My new alignment template generator

[Conrad Hoffman]

Thanks JaS, for answering questions. I haven't been able to stop in here as often as I'd like. I just wasn't cut out for this whole working for a living thing- takes up too much hobby time.

- Even I have that problem! The easy way to remember is that Baerwald is the most popular, so it's the first selection (Lofgren A) and the program defaults to it when you launch.

Best,
Conrad

[Conrad Hoffman]

Just FYI, John Elison found an error in the data output for Stevenson alignment. It doesn't affect the template itself, which was and remains accurate, but the Offset Angle result was off slightly. A new version 1.12 is available that corrects this. Hopefully no new bugs were installed.

Conrad

[tightplatonic]

I just tried this method last night, and then realized my arm (stock - Kenwood kd-2055) is too short to follow the path of the arc. Did I do something wrong or is that a possibility?

If the arm is too short.. what's the best solution, just go back to the two point protractor? I can never tell if I'm close enough as it's so fiddly to line up!

[JaS]

I just tried this method last night, and then realized my arm (stock - Kenwood kd-2055) is too short to follow the path of the arc. Did I do something wrong or is that a possibility?

If the arm is too short.. what's the best solution, just go back to the two point protractor? I can never tell if I'm close enough as it's so fiddly to line up!

According to Kenwood the KD-2055 is designed to be used with a 9.5mm overhang distance:

Effective length: 215 mm
Overhang: 9.5 mm
Pivot to stylus: 205.5 mm (effective length - overhang)

For standard IEC records a Baerwald protractor needs 18.6mm, Stevenson 16.6mm and Lofgren B 19mm overhang for an arm that length. If Kenwood's figures are correct you would probably struggle to align satisfactorily to any universal two-point protractor as the slots in the headshell would be too short?

You could try printing an arc protractor for DIN grooves, Stevenson alignment and an arm length of 205.5mm? This would only require 15.6mm of overhang, but even if you can push the cartridge far enough forward to follow the arc you may not be able to twist the cartridge enough in the headshell to align to the grids (Kenwood didn't publish the original offset angle so I can't say for sure).

If this doesn't work it may be easier to source an original overhang gauge

Regards,
JaS

[tightplatonic]

Thanks Jas

Well the Kenwood numbers seems to jive with my own. Except that I measured 205mm for the pivot to spindle distance so I was fairly close!

I tried using the DIN numbers as you did, and even 15.6mm seems like a full stretch that I didn't try to align. But maybe I will try that now just in case.

Perhaps that means I should just measure the effective length - which I assume is the pivot to stylus distance and then mount the cartridge flush/parallel? not sure what that would mean given the importance people give to using the proven protractors

[Conrad Hoffman]

This seems like a good problem for John Elison's Excel spreadsheet. See what various achievable alignments give you for errors, then pick one that's the least objectionable. It should be possible to print a template for it by entering numbers from the spreadsheet, ignoring reality to some extent.

Conrad

[tightplatonic]

http://www.enjoythemusic.com/freestuff.htm

Thanks for the suggestion Conrad, it's a difficult spreadsheet to work with! Will have to keep looking at it hopefully I will stumble upon a good set of numbers!

[kolors]

Hi all,

Tightplatonic, have you resolved your adjustment problem ? I have kenwood kd 2055 too and impossible to find original gauge adjustment...

Tonearm is not standard for Baerwald, Stevenson or Lofgren protractor...

If you have protractor (pleased help me !lol)...

Best Regards,
Benoit

[tightplatonic]

Hi Benoit - no sorry I do not have the original alignment protractor, wish I did! I just go by the Kenwood specs for overhang and measure as closely as I can from the stylus tip to the centre of the pivot. It sounds fine to me no noticeable drop off in sound at the beginning or end of the record, and the stylus tracks fine so I am keeping it that way.

At first I was worried I was ruining my records by not having the Baerwald or Stevenson alignment, but I'm just going to enjoy my records while they last instead!

[ddanbo]

Hi,
Struggled with the excact same problem myself some time ago, I could not get the stock KD-2055 arm to meet any of the protractors, but I was lucky enough to have the clear plastic alignment guage and have gone with that.
Sorry for not checking back to the forum often enough!!!
Has anyone solved the KD-2055 riddle yet?
I still have the guage, perhaps I could post a measured scan if that would help others???

[andyr]

I haven't done exactly what I've described above, but here are some photos that I think illustrate the problem, at least with very compliant cartridges like my OM30-

First, this is what happens when the stylus is first lowered onto a template, or even a non-rotating record:

Hi Conrad,

Sorry to harp back to such an old thread but I looked through the remaining pages of this thread and I couldn't find a definitive statement.

Surely, the deflection shown in the above pic is due to your having left anti-skate on (and because the stylus is resting on the template, rather than a rotating record, there is no compensating inward force)?

If you disabled anti-skate, the cantilever would be straight? Hence, when aligning one's cartridge, one should remove antiskate - no?

Regards,

Andy

[brunog]

Hi

Can you tell me if the Template Generator will work for my Denon tonearm DA-305:

Eff lengh: 244
O/H: 14
O/S: 20.7
Pivot to spindle: 230
Null points: 57.9/114.6

[Conrad Hoffman]

brunog- should work with any arm. Best is to download it and try it. Small, free and easy.

Andyr- No! The anti-skating was disconnected completely. The problem comes about because the stylus follows a short arc between contact and full pressure. That causes a change in length that has to be taken up somewhere, in this case by offsetting the stylus. It can be corrected by rotating the platter ever so slightly. But yes, anti-skate should probably be disconnected during alignments, though if everything lines up correctly it really won't affect things much unless the cartridge is very compliant.

Best,
Conrad

[andyr]

OK - thanks, Conrad.