Vanrock/Atom ending mode

[grapesofwrath]

Heya everyone,

I’m looking for others who use Vanrock/Atom lathe and have successfully mastered the technique of the ending mode where lathe forms an infinite loop.

Once cut is finished, I move the blank onto my turntable to test. Where the lead out ends and lands on the infinite loop, the cartridge gets kicked off and then wanderers towards the center.

Video (watch towards the end) -
https://youtube.com/shorts/xi-aAixdWwA?si=l9qXjsy2dJi_y7cB

I have tried lifting the cutter head after 2, 3, 4 and 5 full spins before testing on a turntable. I didn’t manage to get consistent results. It worked twice (cartridge stayed permanently on the infinite loop), once after three spins and once after four spins while cutting. I re-tried after same amount of spins and it would fail.

See the photo attached - if you look closely you’ll be able to see that the infinite loop is in fact not a single groove. It appears to be still moving while it’s cutting in ending mode. Apparently, as I was told, that’s normal with that lathe.

Any insight from others who use that lathe would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[grapesofwrath]

UPDATE:

Apparently the issue might lie with the nylon belt and it has to be swapped with rubber. I will keep everyone updated here on the progress in case there’s anyone else with the same issue in the future that is looking for a solution to this.

[grapesofwrath]

UPDATE 2:

The issue was the rubber belt which caused the pulley to not function properly. This wasn’t the original belt but a replacement. The original one is old and beyond repair and also it’s not manufactured anywhere. This problem was resolved by using an alternative urethane belt made diy. I recommend talking to Vansix if you ever need help!

Hope this helps anyone who may encounter this issue in the future.