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Crucial Question Concerning Tone Arm Adjustment

Alright. I have been spinning cds for a while now but I am a Noob at spinning vinyl. I just got my technics table today (used on ebay)to add to the cd set up. The problem is I don't know how to play records! Laugh as you must but it is true, I can't get this thing to work. What is happening is that whenever I place the needle on the record the tone arm pulls it dramatically to the outside of the record (off the record really unless I catch the thing). I have tried various combinations with the weight, height, anti-skate but none of them are keeping the needle from pulling off the record. I have an Ortofon Concorde cartridge and needle. Any tips?

eh, try to put your anti skate to zero, and your height to zero.


then twist the weight on the back so that your tone arm just kinda floats there....neither falls down nor flys up. twist the numbers so that 0 is on the line, then twist it to 2.5 er so.


if that doesn't work, sell them to me for $60.

quote:

Originally posted by Boomer187 if that doesn't work, sell them to me for $60.

I'll raise the bid to $61.......

Thanks for the advice Boomer but the thing still isn't working. The anti skate is set at zero, the height zero, and the tonearm floating there uselessly. Then, after I get the weight right I increase to 2.5, push that little tone arm lever down, drop the needle and there it goes skating to the outside. You don't think my tone arm is shot do you? Is there supposed to be any click sound when you rotate the skate knob or should you feel any kind of resistance when you adjust the skate to zero or vice versa?

You guys are sharks! I'm not sellin!

It sounds like it is shot man. Bummer.

$61.23. final offer....SOLD>



eh, yeah, your tone arm might be fucked up, my anti skate doesn't click at all. just glids around.

sounds like....

**warning, I am totally guessing here, so there is a huge chance I am wrong**

the spring or whatever the anti-skate controls popped off er something. From what I know and guess the anti-skate keeps the tone arm from going in too fast, so by adjusting it it loosens or tightens a spring that controls the horizontal movement of the tonearm.

So whatever controls that prolly popped off.


now for applied info. I have no clue how to fix. but I do think you can buy new tone arms for $60 er so online. That also assumes you gots da balls to tear your deck apart and try to fix it. which you could try now and see if you can just fix the antiskating thing.

hope that helps some.

First things first, You have to balance your tonearm with the weight and cartridge attached to it. Then, set the weight indicator to zero(The indicator moves independt of the weight.) So now your tonearm shold be perfectly balanced. Now twist the whole counterweight until the indictor points to 2.5 g. Set antiskating setting to zero and set the tonearm height to 5.

Its def a prob with the antiskating. you mite have a problem with the antiskate knob or its set all the way to the max. Make sure its set to 0

Are you guys serious? You really think the fucking thing is broken? When you rotate the anti-skate should you see the tone arm move at all? When I rotate the one on my new/used/seemingly broken deck the tone arm move just slightly. Also, I just took the counter weight off the back of the tone arm and the needle doest go flying to the outside but it seems that with the weight off the cartridge is seriously riding the vinyl. Also, I thought I heard that those Orto Concord Cartridges don't require the use of a counter weight. Is this bs?

my advice would be to go to your local record/dj shop, make friends with someone who works there that would know (normally the person who orders records knows his shit, is probably a DJ, even if a bedroom DJ or just a hobby DJ). sometimes, there may even be a DJ inside the shop, spinning (nice little record shop here has a setup inside, where the owner spins sometimes and now the [incredibly hot] dj chick that works there is normally spinning on). anyways, talk to them, ask if you can bring your deck by so they can have a look at it, and tech you how to balance it.

your nearest electronics repair shop will probably check it out, no charge. they normally only charge when work is put in, not just for checking it out, which would take about 3 mins anyways. ive at least been blessed that at all these places there is always cool people willing to help.

quote:

Originally posted by thicket Are you guys serious? You really think the fucking thing is broken? When you rotate the anti-skate should you see the tone arm move at all? When I rotate the one on my new/used/seemingly broken deck the tone arm move just slightly. Also, I just took the counter weight off the back of the tone arm and the needle doest go flying to the outside but it seems that with the weight off the cartridge is seriously riding the vinyl. Also, I thought I heard that those Orto Concord Cartridges don't require the use of a counter weight. Is this bs?

wtf??


alright, you said you set your counterweight so that your tonearm was just floating there....then you increased it about 2.5 right...


as long as you follow those steps your needle shouldn't be flying up or riding your vinyl too hard.

The guy I bought it from on ebay says that everything worked fine when he sent it. I don't know if he's jacking me or if the table got messed up during shipping. Fortunately it was insured.

Anyway, I am wondering if anybody knows how to fix anti-skate? I would take it to a repair shop but the truth is that I live about 700 miles from the nearest one! No shit, I am a prog/trance dj who lives in a tiny wilderness village! So inside the table is there a screw or adjustment that sometimes goes out of whack that is relatively easy to fix?

quote:

Originally posted by thicket The guy I bought it from on ebay says that everything worked fine when he sent it. I don't know if he's jacking me or if the table got messed up during shipping. Fortunately it was insured. Anyway, I am wondering if anybody knows how to fix anti-skate? I would take it to a repair shop but the truth is that I live about 700 miles from the nearest one! No shit, I am a prog/trance dj who lives in a tiny wilderness village! So inside the table is there a screw or adjustment that sometimes goes out of whack that is relatively easy to fix?

woah, tough luck man. what exactly do you mean "it's insured" ? will they give you your money back or fix it, because it got screwed up?

email the guy, explain what happens, and tell him to explain how he would balance his arm. other than that, id suggest one of the techie freaks on here (im not up to that level) gives you a crash course in turntable repair, and you give it a swing.

It might be anti-skate, but it'd have to be set way higher than the (normal) max for it to send the tone arm flying to the outside like that... Sounds like a good thread for Nem or Freak, seems they've been around the block with all sorts of things

Ok, if you have the weight set to zero and the tonearm is balanced and floating in the air. If your tonearm moves towards the outside without you even touching it, it means the antiskate is set to the maximum. YOu need to make sure its set to zero. If it still does the same thing, then your tonearm is fucked

Thanks Prodigy. So you think that the force exerted on the tone arm is beyond the 3rd click on the anti skate knob?

Another question. I am wondering if you are supposed to see movement in the tone arm when you click the anti-skate up or down? When I rotate the knob I see just a tiny bit of movement but not much.

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