Garrard 301 restoration project

[jaym481]

My 401 is plugged into a PS audio P600 set to 220V.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Martin Bastin - bosh, done.

Yeah, and? The bearing or the PSU. I can't see the point in ordering a PSU when my P10 does the same job as a Martin Bastin PSU

My 401 is plugged into a PS audio P600 set to 220V.

And???? What happened to it? Did it improve? Are you happy with it in your P600 compared to normal wall socket?

[The Black Adder]

Oh I see..

ok... then try the P10 for sure.

[surayne]

A couple of other PSU options are the DIY Lenco controller (have a look for Nigel's Speed Controller on Lenco Heaven) and the Eagle PSU from Phoenix Engineering in the US.

[Wakefield Turntables]

A couple of other PSU options are the DIY Lenco controller (have a look for Nigel's Speed Controller on Lenco Heaven) and the Eagle PSU from Phoenix Engineering in the US.

I think your missing the point! The P10 means I dont need to worry about an external PSU thus saving me money!

[jaym481]

Yeah, and? The bearing or the PSU. I can't see the point in ordering a PSU when my P10 does the same job as a Martin Bastin PSU



And???? What happened to it? Did it improve? Are you happy with it in your P600 compared to normal wall socket?

Can't say I registered a significant sonic improvement, but the motor runs a bit cooler (my wall mains chuck 250V at my gear on a regular basis), and yes, I'm happy with it.

[jaym481]

I should add that the PS audio supplies aren't as flexible as the Loricraft, which allows speed adjustments at the PS, rather than on the deck, if I'm not mistaken. The Lenco DIY one on Lenco Heaven does the same thing, and a few on there use one with Garrards. Both allow for the removal of the eddy current brake, which some report is an improvement. I don't know though, as I haven't tried it.

If what you are looking for is a one-time voltage adjustment (to taste) and a known accurate 50Hz, the PS Audio is quite enough, and saves you splashing out for something else.

[Ammonite Audio]

Yeah, and? The bearing or the PSU. I can't see the point in ordering a PSU when my P10 does the same job as a Martin Bastin PSU

Not strictly true. The P10 will feed a better waveform to the 301 motor, but Martin Bastin's PSU (like others mentioned above) will allow you to adjust the output frequency too (also the output voltage using internal trimmers, should you wish). You might wonder why that should be a Good Thing, but in practice it means you are not totally reliant on the eddy brake for speed adjustment, since the 301's motor running speed depends on supply voltage and frequency. . Martin's PSU allows you to adjust the motor speed using the frequency adjustment, and to play around with the eddy brake speed adjustment for best musical results. It is quite possible that just a touch of eddy brake gives best results, but without dropping the supply frequency (or voltage) the motor will turn too quickly. These shaded pole motors do seem to like a touch of constant linear load, which the eddy brake provides (also the grease bearing on earlier models, perhaps?).

So, my recommendation is to use a PSU like Martin's, fed from your P10.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Interesting. I think I need to play with the p10 before I buy anything new for the 301.

[Moko]

The Lenco Speed Controller does all that Martin's does... with my 401 I have removed the Eddy Brake disc completely and now run my 401 at 200V and all the fine tuning for speed is done on the Lenco Speed Controller (once its set it stays set)

Price for building the controller was approximately £150-£200 depending upon the case you intend to use. I am in no way experienced with building electronics but thanks to the designer Nigel's amazing support even I managed to complete the build successfully.

Here's the finished job



Interior shot