On 1/15/2021 at 8:52 PM, bhjazz said:

I called VPI and asked about my current noisy motor.  Claire tells me, well, the Prime has a 5 year warranty, so you're still covered.  However, you'll need to contact your dealer first.  If they are unable to help, please call us back.  So I called Stereo Unlimited in SD, but it's the owner's cell phone and had to leave a message.  Hopefully I'll talk to him at some point about how to coordinate an interstate warranty claim.  Fun.  

Talked to dealer today.  He says all he has to go by is a Prime warranty card which reads 3 years.  Will call VPI tomorrow. 

 😐

 

EDIT: To tie this off, VPI says 3 years.  Oh well, I have more options opening up with SOTA now.  

Edited January 20, 20215 yr by bhjazz

Changed out my ZU DL-103 for the Benz Micro Ace SL that arrived today. Got the new cartridge aligned, tracking force set to 1.7g and VTA at 20 degrees.

Yeah, definitely an upgrade! Wow, really liking this cartridge!

Flat and neutral? No.

Fun and engaging? Hell yes!

 

Edited January 20, 20215 yr by swt61

Got my Line Phono set up with my Denon DP-300F with Ortofon 2M-Red

is that one of the active arm denons, like the Sony biotracers?  I've heard good things about those.

*edit nope, according to google.  Sorry for your loss.

My arm isn't active either, but I still seem to get great performance out of it.

Now if we're talking personally, my arm can be very active at times. 

2 hours ago, swt61 said:

My arm isn't active either, but I still seem to get great performance out of it.

Now if we're talking personally, my arm can be very active at times. 

Any updates on the Benz? Still working well and sounding good?

Yes. I really like this cartridge. It's not unlike the Denon, just a bit better detail. Dynamics are better and I feel like the Soundstage is much improved. One of the other added benefits is the taller height of the cartridge body. No shim necessary. I'll keep the Zu/Denon, but honestly unless something happens to the Benz, the Denon won't see much use.

This thing is built like a tank as well. The entire motor structure is just so much beefier than the Denon.

I would like to find a used Benz Ebony TR - it would be fun to run it without a SUT straight into the Pass. If anyone runs across one, lmk.

That happened entirely too fast!

Some pics of the motor housing restoration / upgrade, as everything got back from the polisher today (excuse the fingerprints).

My previous DIY motor housings have just had a top plate with the motor attached. This one actually clamps the motor against a piece of sorbothane sheeting which resulted in a lot less noise at the platter.

Now I need to work on the motor controller

 

Here is part of the controller - a battery charger circuit named after Zeus’ favorite projectile. Apparently I can’t center the white box on the side where the circuit notes go, but otherwise looks pretty slick - about the size of a matchbox. Won’t be solar powered, as the LT3652 datasheet might suggest though  the stacked TH and SMD connectors are from JST.
 

 

 

Kinda hate to interrupt Marc's cool series but,..

 

https://phonocut.com/

Hah, no worries. Only one more for tonite - 8-pin to TRS (tachometer) and 5-pin (motor pod). Been a long while since I soldered a TRS plug.. really like these Switchcraft EN3 plugs - use them on all my umbilical cables now.
 

 

VPI TNT and Tri-Planar arm from 1994. Shelter 901 cartridge. 

 

 

Edited March 13, 20215 yr by mwl168

Got the rear panel of the controller populated and rigged it up and we have a revolution!

The iPhone camera shutter must be faster than my display refresh  

Ok, tach seems to be working - enough done today where I am going to try and rig up a tonearm and do some listening before I go back to working on the software for the controller

That is going to be beautiful!

Is your Walnut armboard going to look like military wings, or will he ping pong something different? 😋

Looking great, Marc. Looks like the little motor infill panel worked out. 😁

I think I am going to try to use a reflective sensor - looking at Vishay VCNT2020. I need a mirror or similar, assuming the acrylic platter won’t be IR reflective. Maybe a foil sticker?

http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/2614502.pdf

added a comparator to the board to adjust the sensitivity 

Edited March 16, 20215 yr by luvdunhill

Woo... finally found a SME 309. Now I need an extra head-shell that isn’t a zillion dollars.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SME-type-Headshell-with-OFC-7N-Copper-Leads-Gold-Connectors-Silver-Insulation/392030748705?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item5b46da8021:g:uvwAAOxyLm9TESQy&amdata=enc%3AAQAFAAACcBaobrjLl8XobRIiIML1V4Imu%2Fn%2BzU5L90Z278x5ickkyMJZWL%2BqFSgQ3TOOe%2FNr7r3nV3SIvJnbwoSwnb8wVPJCl%2Fr71hNMyQaAuI%2B9snVeVOfHkAVmk9xPyvzEagvQ8BOBYiX38mBbKi8jI4qSnCy81oiFtG1iAdbvCSmrvG8Me0Jr2fAjn7d2uT2IAZmQvuABP2vFxZK5dkenWvyd1jFnnpQYakUEbmz2Srk1Yadlc0%2BMFx41PFM8dRnMTF08frnF57Ehsg0kRL6oIWU%2B%2Fa6c541k1h3KBUwiANHfqhLz9WrG5sa3fNulkBN%2BXJ56RTiUaPjtxYX1zfc%2F3AJgM6CTmZ3rIzmEMd%2F9ZNrCIWiwNhq3uABkIVCFnCXe4pOT271qeMqm%2BZHWPAALWJvM3A6ASCfsb%2Bq0P9MQ%2Fu5bi1wUl5ZJoxixDL3yD2jkeSXTCkW2Py%2F6UYlUwFTHxS1Aq56C2AGR%2BNm679zON0K7ewI3ecKdkeHroJ%2B%2BXZVMfPZRqgqQNMNjmqjjCRaSvA2g2wJ3DdtNVWdp380y0s7e4SYZdO7%2FIWeoy6rnN4X4FPykKcVYKGkQJ9vtGp6Vr6%2BwzSLqMptVVBrsR5mcqw22z5ZmEnfuIKUXfuiWWiuLE56OraDs%2BOUKfHK%2BwV5pryJRhAYE%2FR433ZG%2BSj6h4v9JeFpUCtouz0J9Zw%2B1GFOFrGPgxRB%2FjOq3mGztmAvZu%2Bio78t1uO5AeQE8avXVINvid6npWc%2BWKjMU8LU6ZVPfaLO%2F3ukN6DJdxglWVKgyvsGICbNZ0qWCqiTXDxvkYviJwmRo%2FLmHM3uSbgbK%2BkchPy9YUw%3D%3D|cksum%3A392030748705070caacc2d294ed8ad315a30dbb2ee48|ampid%3APL_CLK|clp%3A2334524

If it doesn't have to be an original. 

With a bit of rigging, look what’s making music:

 

21 hours ago, luvdunhill said:

Woo... finally found a SME 309. Now I need an extra head-shell that isn’t a zillion dollars.

I suspect you can order one from SME. It'll still be pricey, but at least it supports SME (in spite of their no-new-arms policy) rather than internet gougers.

5 hours ago, Craig Sawyers said:

I suspect you can order one from SME. It'll still be pricey, but at least it supports SME (in spite of their no-new-arms policy) rather than internet gougers.

Yes, that’s an option. I see Analogue Seduction wants 276£ for one (@swt61 the 309 doesn’t use the old style bayonet connection, in fact due to the offset angle the 309, 310 and 312 aren’t compatible with each other) and I am wondering if that’s close to what SME will charge..

Bloody hell - that is an insane price. And the lightweight screws that are part of the package are not metric - they only work with the supplied nuts. Don't try to use them in tapped holes in a cartridge (they will be M2.5) - the SME ones will bind and ruin your day.

Try SME for the price - it can't hurt to find out.

They still manufacture everything in-house. Even the screws, nuts, spacers, finger lifts - everything. The only thing they buy in is the raw tapered arm tube, which comes from Chicago White Metal https://cwmdiecast.com/ , but even then all post machining, painting, silk screening etc is in house.