Equipment Recommendations - The Home For New System and Upgrade Advice

Mather said:
Ok folks, I've got a vintage TT question for y'all. My buddy has a Yamaha YP 701, it's one of those automatic tables that cues while it spins, returns the tonearm at the end of the side etc. It's got a funky tonearm with a lateral weight, anti skate and the unusual tracking force weight. I'm swapping in a 2M Black stylus on his Ort Silver Body and I want to adjust the weight a little, to come down to 1.7 grams from where it's set around 2. I've looked at the manual and I can't see how to lower the tonearm without having the auto activation kick in and start the table turning. I'm sure it's a pretty standard system with how these vintage auto tables work, but what am I missing?

I do not have the table in front of me, I'm heading to his place later I just wanted to get it sorted in my head before I get there.

This is the table...

View attachment 205323
I thought it was just a matter of lowering the cue lever but that doesn't seem to lower the arm, just passes a signal through to send audio once the table starts spinning.

Click to expand...

This is sort of the caveman method, but, uh, unplug it.
 
kvetcha said:
This is sort of the caveman method, but, uh, unplug it.
Click to expand...
Yes except the button to fire it up starts a mechanical process that lowers the arm, it's not a manual lowering system. So I don't think that would work in this situation, at least not like that... The button just wouldn't do anything... I don't think. But maybe, I will try that.
 
Mather said:
Yes except the button to fire it up starts a mechanical process that lowers the arm, it's not a manual lowering system. So I don't think that would work in this situation, at least not like that... The button just wouldn't do anything... I don't think. But maybe, I will try that.
Click to expand...
Oh, I see what you’re saying. Interesting.
 
These older mechanical turntables are a bit more complicated than most made today. The play/off lever is purely mechanical. It activates a gear and cam system before a limit switch kicks in electrical power to the motor. The tonearm is lowered by a mechanism but is free to move once on the record.

My suggestion is:

1. Put on a low-value record and start playing
2. When the stylus is an inch or so in, disconnect power using the wall plug
3. At this point, the tonearm should be free to move up and down by hand - don’t use the play/off lever
4. Lift the tonearm to change the stylus and slide the VTF scale under it
5. Once the VTF is set where you want it, remove the scale and gently lower the stylus onto the record by hand.
6. Pull the play/off lever to “off”
7. Plug the turntable back in

At this point, the mechanical lifter should lift the stylus before the record starts turning and return the tonearm back to the rest as the platter starts rotating.

Try this out on the old stylus before trying to swap in the new one!

I had an old Garrard changer with similarly complex mechanics. After trying for quite a while to “restore” it (since mechanical things require service and lubrication), I bought a dead-simple VPI Traveler instead.

Edit: Alternatively, you could do all the above with the old stylus only to set the VTF and then swap to the Black stylus once the tonearm is in the rest. There should be no difference in weight between the two styli.
 
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Angsty said:
These older mechanical turntables are a bit more complicated than most made today. The play/off lever is purely mechanical. It activates a gear and cam system before a limit switch kicks in electrical power to the motor. The tonearm is lowered by a mechanism but is free to move once on the record.

My suggestion is:

1. Put on a low-value record and start playing
2. When the stylus is an inch or so in, disconnect power using the wall plug
3. At this point, the tonearm should be free to move up and down by hand - don’t use the play/off lever
4. Lift the tonearm to change the stylus and slide the VTF scale under it
5. Once the VTF is set where you want it, remove the scale and gently lower the stylus onto the record by hand.
6. Pull the play/off lever to “off”
7. Plug the turntable back in

At this point, the mechanical lifter should lift the stylus before the record starts turning and return the tonearm back to the rest as the platter starts rotating.

Try this out on the old stylus before trying to swap in the new one!

I had an old Garrard changer with similarly complex mechanics. After trying for quite a while to “restore” it (since mechanical things require service and lubrication), I bought a dead-simple VPI Traveler instead.

Edit: Alternatively, you could do all the above with the old stylus only to set the VTF and then swap to the Black stylus once the tonearm is in the rest. There should be no difference in weight between the two styli.
Click to expand...
Yeah this sounds like a decent plan. My buddy really doesn't know how to use the table, was a hand me down and we had it serviced years ago to get it in good shape. Sounds great but yeah the mechanisms on that thing are like trying to suss out the inner workings of a Rube Goldberg machine...
 
OMC said:
I know how that game works, cables, amplifiers, etc. Sometimes you just have to give in and play along watching your wallet get skinnier and your smile getting bigger.
Click to expand...
Yeah I mean he was smart, he brought me all the top stuff but then like a couple of the cheaper ones. The difference was staggering, was not expecting that at all.
 
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