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It is a little stretchy, I am freezing it over night. Has anyone heard of doing this to shrink your drive belt?
Follow Ups:
turntableneedles.com probably has your belt for under $15. That is a much better idea.
Jim Tavegia
That did the trick. John, thanks for the insightful recommendation of a new belt. WOW who would have thought! All kidding aside, I needed a temporary solution. I am doing some experimenting with my Empire 208 this weekend and needed to do something right away....
What kind if turntable?
It'll make your system sound cold and hard. Better to leave it in the sun for a day, which will make it sound warmer. Or, use nu-finish to make the music shine.
Kidding.
Do you have any idea why it's become a little stretchy? It's because the "rubber" polymers are deteriorating. How does freezing reverse that? Can you provide a layman's level of a description to us?
Buy a new belt.
two minutes - freezing ain't gonna do it
"Man is the only animal that blushes - or needs to" Mark Twain
Funny, VPI owners have been advised to boil theirs!
Yeah, I've also heard of boiling them, but not freezing them. Personally, I think the best thing to do is simply buy a new one. YMMV
Best regards,
John Elison
MMDV. Better still, replace the drive belt with a silk thread--and readjust the speed of the motor if necessary. As far as I can tell silk is forever!
John, have you ever tried this on the SOTA?
Mel
No, I never tried a silk thread for a belt. I've never been dissatisfied with the regular Sota elastic belt. I change it every couple of years, though.
To be honest, I don't look for tweaks to improve or change the sound of my vinyl front-end after I become satisfied. When I was younger, I used to constantly change things to see if I could improve the sound. Now, I simply listen to the music because for me now it's really all about the music and not about the equipment anymore. My system has reached a level of fidelity that pleases me completely. The most important tweak to my Sota Millennia turntable recently was adding a RoadRunner tachometer to adjust the platter speed so it is right on the button.
Best regards,
John Elison
When I used the VPI belt, it used to start squeaking every so often and I would have to talc it in some way. Since I started using a silk thread (after soaking in automotive belt dressing) it never cries out for any TLC. Just keeps on running and running and doesn't stretch at all.Also, may I ask if your platter changes speed between the beginning and end of a disk as the inventor says his does (when he doesn't use his two units in tandem).
Also, John, does the speed change before and after you put down the stylus?
Mel
Edits: 08/31/14
The answer to both of your questions is "yes."
Stylus drag seems to slow down the platter on my Sota Millennia by just under 0.03%. As the record plays, the platter recovers ⅔ of its lost speed. In terms of RPM, this equates to a slow-down of approximately 0.01-RPM and a recovery of approximately 0.007-RPM. Therefore, I try to set platter speed to 33.340-RPM without a record playing. It will slow down to approximately 33.330-RPM when the stylus is placed on the outer groove and then speed back up to about 33.337-RPM by the end of the record.
Best regards,
John Elison
Sounds like the maker skipped on the motor using one with too little torque.
Don Brian Levy, J.D.
Toronto ON Canada
> Sounds like the maker skipped on the motor using one with too little torque.
Actually, all turntables do that unless they are quartz locked direct-drive.
Of course, if you buy a Phoenix Engineering Falcon and RoadRunner , you can prevent this from happening with synchronous motor belt-drive turntables.
Best regards,
John Elison
You handle the platter rim, belt and pulley constantly.
For best performance, all three surfaces need an alcohol wipe-down periodically.
The towelettes sold as touch-screen cleaners are ideal. If the chemicals decrease the life of the belt, then, like John says, buy another.
I clean the belt, pulley and platter rim every time I change the belt or anytime I handle the belt or platter rim in-between. However, I usually don't touch these in-between belt changes.
Best regards,
John Elison
I definitely do NOT constantly touch belt/pulley/platter. VERY rarely touch the belt, the pulley only when I clean it or my belt, and don't touch the platter much either. I don't find it difficult to avoid in general use. Maybe 2-4 times per year I clean my belt/pulley/sides of platter. I do clean the top of my platter much more often, but more related to dust than fingerprints or oil from my skin.
BTW - VPI suggests cleaning platters - at least the older ones like my TNT 5 platter - with Windex, not alcohol (which discolors it). I do use 91% alcohol when I clean my belt (followed by baby powder), the metal sides of my platter, and pulley.
Only touch the TD-150's belt to clean/powder it once every year or so. Don't have to touch it to change speeds. Only touch the LP edge to employ the "Rega nudge" on startup. I find a microfiber cloth ideal for restoring the shine on the zinc alloy platter's edge.
Opus 33 1/3
nt
Of course everything can always use a cleaning. But I never touch the belt, rim or pulley. Why would I? Why do you?
Not sure about the belt, however the cold has been known to shrink other things .. ;-)
nt
axolotl
nt
Yep, shrinkage. "Not that there is anything wrong with that."
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