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DIY turntable build

Solidus

Jun 19, 2011
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I'm in Socal and have a SL1200 to sell if you want to go that route.

So tempting...I've been looking at trying to procure one for a while now, but all my money is going towards a new mixer :(

I'm in central Cal myself so it wouldn't be a hard thing to work out if the money would be in line.
 
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Solidus

Jun 19, 2011
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But yes, that fits in line with one of the engineering principles of DD tables - that the platter is actually the magnetic rotor of the motor driving the table. While it wasn't necessarily the torque aspect that surprised me, it was the fact that you can have near-instant consistency in the speed area.

The manual that I linked to last post quotes 0.7s for the Mk. II.

God, that table sure is depressing me (haha)
 

docb

Feb 11, 2010
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Try me when you want one. I stopped using it and just haven't bothered to sell it yet. (I still use the other one)
 

KrisBlueNZ

Sadly passed away in 2015
Nov 28, 2011
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Solidus, listen to docb. He has direct experience and knowledge of DJ turntables.

I had a look at the SL-1200 manual. It confirms what docb says, that it's direct drive. It uses a three-phase motor with three drive coils and a ring magnet. The relevant part of the schematic is the bottom right corner. IC101, type AN6675, drives three coils, and there are several other coils for feedback.

The SL-1200 specifications say that the drive is "quartz direct drive" and that it uses a "direct drive brushless DC motor". You can see it on the PCB layout. It's quite large, and I agree with docb that you would need a good diameter to get good torque at low speed.

So belt drive is not feasible, idler drive might be, but direct drive is the way to go. It has all the advantages - high torque, and accurate and easily variable speed. It's not really practical to build it yourself. Perhaps you should consider buying a cheap turntable and making improvements? I don't know.

docb, what are your general thoughts on what Solidus wants to do?
 

Solidus

Jun 19, 2011
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Solidus, listen to docb. He has direct experience and knowledge of DJ turntables.

I had a look at the SL-1200 manual. It confirms what docb says, that it's direct drive. It uses a three-phase motor with three drive coils and a ring magnet. The relevant part of the schematic is the bottom right corner. IC101, type AN6675, drives three coils, and there are several other coils for feedback.

The SL-1200 specifications say that the drive is "quartz direct drive" and that it uses a "direct drive brushless DC motor". You can see it on the PCB layout. It's quite large, and I agree with docb that you would need a good diameter to get good torque at low speed.

So belt drive is not feasible, idler drive might be, but direct drive is the way to go. It has all the advantages - high torque, and accurate and easily variable speed. It's not really practical to build it yourself. Perhaps you should consider buying a cheap turntable and making improvements? I don't know.

docb, what are your general thoughts on what Solidus wants to do?

That's more and more the idea that I've been getting throughout this; is to get an old one and modify it to my needs, maybe remount in another housing, etc., simply building from scratch makes concedes nothing in the way of accuracy or precision along the lines of what is needed.

Now, I guess it's time to regroup on this project.
 

docb

Feb 11, 2010
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If he wants to DJ, it make sense to own and learn on the industry standard SL1200's. They have a certain feel that may be hard to duplicate.

If it was making a turntable for standard use, I'd definitely encourage making something.
FWIW, idler drive is not feasible, as you will sometime turn back the platter. Dual and Garrard and others made idler drive tables, but no back cueing possible.

1200's are not the best TT's ever made, but they have some unique qualities that have made them the gold standard for vinyl DJs.
 
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Solidus

Jun 19, 2011
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If he wants to DJ, it make sense to own and learn on the industry standard SL1200's. They have a certain feel that may be hard to duplicate.

If it was making a turntable for standard use, I'd definitely encourage making something.
FWIW, idler drive is not feasible, as you will sometime turn back the platter. Dual and Garrard and others made idler drive tables, but no back cueing possible.

1200's are not the best TT's ever made, but they have some unique qualities that have made them the gold standard for vinyl DJs.

True. I guess I was overlooking in my initial idea that the use had to reflect build quality.

Turntables are precision and well-engineered machines, yes, but one cannot help but agree that some of the maneuvers DJs use require precision and ruggedness that pushes them to their limits. To try and build one that works...yes, that's fine; but to build one that suits my purpose and does its job well is a whole 'nother idea entirely.

What are some of the unique qualities you speak of? I have little experience with turntables.
 

docb

Feb 11, 2010
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1 The ability to get up to speed so fast
2 The specific amount of torque.
3 The exact weight of the platter
4.The travel distance of the pitch slider
5. Locations of the switches.
6 more

So many small things contribute to the "feel", which will all play a role once you start using them as an instrument.

Look at all the arguments about whether mk2 or mk5 is the best version. DJs get very specific about what they prefer.
 
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