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A real man's turntable strobe!

gonzothegreat

gonzothegreat

Super Member
Earlier this week, I was working on my Sansui/Rabco frankentable and I needed to tune the platter speed. Due to the way I modded the controls, it had to be done with the arm removed. To make it even more interesting, the neon strobe light works only if you jump up and down on one leg blindfolded while whistling the Star Spangled Banner (slight exaggeration but not much). I thought about rigging up a deathcord and a Radio Shack neon or an LED tied to a 60Hz source but laziness inspired me to new depths of manliness.

strobe.jpg


What can I say but TAA-DAA! :D
 
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gonzothegreat said:
Earlier this week, I was working on my Sansui/Rabco frankentable and I needed to tune the platter speed. Due to the way I modded the controls, it had to be done with the arm removed. To make it even more interesting, the neon strobe light works only if you jump up and down on one leg blindfolded while whistling the Star Spangled Banner (slight exaggeration but not much). I thought about rigging up a deathcord and a Radio Shack neon or an LED tied to a 60Hz source but laziness inspired me to new depths of manliness.

strobe.jpg


What can I say but TAA-DAA! :D
Click to expand...
Stupid me, I passed up two neon signs at an auction this weekend. And I don't even drink, maybe that's why it didn't dawn on me? Oh well. So, you playing 99 bottles of beer on the wall as a test track?
 
Oh joy! There's the unique SL-8E we discussed in a prior thread. I'm so delighted to see it working on that TT set-up you've prepared.
 
With this, you should get full-bodied sound with a light, airy top...

Actually, that's a pretty good idea... opens up lots of possibilities for other signage, too!
 
The neon light's big transformer that close to your tt will introduce an audible hum. Don't ask how I know this:D.

But...... a few neon lights, some great music, and tippin a few cold ones:thmbsp:
 
WRT the tranny hum - this is a modern neon with a switching supply so it doesn't run @ 60Hz. Not really important as I was only using the strobe to fine tune the speed pots mounted under the armboard. The sign wasn't going to be a permanent solution. Once I figure out how to remove the strobe light cover, I'll replace the neon and she'll look good as new.

The arm is a Rabco SL-8E linear that was originally on a Thorens TD-125. Rabco sold the arm alone or mated with the TD-125. As you can see, the arm was modded to use a tubular arm and removable headshell. No idea who did the mod and I've never found another one. The new arm ended up ~1" longer than stock and the original owner didn't move the arm back to correct this. I didn't want to hack up a relatively pristine TD-125 so I transplanted the arm to an armless Sansui SR-717.

More pics of the TD-125/SL-8E combo here
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=348766
 
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