Hello, I'm wondering if somebody may be able to help me with the counterweight on my Vinylrecorder.
I am using a micrometer scale to measure the weight of my Vinylrecorder cutter head (about 17grams) but I am wondering what the best method is to weigh the counterweight in the back. I am reading that this should be at around 45-48grams.
The method I use to weigh the cutterhead is by easing the stylus down on a blank and pulling up on the cutter head with the micrometer until there is slight upward movement (lifts up off the blank.)
Does anybody know the best method to weigh the counter weight?
Re: Adjusting the counterweight on Souri's Vinylrecorder
I hope it's OK to bump this since I have a similar question and can't find a definitive answer despite multiple searches.
I was told that you have to adjust the counterweight first, and that it should be around 40-45, and then after that you adjust the dashpot (usually starting 12-15).
I understand that you have to measure with stylus in cutting position and take the measurement as soon as the style begins to lift up.
My main question is, do you not have to somehow zero the dashpot first in order to accurately calibrate the counterweight?
I apologize for this newb question, really feel like I'm missing an important step here. I'm using a spring scale for measuring.
I was told that you have to adjust the counterweight first, and that it should be around 40-45, and then after that you adjust the dashpot (usually starting 12-15).
I understand that you have to measure with stylus in cutting position and take the measurement as soon as the style begins to lift up.
My main question is, do you not have to somehow zero the dashpot first in order to accurately calibrate the counterweight?
I apologize for this newb question, really feel like I'm missing an important step here. I'm using a spring scale for measuring.
Re: Adjusting the counterweight on Souri's Vinylrecorder
Sorry to bump this thread again and I really apologize for this probably pretty basic question, but I unfortunately did not undergo Souri's training and as we all know he won't offer support to those who didn't buy directly from him. If there's anyone out there who could help me just to get this basic setup issue down, I would be really grateful. Perhaps my original question was not clear, so I'll try to clarify:
I'm going by what I've been told by someone else, which is that you calibrate both counterweight and stylus pressure (in that order), taking measurement from the same location (cutterhead while in cutting position).
BUT, how would I go about calibrating the counterweight when it is already being affected by the dash pot. If the dash pot is already set to some random weight, how do I measure the counterweight and in turn the stylus pressure accurately? Thus my question above about how to "zero" the dashpot or at least have some neutral setting from which to start.
Though I've been reading this board for about half a year now, I'm completely new to cutting and I realize that I may be thinking about this completely the wrong way. If so, could someone help clue me in? How are people doing this? PMs welcome, as well.
I really appreciate any guidance and advice anyone can offer. Thanks in advance.
I'm going by what I've been told by someone else, which is that you calibrate both counterweight and stylus pressure (in that order), taking measurement from the same location (cutterhead while in cutting position).
BUT, how would I go about calibrating the counterweight when it is already being affected by the dash pot. If the dash pot is already set to some random weight, how do I measure the counterweight and in turn the stylus pressure accurately? Thus my question above about how to "zero" the dashpot or at least have some neutral setting from which to start.
Though I've been reading this board for about half a year now, I'm completely new to cutting and I realize that I may be thinking about this completely the wrong way. If so, could someone help clue me in? How are people doing this? PMs welcome, as well.
I really appreciate any guidance and advice anyone can offer. Thanks in advance.
Re: Adjusting the counterweight on Souri's Vinylrecorder
Hi,
With the cutter head up, back off the thumbscrew on the dashpot until it is having no effect on the lowered cutterhead. You then adjust the counterweight by moving it along the threaded rod until you have the desired weight. Then, adjust the thumbscrew again so the dashpot is active and you have your cutting weight. Be sure that the plunger on the dp is not bottoming out.
Hope this helps.
With the cutter head up, back off the thumbscrew on the dashpot until it is having no effect on the lowered cutterhead. You then adjust the counterweight by moving it along the threaded rod until you have the desired weight. Then, adjust the thumbscrew again so the dashpot is active and you have your cutting weight. Be sure that the plunger on the dp is not bottoming out.
Hope this helps.
Re: Adjusting the counterweight on Souri's Vinylrecorder
Thanks so much for your reply, Handcut. This is really a great help and I'm super grateful!
Just a couple of things - when you say to back off the dashpot until it has no effect on the lowered cutterhead, you mean that the stylus should float just above the blank disc when lowered, correct? Is rolling it all the way up overkill?
Also, my turntable is an SP-10, so the height is noticeably more than the 1200. As a result, the cutterhead is also set up pretty high and so I have to bring the counterweight pretty far forward to get to around 40g, as well. Which, of course also affects the dashpot. I don't think it's bottoming out as you say, but spring in this setting (in cutting position at around 15g) looks a little high to me. Hope this photo turns out alright...
I read on another thread that as long as the "disc" inside the oil is still submerged and not touching the top or bottom, it's OK, but still... does this look decent? Cut sound is not so bad but there are some noises I'm working to clear up.
Again, I really appreciate any advice/suggestions. And thanks for taking the time to read this.
Just a couple of things - when you say to back off the dashpot until it has no effect on the lowered cutterhead, you mean that the stylus should float just above the blank disc when lowered, correct? Is rolling it all the way up overkill?
Also, my turntable is an SP-10, so the height is noticeably more than the 1200. As a result, the cutterhead is also set up pretty high and so I have to bring the counterweight pretty far forward to get to around 40g, as well. Which, of course also affects the dashpot. I don't think it's bottoming out as you say, but spring in this setting (in cutting position at around 15g) looks a little high to me. Hope this photo turns out alright...
I read on another thread that as long as the "disc" inside the oil is still submerged and not touching the top or bottom, it's OK, but still... does this look decent? Cut sound is not so bad but there are some noises I'm working to clear up.
Again, I really appreciate any advice/suggestions. And thanks for taking the time to read this.
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Re: Adjusting the counterweight on Souri's Vinylrecorder
Hi,
Its difficult to tell from that photo, but with the spring stretched out that far, it looks like the DP plunger will be pressing up aginst the side of the oil well. You don't want that. Also, the head definitely shouldn't be floating; rolling the thumbscrew all the way up is definitely overkill. How do you know you're getting 40g if the stylus isn't touching the blank? It sounds like there's something else wrong with your set-up, but its difficult to ascertain what without seeing it. Could you post some more photos and talk through what you are doing, from the beginning?
Its difficult to tell from that photo, but with the spring stretched out that far, it looks like the DP plunger will be pressing up aginst the side of the oil well. You don't want that. Also, the head definitely shouldn't be floating; rolling the thumbscrew all the way up is definitely overkill. How do you know you're getting 40g if the stylus isn't touching the blank? It sounds like there's something else wrong with your set-up, but its difficult to ascertain what without seeing it. Could you post some more photos and talk through what you are doing, from the beginning?
Re: Adjusting the counterweight on Souri's Vinylrecorder
Thanks again for responding. And sorry for the bad pic! I'll try to explain more clearly in a separate post. Again, I really appreciate your helping me through the most basic of basics. Hopefully this will also help other people out there in the same situation.
First, I'm sorry but I had one silly question regarding your original reply above - at what point do I know the dashpot is having no effect on the cutterhead after rolling it back? You say the cutterhead should not float, so I guess I'm looking for the point at which the stylus should only just rest on the blank (and weight should read at 0)?
Also, at that point after I bring the counterweight up to 40g, I'll have to further roll back the dashpot until it reads 15g. So in effect I'm rolling back the dashpot twice, once to make it zero and then once again to reduce the 40g of weight I've added to 15g, correct?
First, I'm sorry but I had one silly question regarding your original reply above - at what point do I know the dashpot is having no effect on the cutterhead after rolling it back? You say the cutterhead should not float, so I guess I'm looking for the point at which the stylus should only just rest on the blank (and weight should read at 0)?
Also, at that point after I bring the counterweight up to 40g, I'll have to further roll back the dashpot until it reads 15g. So in effect I'm rolling back the dashpot twice, once to make it zero and then once again to reduce the 40g of weight I've added to 15g, correct?
Re: Adjusting the counterweight on Souri's Vinylrecorder
This is the procedure I'm using:
1. Setup cutterhead parallel with blank. At this point I'm not paying attention to weight or stylus pressure - should I? They were just set the same as I was using previously. Do the counterweight and dashpot need to be at some kind of starting position while adjusting the cutterhead height/stylus angle?
2. Align overhead/stylus with turntable using square and blank disc with line scored into it
3. Adjust weights - this is where I get pretty confused.
I tried setting up one more time from scratch. This time, I started by rolling the counterweight almost all the way back (lightest setting) and dashpot almost all the way down (heaviest setting) in an attempt to get the dashpot spring into a lower, more normal-looking position.
At this point with cutterhead lowered, the stylus was floating above the blank, so I rolled the counterweight forward until the stylus just touched the blank. I slowly continued alternately rolling the counterweight forward and the dashpot back, checking the weight until I got to around 40g. Then I continued rolling only the dashpot back until it weighed in at 15g.
The DP spring is not stretched as far as before but as you can see in the photo, the plunger sits a little low in the oil well (not touching the bottom though, it's about 3 mm above) and I'm still not confident I've set this up correctly.
1. Setup cutterhead parallel with blank. At this point I'm not paying attention to weight or stylus pressure - should I? They were just set the same as I was using previously. Do the counterweight and dashpot need to be at some kind of starting position while adjusting the cutterhead height/stylus angle?
2. Align overhead/stylus with turntable using square and blank disc with line scored into it
3. Adjust weights - this is where I get pretty confused.
I tried setting up one more time from scratch. This time, I started by rolling the counterweight almost all the way back (lightest setting) and dashpot almost all the way down (heaviest setting) in an attempt to get the dashpot spring into a lower, more normal-looking position.
At this point with cutterhead lowered, the stylus was floating above the blank, so I rolled the counterweight forward until the stylus just touched the blank. I slowly continued alternately rolling the counterweight forward and the dashpot back, checking the weight until I got to around 40g. Then I continued rolling only the dashpot back until it weighed in at 15g.
The DP spring is not stretched as far as before but as you can see in the photo, the plunger sits a little low in the oil well (not touching the bottom though, it's about 3 mm above) and I'm still not confident I've set this up correctly.
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Re: Adjusting the counterweight on Souri's Vinylrecorder
One more photo showing thumbscrew, with cutterhead lowered. Not sure why these are showing up sideways...
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Re: Adjusting the counterweight on Souri's Vinylrecorder
OK, I think this is where you are going wrong. The 45g counterweight setting should be achieved using the counterweight only. With the head UP, loosen off the locking wingnut on the dashpot, followed by the black thumbscrew, by turning them anticlockwise until the black screw does not touch the steel pivoting block when the head is lowered. Gently lower the head. Check the weight. Raise the head and adjust the counterweight. Lower the head & check again. Repeat until you have 45g with head lowered. Then repeat the process of lower, check, raise, adjust... using the black thumbwheel, until you have the desired weight. Do not touch the counterweight at this stage and vice-versa when adjusting the counterweight, do not touch the dashpot. If you make any adjustments to the head angle/height, you should repeat the process.headspace wrote: I slowly continued alternately rolling the counterweight forward and the dashpot back, checking the weight until I got to around 40g.
Hope this helps.
Re: Adjusting the counterweight on Souri's Vinylrecorder
Thank you so much for your help! I haven't yet tried this out since I'm away from the machine for a while, but I'll do it first chance I get. Again, really appreciate your taking the time.