Tonearm races over record when set down! HELP!

[sjohak]

Same problem I had when the L75 arrived  
When I lower the tonearm to the record it races over it in a second. This ni matter how high I set the stylus pressure. I have yet no pressure-weight but use a gold ring instead. No antiskating Wright either. I have put new V-blocks in and the arm seems to sit ok in them. One troublesome thing is that the headshell is not horizontal. See image.


Could that be the reason - and Why  is it so?  Could it be the pin with the knife-edges which have been bent?

HELP!!!!! Please  

Håkan

[wer]

Hakan, the Lenco headshells are not a precision item - i seem to remember Richards comments on their quality, but that was before your time.

First check that your TT is level, not just the tonearm (which in fact may not be level  ).
Without antiskate (which is not connected anyhow) set the counterweight so the arm floats. What happens, is it moving to the inside, and at what speed?
If it is, check your internal cables, because they have to be twisted,  provided you installed your V-blocks properly.

[h-j-hill]

Some random thoughts:

Are the two V-blocks fully seated.  This could account for the tilt on the headshell.

In replacing the V-blocks have you reseated the arm with a twist on the audio leads and ground lead?  The leads could be applying a twisting moment propelling the arm towards the spindle.

Presumably the top plate is horizontal.

You are using a 'ring' to apply the VTF.  Have you removed the VTF-arm rider?
It needs to be there (set at zero VTF in your case) because it provides lateral balance for the headshell and cartridge being cranked to the platter side of the tone-arm's longitudinal axis.

[sjohak]

Hi,

The TT is level. The V-blocks seems to be in place. The "knives" have the same play up/down on both sides.

But: I have not done any "twist" of the cables when assembling the tonarm again. Just pushed them in a bundle and fixed it with blue tac.

I noticed that the cables were sort of nestled up a bit up in the column just under the arm-tube, when I took it apart. I thought that this could be an explanation to the skidding, so I pulled them down all the way when I reassembled it.

How - and in which direction should i twist them. And how much? Just "trial and error"?

/Håkan

[stratokaster83]

Check the stylus. Is the stone still on the cantilever?

[bush baby]

Also (Very unlikely this is the cause but) just double-check you don’t have a great big ball of fluff on the stylus!
It’s fooled me a few times...

[sjohak]

I think I found it.

As far as I can see, from the side with strong light, the needle flexes so much that the cartridge rides on its belly when set down. There is a tip on it but it´s just too weak.

 Could definitely explain the behaviour, wouldn´t You say? Would be a wonderfully simple solution.

Maybe buy a new needle then? there are a few to choose from to the Goldring 800. Any suggestions on which replacement is the best? Or maybe go for an AT directly.....

//Håkan

[sjohak]

have to take that back....

The above only the result of very high needle pressure. When reduced , and the needle can carry the weight the arm still skids....

When the arm is balanced to hang straight it tends to drag outwards instead. But as soon as You set it down on the record it goes away to the center.

Could it be the tilted headshell?

H

[sjohak]

and looking closely it is when the tip goes into a groove it goes off like a paycheck.  (putting it in the first groove at the very edge, it stays in it until it reaches the tightly spaced grooves where the music begins)

Could it be the cartridge after all?

H

[aamodtasan]

might be, do you have another PU? maybe try that? Also if the headshell connector is loose from the headshell, a couple of drops of super glue will do the trick, to avoid the sag, worked for me,

cheers
henrik

[Tobbe]

Just to rule out a stupid thing that once happened to me:
check so that none of the headshell wires are hanging down touching the vinyl making it skid.
That massive Lenco headshell can hide a problem like that pretty good .

If the headshell is tilted there is a little adjustment that can be made by pushing the tonearm pillar in the right way when tightening the grub screws.

Otherwise it sounds like a defective stylus.
The G800 that came with my L75 only lasted for a record side or two before the stylus suspension collapsed.

[analogadikt]

In addition to the suggestions above, please clarify on the following.

Could that be the reason - and Why  is it so?  Could it be the pin with the knife-edges which have been bent?

Håkan

What is bent ? Are the knife edges damaged? A pic of them would help. Have you replaced the V blocks? From where have you sourced the new ones ?

In replacing the V-blocks have you reseated the arm with a twist on the audio leads and ground lead?  The leads could be applying a twisting moment propelling the arm towards the spindle.

Hi,

The TT is level. The V-blocks seems to be in place. The "knives" have the same play up/down on both sides.

But: I have not done any "twist" of the cables when assembling the tonarm again. Just pushed them in a bundle and fixed it with blue tac.

I noticed that the cables were sort of nestled up a bit up in the column just under the arm-tube, when I took it apart. I thought that this could be an explanation to the skidding, so I pulled them down all the way when I reassembled it.

How - and in which direction should i twist them. And how much? Just "trial and error"?

/Håkan

Hector is NOT telling you to twist the wires! He is asking you if you have accidentally twisted them because that can cause this problem. Also NO bluetack on the wires.

Zero balance the tonearm. If it swings violently to one side while hanging in the air, then you have a wire twist that is causing the problem. If the tonearm does not swing while in the air but skates when set down on the record, the stylus is the likely culprit, either a missing diamond or a ball of fluff covering it

Use a digital gauge to check VTF. Also, adjust the lateral balance. Read the following.

https://www.lencoheaven.net/forum/index.php?topic=33087.0

HTH

[sjohak]

Hi,

Thanks for Your interest and help so far!

What I ment regarding the knife edges was that I suspected they were bent due to mishandling. That would explain the headshell tilt. Does not look like that though, as far as I can see. I have tried holding the headshell towards the "right" direction when tightening the locking collar, but it only helps marginally. No cables hanging down or dust on needle. I can however not see the state the tip is in due to not having a sufficient magnifying glass. It is not visible either if the needle twists when set down, but since it bottoms out when loaded with more than 5 grammes, that could be so.

The tonearm just gently drifts back towards the on/off switch when set to hang horizontally, about what I suspect it would have done if the antiskating weight had been hanging there.

Due to the above, I cannot think of any other explanation than the needle gone soft since, it so distinctly goes off when the needle grabs a groove.

Will try a new needle or new pickup. Any advice on which alternative is best? Is the Goldring worth a new needle, or should I go for an AT directly?

Or, maybe that used Clearaudio PU (all metal version) I saw. Would be interesting since I have one (wood version) on my other turntable. (but I am reluctant to swap the one I have since I am worried to brake it while doing so) I am a bit concerned though with it being so heavy, 10 grammes. Would that be a missmatch?

[wer]

On seventh thought, that headshell looks so badly out of whack that you may be wasting your time.

Remove the headshell, turn it over and have a look at the stylus tip at the highest magnification you can get (alternatively pull out the front end of the cartridge). Provided If you can still see a diamond, and assuming you don't have a spare headshell you might try shimming the cartridge to get it more level, or try another cartridge if you have one.

[sparkymike]

Some time ago I had similar problem and found that the pickup arm lift was set too high so it was just touching the underside of the arm.
Mike.