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In Reply to: RE: BIC 960 Turntable posted by Doug G. on December 26, 2011 at 13:15:23
Answering DougG,
Please understand that I am fond of the first generation of BIC changers. How fond? I have one complete 960 machine plus more than one carton of new and used BIC parts. That complete 960 needs servicing, and I've never gotten around to it. I could probably make two more machines just from the parts. I have worked on a number of these machines, as well as the repair-hostile monstrosities that British Industries Corp. replaced them with.
But I also have a few Thori, a Rek-O-Kut, and even a Weathers, Lencos, and three Dual 1019s.
Made by VM, the BIC changers were well-known for workmanship defects. The tolerances were just not to the level of precision of, let's say, the best changers from Dual and ELAC (Miracord). If you want to see how good a changer can really be, let me recommend that you just feel the platter bearing play of a (non-abused) Dual 10nn or a Miracord. Then feel the BIC's bearings, and you'll understand where I'm coming from. Platter bearing quality is audible. Sight across a Miracord's platter for flatness.
So, my remark was simply about its quality as a turntable, compared with other changers that really were capable of audiophile performance in their ordinary build quality.
A BIC's build quality could be critical. The finish of the aluminum strutwork could be so poor that a coarse cam follower could, and did, slice through the plastic pin on the cam gear. When I removed all these parts to clean and relube them, I would file this cam follower smooth so that it would not eat that pin. Otherwise, you could be required to search, like Diogenes, for a new BIC cam gear.
BIC came up with a truly revolutionary motor, and some day, if he's still alive, I'd love to meet the engineer who conceived the thing. It's unique, brilliant, and cost-effective. Pull one apart and you'll marvel. But you'll also see how BIC cheaped out on excellence, by eliminating the bottom bearing. Let me be clear: this motor has only one bearing; even a kiddie phono has more class! That's just unconscionable. And, with all the belt torque pulling against that lonely single bearing, it wears eccentric in normal use (frequent lubrication may help!).
Dual's 10nn-series motors are virtually the best classic motors I've ever seen. They're so finely machined, balanced, and quiet, that I have had to put my fingernail against them just to see if they're actually running! So, here's a case in which the changer's motor is actually better than its manual turntable contemporaries.
So, as you can see, I'm not being a "snooty audiophile," but writing from solid knowledge and workshop experience, comparing the BICs with other, finer changers. My tendency is to be practical about sound reproduction.
Now, here's the good part. Despite what I just wrote, I want to emphasize that it's possible to have a good BIC. The arms, although the headshells are a bit "bendy," are lower in mass and more stable than most Duals and Miracords, so that's a plus. You can tweak them. I don't know what to do about the ratty platter mats; there's probably a decent solution for that. Haven't put my brain to this yet.
I hope that this clears up any misunderstandings.
Richard Steinfeld,
Author of The Handbook for Stanton and Pickering Phonograph Cartridges and Styli
Follow Ups:
Richard: I am impressed with all of you guys and your knowledge of the BIC's. I am still quite a novice about these things so excuse my ignorance but how do you lubricate the bearing in the motor--do you need to tear it apart or do you just put a drop of light oil( what kind?) on the motor shaft? Thanks.
It's been a long time since I've done this, so memory is a little dim. You have to come in between the pulley and the bushing with oil on a toothpick or something even thinner. Don't overdo it because excess oil will seep down the motor shaft and may loosen the cup magnet, which will then slip intermittently on the shaft. It may be easier if you remove the pulley with an allen wrench.
This defect is maddening because the motor may seem fine until it warms up. The slipping magnet is an endemic failure on many BICs, and it can be repaired.
I can't recall what oil I used to use. I favor synthetics for staying in place longer than natural oils. The bottom of the motor shaft just sits on a leaf spring: there's no lower bearing, so the fact that the motor is semi-sealed is not critical as it is in the sealed motors of hundreds of Japanese cassette decks. If I have the motor apart to fix the slipping cup magnet, I'll give the bottom a clean and spot of new oil.
Richard Steinfeld,
Author of The Handbook for Stanton and Pickering Phonograph Cartridges and Styli
OK and I think we have discussed BICs before.
One thing, though. I believe the bushing (bearing) in the motor is of sufficient depth that there is enough control of side-to-side thrust to avoid excess wear.
My 980 is 35 years old and there doesn't appear to be any wear in that bushing. I can grab the pulley and it doesn't really wiggle at all.
Doug
You've made a good point, Doug.
And now that you mentioned it, I just remembered that BIC used more than one motor type. In fact, I've seen two, maybe three. So, we may not be talking about the same motor. One style, in particular, seemed to suffer from a slipping rotor, giving a characteristic "sick pitch syndrome" as it slipped on the shaft. This is fixable. The motor must be pried apart.
I don't have enough experience with the other one or two types to be able to comment on them. By the way, a woman once came into my shop with a version of this machine that was a manual player without the changer mechanism. She told me that she'd assembled it as a simple kit. I wish that I could remember more about it, but my mind is blank beyond this. I remember that I liked the thing. I did something to it, and I can't remember what that was, either.
Richard Steinfeld,
Author of The Handbook for Stanton and Pickering Phonograph Cartridges and Styli
The earlier 960s and 980s had that weird motor setup with the three legs sticking down from the motor and a triangular piece on the end of them. There was what BIC called a stop link mounted on one of the three legs and this supported the lower part of the motor shaft.
This coincided with the original solid platter mat rather than the segmented one. I think it was just the first year of production.
Then they changed to the simplified (and better) arrangement with the lower support just stuck on the bottom of the motor.
Of course, the two models used motors of different voltage since the 980 motor is controlled by the Oscillator on board and is a lower voltage motor than the 960 which runs right off the 110 volt current.
Motors in later models had even more variations what with the VIA and Z series using expandable motor pulleys to vary the speeds and so there was a shaft with the expander on the end which went right through the motor shaft and was pushed up and down by a mechanism.
That manual kit story sounds really strange although I don't doubt you.
BIC did sell a couple of manual tables. I think they were the SP65 and SP85. Z series tables.
Doug.
I like your knowledge of these machines. How do you happen to know them so well?
As I wrote, the kit machine walked in in the hands of a woman customer who said that she'd put it together. It was a 900-type design, not one of the late models that were difficult to service. I'm in California, and the customer said that she'd bought it at the other end of the US; I recall her saying "Boston." This was 25 years ago, and memory is a little dim. Now, you're getting me interested in turning out one of these machines to work nicely. I know where I can get my hands on a 980 (scheme, plot). But a Rek-O-Kut, this ain't.
By the way, I never had to replace a belt in one of these. I've seen black belts, but mostly reddish-brown silicon rubber that's been vary stable. The presence of replacement belts in the old belt catalogs indicates that some poeple's belts had been dying. Sure enough, a friend of mine n the hot deep American south reported that in his region, the BIC belts self-destructed. I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area, with a more temperate climage, and this difference in ambient temperature may explain our different experiences with the same belts.
Richard Steinfeld,
Author of The Handbook for Stanton and Pickering Phonograph Cartridges and Styli
Thnaks you for your kind words and I apologize for my rather rude tone in my first response.
Anyway, I have just always liked the original 900 series and have had a 980 since 1976 and have bought several other models in the intervening years through eBay. I have also acquired most all of the service manuals and have read them several times. And, I guess taking them apart many times helps too.
The 1000 is even more incredible.
It really isn't out of the realm of possibilities that some company got BIC to supply them with parts to make up a turntable kit. Of course, maybe that lady's idea of a kit was installing the headshell and spindle. \:^)
The original orange belts are excellent. My original one from my 980 is still in use in a 60Z I bought as the belt in that had been shredded by the variable diameter motor pulley coming apart. I had put a new belt in the 980 as the original had stretched a bit but I really would not have had to.
They are made of some compound other than rubber, silicone as you suggested or some other polymer.
I live in Minnesota and it's anything but temperate. \:^)
Doug
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