Stylus Tracking Force Gauge

[Marco]

...or to use the popular bent credit card method where the main area of the card sits on the scales with a section of card overhanging the plate to the side onto which you rest the stylus.

Yup, that's what I do - it's undoubtedly the best way

Marco.

[Clive]

Here's what I lashed up, 2 pieces of plastic card, double sided tape and its setup to weigh at record height.

[DaveK]

Clive,
If I surmise correctly how your device works I have the following question.
A long, long time ago I studied at a very basic level the subject of Mechanical Engineering and I seem to recall the force magnifying and reducing effects of levers. Is there any danger with your set up that applying the force in one place and measuring it somewhere else could be influenced by this lever effect?
Are there any proper Mechanical Engineers amongst us that could comment authoratively?
Cheers,

[Clive]

Dave,

A 1p should weigh 3.56g, a 2p 7.12g.

My scales over a few samples come in at 3.54g and 7.10g respectively so maybe it shows 0.02 light.

I have a 50g calibration weight that does read 50.00g but also varies between 49.99 and 50.02 due to it bending the plastic.

Theory's all well and good but there's nowt like a practical test!

Clive

[DaveK]

Dave,

A 1p should weigh 3.56g, a 2p 7.12g.

My scales over a few samples come in at 3.54g and 7.10g respectively so maybe it shows 0.02 light.

I have a 50g calibration weight that does read 50.00g but also varies between 49.99 and 50.02 due to it bending the plastic.

Theory's all well and good but there's nowt like a practical test!

Clive

Hi Clive,
Well that puts that to bed nicely then - theories are a fine 'seed' for practice, full stop.
Cheers,

[REM]

I was going to post earlier about using a 2p coin as a callibration weight, a new one should be exactly one quarter of an ounce, but decided against it as admitting such knowledge may lead to embarrasing questions

[Alex_UK]

Well thanks all for adding your 3.56g worth!

That is very useful though, for calibrating, cheers.

[DSJR]

On US ebay a few days ago, there was the old AR stylus pressure gauge for the old XA turntable and arm. brilliant it was - plastic moulded scale with accurate and consistant weights and accurate to 1.4 gramme as I don't remember an 1/8 gramme weight. Good enough for most cartridges out there..

They'll probably charge a small fortune for it, but the little Ortofon balance is very accurate too. I mean, if Naim use it for the ARO then it must be good

[blake]

For between $50-$70, the Canrong scale (marketed by Origin Live, Acoustech, etc. at much higher prices) is a bargain IMO.

It is definitely non-magnetic, deadly accurate to within .007 gram (as confirmed by my wife who is a research technician and tested it against some very sophisticated lab scales for me) and has a weigh platform that very closely approximates the height of an LP (it is just a touch higher so best to set tracking force approximately .020-.040 higher when you set tracking weight using the scale) and can be easily used right on the platter without doing credit card tricks etc to approximate the height of an LP on the platter itself (which is critically important).

The stock batteries which came with mine were garbage, but replacement batteries lasted well into the 2 year range before crapping out.

[Cotlake]

They'll probably charge a small fortune for it, but the little Ortofon balance is very accurate too. I mean, if Naim use it for the ARO then it must be good

That is probably the most naive and in consequence ignorant statement I've read from a dealer in a long time. Why do you think that if Naim rate it it is good? Get real!