Mint Protractor for the Classic Toneram 10.5i-SE


Does anyone with using a Mint made for this particular tonearm know what parameters Yip used to create it? Specifically, the mounting distance (Pivot to Spindle) and overhang? I saw some posts on here that suggested he uses 259 mm, which is not correct as the P-S is 262 mm. I emailed Yip but no response so far. Thanks.
actusreus
Actusreus,
I suggest the absolute best way to be sure is to measure yours, that is what I did. Ensure that you account for height, you want the pivot and spindle to be at the same height as much as possible. I measured from the center of the spindle to the point of the pivot, with the tonearm off of the pivot. Mine was 258mm. But like I said in my post, it is possible to get a 1mm difference based on pressure applied during the tonearm base install to the plinth. Since I have taken my tonearm base off a number of times, I ensure that when I re-install, I use a ruler to ensure I get 258mm, as I am tightening up the 3 tonearm base screws. Yip will make the protractor based on your specs, the only measurement he needs is the Spindle to pivot distance, the rest is derived.
He uses the Baerwald (identical to Löfgren A) - minimizes and equalizes distortion at the three weighted tracking error peaks resulting in moderate distortion between the inner and outer grooves.
If you type in your Spindle to pivot distance on this website and look at Baerwald this is what you will get from Yip.
http://www.vinylengine.com/tonearm_alignment_calculator_pro.php

BTW, I have the MINTLP from Yip configured at 258mm, Baerwald, and think it is well worth the investment.

If your measurement is yielding 262mm then I would go with that for the protractor, since it is quite possible the holes in your plinth were drilled differently than mine resulting in the bigger difference from spindle to pivot. The most important is your measurement, accounting for height, not what a database says, since your plinth holes might be drilled a little differently than mine.
Actusreus, I don't own a VPI Classic table. I asked VPI about the S2P distance in order to mount a VPI JMW Classic 3 arm on another table.

A friend of mine just purchased a Classic 3 and his S2P is 258mm.
Captain_winters,

Thanks for the link to the alignment calculator; it's a great tool!

Perhaps it wasn't very clear, but I already have a Mint protractor for the Classic tonearm. I got it a few years ago, but don't have the emails I exchanged with Yip. It wasn't made specifically for my tonearm in a sense that I did not provide him with S2P; he already had stock protractors for the Classic as they were very popular. I believe they were a bit cheaper or the wait was shorter, or something like that. I wanted to confirm with others who use the protractor what S2P Yip used to make theirs since it should be the same specification. Doing research, I saw the 259 mm figure and after I measured mine, I began to question whether I should even be using the Mint, if it is indeed based on a different S2P than mine.

I will try to measure it again, just to make sure. Btw, how different do you find the alignment with the Mint vs. the VPI jig in terms of the stylus position on the grid? For me, the offset angle is identical, but the stylus is about 1 mm further out with the VPI jig.
I used Feickert Protractor to measure S2P distance on my VPI Classic 3 and I got 258 as well. I tried both VPI protractor and MintLP and slightly prefer Mint's result as well.
I looked back at my email with Yip and he did not mention what he used for my JMW 10.5i arm (I ordered his mintLP while I still have Classic I, I use the same protractor for my Classic 3 now, assuming that it would be the same).
Suteetat,
Would it be possible for you to compare the position of the stylus on the VPI grid with the alignment using the Mint? If your cartridge was aligned with the Mint, all you have to do is position the VPI jig and observe where the stylus lands on the grid. This would go a long way toward clarifying the specs on my Classic. Thanks!