Linn Akito cue repair

lab rat

New Member
I have a first gen Akito arm. The cue doe not work. Was hoping to find a youtube vid or some type of step-by-step instruction on servicing. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
I think the cue mechanism was unchanged from the previous Basik arm (all versions), in fact it goes back to some of the ADC arms--they all came from the same Japanese source. Maybe you'll have more luck if you expand your search to include these. My Basik Plus has never needed servicing but I believe the round black cover is simply stuck on with adhesive and there is a snap ring underneath. Careful with the grub screw, the plastic around those threads breaks easily.

(If you've ever wondered what that plugged hole next to the lift is for, that was needed for the auto return on ADC turntables. I guess it was cheaper to plug the hole than to make new tools for the plastic part.)
 
Strange?
Stuck or feel like it's just broken like no connection inside?
Maybe it's just frozen in the up position and someone adjusted the platform?
Will the arm clear the platform?
It sticks in the up position and one must push the piston down. It will come up, however, the mechanism lever moves and the bar is also movable in the horizontal plane. I probably need to remove the arm and go from there or perhaps I should just take it in as I have an amp and a preamp that need servicing any way. I guess this isn't that common of a problem.
 
It sticks in the up position and one must push the piston down. It will come up, however, the mechanism lever moves and the bar is also movable in the horizontal plane. I probably need to remove the arm and go from there or perhaps I should just take it in as I have an amp and a preamp that need servicing any way. I guess this isn't that common of a problem.
I had an old Akito arm it used a Rega type lift mechanism same one actually
It needs to be cleaned and greased you can do it
People instinctively push the lever all the way down to lower the arm with this type lift and that's not how they were intended to be used just let gravity do it after a gentle nudge to lower the arm
Pushing the lever all the way down wears a weird little notch in the brass barrel and that makes for little flakes of metal to get in there and then things get really sticky
 
I had an old Akito arm it used a Rega type lift mechanism same one actually
It needs to be cleaned and greased you can do it
People instinctively push the lever all the way down to lower the arm with this type lift and that's not how they were intended to be used just let gravity do it after a gentle nudge to lower the arm
Pushing the lever all the way down wears a weird little notch in the brass barrel and that makes for little flakes of metal to get in there and then things get really sticky
I will try taking it off the table this weekend and see if it's something I can fix. Maybe the flakes are the problem. Did not know it was the same lift as the Rega. Thanks.
 
I will try taking it off the table this weekend and see if it's something I can fix. Maybe the flakes are the problem. Did not know it was the same lift as the Rega. Thanks.
You need that super thick grease is the only problem if you want the ultra slow descent
I believe it's branded Rocal Kilopoise for the factory stuff and it's very aggravating to find in small amounts
You'll probably be ok with the super thick 500,000 cst stuff guys are getting from the hobby shop or the Turntable Basics guy
I've been using a tube of 300,000 that works ok just drop is a little bit faster but still ok
If enough is still in the barrel you can scrape it off and reuse it if it's not too funky it only takes a film, like a dot or two in the right spots of the factory stuff to get the drag you need and just augment with hobby store stuff if you need more
Make sure to put plenty of something where the brass piston contacts the cam
This is a Rega illustration I think but the Akito will be exactly the same as far as design and function maybe minor details different but essentials will be the same
Linn and Rega get these made by somebody in Japan
regaarmgreasepoints.gif
 
You need that super thick grease is the only problem if you want the ultra slow descent
I believe it's branded Rocal Kilopoise for the factory stuff and it's very aggravating to find in small amounts
You'll probably be ok with the super thick 500,000 cst stuff guys are getting from the hobby shop or the Turntable Basics guy
I've been using a tube of 300,000 that works ok just drop is a little bit faster but still ok
If enough is still in the barrel you can scrape it off and reuse it if it's not too funky it only takes a film, like a dot or two in the right spots of the factory stuff to get the drag you need and just augment with hobby store stuff if you need more
Make sure to put plenty of something where the brass piston contacts the cam
This is a Rega illustration I think but the Akito will be exactly the same as far as design and function maybe minor details different but essentials will be the same
Linn and Rega get these made by somebody in Japan
regaarmgreasepoints.gif
WOW! This is exactly what i needed! Thank you, Colin!
 
The Linn lift may in fact work the same internally, but it's not at all the same part that Rega uses, and it will not disassemble as in the diagram. You will need snap ring pliers, and probably a clamp to hold down the spring-loaded lid. It's all fun and games until somebody loses an eye.
 
The Linn lift may in fact work the same internally, but it's not at all the same part that Rega uses, and it will not disassemble as in the diagram. You will need snap ring pliers, and probably a clamp to hold down the spring-loaded lid. It's all fun and games until somebody loses an eye.
Didn't say it was precisely the same, and yes, it will
Minor differences but the lifts come apart exactly the same
I have owned both cleaned both and greased both
Nothing is "spring-loaded" there is not enough tension on that spring to take out anything let alone an eye
It's only purpose is to return the piston to the down or rest position
Less tension than what's in a ball point pen
 
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Sorry but you must have a different generation Akito then. They changed the lift at some point. OP has a first gen which kept the lift mechanism from the Basik.
 
Sorry but you must have a different generation Akito then. They changed the lift at some point. OP has a first gen which kept the lift mechanism from the Basik.
Except for the way in which the platforms are attached they are all the same
Yes, they look different in the details but the function is identical
A spring damped piston in a cylinder actuated by a lever screwed into a stepped cam with a platform either screwed onto the piston or held in place with a grub screw
All variants on the Jelco design main differences being how they attach the platforms
It's not a hard thing to service or repair and there's nothing in any of them that's going to cause anyone to lose an eye
That was his question not looking to get into a debate
I really don't understand where you're coming from?
What tonearms do you own? Maybe post a picture that might be helpful for me to understand what you are talking about
 
So, here are two photos. The first is my Basik Plus. I don't have an Akito but from photos, the 1st generation Akito has the exact same mechanism, except all black instead of chrome and black. Later Akitos apparently have the Rega mechanism, which you can tell by the longer horizontal "shaft" and the all aluminum lever.

The second shot is the lift from an ADC turntable that is nearly identical. It shows the snap ring you have to remove for disassembly.
 
@lab rat -- The easiest way to tell the mechanisms apart seems to be by the two parts labeled "cam" and "handle" in the exploded drawing. If yours look the same, you can probably go ahead and disassemble according to that drawing. If the "cam" is shorter and the "handle" has a plastic top cover, you cannot.

I don't have a snap ring tool small enough and I don't want to mess the part up with an improvised tool, otherwise I would be happy to post another shot. Most likely, the snap ring as opposed to the screw-on cap is the only major difference. The snap ring holds down a washer which in turn, I would assume, holds down a spring. The rest is going to be very much like the drawing.
 
(As an aside, I would love to know what kind of hand-waving and changing-of-subject happens when you ask a Linn dealer why their Akito, current price $2,400, uses a Rega-sourced lift...)
 
Both of the lifts in your photos are Jelco designs same as Rega
I never said Linn sourced their parts from Rega, I said they both used a Jelco design that's been around for ages
EXCEPT the one in your first photo was actually manufactured by Jelco
Here's a tip, you buy a cheap pair of 99 cent store angled tweezers and grind them down as needed to remove the C clip if you don't have a proper pair of pliers
That's what I use
This look familiar? Linn Akito and Basik tonearms, designed by Linn and made in Japan, by Jelco
The Rega lifts are their own copies of the venerable Jelco JL-45
$_58.JPG

1038958-linn-basik-plus-tonearm.jpg

jelco_jl45_arm_lift.jpg
 
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