A 9 year old boys dream

[Oldpinkman]

Tim Bissel PM'd me about the FX3, and as I said to him, I hadn't heard it because both AK and I have been snowed under and not met. I was due down last week, but Arthur had to cancel due to an emergency trip to the vets. So - I've not heard FX3 - not even seen a production one - just prototypes and bin parts in the summer. What I was waiting to hear was AK47. Arthur has been designing arms since he was 9, and this is due to be at least one culmination of a lot of dreaming.

Tim expressed an interest - old grumpy (who has had a bit of a tough year) said I can go public. Again, I've only seen bin parts, and these drawings, but it has a "Marco feature" so I guess AOS is a good place to bare all (especially since its where Tim asked the question)

Tim - this is AK47

http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t582/oldpinkman/AK471_zpsd5e1c2bd.png (http://s1315.photobucket.com/user/oldpinkman/media/AK471_zpsd5e1c2bd.png.html)

and from the other side

http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t582/oldpinkman/AK472_zpse677775e.png (http://s1315.photobucket.com/user/oldpinkman/media/AK472_zpse677775e.png.html)

Might get to hear one in the new year. :cool:

[synsei]

re: AK47: Like it's forbear I assume it will be switchable between single shot, triple burst and full auto. It should be ideal for desert conditions also as it is resistant to jamming... hehe...

Only joshing with you Richard, keep us posted. Nice looking arm Arthur :)

[struth]

do they do it in red?:lol:

[Clive197]

Tim - this is AK47



Richard, dear boy a AK47 is a Russian made sub-machine gun. The very pretty pictures of the arm you posted bears absolutely no resemblance.:D

[Beobloke]

So, Arthur's about to design a machine gun, having just completed designing a pair of 1970s Yamaha speakers? FX3 (http://www.thevintageknob.org/yamaha-FX-3.html)

Now I'm thoroughly confused.... :scratch:

;)

[PaulStewart]

Richard, dear boy a AK47 is a Russian made sub-machine gun. The very pretty pictures of the arm you posted bears absolutely no resemblance.:D

I hate to be a pedant, but technically the AK47 is an assault rifle not a sub machine gun. Also, as the Avtomat Kalashnkova 47 is one of the most reiable and easy to set up devices of it's type, I wonder if there may be a touch of wishful thinking in the nomenclature :laugh:

[CageyH]

I know which one I would rather be on the business end of. :eek:

[Clive197]

I hate to be a pedant, but technically the AK47 is an assault rifle not a sub machine gun. Also, as the Avtomat Kalashnkova 47 is one of the most reiable and easy to set up devices of it's type, I wonder if there may be a touch of wishful thinking in the nomenclature :laugh:

I Stand corrected :doh: :spank:

[Oldpinkman]

I hate to be a pedant, but technically the AK47 is an assault rifle not a sub machine gun. Also, as the Avtomat Kalashnkova 47 is one of the most reiable and easy to set up devices of it's type, I wonder if there may be a touch of wishful thinking in the nomenclature :laugh:

Yup - I don't think it is likely to be able to claim that association. I guess with the initials the boy has, and the fact that his name is both unpronounceable and unspellable, he's been waiting a long time for that little pun. But I'm expecting it to be a bit special when I finally get to hear it, with the combination of all the Funk arm design ideas. And it is at least designed with some "easy use" features.

Has nobody spotted the Marco tease? (Or rather, more accurately, what I expect to suffer merciless ribbing from Marco about) :rolleyes:

[Oldpinkman]

do they do it in red?:lol:

Sadly, having seen Arthurs cad drawings before, I fear the finished version may be a little less colourful than these pictures led you to believe. Pity, I rather fancy that colour scheme :cool:

[Ammonite Audio]

It appears to have an integral end-of-side lift facility.

[Marco]

Has nobody spotted the Marco tease? (Or rather, more accurately, what I expect to suffer merciless ribbing from Marco about) :rolleyes:

Dunno, it it anyfink to do with VTA adjustment? :)

Marco.

[Oldpinkman]

Dunno, it it anyfink to do with VTA adjustment? :)

Marco.

Yes, its got on the fly VTA adjustment, although as I have said before ... :o

[tim_bissell]

Thanks for getting permission to post the pictures, Richard!

I thought I had got all of the jokes about being incredibly inaccurate and stamped out of steel plate out of the way already, but there were a few new ones in the thread!

I am almost certain the big cylinder is a VTA adjustment, as Arthur has always been keen on convenience - witness the PT suspension adjustment which can be done in situ rather than on a jig, and his insistence on speed control on a switch rather than fiddling with belts (note I am not knocking any other turntables, just commenting!)

It looks like a mix of ideas from the FX3 and the F6 arms, along with the VTA and no doubt a few other features -- I will have to go and earn some more money before I listen to one - it could get expensive!

I have no clue what the tease could be ... there appears to be no finger lift which would be very wobbly, but I assume the FXR-style cartridge mount has an optional finger lift with it.

cheers,

Tim

[Oldpinkman]

Thanks for getting permission to post the pictures, Richard!

I thought I had got all of the jokes about being incredibly inaccurate and stamped out of steel plate out of the way already, but there were a few new ones in the thread!

I am almost certain the big cylinder is a VTA adjustment, as Arthur has always been keen on convenience - witness the PT suspension adjustment which can be done in situ rather than on a jig, and his insistence on speed control on a switch rather than fiddling with belts (note I am not knocking any other turntables, just commenting!)

It looks like a mix of ideas from the FX3 and the F6 arms, along with the VTA and no doubt a few other features -- I will have to go and earn some more money before I listen to one - it could get expensive!

I have no clue what the tease could be ... there appears to be no finger lift which would be very wobbly, but I assume the FXR-style cartridge mount has an optional finger lift with it.

cheers,

Tim

The "headshell" arrangement is FX3 - so yes the block comes with a finger lift. The tease was the bloody VTA on the fly, which you have spotted. Marco and I disagreed about this in the context of the FX1200 (the Techie special FXR) being better than just sticking a regular FXR on a techie. Very nice - and as you point out, Arthur likes convenience features. I wouldn't buy the arm because of it, and I wouldn't not buy it if it didn't have it, but very nice I suppose. More so if you are an inveterate cartridge swapper, whereas I hope never to swap mine again, ever. Its like the electric mirrors on my car - never touched since setting them. (Actually, coming back to cartridge swapping, when I was married I had a Lexus GS300, which my wife liked to drive as often as I would let her. That had memory seat position - you could preset 3 positions on the electric seat for height, for - aft, and back angle, as well as steering wheel reach and rake. I think it knew your key - or maybe you just pressed 1,2, or 3 and it activated when you put the key in. My wife was 5' 10". Shortly after the divorce I dated a 5' italian girl (italian origin - she was English weight lift champion in her category and could lift 22 stone over her head. She played No2 for the local ladies rugby team - yes, after the divorce I went out with a hooker). Anyway, it was a bit bloody scary when I pressed the wrong button after Jacqui had set it - and got squashed between the seat and the steering wheel :o

[walpurgis]

Is it a good idea to have the fluid damper paddle and arm (I guess that's what I'm looking at) extending off at what appears to be near to 45 degrees to the horizontal/vertical axes? I'm assuming it will be damping in both planes.

[CageyH]

If it's the bit sticking out from the arm tube, it looks like part of the lift mechanism to me.

[Oldpinkman]

Is it a good idea to have the fluid damper paddle and arm (I guess that's what I'm looking at) extending off at what appears to be near to 45 degrees to the horizontal/vertical axes? I'm assuming it will be damping in both planes.
It is a fluid damper. I believe the trough is curved with the arm pillar so the paddle is in line with the stylus tip and pivot point throughout the arms travel.

[Oldpinkman]

If it's the bit sticking out from the arm tube, it looks like part of the lift mechanism to me.

There is an end of side autolift. The other feature is on the fly azimuth adjustment. It is his "statement" arm, and so has the full monty :)

[walpurgis]

It is a fluid damper. I believe the trough is curved with the arm pillar so the paddle is in line with the stylus tip and pivot point throughout the arms travel.

I appreciate the damper paddle will follow the horizontal and vertical arcs of arm movement, but I'm just wondering if the damper at that angle would produce an angular resistance through the bearings (or not).

[Oldpinkman]

I appreciate the damper paddle will follow the horizontal and vertical arcs of arm movement, but I'm just wondering if the damper at that angle would produce an angular resistance through the bearings (or not).

Sorry, I was on my Galaxy note. I haven't seen a physical arm yet, but I assume that is vertical, and its just an optical illusion of the CAD drawing (it looks pretty vertical on my drawing actually). I should be down to sunny Newhaven after Christmas and I'll try to get a pukka photo. And a listen. The boy has been listening himself and is revoltingly smug. Although I think it is probably a subtle refinement of FX3, and lots of "ease of use" features, rather than a "night and day" difference in sound quality. It will be interesting.

[Ammonite Audio]

Speaking as someone presently dabbling in tonearm design, this new arm reeks of common sense and intuition! Hats off to Arthur for combining clever design with useable ergonomics and handling features.

[Thebiglebowski]

So, Arthur's about to design a machine gun, having just completed designing a pair of 1970s Yamaha speakers? FX3 (http://www.thevintageknob.org/yamaha-FX-3.html)

Now I'm thoroughly confused.... :scratch:

;)

You're confused, I was about to phone operation yew tree when I saw an old man starting a thread about 9 year old boys :)

[PaulStewart]

You're confused, I was about to phone operation yew tree when I saw an old man starting a thread about 9 year old boys :)

Wow Chris, is that what god gave you instead of a sense of humor? Banter is one thing, but "Jokes" like that are bang out of order.

[karma67]

I Stand corrected :doh: :spank:

said the man wearing orthopedic shoes!