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Q Up automatic tonearm lift in production

Bauhausler

Bauhausler

Rational Subjectivist
All; I just got an email from Pahmer Enterprises informing me that their tonearm lift mechanism, apparently based on an old Thorens design, is in production. I quote here from the email:

"You asked me to let you know when The Q UP will become available and I am very happy to let you know that it is now available at our website.

I would be greatly appreciated if you could give me any feedback you might have about the site. Although it is still in development and we will be adding content including more photos and video is there something that you think is missing from the site that would be of value to yourself and others."

I have no affiliation with this company. I'm posting this here because I know of no other aftermarket end of record lift mechanism for manual turntables in current production. I've owned the Thorens device and it worked very well.

Here's the link: http://www.thequp.com/
 
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Great to see, though I wish it wasn't so ugly looking. That weighted, flipper kind was much more stylish, at least to me.
 
If it's like the original Thorens it has all kinds of adjustments to optimize it for the arm and table. I used the Thorens one and it worked like a charm.
I've been looking for an automatic arm lifter. The weighted chrome one sometimes comes up for sale used but they get a lot of $$ for those. Looks cool, though.
 
This is great news. I've got four such devices already but I'm going to buy one of these just to show support. Last I looked, vintage AudioTechnica Safety Raisers were going for $100+.
 
This arm lifter got me noodling over how to DIY a mag-lift for my AR-Lux mod turntable. Here's the result, works great!

ArmLift1.jpg


ArmLift2.jpg


ArmLift3.jpg
 
Looks good, though my only concern would be what I'm assuming is constant contact between the counterweight and the arm on the lifter mechanism. Smidge of friction for one, but it seems it would also apply a little anti-skate function as well.
 
jimreeves said:
This arm lifter got me noodling over how to DIY a mag-lift for my AR-Lux mod turntable. Here's the result, works great!

redundant images 8<
Click to expand...

I posted this is a similar thread yesterday, or the day before.
Its quite similar to what you're working on, but operates off of the front of the arm, in front of the pivot.

mfrench said:
You think this Thorens lifter is rare?
Try MandyM's TonaL Lifter, of which a commercial batch of 10 was made by himself. I was fortunate to slip into the queue for one of that batch.

The TonaL Tonearm Lifter by MandyM of diyaudio.com
this thread:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/analogue-source/113772-looking-diy-end-record-lift-manual-tt.html

A pair of images of the TonaL lifter:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/anal...iy-end-record-lift-manual-tt.html#post1376698
Another image without a TT:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/anal...-end-record-lift-manual-tt-4.html#post1445303

more images:
http://img89.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cn002rv6.jpg
http://img338.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cn003fe0.jpg

A youtube video of the TonaL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWoymp-z-AQ

My video of the TonaL arm lifter:

from this post:
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/anal...end-record-lift-manual-tt-10.html#post1596544

Its based on the attraction of two small neodymium magnets, a tilting arm and counterweight, and a tripping mechanism.
The tripping mechanism is touched by the tonearm as it enters the runout groove, and as the tonearm sweeps inwardly, the trip mechanism draws the magnet downward on the Tonal arm; there are two magnets, a magnet on the TonaL lifter arm, and a matching one on the tonearm. When it gets close enough the magnets attract and lift the arm. Its self reloading when you pull the arm away. When you pull the tonearm away, there is a counterweight on the TonaL arm that re-cocks the Tonal automatically. There is no need to reset anything.
Click to expand...


From this thread;
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=448425
 
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That's the one mfrench!
I worried about that too gadget, but the feeler doesn't come in contact until the beginning of the lead-out groove on the two LPs I have with the shortest lead-out, ELP's Trilogy and Dire Straits' Brothers In Arms. Positioning was the trickiest part.
 
Oh so it doesn't ride on the counterweight the whole time then? I was thinking it made contact through the whole album side. If it only touches in the leadout groove it shouldn't matter any.
 
I got my Q Up a few days ago, and it works great! It consistently triggers when the tonearm reaches the inside groove in the lead out area. The trigger sensitivity can be adjusted, as well as the amount of force exerted by the spring under the lift lever. When the tonearm triggers it, the needle doesn't appear to skip out of the groove at all, and the lift arm gently lifts the tonearm about an inch off the record without getting anywhere close to the top of the dustcover when it's closed. However, if the spring force is set high enough, the tonearm will hit it! (Ask me how I know that...)

The only issue I had was that it was about 2mm too tall to fit under the tonearm on my stock pro-Ject Debut III. However, I was able to tinker it so that it now fits perfectly. I contacted Thom Pahmer about this, and he said that they are currently working on a solution to this. I asked him for a replacement when the new one is in production, we'll see how that goes.

In any event, other than that little oversight, the Q Up appears to be a very elegant design, and it works perfectly! If you have a Debut III TT, you may want to wait for the new and improved version. I'm not sure if this is an issue for Music Hall or Rega TTs, as (to me, anyway) they seem to be similar to the Debut III as regards the height of the tonearm over the plinth, so a word to the wise.
 
illini said:
How does it extend the life the stylus?
Click to expand...

By keeping out of the run out groove for hours and hours when you dozed off or walked away and got caught up in something else.

I can't tell you how many times my wife has told me my record player's still turning but its more than I can count on one hand.
 
illini said:
How does it extend the life the stylus?
Click to expand...
I remember reading about how someone had inadvertently left their turntable running over the weekend with the stylus in the run out groove the entire time! Something like the Q Up would've at least saved them 48 hours worth of wear and tear.
 
mayidunk said:
I remember reading about how someone had inadvertently left their turntable running over the weekend with the stylus in the run out groove the entire time! Something like the Q Up would've at least saved them 48 hours worth of wear and tear.
Click to expand...

Was this regarding that guy who left his table on during a two week vacation? I thought it was a given that dead wax with no modulation does not accelerate stylus wear.
 
illini said:
Was this regarding that guy who left his table on during a two week vacation? I thought it was a given that dead wax with no modulation does not accelerate stylus wear.
Click to expand...
Perhaps that's the incident I'm mis-remembering! In any event, given the actual weight at the point of contact, and the constantly moving vinyl surfaces it is resting on, modulated or not, you're still generating frictional heat at a very tiny contact point. Not only that, but if the dust cover was removed, as seems to be a common practice, then airborne dust and debris are going to be falling into the groove over time, adding to the friction.

Either way, this is definitely not a "must have," it's more of a "nice to have" convenience for people with completely manual TTs.
 
Sounds reasonable, but it's just speculation. Perhaps someone out there could begin an experiment on stylus wear via long term dead wax contact? :D
 
THANKFULLY someone has come up with a reasonably priced unit for end of play lift. the safety-raiser was only 40 bucks back in the day and the money grubbers pushed it to $140 on ebay. for that, they can keep them for their own viewing pleasure.

i remember a friend getting a thorens unit on a used tt he bought and really liked the design. i had a stylift, the predecessor to the expressimo unit and whereas it was not as formidable, it was only $20. it worked fine on my grace 707. i have a new on blister pack stylift but i may just buy the Q up for my MMT, a more massive and physically more hefty arm than the 707.

so THANKS bauhausler!
 
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