My self build Ultrasonic LP cleaning machine....

after reading threads on here, I decided to give it a go and construct and ultra sonic vinyl cleaner.
The linked video is of a first dry run (literally dry - no water used yet).
Does anyone here have any comments or suggestions please?
vimeo.com/253125181

 

this has now progressed and here it is seen cleaning a record.

 

Can you slow it down?

 

Hi.. not with this motor. I am researching a motorwith a small gear to slow it down, then a voltage controller to slow it as much as required. So a new motor and a a speed controller is the next developement.

 

Trying not to offend, but you are losing all of the benefits of US cleaning. Way too fast. Using a 5 rph motor yields a 12 minute rotation time. You should strive for 1 rotation = 1 cleaning cycle. Most of the folks I know, will be able to clean three records at a time on the spindle. They will use rubber disks or even cork to separate the records enough for the US cleaning to be even and on all sides of all three. That way you get three cleanings in 12 minutes. Then you need to dry them. Many I know keep their old vacuum cleaner for this purpose as they will both clean differently. They then hit the record with a CF brush when playing to take out any static that may be left on the surface.

Synchron makes motors of all sizes and speeds for you. PVC tubing is a great and inexpensive way to mount a motor set up. You can also cut a slot in it and install a screw to raise and lover the albums into the cleaning solution that you make up. There is a great DIY audio thread on the net to look for. It's been going for years and it's very long with many great suggestions. They do work great though.

 

I would not take offence to useful advice, after all I am just starting out with this process. Getting feedback such this as was why I posted the video. So, thank you for that.
I need a motor with gears or a speed controller or both. Right now I am attempting to source them both.

 

Go with a smooth rod and replace wing nuts with cork . That will save tons of time getting LPs on and off. Here's a list of parts you can search on ebay to buy:

LP Spinner for Ultrasonic Cleaners

 

interesting. I still feel the motor will be too fast. If you are handy, then I'd personally look for a much slower motor and do the mounting yourself. The rod is the hardest part to source in order to get the correct fitting. I totally agree with the cork that poster and the seller show, but as I said, you can set it up to do at least two and possibly three depending on teh width of your tank.

 

You can buy a pretty good kit on eBay for not too much money which is the way I'm gonna go.

 

How does such slow speed benefit the cleaning process? AFAIK the commercial ultrasonic record cleaners do not use particularly slow speeds.
I bought a Cleaner Vinyl attachment and that turns at 3 rpm @ 5V. I now use a 3V power supply with it and that slows the speed to about 1.5 rpm. I guess I could go even lower, but would it really benefit?

 

How about not spinning at all, but manually rotating just enough to submerge a new section of the record, leaving it static for say 3 minutes, then moving on.
It is not convenient, but will it be a better process than using a motor spinning to fast?

 

If you put aluminum foil into the US machine, you will see dimples and later holes being punctured in the foil. They will not be completely evenly distributed. The record rotation not only serves the purpose of submerging the entire record, but also prevents damage from ultrasonic hot spots and evens out the cleaning action. I would not recommend keeping the record stationary in the working cleaner even for a short time.

 

oregonalex, thank you for that! So I am going to try building a motor and speed controller combination.
Thanks again...

 

This your site or someone else’s ?

The kit seems pretty cheap if all you have to add is a tank , power adapter and a stand

 

My US should be arriving today. I bought a 6L unit and the semi-expensive VinylStack spinner due to rave reviews. Looking forward to experimenting with it. I bought a pre-mixed concentrate called TergiKleen. @OP, whatever you do, keep the legos in the setup!

 

I hadn't thought of that. But even if, hypothetically speaking, this wasn't an issue, turning the lp manually defeats one of, if not the biggest, benefits of having an ultrasonic cleaner; not having to be in attendance while it cleans.

If I had to manually turn mine I'd not bother. You might as well go with a traditionally vacuum based RCM, which you could build for cheap as well. IMO ultrasonics don't really clean any better than vacuum based cleaners.

PS I love your current legos build GilesM.

 

It is my site but I there hasn't been much interest in it. Probably because it is too cheap and audiophiles like expensive gadgets

I could probably update it with the specific products to buy from ebay.

 

id echo thats going way too fast. I built essentially the same thing, the only difference between these things is how you hold the rod in place. You can get .06 rpm motors on ebay cheaply enough. Some cork mats to hold the records in place work well too.

 

Hi, yes indeed I have found the 0.6 rpm motor on Amazon, but I do not yet understand how to connect it to a power source. I can understand that I would need a 12v source, like a USB cable plugged in to a charger, but I don’t know how to connect it. Any advice anyone?

 

Just use any power source, youll have some lying around from something im sure. I got one of these to attach to it 10pcs 5.5x2.1mm CCTV DC Power Female Cable Plug Wire Connector PSU Pigtail 12V | eBay then the bare wires i just attach it to the motor, you can solder it too but ive not bothered.

the motor i use is DC 12V 0.6rpm Reversible High torque Turbo Worm Gear Motor GW370 DC Reducer Moto | eBay

ive just screwed it into some balsa wood to hold it, and the rod fits on it easily enough to rotate while cleaning.

 

So, all the parts have been ordered. I have a 0.6 rpm worm drive coming from China and another motor from a supplier MFA here in the UK. By reducing the voltage and or incresing the load we should reduce the RPM from 1.5 rpm to unde .05 rpm or there abouts. I will experiment to see which is best. I have a friend who was an engineer prior to retiring who is going to show me how to solder it all together. Once we have a motor running at the correct speed, then we are going to go a step further and add a reversing switch. This was just an idea, I thought it might be good to have half the cleaning cycle in one direction and have the cleaning cycle in the other direction.
The existing motor I will re-task to the drying cycle once I have constructed a second set up with fans and such.
I will post back when completed, but this may take a week or so.

 

CTsooner, I read your post several times. I can see that 1 revolution of the record in a 15 minute cycle would be ideal, but even the lowest motor I can find (0.6 rpm) is still much faster than this. I guess I am going to need a speed controller after all.

 

Here is a link to a video of my latest version;


I have added a 0.6 rpm motor and a metal join between the motor shaft and the rod.
I can now clean 4 records at a time (assuming the spacing is correct).

Is this still running too fast?

What do you think of my progress?

 

Latest update;

I have added a master switch and a speed controller. With the controller set at 30% I get a rotation speed of 1 rotation in 12 minutes.
Next improvement will be the replacement of the treaded rod with a 33 cm smooth rod. This will be combined with steel collars to keep the records in place and moving with the rod instead of rotating around it.

 

Hat tip for having the innovative mind to even attempt this. I'm in awe!