Lamenting about pitch fader problems...grounding issues i think
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Lamenting about pitch fader problems...grounding issues i think Posted on: 15.01.2013 by Leota Dolney So, I have a pair of [mismatched] turntables (Stanton STR-30 and STR-60) that I got to mess around with. They are both direct-drive and have seen some use. The STR-30 is ok...nothing to write home about. The STR-60 needed some work. The power cable receptacle was loose so the table would randomly lose power if you wiggled the cable. No problem...opened it up, re-soldered it and now that works fine and is sturdy.Playing around with DVS (traktor Scratch) I notices that the pitch changes were way off. At "zero" it was ok. But nudging the pitch fader down (speed up) just a little (like 1mm) caused it to jump 5-6 bpm! Then I noticed that moving pitch fader up (slowing it down) actually caused it to speed up until it was at about the 2% indicator before slowing down to normal speed AND THEN start to slow down. Ok... decided to try to calibrate the pitch slider...grab my mini screw driver and begin adjusting it from below while the platter is turning and watching the dots and noticed something weird...while my hand was touching the screw driver and it was touching the pitch adjustment pot, the pitch fader worked precisely as it should...as soon as my hand stopped touching the screw driver, the speed was all over the place...even just the lightest touch on my hand was enough to restore the pitch fader to working correctly...but as soon as my hand left it it as messed up. Tried touching it with a pencil and a cotton swab and neither worked. only my hand worked. As much as I want to believe that I am imbued with a magical touch, I am guessing a much more banal explanation like a grounding issue or something...I just can't figure out what it is though! UGHHHHH!!!!!! | |
| Leota Dolney 17.01.2013 |
Originally Posted by HigherFi
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| Leota Dolney 16.01.2013 |
Originally Posted by HigherFi
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| Leota Dolney 15.01.2013 | So, I have a pair of [mismatched] turntables (Stanton STR-30 and STR-60) that I got to mess around with. They are both direct-drive and have seen some use. The STR-30 is ok...nothing to write home about. The STR-60 needed some work. The power cable receptacle was loose so the table would randomly lose power if you wiggled the cable. No problem...opened it up, re-soldered it and now that works fine and is sturdy. Playing around with DVS (traktor Scratch) I notices that the pitch changes were way off. At "zero" it was ok. But nudging the pitch fader down (speed up) just a little (like 1mm) caused it to jump 5-6 bpm! Then I noticed that moving pitch fader up (slowing it down) actually caused it to speed up until it was at about the 2% indicator before slowing down to normal speed AND THEN start to slow down. Ok... decided to try to calibrate the pitch slider...grab my mini screw driver and begin adjusting it from below while the platter is turning and watching the dots and noticed something weird...while my hand was touching the screw driver and it was touching the pitch adjustment pot, the pitch fader worked precisely as it should...as soon as my hand stopped touching the screw driver, the speed was all over the place...even just the lightest touch on my hand was enough to restore the pitch fader to working correctly...but as soon as my hand left it it as messed up. Tried touching it with a pencil and a cotton swab and neither worked. only my hand worked. As much as I want to believe that I am imbued with a magical touch, I am guessing a much more banal explanation like a grounding issue or something...I just can't figure out what it is though! UGHHHHH!!!!!! |
| Leota Dolney 17.01.2013 |
Originally Posted by HigherFi
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| Shan Bauerly 16.01.2013 | Well, PM me if you're interested. I have a pair of totally rebuilt 1200 M3Ds,new arms, black crinkle powder coat, that I could sell ya. Wasn't really planning on it, but if it helps you out of a jam... |
| Leota Dolney 16.01.2013 |
Originally Posted by HigherFi
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| Shan Bauerly 16.01.2013 | Why not just tie off a piece of wire from a fader attachment screw to somewhere on the tonearm? |
| Leota Dolney 15.01.2013 | Will try to see if I can get one together...as it stands, I am already doing some interesting balancing acts to both move the pitch fader and turn the adjustment screw underneath the turntable with a tiny screw driver :-) if I can get a video done that shows it well, I will post it. But I do agree that it seems a grounding issue. I will eventually upgrade to better decks, but I got these fairly cheap and thought "what the heck"...I can't afford 1200s right now...not even sure if I want to go down that route...may opt for something else as vinyl and DVS is just my "personal" hobby...I prefer controllers and CDJs...and so don't know if I can justify expensive decks...I will never play out with any turntables I own...they will be purely for home use. |
| Ira Alsadi 15.01.2013 | Sounds like a grounding issue with the symptoms you describe. Any chance of a video showing it in action? |
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