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Post by Paul Barker on Aug 10, 2014 9:28:26 GMT
People with have a lot to say about my choice of Garrard 301 main bearing lubricant! I am a Gas Fitter.  |
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Post by Paul Barker on Aug 10, 2014 9:35:21 GMT
My support systems are eclectic to say the least. May aswell try a little cork, a few cones some slate and some wood oh and some rubber. Oddly enough it works very well. The actual purpose of the soft wood joist material rough cut with a saw is to stand the Garrard main bearing high enough off the stone slab. Slate would do a better job quite likely, but this does the job in a hurry and it can stay as long as it likes as it sound pretty damn fine. the stone slab weighs a lot. It broke the largest metatarcel in my left foot when I dropped it and it squashed the foot underneath it, so the soft tussue damage is worse than the broken bone and a long way from right. I still limp and suffer, my job is very difficult because of climbin in and out of lofts up and down stairs and ladders crawling across joists and slithering under floors carrying heavy tools and equipment and then working on things when I get there. my right knee is now hurting a lot due to the extra load on it. But I am back at work at least.    |
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Post by Paul Barker on Aug 10, 2014 9:37:16 GMT
the uggliest speakers in Scarborough. just bearable to listen to.  Would prefer Edgar Horn Tightans and his large sub. Not in this lifetime. |
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Post by Paul Barker on Aug 10, 2014 9:45:36 GMT
the greatest improvement to the support system on the Garrard was the rubber. the rubber required the wood to work right quickly.
The process is, take the surplus rubber when a new washing machine arrives. Screw it to the wood with a long thinck woodscrew leaving sufficent of rubber to spring but not sufficient to topple over. Adjust on test (hereafter known in my posts as A.O.T.).
MAde a dramatic difference to the isolation of the vinyl from the harmfull unwanted room coupling.
I would think pneumatic or magnetic stand systems would improve on this. But this I can afford.
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Post by Paul Barker on Aug 10, 2014 9:51:17 GMT
The quick easy and cheap way to isolate a loudspeaker is to stand it on billiard balls.  |
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Post by Paul Barker on Aug 10, 2014 9:52:18 GMT
Why do OEM's stand everything on four legs?
Idiots the plot of them.
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Post by Paul Barker on Aug 10, 2014 9:59:32 GMT
My answer to that evil acutriment to membership of the EU. electrical "harmonisation".  What in actual fact "harmonisation" with european electrical standards means is, nothing in the UK has changed except the tolerances. That is to say the generators and distributors are allowed to continue as they always have, and we meat the tolerances from the EU standards now required of them. the downside is anything with a transformer or a motor in it, in the UK is saturating. This is both inefficient and sounds horrible. So I drop my voltage where it matters to me, to 220v. My problem is compounded by my personal use of Solar PV whih means mu usually consisten 245v is raised by a further 5v to 250v when I am generating electricity. My vintage Sugden amplifier breathed a long sigh of relief when I dropped voltage to 220v. Speaking personally I think thte solution is for OEM's to recognise we are not at 230v and also remember that we are at 50hz unlike the USA, and to wind their transformers with considerably more turns per volt. But they all seem to blindly ignore reality. |
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Post by Paul Barker on Aug 11, 2014 19:49:30 GMT
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Post by Paul Barker on Aug 11, 2014 19:59:30 GMT
This is a very nice sounding OB I made with a fiend trying to do a dump near it. 
The pair of these are sitting at the lockup assembled. Just waiting to get another outing. Proper OB is just too big for a family environment. Such a shame as it is such an easy solution.  |
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Post by Paul Barker on Aug 11, 2014 20:06:19 GMT
This is me  |
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Post by Paul Barker on Aug 11, 2014 20:20:11 GMT
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Post by Paul Barker on Aug 11, 2014 20:23:17 GMT
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Post by Dave on Aug 11, 2014 20:26:52 GMT
Henry looks happy, he can invite his friends round now his home is spic & span...  |
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Post by Paul Barker on Aug 11, 2014 20:33:24 GMT
Henry is happy because he is poor. He's actually a happy fool because he is abused. Noone was more surprised than me he passed yet another pat test the other week. One of these days he will fail and I'll have to replace him. He is most of the time full of soot.
If I used a Dyson it would be dead in the first week. Henry sucks better too.
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Post by Dave on Aug 11, 2014 20:34:52 GMT
Our local tip has a dead Dyson reservation large enough to warrant its own borough council  |
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Post by Paul Barker on Aug 11, 2014 20:45:28 GMT
they are ok as domestic toys in show homes but no use to a working man.
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Post by Paul Barker on Aug 11, 2014 20:49:20 GMT
These are a few nice valves.  My first 212 amplifier. Sounded quite nice. Was all downhill for many years after that. Took me a long time to trace where I went wrong. Finally one day listening in the dark I saw a spark from inside a potted choke. Turned out a choke input choke was internally shorting and sending out RF which destroyed loads of test equipment and made mpst things I built sound louze and I just couldn't work out why.  this was probably around 2003 |
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Post by Paul Barker on Aug 11, 2014 21:02:28 GMT
Soon after a few of us got together at Eggborough power station and I built a 212 amplifier in front of them. Those are my Ariel speakers which I never got along with. Might have been something wrong somewhere but I never gave them much chance. Preferred the OB's I built soon after.    The following picture is my first resistorles capacitorless valve shunt regulated power supply. It powered a PX25 amplifier.  The px25 amplifier here shown to the right of the 212 output stage I used to drive the 212 output stage.  |
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Post by MartinT on Aug 11, 2014 21:16:27 GMT
A gas man who works with two different kinds of valve. Fab!
Thanks for sharing those photos, Paul.
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Post by gazjam on Aug 11, 2014 22:50:57 GMT
I recognise that carpet.... Toppsy's used to handling large wood, my Edingdales are huge! Wouldn't have my turntable if it wasn't for "touching cloth" Mike H...top banana.  This is a very nice sounding OB I made with a fiend trying to do a dump near it.
The pair of these are sitting at the lockup assembled. Just waiting to get another outing. Proper OB is just too big for a family environment. Such a shame as it is such an easy solution. |
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