SL100C Tonearm will not stay all the way up anymore

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Fekx, Nov 25, 2022.

  1. Fekx

    Fekx Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Germany
    Hey guys,

    since yesterday, my Technics SL100C Tonearm is not firmly up anymore when I lift it with the cue lever.
    It doesnt stay all the way up but instead will drop 3-4mm.

    It seems like the lever/resting bridge can't handle the tonearm and counter weight anymore.

    The turntable is only two months old and it seems the cue lever is already worn out?

    I will post a video later this day when I'm back from work.

    Since I don't have much experiences with turntables, is there anything I can do to make it solid again?

    I only tried one screw, but this was for the height when dropping the needle.

    Not to mention I'm dissapoined since the unit is so new...

    Thanks a lot
     
  2. P3ESRXD

    P3ESRXD Arnaud, still enjoying...with what I have

    Location:
    Montpellier France
    One of these two things to try:
    - talk to your dealer may be the best approch
    - put a thick tape on the arm support to see if it stays higher
     
    Fekx likes this.
  3. Oelewapper

    Oelewapper Plays vinyl instead of installing it on the floor.

    I had the same issue with a golden 1200M7L tonearm.
    They share a lot of parts, so the issue is probably the same.
    Issue looked like this:


    I replaced it with a black tonearm, because the gold is too tacky for me anyways.
    No issues on the black one.
     
    Boltman92124, Scott1200 and Fekx like this.
  4. Technocentral

    Technocentral Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dublin, Ireland
    Changing the tonearm on a brand new turntable is not the answer.
     
  5. Oelewapper

    Oelewapper Plays vinyl instead of installing it on the floor.

    Ikr. I just happened to have plans already for replacing the ugly golden tonearm.
    What I meant was, it’s likely design related.
     
    Fekx likes this.
  6. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    That is not normal. You may have gotten a dud. Return/exchange.
     
    fmfxray373, Fekx, Big Blue and 3 others like this.
  7. McLover

    McLover Senior Member

    Contact Panasonic, make arrangements for warranty repair.
     
    Fekx likes this.
  8. sharedon

    sharedon Forum Zonophone

    Location:
    Boomer OK
    You could try starting over with the tonearm and counterweight adjustments you do when getting the table ready out of the box, as per the manual.
     
    Fekx and Technocentral like this.
  9. zombiemodernist

    zombiemodernist Forum Resident

    Location:
    Northeastern USA
    Yep, I’d return. Shouldn’t be that way. My 1500C had a cueing failure too, though much worse, the auto lift was permantly jammed up after a week of use. I’d get it exchanged now before the issue gets worse.
     
  10. Technocentral

    Technocentral Forum Resident

    Location:
    Dublin, Ireland
    Before getting a refund as above try rebalancing the arm, do you have a stylus tracking force scales?
     
    Fekx and sharedon like this.
  11. KeithL

    KeithL Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    I'm guessing 3-4mm drop of cue lever means the stylus is still above the record.
    During our UK hot spell when indoor temperatures exceeded 30, my SL1500C would self drop the stylus all the way down onto the record. Strange thing is that it only happened when cueing my VM540ML set at 2g but held up with my G1042 at 1.8g. 2g must have been the tipping point.

    I've posted recently that I have gotten used to cueing with the auto-lift engaged. It's a firm push with my thumb against the spring loaded auto-lift. The action is totally counter-intuitive but it works a treat.
     
    Fekx likes this.
  12. KeithL

    KeithL Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    The height of the cueing platform is adjustable; no need for tape.
     
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  13. ChefBrunch

    ChefBrunch Forum Resident

    Location:
    Hawaii
    technics not what they used to be.
     
    Fekx likes this.
  14. TarnishedEars

    TarnishedEars Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Seattle area
    You didn't by any chance make the mistake of locking your arm into its cradle and putting the lever in the up position, did you? That can damage the lifter mechanism.
     
    punkmusick and Fekx like this.
  15. Ntotrar

    Ntotrar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Tri-Cities TN
    Time for Sildenafil...
     
    Gibsonian, Dave Mac, Simoon and 2 others like this.
  16. Fekx

    Fekx Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Germany
    Hello guys,

    thanks so much for the answers. I tried almost everything already.
    Saldy no success, I'm very frustrated and think my only option left is contacting panasonic.


    Heres the video for reference:




    Two days ago I had no issues.
     
    Scott1200 likes this.
  17. KeithL

    KeithL Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    Is your video with the auto-lift engaged and activated?
     
    Fekx likes this.
  18. Oelewapper

    Oelewapper Plays vinyl instead of installing it on the floor.

    Just what I thought.
    Looks like the same issue as I had.
    I don’t think this is user serviceable.
     
    Fekx likes this.
  19. Fekx

    Fekx Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Germany
    No, it is currently disabled.

    Yes, very dissapointed
     
  20. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore

    Sadly, there is some truth to this. The new models, as good as they may be, don't appear to be as bug-free as the older models. I gave serious consideration to buying an SL-1200GR, but reports of faulty cue levers was part of my decision to get a older Sl-1200MK2 and performance-mod it.
     
    mackat, Aftermath and Fekx like this.
  21. KeithL

    KeithL Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    Fekx - have you tried cueing against the spring loaded auto-lift mechanism. It really works well. For nearly two years I would reset the auto-lift before cueing a new record. Now I just reset and cue in one spring loaded motion. Of course it only works when the auto-lift has been triggered at the end of a record.
     
    Fekx likes this.
  22. patient_ot

    patient_ot Senior Member

    Location:
    USA
    What retailer did you purchase from? How long ago?
     
    Fekx likes this.
  23. yamfan

    yamfan Forum Resident

    Location:
    Missouri
    I am extremely disappointed....

    Someone made a crack about Viagra before I could.
     
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  24. Boltman92124

    Boltman92124 Go Padres!!

    Location:
    San Diego
    It looks like it just settles into the same spot. If it's still above the LP, it shouldn't be a problem right?
     
    Fekx likes this.
  25. lv70smusic

    lv70smusic Senior Member

    Location:
    San Francisco, CA
    That's what I was wondering. I understand that something developing an issue like this is not ideal, but if the new lower level still clears the record's surface I don't think I'd bother attempting a return/exchange/warranty repair.
     
    Fekx, arisinwind and Boltman92124 like this.

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