Gakken Toy Record Maker: Ovservations and Questions

[deepwhite]

Try White Lithium Grease on the cutting arm track and reduction gears.

Hi there, I'm not a native English speaker, and I'm not sure I know the parts. I think the "cutting arm track" is the black slider the holds the cutting arm? As for the "reduction gears", is it the little white one that slowly moves the whole cutting arm track?

[CutR]

Try White Lithium Grease on the cutting arm track and reduction gears.

I think the "cutting arm track" is the black slider the holds the cutting arm?

That's correct put some on the track teeth.

As for the "reduction gears", is it the little white one that slowly moves the whole cutting arm track?

Yes, apply some on the teeth also, as an optional step you may want to apply some on the gearing underneath.

[LennonG]

Hi there,

I recently got the Gakken kit, and I've built it and made a test record. One side cut at 33rpm with audio straight from a YouTube video, other side cut at 45rpm with my own audio mastered via the teenage engineering website thingy. From the two recordings I've cut, there has been loud surface audio which is expected for a default cut. The 45rpm side was quite quiet, but the 33rpm side was louder. Maybe it was the teenage engineering audio master thing that did that. I've read/seen the following hacks for the Gakken which I am yet to try but will be trying:
+ Tying a little piece of string around the plastic near the needle (https://youtu.be/tGFO1ZlSHJs)
+ Rubbing the Gakken blanks in lighter fluid to soften the plastic before cutting (same video as above)
+ Make sure the Gakken is on a good surface to reduce any vibration whatsoever
+ Adjust the little thingy on the cutting arm to around 0.9cm
+ Use Blanq record blanks, but that's not really an option as their shipping to the UK makes them expensive
if anyone else has any other basic hacks, please let me know.

I would like to know how everyone masters their audio? What program/software they use? I've seen a lot of people mention 'Audacity' so I'd like to know the process via Audacity as I am familiar with it. I've also seen a lot of mention of EQ and RIAA curve. I am not an audio expert, so I have very little knowledge of what these mean, but if someone could roughly explain their audio mastering via audacity I'm sure I'll figure it out.

I'm just trying to make a record that is listenable with little surface noise. Nothing perfect of course.

Oh and if anyone knows where I can get cheap record blanks from in the UK, please tell me where.

Thanks

[CutR]

Someone modded the gakken to cut 7"

[timmy1]

I found another source for replacement playback cartridges but not sure how to get the original out of the arm.
https://a.co/d/cwBeWct

[timmy1]

I bought one of those cartridges and I used one of the needles in the package and it fit the gakken so it is working again. The needle piece just snaps on the existing cartridge.

[timmy1]

I am not sure how the screw on the cutting arm is supposed to work to adjust the weight.

[timmy1]

I figured out what the screw does. In the gakken kit there is a washer and I was wondering where that goes thanks.

[Skwoz821]

Please Help!

I just got the Gakken, everything worked amazingly!
The records I cut were literally perfect, first try.

I plugged it into my HiFi and then it started to play nothing, only the hit of the beat would be audible (and distorted).
The listening speaker smells like magic smoke, any ideas on what the problem might be?
When I try to play from the cutting head, it "sucks" in and stays there.
Almost like the amp is getting shorted.
R12 on the board is unpopulated, does that match your guy's boards?

Is there no hope, buy another and hope it's not defective?
I'm really disapointed, I was having a blast when it was working. );

[timmy1]

You can't play records from the cutting head just with the tone arm. The cutting head is only for recording.

[Skwoz821]

You are mistaken, I’m using it normally.
It is effecting ALL audio a the machine.

[Skwoz821]

You are mistaken, I’m using it normally.
I’m playing back with the play head.
It is effecting ALL audio on the machine.

[timmy1]

probably a bad circuit board then.

[kugelblitz]

You are mistaken, I’m using it normally.
It is effecting ALL audio a the machine.

So first it worked and then it stopped working?
What did you manage to do when it worked?
If i understand your story correctly you cut a record and played it back over the internal amp, then you tied plugging the output into a amp and now you only hear faint sounds?
possibly the mini jack socket came loose on the board, or if like you say the speaker smells like smoke, that's pretty easy to replace. Dunno why that would fry though... In that case the phone out should still work fine too..

Or are you trying to plug an amp into the input jack?

[Skwoz821]

I later learned the onboard amp fried itself as I was connecting it to external speakers.
I just hooked the cutting head up to an external EuroPower EP2000. 2000 Watts bridged at 4 ohm!

I also modded it to cut 7 inches, I just adapted the existing parts!
So now I can use an actual turntable to listen to the records I make.

Gonna print those STL files and upgrade the head to the Dayton and stylus to a sapphire embosser!

I'm sorry to have wasted your guy's time.
Long time lurker, first time poster!

[timmy1]

It is always interesting how people modify the units.

[CutR]

I also modded it to cut 7 inches, I just adapted the existing parts!
So now I can use an actual turntable to listen to the records I make.

Do you have any images of how you did that. can't quite work it out from that guys vid i posted.

[toastypoopdog]

Has anyone tried printing blanks with PETG on their printer? Any good results?

[Skwoz821]

I'll post a video an in depth video tomorrow!
I did it much differently than that guy.

For the video you posted, that way is bad, because the cutterhead is not inline with the spindle!
That makes all sorts of fidelity problems.
Mine is inline, it requires spare plastic to reinforce a side, a soldering iron to melt away plastic, and superglue!

[CutR]

I'll post a video an in depth video tomorrow!
I did it much differently than that guy.

That would be great if you could.

For the video you posted, that way is bad, because the cutterhead is not inline with the spindle!
That makes all sorts of fidelity problems.
Mine is inline, it requires spare plastic to reinforce a side, a soldering iron to melt away plastic, and superglue!

Yes i noticed that too, but if your one lines up nicely i can't wait to see how you did it.

I also tried my own mod to fit a 7" that i got 3D printed. What i did was design a new mount for the cutting head which lifts the cutting head up on a C shape type mount, it successfully accommodates a 7" but i have 2 problems i overlooked.

1. The 7" covers the white button to engage the reduction gearing.
2. Now the cutting head is lifted up when i drop it onto the turntable it's not flat and level.

What i then dd was to raise the blank on the turntable to get the head to drop flat, but i had to raise it so much that the clamp would no longer fit. At this point i called it a day on this mod to have a rethink. But anyhow can't wait to see your approach.