What's the speed of your turntable?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by TVC15, Jul 12, 2015.

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  1. frimleygreener

    frimleygreener "It 'a'int why...it just is"

    Location:
    united kingdom
    Fearing the worst,I downloaded the app in question. My deck is an AR Legend(the "Turntable" I think to you good folks across the pond). Aside from lubricating as advised,and changing belts,I have done little in the way of constructive maintenance.This table is now well over 35 years old.....what did Turntabulator reveal? Amazingly "33.3", followed by a legend "exact". Not sure how accurate the app is,but one happy bunny!
     
    Bill Larson likes this.
  2. Madness

    Madness "Hate is much too great a burden to bear."

    Location:
    Maryland, USA
    Turns out I had to open up the back and unscrew a circuit board, flip it over, and that's where the speed adjustment pieces were. Why in the world they make it so difficult to do this is beyond me. Testing with my android phone and an RPM app, it "seems" like I have the speed adjusted correctly, but I'm buying a new/upgraded/much better turntable within the next 90 days anyway.
     
  3. Gregory Earl

    Gregory Earl Senior Member

    Location:
    Kantucki
    Well I'm a bit late to this thread but I just now downloaded the RPM Calculator app RPM Calculator - Android Apps on Google Play on my Galaxy6. I then gently laid my phone down on my VPI Scoutmaster platter, hit the power switch on the Synchronous Drive System and powered up the table and watched the app give me a reading of 33.3. Then I did a double check on my KAB SpeedStrobe Disc and Test Light. It was as dead on as I could see.

    Seems to me to be a pretty cool app. I'm a bit amazed it can do this for free. I'll continue to test in the coming days.
     
    Last edited: May 21, 2017
    Robert C likes this.
  4. Madness

    Madness "Hate is much too great a burden to bear."

    Location:
    Maryland, USA
    Is there a smartphone app that would act as the strobe light if used with a turntable strobe mat?
     
    superstar19 likes this.
  5. TerryS

    TerryS Forum Resident

    Location:
    Peyton, Colorado
    There are a few. I use this one:
    Strobe Light Tachometer on the App Store
    Pretty basic, but it works. I have to dim the room lighting and play with the distance and angle I hold the phone to get a decent look at the strobe disc, but it works.
    There are several others in the app store. I haven't tried them.

    Terry
     
    Madness likes this.
  6. Madness

    Madness "Hate is much too great a burden to bear."

    Location:
    Maryland, USA
    Pro-Ject Debut Carbon DC, bought demo unit from Music Direct. Tried the strobe platter and strobe light app at 60hz, and the outer ring didn't look like it was standing still, so I used an RPM app on my android phone, and it showed a speed of 29.8/9. I took the entire platter off, and the belt felt a little loose, so I ordered a new belt, which should be here Monday. We'll see if that fixes the RPMs.

    If by chance the TT needs a speed adjustment even with the new belt, if it's not within the 0.2% standard, how can I adjust the speed on the table? I've googled trying to find a how to, but am coming up empty.

    Thanks.
     
  7. redflag

    redflag Forum Resident

    I have that very table and it is spot on speed-wise. Hopefully, it is just the belt. Otherwise I'm not sure what the fix would be. I DID have a hard time when I switched over to a 33/78 pulley because the motor was 50 hertz instead of 60 like I was told it was. So..maybe that could be the issue and you have the wrong pulley. If you're dealing with Bes over there at Music Direct, you're in good hands though.
     
  8. Madness

    Madness "Hate is much too great a burden to bear."

    Location:
    Maryland, USA
    I don't think I have the "DC" version.
     
  9. Madness

    Madness "Hate is much too great a burden to bear."

    Location:
    Maryland, USA
    Yeah it doesn't have "DC" in the part/model number on my order history, so if the belt doesn't fix the speed, I'll invest in the speed box, which I might do anyway.
     
  10. H8SLKC

    H8SLKC Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston, MA
    I checked a new Marantz TT-15 and it was dead on 33.3.
     
    Strat-Mangler likes this.
  11. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    A lot of these belts will lose their rigidity after a while. In some cases, boiling them for a minute or two restores them to their prior rigidity. Might want to try that.
     
  12. Madness

    Madness "Hate is much too great a burden to bear."

    Location:
    Maryland, USA
    Boiling them? I have never heard of that...is that a real thing or are you pulling my leg lol
     
  13. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    Not pulling your leg at all. That's what plenty of people do for VPI belts. Not sure if the material for Rega belts is the same but assuming it is, you definitely can do that.

    Might fix your issue entirely or at least minimize it greatly and it's a free fix. Look into it and report back.
     
  14. Madness

    Madness "Hate is much too great a burden to bear."

    Location:
    Maryland, USA
    It's not dry and brittle, just stretched a bit.
     
  15. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    Just tried measuring the speed of my VPI Prime. Unfortunately, I don't have an iPhone so that Tubular app (or whatever it's called) is off-limits. I have an iPad but for many reasons, that wouldn't work.

    Tried with a strobe but the apps on my Android phone don't seem to ever detect anything conclusive. Tried an RPM measuring app which did work but apparently, the sensors of Android phones vary greatly in accuracy so no idea if my Samsung Note 4 is a good precise measuring tool.

    My motor was almost hugging the plinth as that's what I've seen in videos but also in another, I saw how pulling the motor away reduces the speed. Mine was topping at 33.5 so I pulled the motor until it reached 33.3 for 99% of the turns. The motor is now somewhat far from the turntable and the belt certainly is stretched more than before. Music seems to be sounding more natural to me.
     
  16. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    Exactly what boiling would address. Let me know how it goes.
     
  17. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    Update.

    Saw a video on YT of a guy with a Prime who brought his belt from the lowest point to its highest and accomplished slowing down the speed with the motor still almost hugging the plinth. Tried it and it accomplishes the same effect as putting the motor away from it and it looks far less silly.
     
  18. Davey

    Davey NP: Electrelane ~ No Shouts No Calls (2007 LP)

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    Yea, the pulley is stepped so you can fine-tune the speed.
     
  19. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    After listening more and more, I notice that things still don't sound quite right so I'm wondering about acquiring a speed controller. I started a thread in the Hardware forum. If you have anything to contribute, please let me know.
     
  20. Jack Flannery

    Jack Flannery Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston, TX
    Mine has an angular velocity of about 700mph or so.
     
  21. Davey

    Davey NP: Electrelane ~ No Shouts No Calls (2007 LP)

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    Yea, I saw that, but I don't have anything that wasn't covered in the other thread Spsesq started. Haven't you been listening to it for a few months now? Did it just start not sounding quite right?
     
    Spsesq likes this.
  22. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    Only after putting a CD on did I notice slight tempo issues. Again, it could be minor to some but I'd like to pinpoint exactly how off I am.
     
  23. Davey

    Davey NP: Electrelane ~ No Shouts No Calls (2007 LP)

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    Don't they come with that VPI strobe disc on the platter? The one shown in all their pictures that everyone seems to hate to look at except VPI? That, and an incandescent (old-school type with filament- not LED) or florescent bulb is generally all it takes for most of us (or at least me, I may not be very sensitive to minor speed changes from hour to hour or day to day :)), but my old Thorens does come with a two-phase motor controller, and you can adjust the 33 and 45 RPM frequencies, no feedback, but it's for the more typical in those days 16VAC motor, and fairly low power too.
     
    Last edited: Jun 10, 2017
    Strat-Mangler likes this.
  24. Madness

    Madness "Hate is much too great a burden to bear."

    Location:
    Maryland, USA
    Okay new belt came in today for my Pro-Ject Debut Carbon (non-DC version), and the speed is still slow (29.9 to 33.0).

    Does anyone know how to make fine-tune adjustments to this TT?

    Thanks.
     
  25. Davey

    Davey NP: Electrelane ~ No Shouts No Calls (2007 LP)

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    There's not really any way to adjust the speed electronically unless you have a speed box with adjustable frequency. I think all you have right now is just a transformer to step the voltage down for the motor. You can speed it up with a thicker belt, or slow it down with a thinner one, but not much else you can do mechanically to change the speed on a synchronous motor since it's locked to the power line frequency. Maybe try oil in the bearings, how did it ship, did you add oil to the platter bearing when you installed it, or was it already installed? Does the platter spin freely for awhile when belt is off? You can talc the belt for smoother speed (no sticking at release) but that won't usually change the speed much, if at all.
     
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