[Guy 13]

Hi PDR and all Audio Circle members.
Really nice job, you are telented for sure.
If I had the money and if you were willing to do it for me,
I would ask you to modify my Rega P3 (W/Rega Exact MM cartridge)
with your magical arm, but unfortunately I have no money and like they say: No money, no candy...
What's you next project?

Guy 13

[JLM]

Looks too simply and delicate to work.  I see that the glass tube(s) are sloped towards the center of the record, so is that (gravity versus bearing friction) the only lateral tracking adjustment?  Noticed any damage to your vinyl or stylus?

[PDR]

your solution for removing a set of the bearings is really clever. You have done a really good job. Hope you will be able to compare and comment if you think the reduced weight made an improvement. How did you go about making sure the two tubes are parallel?

Also how did you attach the headshell to the rod and did you incorporate any adjustment control for perpendicularity or other facets of alignment?

Thanks

I think this configuration sounds incredible......just need to get a better cart, but the old AT 13Ea is holding its own.

The two tubes are glued together at each end with a single drop of crazy glue, they were set on a flat surface and weighted while the glue dried. The three adjusting screws on the top let me level the tubes each way.

Its hard to see but the carbon wand is actually hollow. A smaller snug fitting carbon rod is used for the counter weight, I simply
slide it in and out. Right behind the head shell the wand is cut again and a small piece of rod is inserted, and glued to the headshell
end. About 1" is left sticking out and inserted back into the wand, this lets me do any adjusting I need to the head shell.

[PDR]

Hi PDR and all Audio Circle members.
Really nice job, you are telented for sure.
If I had the money and if you were willing to do it for me,
I would ask you to modify my Rega P3 (W/Rega Exact MM cartridge)
with your magical arm, but unfortunately I have no money and like they say: No money, no candy...
What's you next project?

Guy 13

Guy, I'm so busy at work right now....I work out of town...I only get to spend 4 out of 14 days at home.
BUT......I may be able to send you a completed arm that fits right into the tone arm hole of your Rega, this summer.
That was the intent of this mod, on my platter I just bored a new hole, but I'd like to make one that justs easily replaces
the Rega arm. A drop in thats not permanent. I will say this, the P3 with this arm sounds nothing like the RB300 I had
on it before, with a AT 440MLa. The 30 yr old AT 13Ea on this linear trumps it EASILY. Huge sound stage and depth, it sounds
beautiful on my Super Vs.

[PDR]

Looks too simply and delicate to work.  I see that the glass tube(s) are sloped towards the center of the record, so is that (gravity versus bearing friction) the only lateral tracking adjustment?  Noticed any damage to your vinyl or stylus?

Looking back at the pics, it does look like the tubes slope towards center......they dont.
I tried to slope it on the first prototype when I was having tracking problems.
The bearings come pre packed with grease, I've taken the shields off, soaked the
bearings in "Goof Off", it removed all grease and cleaned the bearings nicely.
I then used a drop of light weight hobby/watch oil and blew them out with compressed air after.
You can move the arm with a slight blow of breath from your mouth, thats how easily the arm
glides down the tubes. No damage on my vinyl, but I'm searching for a good low compliance cartridge
that I can fit on the wand to replace the 30 yr old AT on it now.

The next up will be to make another, better looking tone arm.....this one is a little ghetto looking....

[MaxCast]

I just got to say that this is way cool!
Well done, PDR.

[Ericus Rex]

The next up will be to make another, better looking tone arm.....this one is a little ghetto looking....

Just put a brass end cap on the tubes and replace those zinc nuts with brass thumb screws and you've got it!  Then go into production and charge $3k each.

You've inspired me to try this myself, but alas, I won't have time to invest until my kids are off to college...17 or so years.

[Folsom]

My first though was "how much?" 

Would a green Grado with Longhorn work well?

[apollophono]

PDR:  Very Nice indeed.  Your are very talented.    Because
I'm a Cheap and Cheerful person do you mind telling us
how much you spend on each arm build?  I wonder how
it would work on the cheapest of turntables as far as
improvement on the sound.

Oh so many thoughts come to mind with such inspiration. 
Can you start a business building this type of tonearm?
How universal can it be to work on about any turntable?

Keep up the great work and keep the posts coming

[jtsnead]

That looks very nice, it seems it would be a more cost effective alternative to the
Trans-Fi Pro 3 I am using

[PDR]

Thanks Max.....these projects just relax the hell out of me when I'm home, very gratifying.

Ericus.....now that I'm in my 50s and the kids are grown, I have some "Me" time when I'm home......aaaahhhhh

Salis and apollo......DIY is very inexpensive. Breakdown:

Acrylic................................ .....$10
Carbon rods and tubes.............$12
Thumb screws and fasteners.....$20
Brass and metal pieces.............$20
Sandpaper..............................$3
Crazy glue..............................$3
Epoxy.................................. ..$7
O rings.................................. .$6
Glass tubes............................$10
                                            _______
                              Total.......$91

Its the cart and wires that are going to cost....and of course you need a table.....

The DD turntable I modded......the cherry and aspen one....is a old NEC linear tracker I took apart
and built a heavier plinth, and damped with about 7 lbs of putty....I'm cheap and cheerful as well.


EDIT: Forgot the glass tubes, slipped the extra $10 in there.

[PDR]

That looks very nice, it seems it would be a more cost effective alternative to the
Trans-Fi Pro 3 I am using

Thats a gorgeous arm jtsnead.

This $3500 Clearaudio arm works on much the same principle as my DIY effort....

[SteveRB]

very impressive.

one simple question -- how do you ensure it is aligned correctly: perpendicular to the groove?

[PDR]

very impressive.

one simple question -- how do you ensure it is aligned correctly: perpendicular to the groove?

I use a protractor that I made.
A straight line through to the spindle with a couple of 90 degree intersecting lines to make sure the cart is lined up both ways.
Slide the arm back and forth and turn the whole assembly till the needle follows the line.....then tighten it down

I'll do a sketch on Google to show how the arm fastens to the table, and how it can be adjusted.

What I cant do is adjust the height of the arm easily, it can be done but takes time.....need to work something out with a micrometer adjustment. That will probably mean a 3rd plate of acrylic.

[Ericus Rex]

Do the tubes rotate back and out of the way to ease getting the record on and off the spindle or do you have to ease it under them?

[SteveRB]

I'm really moving through the thread on DIY. Thanks for the link, very interesting stuff. I suppose anti-skate is not really and issue with a linear tracking arm...?

[dlaloum]

That looks very nice, it seems it would be a more cost effective alternative to the
Trans-Fi Pro 3 I am using

This is a commercial version of the Paul (Poul?) Ladegaard DIY design - the original intent of which was a design that can be built on a kitchen table from readily available materials...

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/analogue-source/9084-ladegaard-tonearm-real-diy-winner.html
http://www.lencoheaven.net/forum/index.php?topic=260.0
http://n4rp.com/airbearingarm.html

It is hugely impressive to think of what can be done on ones kitchen table!

[Guy 13]

Do the tubes rotate back and out of the way to ease getting the record on and off the spindle or do you have to ease it under them?

Hi PDR, Ericus Rex and all Audio Circle members.
Of course if you are not carefull which this set up you might scratch your vinyl when putting it on the platter.
However, that's only a small down side when the sound quality is there.
I wonder if someone would do a trade in :
My Rega RB301 for that beautiful linear arm.
Hummm I wonder if I would be doing myself a favor.

Guy 13

Guy 13

[PDR]

Do the tubes rotate back and out of the way to ease getting the record on and off the spindle or do you have to ease it under them?

Nope, no rotation. I just take the time to guide it on. Never had a problem so far.
It would be cool to machine something.....I have a buddy that could do it, but its
not a kitchen table project.....and if you have followed any of my speaker projects
they really are "literally" built on my kitchen table: http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=111180.0

[PDR]

Hi PDR, Ericus Rex and all Audio Circle members.
Of course if you are not carefull which this set up you might scratch your vinyl when putting it on the platter.
However, that's only a small down side when the sound quality is there.
I wonder if someone would do a trade in :
My Rega RB301 for that beautiful linear arm.
Hummm I wonder if I would be doing myself a favor.

Guy 13

Guy 13

Guy....be patient and I'll send you an arm that will fit your P3, with no altering the table, this summer.
No trade, I'll even ship it to you free.....this is no problem. I want to build a new wand anyway, I'll just send you the
one I'm using now. The acrylic I'll send pre cut and drilled, you can sand and put it together.....like a kit.
I'll even include some carbon rods so you can build another (your own) wand.
I bought 12 tubes for 60 bucks from a glass blower....I have a few kicking around still.
A gift from one Canadian to another that doesnt have access to these materials.

I sent a "kit" for the first version...the 4 bearings on one tube...to a friend, he made a beautiful job of it.