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I'm thinking of changing the cartridge in my Comet but need an alignment device.
Suggestions?
"To Learn Who Rules Over You, Simply Find Out Who You Are Not Allowed to Criticize."
-Voltaire
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http://www.accutrak.us/standard.html
....less than $100 shipped for a custom, arc protractor.
Thank me later.
Marty N.
My dear, late friend, Brooks Berdan, hated the Geo-Disc. He considered it the worst alignment device he had ever used. He insisted it was highly inaccurate.
-Wendell
Edits: 02/10/16
The only one I'm aware of is a potential problem with all protractors that rely on aligning the lines with the arm's pivot point. I agree that with some arms (including my Morch UP-4) it can be a tad tricky to line up with the exact pivot point.
I'm open to using other methods. Which protractor depends less - or not at all - on having the lines pointing directly at the pivot point as a first step? If that isn't the problem with the Geodisk, what is?
I use the Geodisk to set overhang, then switch to a DB Systems protractor to align the cantilever. I suppose my alignment could be more precise, but the results sound pretty good to me.
on the bottom of the laser that sit in line over the raised line on the Geodisc. I put two pieces of a yardstick on either side of the raised line on the Geodisc to keep the laser level. Even with the two pieces of yardstick, the notches on the bottom of the laser still engage the raised line on the Geodisc in order to keep everything straight.
The pictures in the link were taken before using the laser with the Geodisc.
I have a couple made from rigid plastic that I was able to cut using sheet metal scissors (not snips). With the raised groove of the GeoDisc, I push the straight edge right against it and then swing it over the pivot point until it's centered. It's rather simple actually. With VPI tables, I have found that using this method, and then double checking with the supplied jig that overhang is consistently identical. Aligning the body to the grid via an aerial view is very close. My only issue at that step is holding on to my readers with one hand while I manipulate the cartridge with the other : )
"Hope is a good thing. Maybe, the best of things. And no good thing ever dies."
There's a screw on top of the UP-4's arm column that's easy to see, but that is actually not the exact pivot point. When you get your eye level down to see the line on the Geodisk its a bit hard to see exactly where the pivot is.I've had the arm for decades, so I'm familiar enough with it to get what seems like good alignment - judging from sound. But maybe it'd be better and easier with an arc protractor. Its gonna be time for me to check out a cart I bought a while back (Astatic mf200) pretty soon and I think I'll give an arc a try when I set that up.
'Course I'm keeping the Geo & DB. One never knows.......maybe I'll try your method if I don't care for the arc. Thanks.
Edits: 02/12/16
Make sure your arc protractor is designed for the same alignment as your other protractors or there will definitely be differences.
If you can't see the pivot point of the UP-4 tonearm, I wonder if you can remove the tonearm in order to point the Geo-Disc at the unipivot and then reinstall the tonearm. Would that be possible?
I have a method to line up the Geo w/pivot. I can lift the arm column slightly, and that allows me to see the pivot, but as I said its somewhat of a PITA.
After all the raps here and several people's recs - including yours - I'm curious enough about arc protractors to try one. I'm gonna get one soon (before I change carts) so I can see how the alignment I got using my method compares to what the arc tells me. Hopefully it'll be the same or close. I'm interested to see if that's the case.
Hey, its not a big expenditure, and I can always go back to my Geo/DB if for some reason I end up preferring my old method.
> Hey, its not a big expenditure
It's not an expenditure at all when you download Conrad Hoffman's free software program for printing your own custom arc protractor. His program is called the Custom Arc Template Generator for Phono Cartridge Alignment and can be found at the link below the picture.
It has X and Y correction factors so you can get its dimensions accurate. I always use heavier paper for protractor printing. After you get an accurate printout, the biggest problem is punching the hole correctly. It always takes me several printouts before I get it exactly right. I use a hole punch, but it might be easier to use a razor blade and cut a square hole.
nt
What's the advantage of a Mac computer? I've always owned PCs and they seem to work nicely for me. I've developed some very elaborate spreadsheets using Microsoft Excel. I use Foobar2000 for streaming hi-rez digital and my music sounds great. Is there an advantage to a Mac over a PC?I never hear anyone saying they can't run a piece of software because they don't have a Mac, but I constantly hear the reverse. Just curious why anyone would want a Mac!
Edits: 02/12/16
Much easier to learn, more intuitive, less convoluted language, better graphics, better service, easy access to repairs at Apple Stores. Thanks to the ubiquitousness of Microsoft systems - especially in biz and guv - Mac users don't need anti-virus software.
John, its 2016 and damn near everything is available for Mac, including things like Microsoft Office - which I have. The fact that this one guy didn't set up his thing for Mac hardly indicates Mac's inferiority.
I'm not trying to convince you or anyone else to get a Mac, but I'd never buy a computer that used a Microsoft system like Windows.
Wow! I wonder why so few people own Macs that virus software writers won't even bother writing virus software for them. That's the only reason Macs don't need antivirus software.
You would think that with all the advantages you describe, more people would want to own Macs than would want to own PCs. However, I don't feel at all deprived with my PC. None of the advantages you describe for Mac have ever applied to me. I find my PC very easy to use and completely capable of doing anything I've ever wanted to do with a computer.
> The fact that this one guy didn't set up his thing for Mac hardly indicates Mac's inferiority.
I don't know where you've been hiding all your life if you think this is the only piece of software that won't work on a Mac. I've heard this complaint about all sorts of software programs for many many years. In fact, that's the main reason I've never wanted to own a Mac.
I actually started out with an Apple computer because my kids went to a private school that insisted on Apple computers. Then the Air Force put a PC on my desk at work in 1985 and I've used PCs ever since. I guess when you learn how to use a PC they're very easy and intuitive. I certainly have never had a problem.
Best regards,
John Elison
As was obvious from my above post, of course I know many more people use Microsoft. If anything I'd encourage you to stay with Windows. Thank you for making my Mac so much safer.
There are no programs I have either interest in or need for that I can't get for Mac - not to mention the software that comes with my I-Mac. Aside from the usual stuff like net usage and word processing, what I'm most interested in relates to music programs and graphic design - two things Macs excel at.
Hey, you like mc's and I like mm's :-)
Brooks was the best I ever knew when it came to turntable setup and cartridge alignment. He was highly opinionated about everything. He hated the Geo-Disc. :-)
-Wendell
Easy to use and does the job.
Opus 33 1/3
I would recommend an arc protractor rather than a Geo-disc. I feel arc protractors are more accurate than the type you point at the tonearm pivot. Personally, I like to print my own using Conrad Hoffman's "Custom Arc Template Generator for Phono Cartridge Alignment," which can be downloaded at the link below. If you prefer to buy an arc protractor, Ken Willis makes the AccuTrak , which sells for a very reasonable price.
Good luck,
John Elison
Have you ever compared the alignment results between a "regular" protractor like the Geodisk or DB Systems vs. the arc protractor you use? Just wondering if using an arc results in the cart/cantilever setup being substantially different.
There shouldn't be any difference at all. However, the slightest deviation in pointing the sight-line exactly at the tonearm pivot introduces significant overhang error and subsequent null-point error. It is much easier to be sure the stylus follows an arc than it is to be sure the sight-line is pointing exactly at the tonearm pivot. Furthermore, all arc protractors have two alignment grids thus providing additional assurance in double checking for correct alignment. There is really no contest between the two types of protractors.In a best case scenario, there will be no difference in alignment between a sight-line protractor and an arc protractor. However, in a less than best case scenario, the arc protractor allows you to double check its accuracy with the arc and its two alignment null-points whereas the Geo-Disc has no way of alerting you to an erroneous alignment with only a single alignment null-point.
The DB Systems protractor is a different story because it has two alignment null-points. You should therefore be able to achieve an accurate alignment. However, since it contains no arc for setting overhang, the alignment process will take longer than with an arc protractor. If you think about it, an arc protractor is simply a two-point protractor like the DB Systems protractor but with the additional feature of an arc for instantly setting and rechecking overhang. There is no need to make alignment comparisons to see that an arc protractor is potentially better and more accurate than other types of protractors.
Best regards,
John Elison
Edits: 02/10/16
Yes, pointing a line at the exact pivot point is somewhat imprecise - at least with my arm, and easier is better. I only use my DB Systems after I set overhang with the Geodisk 'cause doing that with the DB is a PITA.
I'm a fan of Ken's protractors as well. I used to print out my own but cutting out the center hole was tricky. What I did was get an old light colored album like from Grand Funk and print the protractor on transparency paper. Then I centered the spindle hole marking over the spindle hole on the actual album and taped it securly in place. Then I could cut out a hole much larger and the alignment was maintained. This worked really well for me. Cheap as well.
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