as it travels across the record?
Hoping to meet you in person at one of the upcoming shows, I remain with admiration,
Frank Schröder(Schröder tonearms)
You wrote:
"(why else would Rolex and other fine watches use ruby if it weren't for better performance? The cost difference is insignificant).. "
The main advantage of the use of rubies, sapphires or even diamonds(endstones only) as watch bearings is that they are chemically inert and will not be affected by the oil turning acidic over time. While other bearing materials can be polished/burnished to a high surface quality, this smooth/flat surface will develop tiny "craters" as more and more material is "washed out" by the acid.
This happens with ruby equipped watches too. But it is the burnished steel pivot which suffers first, then, as more and more foreign particles find their way into the gap between pivot and bushing, the pivot acts as a file and destroys the finish of the ruby.
And when you are selling hundreds of thousands of watches, the price difference becomes significant.
For an interesting read on Unipivot arm design and as proof that the basis for your new design is well founded but not exactly revolutionary, I recommend:
"Une approche rationelle du bras de lecture
1. Considerations théoretiques"
by Gérard Chrétien
in a summary of articles from the french magazine "L'Audiophile", called "Selection de L'Audiophile", tome2: Les Transducteurs
published by editions frequences 1985(the article first appeared a few years earlier...)
As mentioned in an earlier post, the bearing in my arms can be(and has been) executed so that there is no variation
in tracking force when VTA is changed. The tracking force will ALWAYS vary when any arm/cart combo tracks a warped record. Inertia can´t be overcome...
A question: Am I correct in my assumption that the Phantom has higher friction in the horizontal plane than the 2.2 as it has to move the Magneglide assembly with it as it travels across the record?
Hoping to meet you in person at one of the upcoming shows, I remain with admiration,
Frank Schröder(Schröder tonearms)