I think I'm going on idle for a while

Montycat

Montycat

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Or maybe that is idler?

I decided enough of this linear tracking stuff for awhile and I dragged the Dual 1019 out of the closet. Since this was given to me almost a year ago I had kind of had it on the back burner. When I first tried it back then it had a lot of hum with the stock headshell, but I don't know whether that was because of the original sled or bad RCA cables. Anyway, with a bunch of other options to use I let it slide.


Dual 1019 2 by Buhduh, on Flickr

I don't know why I waited. I hooked it up tonight with newer cables and the new aftermarket headshell I bought on ebay months ago. No hum and it is sounding and looking great. I threw an old AT cartridge on it and did a very cursory alignment.

I have some things to deal with, such as dialling in the alignment, but also the cueing and auto function set down point. Initially the tonearm did not lower without some manual help so I knew something was misaligned or gummed up. I found reference in an old thread that the black vertical rod that the arm lowers on might get out of alignment and with a bit of tweaking that started to work better.


Dual 1019 by Buhduh, on Flickr

The plinth it is in is nice thick plywood (walnut?) with an open back and recessed sides. It was actually the secondary table in a local guys huge custom built console and was on drawer slides. The primary table in the top of the unit was a Thorens TD-124 and the amplification was Harman Kardon Citation I and II. A nice setup indeed! The guy who gave me the Dual made a good profit on selling the other parts.


Dual 1019 side by Buhduh, on Flickr

I'm trying to decide what to do about the sides. I will take off the drawer hardware, but will want to cover or fill in the recesses somehow. I might add some mass and cover it but not sure yet. If this becomes a major player around here I will try to source a cover or have one made too.

I'm loving how long that platter spins after it shuts off. It must be around 30 seconds! :)
 
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Hey Montycat. Nice 1019. I don't know if you've been following my thread on my newest 1019, but I had a problem with that lift pin too. Cleaning it helped, but it now falls a little fast and sweeps the arm slightly back toward the platter when going through the drop cycle when shutting off. It's possible I was over zealous in what I did to free it up. Have you noticed anything similar?

Also, thirty seconds spin-down seems a little short, the one I've been fixing up spins down in 1:00 minute and the other one in 2:30 minutes (cycling it with the tonearm locked and timing from the sound of the switch clicking off).
 
I will check out that thread ggeorge.

30 seconds was short; I wasn't paying attention the first time. I timed it before I went to bed and it was more like 110. I will try with arm locked too.

Didn't notice drift yet. I saw somewhere that there is supposed to be a screw that can be adjusted to help adjust that pin's position but I could not find it last night.



"Typos in this meeasage? Can't you see I am doing this on my phone using Tapatalk?"
 
Beautiful table. Idler is the way to go when you want some thump in your life(dig that Magazine album!). My biggest audio issue these days is whether to play my Dual 1219 or Garrard Lab 80 MKII. I love them both.
 
I own 3 vintage idlers. A Dual 1229, Garrard Type A and a Lafayette PK-245/Empire 980. They've served me well over the years and deliver that "idler mojo" that can be addictive!
 
sberger said:
Beautiful table. Idler is the way to go when you want some thump in your life(dig that Magazine album!). My biggest audio issue these days is whether to play my Dual 1219 or Garrard Lab 80 MKII. I love them both.
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Yeah, I love the 1019. And by the way, I demonstrated the free-spin of that platter to a friend of mine the other day, and it's a good 2-3 minutes before that thing finally comes to a stop. That's to be expected with a 7.5lb cast-iron platter (My friend thought it was hilarious). The 1019's got a great tonearm too. Very-simple-looking, but well-designed.

The old idlers seem to have a way with old vinyl from the '60's and '70's (not to mention old mono LP's as well). And the mid '60's 1019 goes very-well with my W90's and Sansui 2000x, plus it's very-compliant in terms of cartridges. You don't need a $1500 custom-built, exotic-wood-housed MC cartridge to make it sound great. And I really-like the looks of the 1019 (I like the looks of most idler-driven tables, actually). A very-underrated table indeed.

*EDIT* - By the way, to all you Dual idler owners out there, if the thing ever suddenly has no power when you go to play it, check the speed-control. If you accidentally-bump the speed-control switch so that it's between, say, 33rpm and 45rpm, the power to the motor cuts off... That's happened to me a couple times... I assume it's part of the design... some kind of safety feature).
 
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Hey Andrew, nice lookin Dual I like the custom wood. Im curious as what the plexiglass tonearm lookin thing does?
As far as idlers Ive been listening to a Ben. Mirachord 50 H-II. Eric
 
Eric n Kc said:
Hey Andrew, nice lookin Dual I like the custom wood. Im curious as what the plexiglass tonearm lookin thing does?
As far as idlers Ive been listening to a Ben. Mirachord 50 H-II. Eric
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Thanks.

That's a Watts Dust Bug. The one at the back is on the original suction cup and on a disc of plywood glued to the base. It came with the 1019. I don't remember where I got the others but they are more portable and I am not sure what the brand is on the one in front. The one at the left is on a base I made out of a metal pin and a larger heavy knob with set screw from some gadget or other.


Dust Bug Dual by Buhduh, on Flickr
 
Montycat said:
Thanks.

That's a Watts Dust Bug. The one at the back is on the original suction cup and on a disc of plywood glued to the base. It came with the 1019. I don't remember where I got the others but they are more portable and I am not sure what the brand is on the one in front. The one at the left is on a base I made out of a metal pin and a larger heavy knob with set screw from some gadget or other.


Dust Bug Dual by Buhduh, on Flickr
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Them's a pile o' Dustbugs. I had one like the one on the left many years back. No idea where it got to, but it didn't show up after a move once. I've never seen one as fancy as they one in the foreground. Zowie!
 
I assume that's a third one on the bottom of the picture... I could totally use something like that myself. The 1019 seems like a good candidate for several of those since any extra drag shouldn't be an issue with that heavy platter and the fat motor driving it.

Here's another question, if anybody knows. What happens if you accidentally hit the start switch with the tonearm-lock on? I've done that once or twice, and it's had me wondering whether the table is designed to NOT swing the tonearm over the record when the tonearm lock is on, or whether the arm just tries to swing out but can't. I would feel a lot better if I at least knew one way or the other.
 
Gang-Twanger said:
I assume that's a third one on the bottom of the picture... I could totally use something like that myself. The 1019 seems like a good candidate for several of those since any extra drag shouldn't be an issue with that heavy platter and the fat motor driving it.

Here's another question, if anybody knows. What happens if you accidentally hit the start switch with the tonearm-lock on? I've done that once or twice, and it's had me wondering whether the table is designed to NOT swing the tonearm over the record when the tonearm lock is on, or whether the arm just tries to swing out but can't. I would feel a lot better if I at least knew one way or the other.
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The arm tries to swing out but can't. Don't worry though, it won't hurt it. It is actually recommended procedure to reset the mechanism if the cam has gotten out of position. The worst it could do is cause excessive wear, but it doesn't really stress the cam or other parts any more than during normal operation. The guide pin/main lever interface is what's affected--locked, the guide pin slides across the main lever plate instead of being carried on it. The same thing happens when it selects disc size--the carriage of the guide pin on the lever is interrupted during its travel at the appropriate point, but the lever continues to try to move it. Does that explanation help?
 
Gang-Twanger said:
Here's another question, if anybody knows. What happens if you accidentally hit the start switch with the tonearm-lock on? I've done that once or twice, and it's had me wondering whether the table is designed to NOT swing the tonearm over the record when the tonearm lock is on, or whether the arm just tries to swing out but can't. I would feel a lot better if I at least knew one way or the other.
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​

According to the OM, "No need to worry if the unit is started when tone arm is locked. Tone arm is engaged to cycling mechanism by fool-proof slip-clutch, no mechanical linkage."
 
I found the headshell sled that came with it and have tried it and it does have a bit more hum than the aftermarket clone but it could be (probably is) due to some contact corrosion. Coincidentally it has a similar AT cartridge.

I am still getting sporadic non-dropping tonearm but admittedly I have done darn near nothing other than dusting to this sucker. I did drop a touch of oil into the area where the lift pin is but it still might be binding. It does speak well for this 40 year old deck that it works well still, though I do think it was owned by someone who cared.
 
Montycat said:
I found the headshell sled that came with it and have tried it and it does have a bit more hum than the aftermarket clone but it could be (probably is) due to some contact corrosion. Coincidentally it has a similar AT cartridge.

I am still getting sporadic non-dropping tonearm but admittedly I have done darn near nothing other than dusting to this sucker. I did drop a touch of oil into the area where the lift pin is but it still might be binding. It does speak well for this 40 year old deck that it works well still, though I do think it was owned by someone who cared.
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Definitely contact corrosion, or rather tarnish. The contacts are silver plated. Some silver polish and a little fine work will take care of it--it wouldn't hurt to do the same at the RCA jacks, muting switch, etc. underneath.

I cleaned the lift pin from the bottom (where the spring is) with alcohol. It did help a lot, but that drop when shutting off still drifts slightly toward the platter. The main lever drops half way (for set-down) before it cycles back into the neutral position. So, the pin is dropping too fast and is getting dragged in that return to neutral. Maybe someone can chime in to advise on the right oil for it since it's not shown in the SM
 
Yes It does look like tarnish. I will take a pic of the other sled and post it soon. They are still available on ebay.

How high does your arm lift above the record? I am pretty sure mine is riding way too high. I will work with the R8 screw to adjust that. Maybe there will be less drift if the overall travel is also less?

The damping lube is specified as "silicone grease" in the SM. I don't know what weight that is supposed to be but I do have some 300 or 500k from my work on other tables.
 
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