A Technics Frankentable

by **jimbo1421** » 13 Nov 2010 05:56

Hi guys.
It looks like I had some bad luck on eBay. I bought this SL-1710MK2 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 134wt_1141). It is a handsome piece of equipment and arrived well packed. But it has the wrong platter, one from earlier series of Technics like the SL-1600 or SL-1500. The strobe dots look like this SL-1600; i.e., 2 rows of fat dots and 2 rows of small dots. http://www.vinylengine.com/phpBB2/album ... r_id=20401. The dots should be arrayed like this SL-1710: 1 row of fat dots and 3 rows of small dots http://www.vinylengine.com/phpBB2/album ... r_id=62664. It seems to me that there is no way that the strobe can be made to operate correctly with the wrong platter. Am I right? If it did work right then the bottom row of large dots would appear stationery when locked onto 33-1/3 rpm. No amount of adjustment to the pitch control will produce this.

It looks like I will have to try to return the turntable under the eBay Buyer Protection Plan since it is not as advertised.

Jim

by **Alec124c41** » 13 Nov 2010 06:18

I think any strobe pattern should work if the strobe frequency is the same...
You could try cleaning everything in the power line with DeoxIT. Those contacts get erratic with age.
BTW, how does it sound?

Cheers,
Alec

by **wordwizard** » 13 Nov 2010 06:55

One of the problems of buying turntables (and some other stuff) on eBay is that a lot of these guys are "pickers", they find stuff on yard sales, etc and then peddle them on eBay without even knowing what they are selling, only what cash it can potentially bring in.

I bought a DUAL turntable so I could play my 78s and the guy didn't even know that the locking screws had to be snugged down....

by **jimbo1421** » 13 Nov 2010 08:03

Alec124c41 wrote:I think any strobe pattern should work if the strobe frequency is the same...
You could try cleaning everything in the power line with DeoxIT. Those contacts get erratic with age.
BTW, how does it sound?

Cheers,
Alec

Oddly, I can adjust the pitch so that the 50 cycle, 33-1/3 rpm strobe stabilizes, but not the 60 cycle strobe. (House current is 60 cycle, right?) Centering the pitch control at 0%, none of the strobes becomes stationery. Not even close.

Aside from the strobe issue, are these platters really interchangeable? They have the magnetic rotor attached. Are these identical across model years?

I don't think I should open it up to do a major cleaning if I am going to try to return it.

As for the sound, this SL-1710 is an improvement over my previous TT. More detail, I think, and definitely more bass response. But I am not blown away.

Jim

by **bubba45** » 13 Nov 2010 10:00

Probably a really really stoopid question, as I'm not fully up to scratch with frequency differences etc, but the guy lists this as a 'Euro version'. So is the problem that this TT was made for 50Hz but is now running on 60hz?
Therefore using the dots you won't get a stable pitch regardless of pattern unless you adjust the Hz?
I know its probably a dumb question but thought I'd ask for my own sake if nothing else.

by **scho2684** » 13 Nov 2010 10:15

Your problem here is that the platter you have is showing you the two top rows are for 50Hz and the two lower are for 60Hz. see picture:

[album]14433[/album]

You need a platter that gives you only one row for both speeds.
The other rows on the correct platter are for your pitch percentage.

Either for the one row version your strobe blinks differently than for the 2 row version, or your pattern is not suited for this strobe.
(:mrgreen: which is the same)

You can of course also set speed with a seperate strobe pattern.

The magnet underneath the platter would not be a problem I believe..

Try to find a original platter, or even one from whatever MKII version, those ones would be OK

Marco

by **Brisbane56** » 13 Nov 2010 10:54

jimbo1421 wrote:Hi guys.
It looks like I had some bad luck on eBay. I bought this SL-1710MK2 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 134wt_1141). It is a handsome piece of equipment and arrived well packed. But it has the wrong platter, one from earlier series of Technics like the SL-1600 or SL-1500. The strobe dots look like this SL-1600; i.e., 2 rows of fat dots and 2 rows of small dots. http://www.vinylengine.com/phpBB2/album ... r_id=20401. The dots should be arrayed like this SL-1710: 1 row of fat dots and 3 rows of small dots http://www.vinylengine.com/phpBB2/album ... r_id=62664. It seems to me that there is no way that the strobe can be made to operate correctly with the wrong platter. Am I right? If it did work right then the bottom row of large dots would appear stationery when locked onto 33-1/3 rpm. No amount of adjustment to the pitch control will produce this.

It looks like I will have to try to return the turntable under the eBay Buyer Protection Plan since it is not as advertised.

Jim

I looked at the picture in the auction and it looks to me like the platter is the correct one as the other platters you mentioned wouldn't fit , as they have a different mount under the platter...........

On the motor board in the top rite corner you will see a small Blue rounded shaft with what looks like a plus sign, that controls the pitch. When you play a record does it sound like it's searching? If so then the pitch is off.......

by **Brisbane56** » 13 Nov 2010 11:01

I forgot and didn't put on my thinking cap. Anyway under the platter you will see an adjustment to change from 50 to 60 cycles.......... try that.............

by **adalbertuss** » 13 Nov 2010 11:04

Hi Jim,
in fact looking at the picture from the auction your platter isn't the original one from sl-1710mk2. You can buy as Marco said a platter from sl-1200/1210mk2, and sl-1800mk2. sl-1710mk2 has exactly the same platter.Sl-1600/1610mk2 has similar but not identical platter (it has prisms for optical record size detection)!!!

Regards
Wojtek

by **jimbo1421** » 13 Nov 2010 11:06

Not at all dumb, bubba. There is a switch underneath the platter to switch between 110-120V (that's U.S.) and 220-240V (Euro). There is a tag on the back listing these two voltages as well as 50 or 60 Hz, but doesn't say which voltage goes with which frequency. I am almost positive that 60 Hz is American.

Marco, I think you have described the problem well. The earlier turntable in your photo had servo speed control, the MK2 had quartz lock. So it must be a different motor. But is it a different magnetic rotor?

Jim

by **jimbo1421** » 13 Nov 2010 11:19

Brisbane56 wrote:I forgot and didn't put on my thinking cap. Anyway under the platter you will see an adjustment to change from 50 to 60 cycles.......... try that.............

Right, the switch is actually for voltage: 110-120V or 220-240V. I spotted it as I was assembling the TT.

Thanks,
Jim

by **jimbo1421** » 13 Nov 2010 11:28

Wojtek,

Thanks for the list of matching platters. The magnet is screwed on and removable as shown in the instructions for the SL-1700mk2. Is there any chance of getting a wrong magnet on a used platter?

Regards,
Jim

by **scho2684** » 13 Nov 2010 11:53

Jim, I dont think the strength of the magnet has something to do with the acurate speed, if the size is right, than it schould be OK.

Dont you have something on cd that you van compair to the same track on LP, at least you will have an answer than if the magnets makes any difference for Quarz lock or not, but I dont believe so....

Marco

by **scho2684** » 13 Nov 2010 12:59

Actually they are available on Ebay for 35 dollars, which is not much!
Just search for Technics platter...

The results are all SL1200, but that one will fitt, I'm pretty sure...

A other note on the wrong platter you have now, those tables with these platters have a strobe that is driven by the actual voltage setting and Hz, your table regulates it's own, regardles of which voltage setting.

Marco