Pictures with meaning.

[Green Bean]

I'm experimenting with a crude self-design MC system, with thanks to the many contributors on this site for their inspirational ideas.
It should be clear from these pics where I'm headed. (Home-made coils next).
My main worry is that the neodymiums might have too-unfocused a flux-field.
My main hope is that the twin aluminium rods add robustness - which might help later when it comes to experimenting with damping.
The aforementioned robustness certainly helps a lot when it comes to handling.
I expect the twin rods will inhibit sideways movement, to the detriment of the soundstage. This iteration is just a stage on the journey, however.

Comments welcomed - especially any obvious pitfalls I can't see coming, but might be obvious to other members.

[Delta667]

Which cartridge are you planning to assemble, mono or stereo?

[Delta667]

It’s strange that from time to time old cartridges arrive without signs of use.
It turns out that someone bought it and kept it for 40 years, and probably died during that time. The inheritance went to auction.
Or the purchase did not meet the expectations for the sound and the cartridge was pushed into a long drawer.

[Green Bean]

Which cartridge are you planning to assemble, mono or stereo?

Stereo, ideally.

I understand a lot will depend on how my coils intersect with the magnetic flux, and also perhaps how much lateral movement the stylus can achieve.

This photo shows the stylus too far forward. But it gives an idea of the scale.

[Delta667]

How are the poles of magnets arranged?
One day I came across a multi-pole magnet and couldn’t understand why the system wasn’t working? 

[Delta667]

Dying generation. Their dampers weaken with every year and month.
Some old people are still invigorated, but this will not last long.

[Green Bean]

How are the poles of magnets arranged?
One day I came across a multi-pole magnet and couldn’t understand why the system wasn’t working? 

At present I have north and south poles facing across the gap. You can imagine how difficult it was to glue them in place when all they wanted to do was fuse with more force than the Tsar device.

Have you or anyone else experimented with similar shaped neodymiums?

[Delta667]

At present I have north and south poles facing across the gap. You can imagine how difficult it was to glue them in place when all they wanted to do was fuse with more force than the Tsar device.

Have you or anyone else experimented with similar shaped neodymiums?

If this is your first homemade cartridge, then you will be pleased to hear the sound you created yourself.
But I can assure you that with such a magnetic circuit, the channel separation will be no more than 5-6 dB.

Here is a circuit with two neodymium magnets.
With a single-pole circuit, I managed to separate the channels up to 10 dB.


Such numbers do not satisfy me.

[needlestein]

The reacquaintance took place quite recently.


Good cartridge, sounds light and free.
But the production quality leaves much to be desired.
It’s strange to see budget reels for $2,000.

Those are more Benz parts. 

[needlestein]

A coil inside a neodymium magnet.

This must be a Transfiguration generator.

[needlestein]

Well, it’s a complete tracing paper, everything was copied except the sound.  

I wonder if both of those generators are made by Excel.  It’s a common generator seen on almost all high end Japanese cartridges like Air Tight, Shelter, Phasemation, and it goes back as far to the AudioQuest 404i, which is the oldest one I can think of, which is the same cartridge as the SAEC C1 (C1 is missing the pole piece).

[Green Bean]

I thought folk might like to hear my experience trying to repair a MC Cartridge.
It is a Lentek Entré 1, and I picked it up for £13 on FB Marketplace, described as 'one channel not working'. Here is a stock picture of such a cartridge:



Upon opening it (which was a little too easy - it was clear someone had forcibly opened it previously), I could see one of 4 micro wires was broken.
But within a couple of minutes, I'd broken two more. They broke too easily for what I assumed was 0.02mm wire - I wonder if oxidation had made them more brittle? There wasn't enough length left to solder them to the four big pins, so I accepted I was going to have to do a crude botch job. I figured that it would look dreadful, but at least it might produce sound.

So I affixed four different coloured wires to the big pins, to reach to the micro-wires, ready for me to solder to the micro-wires. I also had to cut away the rear half of the gold-coloured lower case, as there was no way the case would accommodate my additional huge wires. But I made sure the stylus guard was still functional:




Once all the wires were reattached to the big pins, I tested for electrical continuity. Unfortunately, only one side had a circuit - same as when I received the cartridge. I can only assume the break must be closer to the coil assembly, and is far beyond my tools and abilities. Here are pics of my work. I'm thrilled that an iPhone 12  achieved such pics. Only the first is through a magnifying glass. I like the last one that shows the diamond tip. The whole thing resembles some techno-insect:

[Delta667]

This must be a Transfiguration generator.

Absolutely right. The simplest and most powerful generator.
The main mistake that the developers made was the neodymium magnet.
Yes, it is full of energy, but it oxidizes very quickly without a protective coating. There is no coverage here.
After some time, the coils lose mobility and are compressed by the oxides. The hole in the magnet needs to be cleaned.

[Delta667]

I thought folk might like to hear my experience trying to repair a MC Cartridge.
It is a Lentek Entré 1, and I picked it up for £13 on FB Marketplace, described as 'one channel not working'. Here is a stock picture of such a cartridge:



Upon opening it (which was a little too easy - it was clear someone had forcibly opened it previously), I could see one of 4 micro wires was broken.
But within a couple of minutes, I'd broken two more. They broke too easily for what I assumed was 0.02mm wire - I wonder if oxidation had made them more brittle? There wasn't enough length left to solder them to the four big pins, so I accepted I was going to have to do a crude botch job. I figured that it would look dreadful, but at least it might produce sound.

So I affixed four different coloured wires to the big pins, to reach to the micro-wires, ready for me to solder to the micro-wires. I also had to cut away the rear half of the gold-coloured lower case, as there was no way the case would accommodate my additional huge wires. But I made sure the stylus guard was still functional:




Once all the wires were reattached to the big pins, I tested for electrical continuity. Unfortunately, only one side had a circuit - same as when I received the cartridge. I can only assume the break must be closer to the coil assembly, and is far beyond my tools and abilities. Here are pics of my work. I'm thrilled that an iPhone 12  achieved such pics. Only the first is through a magnifying glass. I like the last one that shows the diamond tip. The whole thing resembles some techno-insect:

Oh, a lot of work has been done! 
It's a shame that your mechanical insect didn't sing, it would have been the most unique pickup.

[Delta667]

The vicissitudes of music lovers' desires.
Someone orders boron on SPU, and someone orders aluminum on Wilson Benesch.