I'm about to receive my new cartridge and...

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Hail Vinyl!, Aug 17, 2014.

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  1. Hail Vinyl!

    Hail Vinyl! Forum Resident Thread Starter

    ...the install job has always been a true hassle to me. But I'm willing to do it. The thing is, I'm not very good at manipulating really small things, in this case stuff like connecting the terminals and getting the screws into those tiny nuts. Well, I know I can do it, but I don't trust my own neatness doing it. Maybe connections won't be secure enough, maybe cables will be a mess... but again, I want to have the satisfaction of doing it myself, and doing it well. That's why I appreciate any advice you may have to make sure everything will be correctly made during the installation process. Thank you in advance! :)
     
  2. Ash76

    Ash76 Wait actually yeah no

    Can't help you other than to say I'm in the same boat. My cartridge arrived today and now I've ordered some alignment tools such as an MFSL Geo-Disk and a tracking force gauge. Just not sure if I trust my fat fingers and poor eyesight.
     
  3. KT88

    KT88 Senior Member

    Take your time, use appropriately sized tools, don't force anything, and stay away from the cantilever! Use an appropriate alignment protractor to align your cartridge. Two very good ones, which are very easy to use can be found for free here: http://www.uptownaudio.com/Hi-Fi/Tools/phono.htm
    -Bill
     
    chervokas likes this.
  4. quadjoe

    quadjoe Senior Member

    Good advice. I'd just like to add one thing: the OP didn't say what cartridge he was getting, so, if it's a MC cartridge, your admonishment to avoid the cantilever is spot on. However if it's a MM cartridge, he should remove the stylus assembly before installing the cartridge to avoid damaging the stylus/cantilever. At the very least, the stylus protector should stay on the cartridge until it's mounted. (It'll have to be removed for balancing and aligning.)
     
  5. CCrider92

    CCrider92 Senior Member

    Location:
    Cape Cod, MA
    You have to say, "I can do this!" because you can. Take all the advice previously given. Don't do this when you're having a bad day; do it when you feel rested, refreshed. Do it when you have plenty of time and the clock is irrelevant.
     
  6. KOWHeigel

    KOWHeigel Forum Resident

    Location:
    Manlius, NY
    Make sure you have lots of good bright light.

    I also hate those tiny screws that come with carts. I really don't like it when the cartridge doesn't at least use threaded screws.
     
    jupiterboy likes this.
  7. Wally Swift

    Wally Swift Yo-Yoing where I will...

    Location:
    Brooklyn New York
    Get a couple of needle nosed pliers to work with those tiny screws and bolts.
     
  8. vinyl4287

    vinyl4287 Member

    Location:
    Snowpiercer
    First time or even once a year is a hassle. But when you change carts or stylus out weekly, it gets easier.

    I always put the screw through and let the nut rest on my finger and then gently turn the nut a few times to connect it. The wires are easier with thin needle nose pliers. They advise not to use your hands to put them on, but I do and have never had an issue.
     
  9. Starquest

    Starquest ‎ ‎ ‎

    Location:
    Twin Cities, MN
    I've never seen a pair of needle-nose small enough to do this job. I use the tweezers from a manicure kit. Not only are they smaller, but they allow your fingers to get a lot closer to the action.

    I just installed an AT95E and noticed something about the supplied nuts that I thought was a nice touch. One side of them has a small slotted edge to get it started/threaded onto the screw. Then it can be used to hold it in place with your fingernail whilst you tighten the screw.
     
  10. Hail Vinyl!

    Hail Vinyl! Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Thank you so much for your kind replies! I said in this thread that I will tell which cartridge it is just when I receive it, so it's a secret for now. Since today is a holiday in my country, I'm expecting to have it delivered tomorrow. Right now I can tell you it's a fine MM cartridge, so I have perfectly clear that I will remove the stylus during the install job. Also, the alignment part isn't a hassle to me and, on the other hand, it's the most fascinating part of the process. My protractor and test LP are eagerly waiting for the new toy. My only concern is about handling small screws, nuts and terminals. Once I'm completely sure that the cartridge is properly fitted, I will have total peace of mind and alignment will be one of those tasks that I love to spend time on. But contrary to the cartridge-to-headshell fitting part, it's a fascinating task to me.

    Thank you! I only have a pair of needle-nose pliers. I'll get some tweezers too. Just in case, are the angled needle-nose pliers better than the regular ones for this?
     
  11. Antares

    Antares Forum Resident

    Location:
    Flanders
    I like to use a good quality (Tajima), small hobby knife to gently nudge off the terminals from the cartridge pins. With tweezers you risk them coming free with a shock and breaking the solder joint. Also, not all cartridge pins are the exact same diameter, so you may need something to carefully open or tighten the terminals in order to get a snug fit.
     
    jupiterboy likes this.
  12. Starquest

    Starquest ‎ ‎ ‎

    Location:
    Twin Cities, MN
    I think it's the size that matters more than the shape. Umm... Anyway, tweezers, dude. Obviously go easy with them as Antares said. I sort of use mine the way he's talking about. use the sharp tweezer edge/blade to slide the connector off the pin and I even used my fingernail to move it the rest of the way off. I think I grasped the wire with the tweezer to get it started on the new pin, and then used the tweezer blade parallel to the pin to gently push the wire the rest of the way on, pushing on the end of the round wire connector, no longer squeezing anything with the tweezer.

    Also, if you come to love aligning a phono cartridge, I think that will bump the world's population of such people from 0 to 1! I didn't even align mine with any instrument. I just eyeballed it. It works great.
     
  13. GuildX700

    GuildX700 Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    But some headset magnifying glasses. I use them quite often.
     
    Agent57 likes this.
  14. chervokas

    chervokas Senior Member

    Patience, no blousey clothing (I once snagged a cantilever on t shirt), and a good protractor. I found the DB Systems protractor so easy to use I stopped my search for another one after trying a couple of others before that. And good task lighting. Did I mention patience?
     
  15. utahusker

    utahusker Senior Member

    I can hear quite a bit of difference with small changes in overhang. Are you doing it by ear, or only your eyes?
     
  16. Michael Ries

    Michael Ries Forum Resident

    Location:
    St. Paul, MN
    I recently ripped the green ground wire from the clip on my new (to me) turntable while trying to swap out carts. I was used to some more durable headshell leads and not the hardwired, very very thin, leads on the nottingham and foolishly did not take enough care when removing the leads with a tweezer. I didn't have the confidence in my soldering skills to fix this with the wire being so thin so I brought it into a local hi-fi shop and had if fixed. He also aligned my cart and tuned up the table for a very reasonable sum.

    Being someone who tends to tinker too much, I can't recommend enough having a pro set it up. I don't worry about it, it sounds great, and I got back to listening to music and not tinkering. Depending on your location, it might be worth looking into someone in your area to set it up for you. you'd be surprised how inexpensive it can be.
     
  17. jerwardemy

    jerwardemy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Grafton, WV
    Ive found that a pair of hemostats are handy for all kinds of audio related tweakery...especially cartridge leads.
     
  18. Starquest

    Starquest ‎ ‎ ‎

    Location:
    Twin Cities, MN
    I used a clear plastic ruler to get it as close to 52 mm as possible. Then I eyeballed the alignment of the cartridge within the headshell to make it as plumb as possible. I have contemplated using a printable protractor, but I'm not totally sure of the calculations for the null points. The ones I tried weren't quite correct for my setup. (The offset on my Technics tonearm is 22 degrees, but is it exactly 22?)

    edit: Vinyl Engine has a protractor for Technics. I may give that a try.
     
    Last edited: Aug 19, 2014
  19. quadjoe

    quadjoe Senior Member

    Technics makes an overhang gauge for their turntables, it's very easy to use. Did you not get one with yours? Needle Doctor sells them, and at just 10 bucks beats eyeballing or measuring with a ruler: http://www.needledoctor.com/Technics-Overhang-Gauge
     
  20. Abbagold

    Abbagold Working class hero

    Location:
    Natchitoches, LA
    Being sober helps a lot too. Kicking back a few natty lights and plowing into a cart can be dangerous. Also, do make sure your leads are not wrapped around each other and not jumbled and stuffed into the head shell.
     
    bluemooze likes this.
  21. Ben Adams

    Ben Adams Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix, AZ, USA
    Make sure you use heavy-duty zircon-encrusted tweezers. ;)
     
    utahusker likes this.
  22. bluemooze

    bluemooze Senior Member

    Location:
    Frenchtown NJ USA
    If at all possible, move your turntable to something like the dining room/kitchen table where you can sit down with good lighting. Bending over an equipment rack while standing is a sure recipe for failure/frustration. Just my experience. Good luck. :)
     
    utahusker likes this.
  23. harmonica98

    harmonica98 Senior Member

    Location:
    London, UK
    Make sure you are well-rested before you start! I am no expert but it does get easier each time you do it.
     
  24. The Good Guy

    The Good Guy Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK
    Get a friend to help you, it's handy to get someone double check & hold the odd screwdriver, nut & bolt. I helped a friend last year & together we expertly set up cartridge & arm height (using guidance from an Internet manual)
     
  25. thinker10

    thinker10 Forum Resident

    Hi,

    One more thing


    Is to have good lightening on the parts you working with

    No shadows and/or direct lightening from the light bulb in the eyes

    And don't force anything ..

    Thanks
     
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