Is my counterweight buggered?

[indus]

Sorry to bombard this forum with my problems, but I'm loosing the will to live


After much faffing I managed to get my cart (AT 440) onto my Sumiko headshell. I tried to set it up with my Steven's protractor, bizarrely where I first set my cart was spot on. That is quite suspicious and means I probably haven't used it properly.

Anyway, that's not my primary concern for now. When I try and set the tonearm arm up to find its floating point the counterweight doesn't seem to work properly.

It seems to rotate without really engaging with the arm, it just seems to spin. I have to pull/push on it to make it move up or down the arm which of course means its not a measured/accurate increment.

I've only had the deck a few weeks and didn't notice this problem before, have I broken it?

[Macca]

If you have a good eye and steady hands it is not a surprise that it is right first time - it is not that hard to do. In any case listening is the proof - it should sound absolutely fantastic - if not something is wrong.

The counterweight thing is odd, though - you seem to be saying it is loose around the arm with no 'grip'?

[hifi_dave]

Sorry to be vague but what is the arm ?

[RobbieGong]

Sorry to be vague but what is the arm ?

I believe the Op has the Technics 12XX stock arm.

[StanleyB]

After much faffing I managed to get my cart (AT 440) onto my Sumiko headshell. I tried to set it up with my Steven's protractor, bizarrely where I first set my cart was spot on. That is quite suspicious and means I probably haven't used it properly.

Oh, the number of females who have got pregnant the first time round through exactly such actions .

But that aside: yes the weight is normally not a stiff fit. There shouldn't be any play, but at the same time it should be smooth in feel and action when you move or rotate the weight.

[indus]

Thanks.

Its the stock arm. Basically when I twist the counter weight at times it seems to grip the arm and so move up or down the arm. But then it'll come to a point where it just spins freely and won't move up or down the arm, it just rotates. At this point I have to actually pull or push on the weight to make it move.

The cart/arm sound awful, loads of distortion. I don't know whether this is because I used the protractor wrong or because my tracking force (and therefore antiskate) is way off because of the counterweight issue.

Very frustrating.....

[Beechwoods]

David,

Follow the instructions in this video for getting your arm balanced. He shows how the counterweight should be set up. Once you get the arm set you can worry about the cartridge alignment, but I'm pretty sure cartridge alignment alone would result in the distortion you describe.

[indus]

Nick, I have been following that vid but this is what is happening...

I have the counter weight detached and in my hand

I twist it onto the arm. There is a little dead space and then the cw engages the arm and starts to rotate and travel along the arm inwards. I screw it so that it is in its maximum position.

So now of course the cart is lying all the way down on the record.

I now start to unscrew the cw. All is fine, it is engaging the arm and moving outwards.

BUT, the arm still hasn't floated and I've unscrewed the cw to a point where there is a little give. The cw is now spinning freely but NOT engaging the arm and not moving.

From this point if I want the cw to move any further out I need to physically pull it out rather than twist it.

Thanks for all your help

[flapland]

Hi David, I see you live in London. Depending on where I may be able to pop round with both a a couple of protractors and scales if that helpful tomorrow through to Tuesday.

Might have some longer bolts if needed (just read other thread)

Paul

[indus]

Thanks Paul, a very kind offer, thank you very much indeed.

The bolts issue is now sorted and before I get to aligning the cart I need to sort out this tonearm balance issue.

Could it be that my cart/head are too heavy for the technics counter weight?

Thanks again for your kind offer, but I need to resolve this issue first