Origin Live DC Motor Kit - Manual (Page 5)

Page 5
N O T E S
-Do not use the power supply for anything other than the dc motor or the power supply will definitely be irreparably
damaged and you could also damage the equipment you are plugging it into.
-The circuit will take around 8 hours to run in and sound it’s best.
T R O U B L E - S H O O T I N G
The speed stability of your deck should be excellent once
everything has settled down in a listening session i.e . The
power supply and switch box have been left plugged in on
standby for 15 minutes, the platter has been turning for
2 minutes and the cartridge has been on the record for 30
seconds . Bear in mind that the ear detects when music is
playing slightly slow much more easily than it detects it
playing fast. For this reason most manufacturers set their
decks to run slightly fast. You can expect a bit of speed
variation when the motor is first switched on - it takes about
2 minutes to warm up properly and then the motor should
run at it’s correct speed but only when the stylus is on the
record. It is highly preferable to keep the power supply
plugged in at all times (unless you are away on holiday)
because it takes a good 15 minutes to warm up from cold
and run correctly. When in standby mode the control box
draws a negligible current so you needn’t worry about your
electricity bill.
If you keep switching the deck on and off you will get a little
speed variation as it takes approx 2 minutes to warm up the
circuit each time even if it’s only switched off for 3 seconds.
This is unavoidable although we have tried to design out the
variation as much as possible.
If you measure the speed without a needle on the record the
speed will not be perfect, as the speed should only be set
with the stylus tracking the record. If you don’t do this the
record will run slow once you put the stylus on the record.
If you measure the speed within 30 seconds of putting the
needle on the record the speed will not be perfect as it takes
a while to settle down.
Some people make the mistake of constantly watching the
speed before the deck has settled down and the needle has
been on the record for a good 2 minutes. Strobes are very
accurate and the slightest speed variation is picked up.
0.03% variation is observable.
Most of the pulleys are a taper fit on the motor shaft -
however they can sometimes work loose in transit or in use.
If this is the case then you can easily rectify it by lightly
tapping the pulley back onto the spindle with your fingers
- Do not use a hard object or excessive force as this could
damage the spindle.
S P E E D V A R I A T I O N
If there is significant speed variation then causes can be down to the following
• Significant changes in room temperature - this especially affects decks that use thick, viscous oil in the bearings e.g.
Rega decks
• Lack of oil in the bearing so check by adding oil.
• Changed belt tension or an oily belt or sub-platter - clean running surfaces.
• Turntable out of level – this affects the main bearing friction.
• After adjusting the tension of the 3 small Philips screws which hold the motor on you may need to re-adjust the
speed as they affect motor bearing friction very slightly.
• Check the sub-platter is not fouling on anything - on certain decks it can rub against one of the spring covers - it
has also been known to "bottom" against the top of the bearing house - there should be about 1 to 3mm clearance
between the top of the bearing house and the bottom of the sub-platter.
• A dirty bearing that exhibits too much friction - The sub-platter should drift round effortlessly with the slightest
of nudges and go on spinning. If you suspect the bearing friction to be a little high return the bearing to us for
checking.