adjusting speed on an Ariston Q Deck DC motor

by **howler52** » 23 Mar 2006 20:45

Does anyone out there know if there are any speed adjusting screws on an Ariston Q Deck DC motor? There is nothing in the owners manual about it. I just purchased this tt off ebay, it came with an after market power source ( not regulated) I noticed that the sound seemed a bit fast and uneven. So I purchased a regulated power supply which seemed to slow down and even the sound out.I just purchased a strobe/calibration disk. I tested the strobe/calibration disk on my old Harmon Kardon 720 tt which has a built in strobe, and the strobe/calibration disk seems accurate. I then tested the Q Deck with is new strobe/calibration disk, at 33rpm the speed was the sightest bit off ( lines moving to the left which indicated a faster speed), and on 45rpm it was ok. Any suggestions out there? Being a musician with perfect pitch ( which is sometimes a curse), this is driving me crazy.

by **stefanl** » 24 Mar 2006 00:43

You can try thicker oil in the bearing well.Powdering your belt,getting a new belt i.e Tweaks.Don't mess with the motor.Stylus drag on some records is a factor.

by **LPspinner** » 24 Mar 2006 01:52

Hi there howler52

Changing the voltage supplied to the Q-deck won't change the speed of the motor. The motor has itâ€™s own on board regulator and motor speed sensing circuitry. The only proper way of adjusting the speed of the deck is to open up the electronics and look for an adjusting trimmer. It only needs to be supplied with roughly 12 â€“ 15 volts DC. Itâ€™s own onboard electronics will regulate everything else.

Putting heavier Oil in the main bearing will cause the motor to slow down and this will cause the control circuitry to apply more voltage to the motor to try and speed the motor up. This sort of solution will only cause something to prematurely fail.

Perhaps some one who is familiar with this deck can tell you what adjustments there are you can make to the electronics inside the deck.

LPSpinnerâ€¦

by **stefanl** » 24 Mar 2006 02:42

The oil change is fine.Ariston originally supplied a vial of oil with this table and said this was supposed to last a LIFETIME! As most people who own tables know,occasionally you need to re-oil/lube your bearing well when it dries out over time.This is a table that runs on DC Voltage which remains constant and it will draw as much current as it needs.I guess motors can fail but the previous poster listens to too many Aussie pressings and it's hard to tell.

by **howler52** » 24 Mar 2006 16:25

Thanks everyone for their input. Since the speed is just off slightly, i should leave well enough alone, and not be too crtical of the sound,
(nobody notices but me). I did not get any supply of oil with this tt, does anybody out there know what kind of oil I should use on an Ariston Q deck? , and where does the oil go? ( I assume you take out the centre spindle, and it goes in there).

by **stefanl** » 24 Mar 2006 23:08

I would try maybe the oil that Rega recommends for their tables 80w/90 Gear Oil.The platter should lift out by gently lifting it a hand either side, pulling up and you should clean out the bearing-well before adding a few drops of oil.Oil the spindle attached to the platter as well.

by **howler52** » 29 Mar 2006 16:31

I got the problem fixed!!!!!!!!!! I have recently retired because of cronic neck problems, and awaiting surgury. Last night I had a bad night and was up most the night.While lying awake most of the night, I had an idea ( a bit unorthodox maybe ) I thought, maybe adding a couple of layers of masking tape to the belt rim on the underside of the turn table may do the trick. So I carefully apply two layers of masking tape to the belt rim, butting the ends of the tape together, as not to make a bump, and trimming away all excess with a uitilty knife. Ureka!!!! it works, the table turns dead silent, and is dead on when tested with the strobe/calibration disk. Some may think this solution is a little cheesey,but hey....it works.

by **stefanl** » 30 Mar 2006 00:28

I use this tweak on fast Rega tables and suggested it as a fix for them on this forum.Works like a dream,never had to think about it again.Glad to hear it works on an Ariston Q Deck.Now where is the masking tape...

by **howler52** » 30 Mar 2006 16:12

Hey ...stefanl, great minds think alike, you can have the credit on this one.
But about changing the oil under the spindle. ....the spindle won't come out. any suggestions?

by **stefanl** » 30 Mar 2006 19:29

The manual is available in the Library on this forum and you could leave well enough alone as it suggests.But have a look and then use more force to lift the platter right out because they are attached with a Q Deck unless you really do have a weird model.There I said it.

by **howler52** » 31 Mar 2006 12:56

thanks stefanl for going the extra mile with me on this one. After taking a close look at my tt, and the one on the library pictures, the spindle on my tt looks different. my spindle is not attached to my platter, I must have a weird model where the spidle and bearing are a sealed unit. lol.....END OF SUBJECT !!!!!

by **howler52** » 04 Apr 2006 22:08

stupid me..... just got a new belt today, the speed problem was a worn belt......the tape is off, new belt on, it's a thing of beauty.

by **willboy** » 05 Apr 2006 18:23

Hi howler52

Is there any vertical movement in the spindle when you try and lift it out of the bearing housing?
If there is, it could be a similar design to that on my Rotel rp-855 which has the spindle locked in the bearing housing with a retaining screw.

by **howler52** » 05 Apr 2006 22:45

thanks willboy. I took off the platter, I can't see a set screw on the spindle, it must be a sealed unit.