How to Use a BIB stylus balance gauge

[dantheman91]

Hi

Just to ensure that my vinyl setup is correct i found one of these in my shed. I'm not sure how to use it as there are no instructions. Any idea's

its a 1/four scale

:)

[Audioman]

Hi

Just to ensure that my vinyl setup is correct i found one of these in my shed. I'm not sure how to use it as there are no instructions. Any idea's

its a 1/four scale

:)

I think had one years ago. If I remember there were holes for stylus force settings and you dropped a tiny weight into them ?

[dantheman91]

Hi

There are ridges between the numbers.

[Rare Bird]

I used a Metrosound styli guage for donkies years. I just use a Digital scale these days.

[dantheman91]

Here

[Rare Bird]

Well they are obviously 1/4 gramme increasements

[hifi_dave]

You move the calibrated bar to correspond with the tracking weight and check it by placing the stylus on the red dot.

[dantheman91]

Thank you dave

so does the ridge between the numbers say like 1.1 gram. how do i tell when its balanced correct does the balance how level with the end bar.

[hifi_dave]

Not sure it's accurate enough to set 0.1 gram difference but you can try. If all else fails, use your ears.

Which arm ?

[dantheman91]

Not sure it's accurate enough to set 0.1 gram difference but you can try. If all else fails, use your ears.

Which arm ?



Rega RB25O

:)

[Rare Bird]

The burning question is why fart about with something that's putting doubt in your mind when you can buy a digital scale for peanuts?

[DSJR]

These Bib scales are accurate to within 1/4g or so, no more.. The rest is as Andr'e says above :)

[dantheman91]

Yeah i thought about digital might be the way to go. which one would you recommend

[Rare Bird]

These paid about a fiver for em

http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/w425/ELPFAN1968/Scales.jpg

[Qwin]

Whats the accuracy?
Many cheap digital scales are not worth using.
In my experience if it does not state accuracy then it isn't acurate. Bit like ebay adds that say "untested" = knackerd, these things can be taken as read. The division of 0.1g is not the accuracy just the increment that can be displayed. You could be taking a reading of 1.5g but if the accuracy is +/- 0.5 the true reading is anywhere between 1 and 2 g which is a waste of time and not as acurate as a simple balance. Some of the better quality scales come with a calibration weight as a reference. There are very acurate digital scales out there, but I doubt for a fiver. The guage in the picture will weigh things over half a Kilo, I doubt it will be very senitive to small increments at the extreme end of its range.

So just a friendly warning before you presume that digital is automaticaly superior to the old and reliable balance. ;)

[Rare Bird]

What ever :rolleyes: becuase i'll tell you why, i have a total of three digital scales, ive just gone out of my way to measure the weight of my cart, all state exactly the same. Besides my cart tracks at 0.75-1g, i couldnt care less about the the tollerance between that weight

[Qwin]

I purchased a cheap scale off ebay. I had my doubts about its accuracy so took it into the lab at work and they checked it out. A 2g weight was regestering 2.7g. Made them useless for setting up a cartridge.
This is well outside the 0.25 range you are trying to achieve. The guys in the lab said they had seen worse and was down to the type (quality) of technology used, which was pretty much the same accross the cheaper brands. Not much use setting it at 0.8 if its real weight is 1.5g. I have been sceptical of these cheaper gauges ever since.
Take it or leave it, just saying these things happen and its not easy to check. :)

[Audioman]

The purpose made digital scales cost ££s. I think the cheapo Ortofon gauge would be a safer bet. The Shure gauge is pretty good if you don't insist on 0.01 gram accuracy. Mine agreed with the built in calibration of p/u arms I compared to.

[Sonority]

As has already been said, you can pay $$££ for audiophile scales, or you can google something slightly different, pay way less and get a hell of a lot more accuracy.
I paid a huge 19.50 for a set of scales accurate to .01g, and they come with a 50g weight to calibrate them, just for certainty.

This is not the site I used - I will try and post that tomorrow from work, but £20 odd should get you more than accurate enough :)

Jewellers scales is what your after.

Check here for pocket scales or precision carat scales.

http://www.ourweigh.co.uk/precision-carat-scales.html

& here is what I actually got - mostly plastic on purpose, so as not to interfere with any magnets ;)

http://www.e-scales.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=88&products_id=344

[Rare Bird]

My defence is i has three different cheap Digital scales all read out the same weight for my present VTF. three the same means none are wrong to me.

[dantheman91]

Hi

Bought the digital Scale but not Sure if the reading iS right. the read iS 1.5 but can be 1.25. How do i do thiS ladS

[AlfaGTV]

Dan, your S'es are capital this morning! :D

Other than that, i dont understand what you mean????
The scales are saying that the current VTF is 1.5gr...
(If its Zeroed in correctly and set to display grammes that is..)

Regards
/Mike

[dantheman91]

Hello

Need new keyboard!!!

Link Here - http://www.ortofon.com/products/replacement-styli/stylus-20

The scales read 1.5 grams but the recomended tracking is 1.25 to 1.50 and i cantt figure out how to do it. Just want to make sure my vinyl is correct.

Thanks.

[AlfaGTV]

Ah, now I see! :)

I would personally not bother, and actually prefer to stay on the upper end of the manufacturers recommendation! Better with a little more pressure and no skipping about, than the other way around!

But if you really want to ease off the pressure you turn the counterweight (if its an RB-250) clockwise (viewed from front, cart end of tone arm) about 1/8 of a turn and then measure again. Repeat if necessary, undo if too much.

If its an RB-30X, 700 etc you use the dial to set it to a lower number. Start off with minor adjustments here to, just a few millimeters.

Needless to say, put the arm in its rest while adjusting, locked.. Then measure again.

Good luck!
/Mike


the recomended tracking is 1.25 to 1.50

PS Edit:
Ortofon actually recommends 1.25-1.75gr for the OM20, which means your spot on.

[dantheman91]

Ah, now I see! :)

I would personally not bother, and actually prefer to stay on the upper end of the manufacturers recommendation! Better with a little more pressure and no skipping about, than the other way around!

But if you really want to ease off the pressure you turn the counterweight (if its an RB-250) clockwise (viewed from front, cart end of tone arm) about 1/8 of a turn and then measure again. Repeat if necessary, undo if too much.

If its an RB-30X, 700 etc you use the dial to set it to a lower number. Start off with minor adjustments here to, just a few millimeters.

Needless to say, put the arm in its rest while adjusting, locked.. Then measure again.

Good luck!
/Mike



PS Edit:
Ortofon actually recommends 1.25-1.75gr for the OM20, which means your spot on.



Hi

Nice one thank you the sound is more refined and detailed. Vocals and bass drum kick. I'm making the best out of what i have.
:)

[shane]

Be careful if you're using these things for moving coil cartridges. If you place the stylus directly on the scales, the magnet in the cartridge will be attracted to any magnetic material such as screws under the weighing pan, which itself usually stainless. This will cause the reading to be high. I use mine by removing the turntable platter, then placing a plastic bottle top on the pan on which to rest the stylus (having zeroed the scales first, of course!). This gives a reading about 0.5g less than placing my DL304 directly on the scales.

[dantheman91]

Ive only got an MM so should be fine. sounds a lot better then it did.