W2D4 Turntable maintenance and repair

[littlespark]

Best section to put this in, i guess....

For some years now i have been using an old PC to play records ... I mean, an oldhifi seperates turntable, plugged into the line-in of the PC and played through the PC's speakers....

Yes, i know a dedicated hifi system would sound better... but this is what i had to hand....

Earlier this year, the turntable gave up on me... no power to the motor, but the mechanics that lifted, moved nd dropped the arm all worked well.
The turntable sat in my graveyard... so i might find time to have a look at it properly.


Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, and i got asked by a local charity to replace a switch in their shop. 5 minute job....

"I'll do it FOC, as you're a charity... but would you have an old record player?"

"yes, sure... theres one around here somewhere.... but its not been PAT tested.... thatsnot a problem?"


So fair swap.. a lightswitch for a record player... (i plugged it in and it went round... so seems to work)


Now the problem... The motor works, the mechanics work.... but the needle just skims across the record.

Its just a cheapy record player... not one of those with a removable stylus, where you can replace it easily.

I am looking for how to replace the needle with the one from my old one sitting in the graveyard.


Positive angle on this... my old turntable, and the replacement are exactly the same Aiwa model.....Coincidence. . I can see me replacing the whole arm... and i bet its not a handy plug connecting everything together... will be soldered

 

[littlespark]

Haha… I think I’ve solved it…..

Cost me 20 quid though…

View attachment IMG_5886.mov

 

[Avo Mk8]

Now the problem... The motor works, the mechanics work.... but the needle just skims across the record.
I am looking for how to replace the needle with the one from my old one sitting in the graveyard.

Two possible reasons the tonearm is all over the place:
1) The tracking weight of the arm is not adjusted correctly - typically set to 1 to 3 grams, might need to be more.
2) The stylus has a damaged tip, or is missing altogether, so changing the cartridge would be the way to go.
With the record players I've dealt with, there were typically screws under the headshell that allowed you to remove the cartridge, and the wires had little push on contacts that could be pulled off the old cartridge pins and pushed onto the new.
Yours could be soldered?
I appreciate construction may have changed since the 1960's

 

[littlespark]

im pretty sure theyre soldered...

I cant see any way to remove the stylus, or the plastic housing it protrudes from. I guess a 1990's deck isnt as "user fixable" as an older machine

I can detach the arm, its just a long pin... but thecables are still attched.

Theres 2 white cables, and a smaller black one... The white ones seem to an insulated core, and a bare core... like inside earphones cable. They are soldered onto a board inside the player with an L and R... so left and right obviously.
The black seems to be a ground... its tied to the bare wire in both cables at both ends.


I just assumed it was a damaged stylus... theyre too small to examine.... But i didnt think of the weight thing.

Theres no adjustment, except a small coiled spring on the back of the arm, which will actually be pulling the stylus up, off the vinyl.


I might test with an old record and a blob of blutack to add some weight.... lol

 

[DPG]

Does it have bias/anti-skate adjustment?

 

[littlespark]

Does it have bias/anti-skate adjustment?

its a cheap deck off the top of a cheap range hifi stack..... its lucky it came with a plug on it


there is zero adjustments apart from 33/45 speed and the single/lp diameter start point

 

[DPG]

its a cheap deck off the top of a cheap range hifi stack..... its lucky it came with a plug on it


there is zero adjustments apart from 33/45 speed and the single/lp diameter start point

I suspected as much to be fair. I've got fond memories of setting up SME 3009 tonearms (on mostly Thorens turntables) with very low tracking weight cartridges. Trying to get all the test tones of the test record to track correctly.

These days I've gone with a pre configured Rega Planar for ease.

 

[Avo Mk8]

If you've got a magnifier or eyepiece you might be able to see if there is still an intact diamond (or whatever it is) still attached to the stylus arm. If that's still there with a point on it, the blutack idea might work. Is one end of the arm counterbalance spring hooked on something adjustable - even if it's just a bit of metal than can be bent to change the tension?

If the stylus itself is broken, then swapping the arm might be the best way to go. If the whole cartridge is one moulding I guess it's non maintainable, but there are a huge number of replacement Aiwa stylii still being sold, so worth checking there's not a bit of it that can be swapped out? Eg

Aiwa Stylus Selection by Record Player Model Page 1

Buy Aiwa replacement stylus for Aiwa turntable/record player securely online - free delivery within UK. Other Aiwa styli (needles) available for supply to UK, Europe, Worldwide delivery

shop.mantra-audio.co.uk

Some are literally just the stylus in its compliant mount:

 

[littlespark]

thanks for the advice guys, but I’ve just bust the working needle thinking it just needed angled down a bit.

Plenty vintage full systems knocking about. If I could get one with a working tape deck as well ??

 

[DPG]

thanks for the advice guys, but I’ve just bust the working needle thinking it just needed angled down a bit.

Plenty vintage full systems knocking about. If I could get one with a working tape deck as well ??

You heavy handed northern heathen.

 

[Avo Mk8]

thanks for the advice guys, but I’ve just bust the working needle thinking it just needed angled down a bit.

I take back my suggestion of swapping out the stylus!

 

[Dan]

Haha… I think I’ve solved it…..

Cost me 20 quid though…

View attachment 117926

No freaking way I never knew they did that! Is it because they're now plastic and it transmits somehow?

 

[littlespark]

No freaking way I never knew they did that! Is it because they're now plastic and it transmits somehow?

Something to do with the plastic notes, and the way you hold it to make it rigid, amplifies the vibration somehow.

Might only work with Scottish notes…. You know, the ones that you lot don’t think are legal tender….

Was going to buy another deck from a charity shop, but bought Lego instead.