Mitsubishi LT-V5

[SCompRacer]

A friend was visiting from New York and gave me this vertical standing, belt drive Mitsubishi LT-V5 turntable.  It is in nice shape and even came with the original box and packing. Late '70's manufacture, IIRC.  I got the gooey old belt material cleaned off and ordered some replacements.  If it works, it will be a nice addition and conversation piece to my retro system.

[hatehifi]

Annecdote: 30-odd years ago I worked for an international CPA firm in Frankfurt and Mishubishi visited the consultants for entering the German audio/video market and brought just that TT. Afterwards, the manager told me, he asked them what the vertical was good for. "Gimmick!," they told him with smiley faces.  

[GP49]

If the linear tracking arm doesn't work: the usual cause is a burned out light bulb.  The arm tracking is controlled by three light sensors; the sources
are miniature 12 volt light bulbs.

The end-of-side sensor is similar.

[rfgumby]

I owned one of those I bought in 1982!  Sold it off maybe 15 years ago when I backed out of vinyl in favor of "new source equipment".  I really did like that TT, but I have no idea how it compares to other more modern and improved designs.  As long as the TT is level, the arm should work perfectly.

Fun table!

[rfgumby]

No one else had one of these?  It was my first turntable (I said 1982, but probably more like 1980), I had saved for a long time to buy my audio equipment, a Mitsubishi receiver some JBL studio monitors and this LT5V table with an Audio Technica Signet Gold cartridge.  That was a lot of money for a high school kid.

[ropie]

No one else had one of these?

Not this one, but I remember a similar tt from a friend's house 20 years ago or so.  It differed, from what I remember, in that it could play both sides of the disc without having to flip the record.

[GP49]

No one else had one of these?

I never owned one.  In the early 1980s I worked at a store that sold Mitsubishi, so I had plenty of opportunities
to play with it.  I remember its being a competent turntable, and its tonearm being unusually resistant to external
shock such as footfalls. 

Later on, I remember how its drive belt would become soft, stretchy and ultimately unable to drive the platter. 
Easy to fix.  The problems with the tracking and autoshutoff due to burned-out light bulbs came later.  A wise
technician would replace ALL the light bulbs; if only one were replaced, it was certain that another one would fail
shortly thereafter (one of my shop assistants learned that lesson early on!).

[Johan]

30 years ago a student friend of mine had one. We played lots of records during the nights on it.

[SCompRacer]

Thanks for the tips and stories! New belts, oil and filter, tune up and time for a test drive! It works!  Sounds pretty good. Of course it won't knock the Lenco off the rack, but for a curiosity, a conversation piece that works...priceless!

[lowpoke]

You need to check this out, if you haven't already. He's invested over 5000 euro into this machine;
http://www.homebuilthifi.com/project/126

[rfgumby]

You need to check this out, if you haven't already. He's invested over 5000 euro into this machine;
http://www.homebuilthifi.com/project/126

That's awesome Jason.  I've never seen that before.  Maybe only interesting to people who've owned one of those tables, but it's cool.  Improving the motor drive with a 2 motor belt system is an interesting concept, but I fear the flywheel, bearing, and ultimately the rigidity of the rather silly tonearm assembleis are ultimately the limiting factors to the design.  Maybe really sweet with a very high compliance cartridge though.

The reason I eventually sold off mine was worry about component failure on all the electronic (rather cheap late 70's Japanese) boards, and obsolescence of a lot of the individual components.  That silly link kinda made me want to build an all out assault on an LT-5V.  I think the bearing limitations and platter and flywheel problems could be overcome, but I don't know man, those arms...