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anti-skate repair?

S

spriley

Member
Hello,

I recently picked up a Technics SL-D5 turntable. All is good except the anti-skate seems to be broken. If I put the needle down on a spinning acrylic mat, the tonearm moves quickly toward the center. Adjusting the anti-skate knob does ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. I haven't taken it apart yet. Does anyone have any experience with this and what I should be looking for? Thanks!
 
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So I did take it apart and I saw that the little spring operated by the anti skate knob. The spring is not broken and turning the knob does in deed create tension on the spring. But I’m not sure what the tension is doing as nothing else moves. I attached pics in case it gives any clues. Thanks!
 

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Turntable is level. Checked with bubble level. Tracking force is set at 2.0 g per atvm95ml cartridge instructions. Verified with my digital scale. No matter anti skate setting, tonearm skates to spindle very quickly. I also have a Technics SL 1360 and I do know how to set up. On that unit, dialing anti skate affects the tonearm. On this on, nothing happens.
 
So I was playing around with it some more. If I back off on the tracking force to 1.8 g (minimum for this cart) and set anti-stake up to max, it does seem to have some effect. It slows the skate down but does not eliminate it. Perhaps the spring is just worn out.
 
spriley said:
Perhaps the spring is just worn out.
Click to expand...
A worn spring would show separation between the spring's coils, the pictures you shared do not indicate this. Something other than the spring is amiss. My SL1200 had a non-operative anti-skate mechanism. A missing spring post was the cause. Unfortunately it appears the SL-D5 anti-skate mechanism is constructed differently than the SL1200.
 
eiraved said:
A worn spring would show separation between the spring's coils, the pictures you shared do not indicate this. Something other than the spring is amiss. My SL1200 had a non-operative anti-skate mechanism. A missing spring post was the cause. Unfortunately it appears the SL-D5 anti-skate mechanism is constructed differently than the SL1200.
Click to expand...

I see your point about the coils. But I wonder if it would be worthwhile to try replacing the spring just to see if it makes a difference. I do not feel very much tension on the spring when I extend it. It feels very weak. I cannot find a service manual for the SL-D5, but both the SL-D2 and SL-D3 use part No. SFPSP00101 for the spring. SO I suppose it may be the same for the SL-D5. It seems easy enough to replace, but I do not know where I would get this part. I believe it is discontinued.
 
Try this prior to replacing the spring. Find a twist tie or remove one from your bread loaf bag. Thread it through the anti-skate spring and tie snugly so that the spring will not expand much when stretched. After this is done, turn the anti-skate dial slightly and see if the anti-skate works. Make sure the spring expansion is still being restrained by the twist tie. Do not try to turn the anti-skate dial to the max since it is being mechanically restrained by the twist tie.

If the anti-skate is now operational, the problem is the spring. If not, something else is amiss.
 
I have put in a call to KAB Electro Acoustics as suggested above by Mr. Boochie. I left a message and I'm waiting to hear something back. In the meantime, I did a little more fiddling with it. If I remove the headshell and move the counterweight all the way back, the tonearm does respond to the antiskate setting. If I set the antiskate to zero, the tonearm will swing to the spindle and if I set it to three, the tonearm will drift back toward the starting position. I'm not sure if that eliminates any issue or class of issues. The only issue I am having is that if I drop the needle on flat, groove-less vinyl or acrylic, the antiskate will not prevent the needle from sweeping quickly to the spindle. Records sound fine to me though. Not sure how much it is worth worrying about.
 
eiraved said:
Try this prior to replacing the spring. Find a twist tie or remove one from your bread loaf bag. Thread it through the anti-skate spring and tie snugly so that the spring will not expand much when stretched. After this is done, turn the anti-skate dial slightly and see if the anti-skate works. Make sure the spring expansion is still being restrained by the twist tie. Do not try to turn the anti-skate dial to the max since it is being mechanically restrained by the twist tie.

If the anti-skate is now operational, the problem is the spring. If not, something else is amiss.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I will try this whenever I get the chance to open it up again.
 
spriley said:
In the meantime, I did a little more fiddling with it. If I remove the headshell and move the counterweight all the way back, the tonearm does respond to the antiskate setting. If I set the antiskate to zero, the tonearm will swing to the spindle and if I set it to three, the tonearm will drift back toward the starting position. I'm not sure if that eliminates any issue or class of issues. The only issue I am having is that if I drop the needle on flat, groove-less vinyl or acrylic, the antiskate will not prevent the needle from sweeping quickly to the spindle. Records sound fine to me though. Not sure how much it is worth worrying about.
Click to expand...
That is strange, but it needs to be resolved as you'll create uneven wear on the LPs and stylus. Would you post a picture of your turntable, tonearm and tonearm base? Maybe more clues will present themselves.
 
eiraved said:
That is strange, but it needs to be resolved as you'll create uneven wear on the LPs and stylus. Would you post a picture of your turntable, tonearm and tonearm base? Maybe more clues will present themselves.
Click to expand...
 

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Can you shorten the spring? Sounds like you need more tension over the entire range of movement.
 
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