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Replacing Technics 1210 mk2 Tone Arm

Hey gang... so I was prepping my 2 1210mk2 for eBay... and one of my flight cases wasn't snapped tight when I picked em up. TT flopped out and totally whacked the tone arm.

Has anyone here every replaced one? where'd u buy it? i don't need the whole tone arm assembly, just the actual chrome arm itself. any links / info is super appreciated!

Re: Replacing Technics 1210 mk2 Tone Arm

quote:

Originally posted by CReddick Hey gang... so I was prepping my 2 1210mk2 for eBay... and one of my flight cases wasn't snapped tight when I picked em up. TT flopped out and totally whacked the tone arm. Has anyone here every replaced one? where'd u buy it? i don't need the whole tone arm assembly, just the actual chrome arm itself. any links / info is super appreciated!

http://www.htfr.com/more-info/MR169754

Go there, dunno htfr sell to the US but there will be plenty of places who will have the tonearm so just search for it online.

The above tone arm is for the silver deck. There is a black version as well.

Won't be an easy swap out. If you get the arm you'll need to disassemble the unit to remove the tonearm assembly and then pull that appart. you need to desolder the wires that run through the tonearm from that assembly.



Good luck with it. i have a heap more photo's that may help you understand what is involved... PM for more info and i'll up em when time if you like.

I've done it a couple of times and it doesn't take more than and hour and a half. The tricky bits are:

1, The soldering because those wires are so bloody tiny.
2, assembling the tonearm baring gimble assembly back together. For this reason I would go for the whole assembly (tonarm and pivot) and it also makes sure theres nothing wrong with the baring assembly. See below for tonearm with pivot...

Thanks all.

I've learned that you can't order the chrome arm itself, but the whole assembly as mentioned above.

skot_e,

I'd gladly welcome more photos. I'm not sweating the soldering part... just the disassembly of the unit to get to it.

even i need to buy a new tonearm... if you find a good deal let me know


i think ebay has some stuff

quote:

Originally posted by Allied Nations i think ebay has some stuff

Yeah, but nothing a super value. I ended up ordering mine at Guitar Center. They charged the exact same price +$5 shipping as Pioneer Parts online.

Here's a link to the original service manual which shows an exploded view of all the parts.

Technics SL1200/1210 Service Manual Download

From memory I think there was a clearer manual that had each part exploded on a separate page which was slightly easier to follow. You can get all the technics manuals here by setting up a free account (just need to supply and email address).

Technics Manuals (all)

It really isn't difficult. Remove the screws on the bottom of the housing, and the circular plate that cover the tonearm base. From there you can remove the screws that hold the tonearm base in place and eventually remove the tonarm assembly. You then need to desolder the wires (IMPORTANT: WRITE DOWN WHICH COLOUR WIRE GOES WHERE!!!!) and solder the new one in place. There is only one tricky bit which is making sure the spring that tensions anti skate mechanism is pinned back in place when you put the metal bar back down the opening again. By turning the antiskate wheel, it tensions the spring against the bar. If you don't have it pinned behind the bar, it won't work. I can't explain this any better but I guarantee you will see what I mean when you take it apart.

The you just screw it all back together.

Its not hard- just fiddly.

Perhaps consider ditching the ground while you have it open too....not much work.

quote:

Originally posted by Freak Its not hard- just fiddly. Perhaps consider ditching the ground while you have it open too....not much work.

Good suggestion....here's a vid of how to do it:

Technics Ground Wire Removal

Is there any other advantage to removing the ground wire, other than not having to deal with the ground wire anymore?

quote:

Originally posted by KiNeTiC ENeRgY Is there any other advantage to removing the ground wire, other than not having to deal with the ground wire anymore?

Sometimes people say it can interfere with DVS such as serato, but I've never had that problem. Also, depending on your setup, it can eliminate ground loop issues.

OK, Here's some more i have uploaded as requested. Bit of a delay... sorry bout that. Last one wasn't copied properly but link should still work i think. Not sure if it is common to all 1200's but i found the C frame that supports the tonearm had one of the screw/pivot bits glued in, so i just worked around that one leaving it in but removing other side.

Gotta say that for simplicity, you prob should just buy the assembly as a whole. For budget tho, removal would be better. To get the part you can order through your local panasonic service centre. (Part number for silver arm is SFPAM18201K - note that i don't know if this includes the wires and tip or if it is just the arm piece itself, also, this is a quote from a pdf of a service manual and it is slightly blury so only use as a guide. I have included at bottom for you to see)
Got to the panasonic website and look from there. No need to go through ebay etc. Quite time consuming as there are many steps. I have recorded all these photo's to help reassemble mine once painted. (ready this week)









[img=http://img367.**************/img367/3068/wiresinchasis1vw3.th.jpg]



*Edit* Just read the other posts some of which make mine a bit redundant... oh well. Included anyway....

skot_e

quote:

Originally posted by CReddick Yeah, but nothing a super value. I ended up ordering mine at Guitar Center. They charged the exact same price +$5 shipping as Pioneer Parts online.

how much total?

Got the tone arm assembly swapped out tonight. Took about 45 minutes. Cost me $65 total.

I did not remove the ground wire.

I'll post step by step pics in a new DIY thread.

quote:

Originally posted by CReddick Got the tone arm assembly swapped out tonight. Took about 45 minutes. Cost me $65 total. I did not remove the ground wire. I'll post step by step pics in a new DIY thread.

Good job. Pics would be useful for future reference on here.

I wont lie, I was kind of surprised when it all worked when i was done.

wouldnt u get summing/buzzing/50Hz noise when removing the ground cable?

quote:

Originally posted by palm wouldnt u get summing/buzzing/50Hz noise when removing the ground cable?

No, you're not removing as such, just combining it with the cold component of the signal, which is fine for turntables.

yea, I had bought a 1210m5g on ebay , thing came all tore up. tone arm busted, dust cover (oh no!), the platter was actually underneath the TT in the shipping box (wtf?) The great thing about techs are, replacement parts are everywhere, they are fairly basic machines, and if you can't fix it, there's always tons of people that can help lol

shit i just knocked the tone-arm loose accidentally.. something fell on it.

anybody know if there are repair places you can take your turntables to so that i dont have to go through all the trouble?

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