hum with my pl 518

[jlh3rd]

i have a pioneer pl 518 with a pioneer sx 780 receiver...i'm using an ortofon om 10 cartridge....the hum i get is when i move my finger/hand close to the cartridge..there is a slight hum when touching the tone arm....the ground wire from the turntable is connected to the receiver....i've plugged the turntable into the wall socket, not the back of the receiver.....any suggestions ?

[Fishtails]

Hi
First thing is to see if the hum is louder with the ground wire disconnected.

If it stays the same then it is an issue with the ground wire connection.

If it gets louder then the grounding is fine.

So what to do.....

1: check the rca cables are not the issue. Give them a wriggle and check they are connected properly.
2: unplug the turntable and open it up.
3: use liquid electrical tape( its like a liquid runner that sets quick) and coat the connections for the rca and ground wires with it. Let it dry and then reassemble.

Hopefully that does the trick.

[kelvinMunson]

Hi jlh3rd

Welcome to the VE,

Since you get the hum when you touch the tone arm or cartridge it is probably due to a poor ground conection between the tonearm and the turntable chassis.

I don't know your TT but there is a manual in the library which contains a lot of info, although this may not help.

If you have a test meter it would be worthwhile checking continuity between the tonearm and the groundwire from the TT; if this is poor then you can trace it back towards the arm and you should be able to identify where there is a poor connection.

[jlh3rd]

ok..thanks....

[dlukask]

JLH -

I inherited my dad's old PL-518. It works totally fine except I get the same kind of intermittent noise. Mine occurs when the tone arm moves across its plane... like a slight humming that comes and goes. If I tap/touch the plate where the lift arm and tracking force adjustment is, it will go away... I'm considering checking the ground between my tone arm and the board and possibly replacing the wires in the tone arm... Have you tried any remedies in this regard?

David