JimmyNeutron
Super Member
I guess if I'm like most people here I had a lot of time on my hands while AK was down. I started on a little project (a prototype really) of an automatic record cleaner. I wanted to see if it was feasable to build it with practically no funds - other than mostly the parts that I had lying around the house and garage. At this point I would have to say that YES!!! It can be done - and very, very effectively. Soon I will build another one with much different cosmetics and a few new motors. But here is my first cleaner. I used an old ice cream maker motor for the platter motor because these ice cream makers have to crush ice and are made very powerful - super high torque. No vacuum or brush will even barely slow this thing down. I also used an old Hoover "quick broom" vacuum for the motor as it is a 10 amp motor, is relatively small, and should provide plenty of suction to lift the dirt off the record. I built the box and mounted the vac motor to one side and the platter motor to the underside of the plinth. The vac pick-up was the leg from an old camera tripod that I had lying around. I made a swivle and mounted it. On the underside of the vac I lined it with the soft part of velcro and made a slit for the vacuum suction. I rigged one of my son's toy cups onto the cut-down vacuum motor and attatched a hose to it and ran it thru the plinth, out the top, and into the suction arm. I added 2 switches, 1 for motor on/off, and 1 for vacuum on/off - both with their own power LED's. The platter was from an old record player and I made a mat out of a cork sheet. I mounted a bolt into the motor to act as the spindle - I needed the threads for the record clamp. The record clamp is a cut down and rounded 2X4 board with a nut mounted on the inside. I put the record on the mat, screw down the clamp, spray the surface with a cleaner, scrub it manually (for now, but by days end I'll have a scrubber mounted on it's own arm). Then I move the vac arm over the record and turn it on for a few seconds as it sucks up all the dirt. The small water that's left is quicly evaporated as it passes inside the hose. This thing works very good.
The cosmetics on this prototype leave a lot to be desired. But soon I will start the "real" record cleaner as I envision it. This was just a test run. I'll have a complete step by step detailed description up on my web site later tonight in case anyone is interested. For now, enjoy the pics.
The cosmetics on this prototype leave a lot to be desired. But soon I will start the "real" record cleaner as I envision it. This was just a test run. I'll have a complete step by step detailed description up on my web site later tonight in case anyone is interested. For now, enjoy the pics.
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