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Pioneer PL-518 Tonearm Adjustments

After looking at it I believe if you were going to make that one work you would have to experiment with the weight. First of all taking weight off of it would be harder than I thought it would be and keep it looking good. Second since the counter weights scales are different (pl-512 goes up to 3 grams and the pl-518 goes to 4 grams) you could not just make it 119 grams and have the scale correct, I think it would have to be lighter in weight so one turn would add 3 grams instead of 4. So if my math is right the 518 weight adds 30 grams of weight per quarter turn to add 1 gram on the stylus and to add that with the 512 counter weight it would have to be around 90 grams total weight so it would add 30 grams per 1/3 turn and be close. I might be way over thinking this so I apologize if I'm wrong lol.
 
kirkendoll said:
After looking at it I believe if you were going to make that one work you would have to experiment with the weight. First of all taking weight off of it would be harder than I thought it would be and keep it looking good. Second since the counter weights scales are different (pl-512 goes up to 3 grams and the pl-518 goes to 4 grams) you could not just make it 119 grams and have the scale correct, I think it would have to be lighter in weight so one turn would add 3 grams instead of 4. So if my math is right the 518 weight adds 30 grams of weight per quarter turn to add 1 gram on the stylus and to add that with the 512 counter weight it would have to be around 90 grams total weight so it would add 30 grams per 1/3 turn and be close. I might be way over thinking this so I apologize if I'm wrong lol.
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Now add in the fact that the stub is about 1.5" long, the tonearm effective length is about 10" and the gimbals acts as a fulcrum so the effect is like sitting near the fulcrum of a playground seesaw in order to compensate for the fact that you weigh a lot more than your kid. The easiest and surest way to deal with this is to get the right counterweight.

John
 
The counterweight shaft also sags down a little bit. Is this common or problematic?
 

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Tracy Brink said:
flipping the counterweight wont balance at all, the arm is high even with the counterweight slid completely forward
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That's because the mass is concentrated in the back half of the counterweight, the light end being the one where the calibration wheel is located.

John
 
I've finally found a proper counter weight for my PL-518.
I have set the tone arm balanced and then added 1 gram and set the anti skate to 1 gram. The tone arm will not track.
I then added 1.5 grams and set the anti skate to 1.5 gram. The tone arm will not track.
I then added 2 grams and set the anti skate to 2 gram. The tone arm will not track.
I then added 3 grams and set the anti skate to 3 gram. The tone arm will not track.
I then added 4 grams and set the anti skate to 4 gram. The tone arm will almost track, but not quite.

What can I do at this point?
 
Use the gram scale you have and make sure the grams you are dialing in are true. If the scale is really thick you might have to take the platter off so the tone arm is at the right height when it touches the scale.
 
Tracy Brink said:
I've finally found a proper counter weight for my PL-518.
I have set the tone arm balanced and then added 1 gram and set the anti skate to 1 gram. The tone arm will not track.
I then added 1.5 grams and set the anti skate to 1.5 gram. The tone arm will not track.
I then added 2 grams and set the anti skate to 2 gram. The tone arm will not track.
I then added 3 grams and set the anti skate to 3 gram. The tone arm will not track.
I then added 4 grams and set the anti skate to 4 gram. The tone arm will almost track, but not quite.

What can I do at this point?
Click to expand...

Check and observe the tone arm raise platform under the tone arm during play.

Make sure it is not in contact with the tone arm. :no:
 
The 518 actually has a small tab that extends out from the pivot/bearing assembly. This is what is contacted to raise the tonearm. It is easily bent and, if touching the lift with the cue lever down, could be causing the problem.
 
Balifly said:
Check and observe the tone arm raise platform under the tone arm during play.

Make sure it is not in contact with the tone arm. :no:
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip, I don't think I'd catch that. This did not turn out to be the problem though.
I switched out the headshell and cartridge and it seems to be tracking fine.

thanks to all for the help and advise.
 
Tracy Brink said:
Thanks for the tip, I don't think I'd catch that. This did not turn out to be the problem though.
I switched out the headshell and cartridge and it seems to be tracking fine.

thanks to all for the help and advise.
Click to expand...

Great that you are able to solve the problem.

What was the problem with first cartridge and headshell, just curious ? :idea:
 
It sounds as if you had 2 problems, the first being the incorrect counterweight, now corrected, and the second, which wasn't discovered until the first was corrected, being a worn out or damaged stylus. In good condition, the XLM MKII Improved should track properly at 1 gram, maybe a little more since the PL-518 arm is a little heavier than ideal for that cartridge. It's a very good and highly regarded cartridge. but original styli are drying up. The last place I know of with remaining stock is Musonic in the UK. The price is actually quite reasonable, considering the rarity and quality.

John
 
boreas said:
It sounds as if you had 2 problems, the first being the incorrect counterweight, now corrected, and the second, which wasn't discovered until the first was corrected, being a worn out or damaged stylus. In good condition, the XLM MKII Improved should track properly at 1 gram, maybe a little more since the PL-518 arm is a little heavier than ideal for that cartridge. It's a very good and highly regarded cartridge. but original styli are drying up. The last place I know of with remaining stock is Musonic in the UK. The price is actually quite reasonable, considering the rarity and quality.

John
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thanks for the link, $75 US is a nice price. I have not done any investigation for a replacement cartridge or stylus.
 
Tracy Brink said:
thanks for the link, $75 US is a nice price. I have not done any investigation for a replacement cartridge or stylus.
Click to expand...
The cartridge I do have is a Pickering XV-15 1200E. I think has very low hours on it but I do intend to purchase a second. This ADC replacement might be the ticket.
 
Tracy Brink said:
thanks for the link, $75 US is a nice price. I have not done any investigation for a replacement cartridge or stylus.
Click to expand...

It's actually less than that. The price included VAT tax of 10 pound which is removed for non-EU non-UK transactions. Shipping via Royal Mail took 3 days to California!

John
 
boreas said:
It's actually less than that. The price included VAT tax of 10 pound which is removed for non-EU non-UK transactions. Shipping via Royal Mail took 3 days to California!

John
Click to expand...
I just realized I still have the cartridge for a Grado F3E+ that needs a replacement stylus, do you think a Grado Blue 1 is a reasonable purchase for this deck? Looks like about $80
 
Grados are unshielded and as a result can hum on some tables. We have a database here of tables on which Grados will hum on which tables and will not hum.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1k_Wr5zx-hcJ0as6wub8wIqsMu2a67DyLhzE8grJp9mc/edit#gid=0

There are funny things about the database that make me uncertain as to its utility. For instance, hum was reported for every SL-1600 reported (2) but not for the SL-1700 and 1800s included. Since these three models are essentially the same, there appears to be some randomness regarding what will cause a Grado to hum. To put it another way, though there are reports of "humless" PL-518s in the database, yours might hum.

Assuming that it's safe to use the F3E+ on the PL-518, I don't see any reason not to get a stylus for it. I'd personally go for the ADC. It appeals to me more. but you may decide otherwise. People do.

John
 
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