Turntable Calibration

[leks.the.imposter]

Anyone know someone who does Turntable Calibration?
The anti-skate on my table is off. :(

[dj bradley]

what is happening that makes you think the anti-skate adjustment is off?

[leks.the.imposter]

the arm keeps sliding to the right... with much force too.

[PJay]

Tonearm calibration is critical for correct playback of records. An improperly calibrated tonearm can result in skipping needles, increased record wear, decreased stylus life, and poor fidelity. Proper tonearm calibration translates into proper stylus performance and allows you to make the most of your turntable and stylus. There are three settings that affect tonearm calibration: weight (tracking force), anti-skate, and height. In order for your stylus to be at its best, all three of these settings must be correct and working in harmony.

To properly set the stylus tracking force, the tonearm must be balanced, or zeroed. To balance the tonearm, start by installing the headshell and cartridge. For maximum precision, remove or flip up any stylus guards. To protect your stylus, place a one-sided record on the turntable black side up. If you don't have one, place a record on the table that you wouldn't mind scratching. Unlock the height adjustment and raise the tonearm height so the stylus has clearance above the record to swing free. Twist the counterweight back and unlock the tonearm; the tonearm should rise into the air. Gradually turn the counterweight forward until the tonearm floats above the record. Step back and look at the tonearm as it floats. The tonearm should be level, or balanced. Return the tonearm to its rest and lock it down. Hold the counterweight in place and turn the weight dial to zero. The tonearm is now zeroed.

To add tracking force, turn the whole weight to the desired setting. Follow your styli's instruction guide for correct settings.

To setup an s-shaped tonearm, the anti-skate settings must be correct. There are two anti-skate calibration settings, relative and absolute anti-skate. Relative anti-skate is set by the anti-skate dial, and absolute anti-skate is set by the concentric screws in the tonearm pivot. There are two kinds of anti-skate forces, positive and negative anti-skate. A force that pushes the tonearm away from the spindle is a positive anti-skate force, and a force that pulls the tonearm into the spindle is a negative anti-skate force.

The anti-skate dial adds positive anti-skate, and is used to counteract an s-shaped tonearm's natural negative anti-skate that it exhibits when playing. Ideally, a balanced tonearm should not display any anti-skate forces. To test for absolute anti-skate, unlock and balance the tonearm. Be sure that the anti-skate knob is set to zero. Place the tonearm at the middle point between the spindle and the edge of the platter. The tonearm should remain at rest: tonearms that pull outward display a positive absolute anti-skate, and tonearms that pull inward display a negative absolute anti-skate.

To calibrate the tonearm so that it displays a neutral absolute anti-skate, the bearing screws need to be adjusted. This is dangerous, as over-tightening the bearing screws will damage the bearing. I would suggest taking your turntable to a qualified turntable technician, but if you want to adjust it yourself, here is how to do it. Return the tonearm to its rest and lock it down. Take a precision screwdriver and unscrew the center screw. The center screw is the top pivot for the tonearm, and the outer screw is a locking screw.

turntable maint in full with pictures.........
http://www.djforums.com/tutorials/turntable_maintenance.php

[leks.the.imposter]

yeah.. i'm gettin positive absolute anti-skate.

i need a technician. references anyone?

[bobafettish]

turntable lab (http://www.turntablelab.com) does repairs.... give 'em a call :)

[rich4468]

Spoony D!!!!

:)

[stashuk]

I have brand new turntables and my anti-skate is off. I can see that when I put a one-sided record (on the non-playing side) and the tone-arm is is getting pulled towards the middle.

Someone suggested that I raise the backside of the turntable, but that produced the opposite effect, the tone-arm kept pulling outside.

Should I just contact the store?

Thanks,

Stan

Tonearm calibration is critical for correct playback of records. An improperly calibrated tonearm can result in skipping needles, increased record wear, decreased stylus life, and poor fidelity. Proper tonearm calibration translates into proper stylus performance and allows you to make the most of your turntable and stylus. There are three settings that affect tonearm calibration: weight (tracking force), anti-skate, and height. In order for your stylus to be at its best, all three of these settings must be correct and working in harmony.

To properly set the stylus tracking force, the tonearm must be balanced, or zeroed. To balance the tonearm, start by installing the headshell and cartridge. For maximum precision, remove or flip up any stylus guards. To protect your stylus, place a one-sided record on the turntable black side up. If you don't have one, place a record on the table that you wouldn't mind scratching. Unlock the height adjustment and raise the tonearm height so the stylus has clearance above the record to swing free. Twist the counterweight back and unlock the tonearm; the tonearm should rise into the air. Gradually turn the counterweight forward until the tonearm floats above the record. Step back and look at the tonearm as it floats. The tonearm should be level, or balanced. Return the tonearm to its rest and lock it down. Hold the counterweight in place and turn the weight dial to zero. The tonearm is now zeroed.

To add tracking force, turn the whole weight to the desired setting. Follow your styli's instruction guide for correct settings.

To setup an s-shaped tonearm, the anti-skate settings must be correct. There are two anti-skate calibration settings, relative and absolute anti-skate. Relative anti-skate is set by the anti-skate dial, and absolute anti-skate is set by the concentric screws in the tonearm pivot. There are two kinds of anti-skate forces, positive and negative anti-skate. A force that pushes the tonearm away from the spindle is a positive anti-skate force, and a force that pulls the tonearm into the spindle is a negative anti-skate force.

The anti-skate dial adds positive anti-skate, and is used to counteract an s-shaped tonearm's natural negative anti-skate that it exhibits when playing. Ideally, a balanced tonearm should not display any anti-skate forces. To test for absolute anti-skate, unlock and balance the tonearm. Be sure that the anti-skate knob is set to zero. Place the tonearm at the middle point between the spindle and the edge of the platter. The tonearm should remain at rest: tonearms that pull outward display a positive absolute anti-skate, and tonearms that pull inward display a negative absolute anti-skate.

To calibrate the tonearm so that it displays a neutral absolute anti-skate, the bearing screws need to be adjusted. This is dangerous, as over-tightening the bearing screws will damage the bearing. I would suggest taking your turntable to a qualified turntable technician, but if you want to adjust it yourself, here is how to do it. Return the tonearm to its rest and lock it down. Take a precision screwdriver and unscrew the center screw. The center screw is the top pivot for the tonearm, and the outer screw is a locking screw.

turntable maint in full with pictures.........
http://www.djforums.com/tutorials/turntable_maintenance.php

[leks.the.imposter]

I have brand new turntables and my anti-skate is off. I can see that when I put a one-sided record (on the non-playing side) and the tone-arm is is getting pulled towards the middle.

Someone suggested that I raise the backside of the turntable, but that produced the opposite effect, the tone-arm kept pulling outside.

Should I just contact the store?

Thanks,

Stan

anti-skate will help your tonearm from drifting towards the middle.

[dj bradley]

I have brand new turntables and my anti-skate is off. I can see that when I put a one-sided record (on the non-playing side) and the tone-arm is is getting pulled towards the middle.

Someone suggested that I raise the backside of the turntable, but that produced the opposite effect, the tone-arm kept pulling outside.

Should I just contact the store?

Thanks,

Stan


ummm, have you adjusted the anti-skate setting? did you follow the adjustment settings described by PJay?

[TM]

tone-arm calibration is not to be confused with calibrating your tables. there are specific tasks involved to calibrate your tables... back to a zero pitch, braking, start-up, etc...

[stashuk]

anti-skate will help your tonearm from drifting towards the middle.

Regulating anti-skating didn't help.

[spoony d]

have you balanced the tonearm? how much weight are tracking with? Too much weight on the stylus can make it do strange things.

[stashuk]

There is actually a lot of weight on the stylus. But when it was lighter, it used to be a lot worse with the skipping and jumping... :confused:

I guess I gotta follow that step by step procedure to adjust all this stuff. Just sucks that I have to "fix" brand new tables.

Thanks for the feedback.

[dj bradley]

There is actually a lot of weight on the stylus. But when it was lighter, it used to be a lot worse with the skipping and jumping... :confused:

I guess I gotta follow that step by step procedure to adjust all this stuff. Just sucks that I have to "fix" brand new tables.

Thanks for the feedback.


its not "fixing." you have to calibrate the tonearm assembly to the headshell and cartridge combo. There is no way the 1200's can come pre-calibrated, since a cartridge is not included.

besides, it is very very important that you learn how all these components and settings interact to understand how your setup works. i have used this knowledge MANY times at gigs--so many decks are fucked up by people who don't know what they are doing, and a little knowledge can allow you to fix things so they aren't a problem for YOU.

[spoony d]

brand new?

if you installed your own stylus to the headshell, you better make sure you did that correctly too. If it's not properly aligned it'll fuck up.

[stashuk]

brand new?

if you installed your own stylus to the headshell, you better make sure you did that correctly too. If it's not properly aligned it'll fuck up.

Yes sir, brand new. I think I installed everything correctly, and to tell you the truth only 3 records jump, and guess what, I got all 3 of them from dancerecords.com

I guess these 3 records are f**ed up, cause the rest doesn't jump.

And I agree with DJ Bradley, I gotta learn all that stuff.

Thanks peeps. :)

[TM]

the records can be jumping for various reasons... most likely they were cut by someone who didn't master the end product, and the low frequency response isn't mixed properly, and your needles are picking up that flux in variation, hence jumping over the record.

[Jymmi]

Since I don't have the terminology for this, I'll have to explain it in detail. The lever which lifts the plastic support which supports the tone arm (most people never use it) and allows you to lift the tone arm off the record without touching it. Make sure that plastic support goes down when you have the lever down! It can get stuck up. Just press down on it with your finger. That was the most frustrating thing I ever ran into. It was up just enough to fuck up only some records, and only when the inside track was close to finishing. Very frustrating error - took forever to figure out, but I'll never forget to check for that now. ;)

-Jymmi

[harryballz]

=have you made sure your turntable is level with a level?

[optic]

For future reference, I work for a company that offers free pick up and delivery in the NYC Metro area. We are authorized Panasonic service center, and specilaize in the 1200s. Turnaround time is roughly 1-2 days, and you also have the option of dropping it off at our location in Crown Heights (Brooklyn) for same day service, if dropped off b4 12pm.

- O

[TokyoRaver]

Have you messed with the tonearm height at all?

[tronic5454]

I'm a beginning DJ and I recently picked up a Numark CS-1 for my new deck and I was wondering, I have the tonearm well balanced and everything. I just don't really know exactly what my stylus' instructions mean when it says to rotate the full counterweight to 3-6 grams...

[Frequency Driven]

I'm a beginning DJ and I recently picked up a Numark CS-1 for my new deck and I was wondering, I have the tonearm well balanced and everything. I just don't really know exactly what my stylus' instructions mean when it says to rotate the full counterweight to 3-6 grams...

once you have the tone arm balanced set just the little black dial on the weight at the back end of the tone arm to zero.. after that - then rotate the entire weight until the dial reads somewhere between 3 and 6

[kafka]

Also, every year or so I try finding out where I can buy a screwdriver that fits the special nuts in the tonearm. These are the ones that are flushed into the assembly and have the screw coming out of their center, it seems the screwdriver would have a little slot in the center of the blade in order to accomodate this. Pointing me to Turntable Lab doesn't help as they don't carry or sell this. You can see it if you look at where the tonearm hinges up and down on the assembly.

Most places replace entire assemblies, which sucks when you have good parts that just need tightening.

[bogb]

Also, every year or so I try finding out where I can buy a screwdriver that fits the special nuts in the tonearm. These are the ones that are flushed into the assembly and have the screw coming out of their center, it seems the screwdriver would have a little slot in the center of the blade in order to accomodate this. Pointing me to Turntable Lab doesn't help as they don't carry or sell this. You can see it if you look at where the tonearm hinges up and down on the assembly.

Most places replace entire assemblies, which sucks when you have good parts that just need tightening.

The tonearm screws should not be tampered with. They are factory set to a specific torque and then locked. If you have access play or resistance it is you should replace the tonearm.

Before you set your anti skid make or any other tonearm adjustments sure your deck is perfectly leveled. Use a level.
If your deck dips towards the front your tonearm will be forced towards the beginning of the record (skipping). If dips towards the back your tonearm will be forced center of the record (skidding).

[kafka]

The tonearm screws should not be tampered with. They are factory set to a specific torque and then locked. If you have access play or resistance it is you should replace the tonearm.

Before you set your anti skid make or any other tonearm adjustments sure your deck is perfectly leveled. Use a level.
If your deck dips towards the front your tonearm will be forced towards the beginning of the record (skipping). If dips towards the back your tonearm will be forced center of the record (skidding).

I already tampered with them in the most genius way! :nonono:
At the manufacturer, they wanted to sell me the whole motor to solve a cracked magnet issue, and a whole tonearm for this problem, which amounts to a new turntable. I had bought a faulty TT to fix the magnet problem but tried transplanting the tonearm stuff, etc.

The tonearm works, I just don't know if it is calibrated, or have a proper tool to try to tighten or loosen it... I had to do it some ghetto way back then.