Presto k8 /cnc motorized harm.

[C-Pilote]

Hi Guys!

I started in this crazy adventure last April
2023.. and I received lot’s g good tip by Mike,
Konstantin,and others..
The thing i found it’s to let it go sometimes hahaha and takes some notes coming back to the old notes and read a lot by others experiences on this forum.
I started with a Presto k8 that I fully modified with the help of a friend ,Eli who got a 3D printer
And experiences in building CNC projects.
I have 2 cutting heads.One Audax and a TKV
Design and produced by Konstantin that I bought from Mike.I bought the motor for the
Platter from Jed,in Germany.
Right now I’m waiting for my new vacuum so
I putted the stéréo TKV on the sides
T’il i got the proper set up to restart cutting.
So I went back to embossing with the sapphire
Cones by Mike with my Audax.
I get good results in the past couple days
I’m still get some friction sound and hiss
But what I got right now is better than my last
Summer headaches lol.
I’m using the polycarbonate disc that I cutted
At work for set up and test and when I got
A good settings I use the ones I order from
Mike.
Here some pic below of my project.
I will post photos with the TKV soon my vacuum will be ready!

[pennstate913]

can you share a bit more about how you built the linear rail and the cutting head arm? Do you have the stl files?

[C-Pilote]

Hi sorry for the late reply,
Yea I can post new photos soon.

For the set up , I started from a old Presto
K8 , i changed the platter so with the help of a
Machine shop they build me a aluminium base
To receive the new platter.So in the photos
You will see that I embossing with an Audax
Cutter head with a Sapphire from Mike at lathe
Cut parts.It’s all hooked on a rail track with
The balance weight hooked on a small motor.
(Y) and the whole tone arm hooked on another
Rail track (X) all connected to a little computer.(some parts of the frame got 3D print by a friend who got one.
So I have to program my cnc gcode with my audio master first before cutting or embossing
Cause I can do both.For cutting I’m using the
TKV from Konstantin Tokarev,and with he’s
Help I finally found how using it correctly!!
Lol!
I have a vacuum hooked too on the stable base of the tone arm.
I had to make a lot of mathematics hahaha
To be able to transform the time of a song in millimeters to program gcodes in a SD CARD via after in my cnc computer,but it actually
Works really good!!! Now!
I can cut loud now and almost without noise
Friction…
I cutted at 4 mA (heating system ) and installed a 1 horse power
Vacuum with a tank and it works so well.
After many test of programming a finally
Found the sweet programming to make my
Diamond sit really slow and soft on the
Start and I program the cut in /cut out
I also can program the little hook (space (
Between songs.
It took 10month of headaches but now I can
Say that it’s anough good ! so I don’t give up
And pushing the fine tuning a bit further and
Of coarse making new experiments.
I forgot to say that when I’m embossing
With the Audax my audio goes in the original
Presto k8 tube preamp (all refurbished).
And the TKV in a PYRAMID stereo amp (8ohms/800Watt)
With 2 big VU METERS so see how loud my signal is.

Any questions, feel free to ask
And sorry if my English can be weird sometimes
I’m a French Qc,Canadian lol

[C-Pilote]

Here’s some new pic

[C-Pilote]

The swarf collected in the vacuum tank.

[farmersplow]

Wow! Great progress - congratulations. The ten months of math and brain smoking have paid off. Now you have a great result.
Greetings from Austria
Thomas

[C-Pilote]

Hi Thomas
I watched some other post from you about
Your cutting machine project!
Hahaha! mine is a soap box beside yours!!
Amazing machining!!

I’m exited to see a video later of your cutting
Recorder performed!
Nice job! Mate!

Cheers
Chany

[farmersplow]

Hello Chany,

I'm replying to your post here about PetG and VCA. Your cutting head looks good and the way I see it, your cutting pin is sticking out way too far from the torsion tube. if you mount the pin further in, you would have a much lower VCA (25°). However, I see the problem with the suction tube, which can no longer squeeze between the sound plate and the cutting head. You would then have to make it flatter. Accordingly, you would then also have to lower the height of the head (no longer tilt it) to adjust the VCA. The rake angle and the VCA are permanently connected by the mechanical construction of the torsion tube and its bore angle for the cutting stylus.

[C-Pilote]

Here’s a punk rock test cut and playback (video)

[C-Pilote]

2nd play back

[C-Pilote]

2nd

[farmersplow]

Here’s a punk rock test cut and playback (video)

Your lathe looks great. The lighting reminds me of a mixture of steam punk, flux compensator and a ventilator from a heart operation. All in all, a fantastic journey back to the future.

[farmersplow]

2nd

I also really like your studio equipment! I would love to have a studio like that

[zdenek]

Your head works very high and you can hear a very large current surge to the head, the recording is real and true, I will not ask you about the transducers in the head, because it is probably the manufacturer's trade secret, but the recording is real, I think so, thanks C-Pilote

[C-Pilote]

Firs Lp cut on polycarbonates found in the recycling bin at work.
The problem is that is heavy like twice180 grams Lp ´s almost 1/8. .5/16..
Stick together
I cutted few ones (square) on the bench saw
And after I made a jig and cut it at 12 inch
Circle and polish the edges.. that’s a lot of work but to practice it makes the job.
And it sound good but it gets more low frequencies because of the thickness..
Probably.

[C-Pilote]

The programming

[C-Pilote]

Space between songs.

[C-Pilote]

Space between songs.

[C-Pilote]

After cutting,zero return switch.

[zdenek]

thanks, I was happy when I listened to your recording of the vinyl record and it confirmed my theory about mechanical recording machines, the recording is certainly real! I saw the work on Instagram by Konstantin Tokarev, he probably works on CNC machines in some company, he recently presented several prototypes of works his cutting heads and his recording machines, his works are great. I see a strong Presto platter here, the structure seems to be stiff and stable enough. I think that when using Transco Apollo varnish as a disc carrier, or original DMM [electrocoated] copper plates copper, stainless steel sheets and a properly ground diamond knife] the recording results would be fantastic! I am currently working with engineers producing CNC machines for metal etc. and they are my main mentor regarding my gramophone recorder and it is not an easy matter to obtain a good sound response and high frequency range above 10kHz, I know that in order to obtain these frequencies there must be a HIGH CURRENT IMPACT INTO THE HEAD in a short time, although the average power delivered is in the range of several watts.
Strong job!
Thanks C-Pilote!