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Philips 212 tonearm question

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iglehart332

New Member
Hi im Paul from Dallas TX. I just recently jumped into the world of HiFi. Bought a philips 212 for a about $20. This thing is in great condition (Even the touch control lights) exept for the tonearm. It looks like its been bent down so far that the lowering mechanism is useless. I was thinking about trying to straighten it out or buying this
http://cgi.ebay.com/Philips-212-Turntable-Tonearm-Counter-Weight_W0QQitemZ250459795803QQcmdZViewItemQQptZVintage_Electronics_R2?hash=item3a5091315b

My question is; is the tonearm on this model suposed to perfectly straight or dose it have a slight bow to it? I dont kno if its just me but the one in the ebay link above looks light it has a bend to it.
 
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Heres the tonearm on the lowering mechanism in the fully raised position. See how low it is. about a half inch down past the platter. (see front view)

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Front view
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It's hard to tell. I just looked at mine and it seems to bow a little bit too. Mine works and sounds fantastic. How is yours performing. If it sounds good, than i think you are ok.
 
It's got a downward curve, definitely bent. With the counterweight and cartridge removed it should be correctable by hand. Be slow and careful, kink it & it's junk.
 
Have you removed all the restraining screws ( travel screws) under the platter ?
That's what it should looks like in the down position ( last photo ).
 
it is bent at the counter weight end for sure , it's set at 2.5gr I think from the look of the slider weight also , might still work if you get it balanced . Nice clean table . The users manual is available on vinyl engine for free download also .Have a look at how to set the balance on the arm and check for the tracking weight on that cartridge , it may work out for you . Nice clean table and good luck .
 
Ok so now that I look at it I can see what happend. The tonearm was bent down right where it touches the lowering mechanism. It left a visable mark and feels like it might be a small crack (see last pic). I straightened it the best I could. And heres what it looks like now


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Lowering mech up

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Lowering mech down

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Also down

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Everything seems to work now but I dont know if the tonearm is ruined because of the possible crack. ?
 
Well it should still work , even with a crack in it .How long is another question , could be forever , or a few weeks is you force it . Could you put a little JB weld or such on the crack to prevent further damage ? A very thin coating would help and not add a lot of weight ? But slide that movable weight on the arm all the way back and turn the counter weight at the back until the arm floats with the cueing down , that will give you close to zero tf . then adjust the slider to desired force . If I had tried to fix that arm I would have snapped it for sure , hat's off to you :thmbsp:
 
Thanks guys I really appreciate it. I cant wait to hear it (Im still waiting on my sansui reciever. Got some AR speakers too!).
 
iglehart332 said:
Thanks guys I really appreciate it. I cant wait to hear it (Im still waiting on my sansui reciever. Got some AR speakers too!).
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the 212 was my first real table , don't count the BSR changer really, and it lasted a very long time with heavy use (abuse !) until one day it would not turn on . I found out later in the day of the internet it was the power switch is all . But I had a 312 sitting so threw that in and used it for 15 years until about a year ago , they go forever . I removed the arm off the 212 but lost it while moving or threw it out , can't remember . Back in the day every one that came over was awed by my table :tresbon: Sounds like you will have nice vintage set up going there .
 
Nice work. I'm a fan of those Philips tables. Just an FYI, I have seen the arms for those go for 20-30 bucks on epay.
 
be sure to check your tracking force , from your latest pic it's set really high !
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Yea I took your suggestion and went to vinyl engine.com. Found the manual. Got that straightend out.

Ill probly order a new stylus.. I saw somwhere on here that the shure M97XE was a good one..?

What other accessories will I need?
 
iglehart332 said:
Yea I took your suggestion and went to vinyl engine.com. Found the manual. Got that straightend out.

Ill probly order a new stylus.. I saw somwhere on here that the shure M97XE was a good one..?

What other accessories will I need?
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Do some research on that ADC cart , might be worth getting a new stylus for it ?I used a Shure on mine forever and was happy but check out the reviews on the 97 , seems to need some special settings to sound it's best ?Catman is the expert on that cart .

I would order a new belt , $10 maybe , and keep the old one as a back up .
If you have never had a table , there are lots of goodies to buy ! Brush , cleaning fluid , the list goes on forever . Deal is keep the stylus clean , keep the lp's clean and everything else works itself out . lots of folk on here with the same table .
 
mhardy6647 said:
I would put that poor arm out of its misery :-(
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no man , stick with it , $20 is all you got in there , or junk it and buy a brand new $500 table that might be better . Try some kind of magic goo that will stiffen up that crack and you may get good results until you want to upgrade . It's just a tube , some tubes are better than others or course but if you can prevent it from falling apart you will be happy . I am guessing it's your first table , so you have to start somewhere and that's a nice way to start out .
 
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