TT Alignment

[richidoo]

How do I align my Technics SLQ2 TT? I got a nice AT cartridge for it, says overhang should be 15mm, I have never adjusted overhang before, so I have no idea how to do it, and the instructions assume I already know. Do I need a protractor? Is there a website with pictures and big red arrows?
Thanks

[dragan]

Rich, check this out, it might help:

http://www.theanalogdept.com/2_pt_align.htm

..and this for downloadable protractors:

http://www.vinylengine.com/cartridge-alignment-protractors.shtml

[dragan]

try this sucker.. see if it works for ya.

[attachment deleted by admin based on 2 year limit]

[Bigfish8]

Guys:

I just have to comment that it sounds like Rich is about to begin the journey into Vinyl!  Ha, Ha!  $$$$


Ken

[richidoo]

Nah, don't worry Ken. I can control myself.   I produced 3 LPs in previous life, and my kids like to listen to Julie's childrens records, and I have a lot of old jazz records, so I might as well get the player I already have working.   It sounds like rawdoo now, so I figured I'd try a proper alignment. What the hey...  But I did buy a used cartridge for it, Audio Technica's best MM.

Thanks a lot Dragan!! I'll check those out.
Rich

[Carlman]

Maybe I'll get him to tune in my vinyl rig.  It's a bit of an art and I generally go by ear after setting it to whatever the specs say.  The gravity at my house may be different than it was somewhere else.

-C

PS, Thanks to Dragan for the nice links/tools.

[bacobits]

That pdf is the exact protractor I use. NO need to spend BIG buck$ Remember I'm cheap. I used to have a Dennison Protractor which is great for drilling a table for a particular tonearm.
I notice Rich was asking about overhang on AC. When setting up using the protractors the overhang gauge is not needed. I also have a db systems protractor Rich is welcome to borrow. It and the Pdf example align up the same.

Stevenson, Baerwald or Loefgren what ever sounds best and can be adjusted to in a particular arm.
There is a Technics Arc Protractor on that site too.

Vinyl engine has a bunch of downloadable protractors. Check them out.

You have heard me here praise how my modest TT has been sounding, well that is all I used.

http://www.vinylengine.com/cartridge-alignment-protractors.shtml

VTA is the essential final frontier to get correct.
 
Oh, when using the paper Protractors make sure you have a record on the table to bring it up to the correct height then place the hole for the protractor on the spindle. If you change VTA the VTW will change. I use a digital scale.

D

[allenzachary]

Finally, a post where I can contribute!

Here's an easier one:

Align the AT cartridge to so it sits in the center of the grooves in the headshell.

AT is the most common Japanese cartridge and Techniqs is the most popular Japanese turntable.  The Japanese are nothing if not pragmatic, so Techniqs designed their stuff for the most popular accessories (as AT did for the most poupular TT).  You will find that centering the cartridge in the headshell will give you a very accurate alignment.

In the 80's and early 90's I mounted about a half dozen cartridges a day, nearly all of them by eye.  Anytime anyone spot checked me, I'm proud to say I was always dead on.

[richidoo]

very cool guys, thanks

So Allen, this cart came with a plastic gage as part of the packaging that is supposed to be used to adjust the overhang. But there are no pictures or instructions how to use it. It has a hash mark in the center, marked 15m, and 5 hash marks to either side, as if the correct overhang position is supposed to be centered on something. The hashes are NOT mm, but just some random distance to be used by eye maybe?  Having worked on Hondas I can believe that it's supposed to be so simple no instructions are needed. I'll give it a try.

So what exactly IS overhang? I am guessing it is like this:
draw two perpendicular lines from spindle and pivot, intersecting near stylus. The stylus tip should be 15mm further away from pivot than the intersection. Is this right?

VTA is not changable on my Technics, but a scale for stylus pressure would probably be a good idea. I  bet Mike or Steve has one judging by how great their TTs sound.

Thanks for the offer to borrow the 'tractor Den, I'l try it by paper first so see how it jibes with setting in the middle like Allen suggests.

I used Shure Pmounts when I was a kid on a SLQ2. They sounded great, so I was disappointed when I put a new cart in this thing, it didn't even sound as good as the cheap stock AT cart that was on it when my neighbor gave it to me. It was probably aligned from new and never replaced. But it crapped out, then my replacement cart wasn't aligned at all and sounded rotten even though it was a better cart than the original.

I'm relying on bigfish to hold me back from falling in the bottomless crevasse.

[richidoo]

Sorry, one more question. I do have a problem with hum on this TT. From reading a bunch last night, I think it migt be from using metal nuts and bolts to attach the cart to headshell. At KAB they say use the nylon washers to avoid hum. I can see how they would insulate, but if the metal cart is bolted directly to the metal headshell, how are two nylon washers gonna make any difference? 

The AT 150MLX comes with new screws and plastic washers, and sleeves for the screws I think.  I'll try to take a picture of ow I think it should go for your correction.  I wish it had pictres in the instructions.

[allenzachary]

Overhang is the setting at which he stylus has the least error as it traverses the record.

Look closely at the diagram posted by dragan: http://www.theanalogdept.com/2_pt_align.htm It shows what how overhang is measured. 

Is your new AT cartridge a P-Mount as well?  I am really not a big fan of P-Mount cartriges on standard mount tables.  The adapter adds a lot of unneeded mass and makes alignment more difficult. 

Don't worry about VTA.  Your reference to Honda is a good one in this case.  Hondas are we built, reliable, easy to drive and own and just all-around good.  Nobody, however, expects a Honda to have the features or performance of a Ferrari.  VTA adjustments are important on your high-end table; not so much on a Technics...(I misspelled it before and knew it didn't look right. Duh).

The tonearm balance, at the back of the arm, has a scale that rotates separately from the weight itself.  To balance the arm (once the cartridge is mounted and aligned correctly) turn the rear part of the weight until the arm floats prallel to the platter.  Once the arem is floating, turn the scale (but not the seight) so "0" is straight up.  Then turn the whole weight assembly and scale past "1" to 2.  Most AT's like a tracking weight of 1.5-2 and I prefer heavier.  Any setting between 1.5 and 2 should be acceptable.  Set the anti-skating to the same number to which you set your scale.

Chances are the arm is out of balance now.  A poorly balanced arm will have much more ill effect than a slightly misaligned cartridge.  Balancing the arm correctly should make a world of improvement.

The hum could be caused by many things.  First, I'd check the tonearm wires and be sure they are going to the right fonnectors ad on solidly.  Next, check the RCA connectors...see if wiggling them at either end while they are connected makes the hum better or worse.  If it changes, the cords are bad.  The RCA cables on those tables were about as cheap as possible and often are the cause of hum and problems. Also, silly question,  but is the ground wire connected to the ground on your preamp? An ungrounded table will most certainly hum.

Failing that, you may just have to use the standard Hifi explanation of why a table hums---"it doesn't know the words."

Good luck with getting your vinyl on.

[richidoo]

Thanks Allen.  Sorry I did not get a chance to check out the link Dragan posted until now. It would have answered a lot of questions. I will learn a lot if I can digest that.

I've fiddled with the hum since I got the Bellari tube pre.  The hum is actually slightly less if the ground wire is not connected    No hum at all connected to my old Technics stereo receiver. That's why I think it might be the screws as KAB mentioned making a loop with the preamp.

Cartridge wiring is correct and good connections, but who knows inside. I haven't been able to find a way to open it up yet. The interconnects are pure 70s plastic garbage. Red and white plastic connectors, vinyl wires, thin as possible. But I have heard the TT sound decent before, so I'll try to achieve that again before upgrading anything.

The new cart is not P mount. I have it mounted as you suggested, halfway down the slots, by eye and parallel to the headshell edges. I will print out the protractor and check it tomorrow.  I assembled it with screw head on top of headshell pointing down through the cartridge lugs, then nylon washer and metal nut, so the nylon washer touches the cartridge. There were lockwashers in there too, but I did not use them.
Thanks
Rich

[shep]

This is a trip to the past! Oh my God the hours I spent...and with a magnifying glass and mirror trying to get the azymuth spot on. My favorite arm for going crazy was the Souther linear tracker. Now if only they would make adjustable laser (with protractor of course)...there was nothing more satisfying than getting the sweet spot (well maybe just a little tiny more tweak )

[bacobits]

The Bellari tube pre has been known to hum. Check AA archives, some have sent them back for replacements. May be an earlier model? Also many have upgraded the wall wart Power supply with something from Rat Shack.

http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.mpl?forum=vinyl&n=515180&highlight=Bellari+Cory+M&r=&session=

Can you try another phono Pre? And Stereo"pile" rates that pre a B rating?

Other than that it has to be in the TT  tonearm wiring I would say.

D

[richidoo]

Thanks Den. I read some stuff about the Bellari humming. I'll check out the AA stuff. I can bring the TT over to Carls to try his Minimax or Mac preamp with phono stage. Like I said it doesn't hum into my SS receiver so it could be the Bellari, or it could be sensitive to setup, hum is insidious.  I didn't worry about the class B, because I trust Fremer's opinion usually, and it's more than good enough for this TT anyway - unless the hum can't be fixed....   I got a nice RCA AX7 tube in it, sounds pretty good.

I got the protractor printed out to scale ready to try it today.