Rek-O-Kut Turntables - ROK
- Thread starter jcmjrt
- Start date
SidSmith
Active Member
By the end of the 50’s The Deluxe b12h cost 129$ and the b12 79$. By comparison , a Garard 301 was 89$ and a Thorens td-124 was 99$. So the Ashland motor alone increased the cost by 50$. It is a very high quality motor, 24 poles if I remember correctly. Also used on the Presto Pirouette t-18H and the Fairchild turromatic 411H. When cleaned and the ball bearing changed for something better, it is a very quiet motor. For sake of comparison, it is more quiet than my Lenco l75 motor after cleaning.
For the record, the Fairchild 411H is an Ashland motor but it is double the power (1/100hp rather than 1/200hp) of the B12H. It's fair to say that they are both powerful motors...
adnick
Addicted Member
Interesting topic….my Rondine Deluxe has the 1/100hp but it also has the larger idler shaft, so I’ve assumed it’s an early version.
Regards,
Andy
Interesting... Thanks.
SidSmith
Active Member
For fast start indeed. Did you happen to possess a 411H? That is my dreamed turntable. I have no idea of its performance, but the engineering behind it is impressive for the time !
The Rondine is very simple compared to any of those models and on par with the Pirouette. A simpler more reliable mecanism that are easely serviceable. In my view the only inconvenient is it light platter.
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Yes I have a 411 and a 411H, though neither are operational in a plinth at the moment... High on the to do list...
SidSmith
Active Member
Fantastic ! You are a lucky man !
One day I will have one ! In the mean time, I will play with my Rondine Deluxe and my Lenco.
adnick
Addicted Member
Dave:
I’ve seen one of your 411s over on the Fairchild registry page, very nice machine…
VR
Andy
MWG
Active Member
Hi AK,
Submitting a photo of my Rek O Kut Rondline L34 project in progress.
I inherited this table along with a Dynaco ST70 amp, Dynaco PAS2 preamp, and Sherwood S3000IV tuner (last pic). I've been working on getting them all restored over the last months. As shown in the photo, the Rek O Kut is almost ready to go. It seems the last issue I'm dealing with is resolving an electrical hum issue, so I'd like to ask advise from the group. Here is what I know:
So, it appears the solution is at hand. Seems I want to simply ground the motor to the preamp and be done. If I stop there, the tonearm will not be connected to the ground wire.
As I'm new to all of this, I just wanted to check with the experts if I'm seeing this correctly and not missing anything.
Any advise would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!
Submitting a photo of my Rek O Kut Rondline L34 project in progress.
I inherited this table along with a Dynaco ST70 amp, Dynaco PAS2 preamp, and Sherwood S3000IV tuner (last pic). I've been working on getting them all restored over the last months. As shown in the photo, the Rek O Kut is almost ready to go. It seems the last issue I'm dealing with is resolving an electrical hum issue, so I'd like to ask advise from the group. Here is what I know:
- the table motor has original 2 prong plug
- the standard turntable ground wire is not connected to anything right now (there is a ground wire at the connector block as shown in pic, but it is not wired to anything inside the table)
- So that means the tonearm is not connected to the ground wire and neither is the motor (which are isolated from each other by the wooden plinth)
- The motor has a short ground wire from the motor itself to the metal deck of the table
- Most importantly -- If i use a jumper wire from the motor ground screw (shown in pic) to the ground wire back to the PAS2, the hum is gone!!
So, it appears the solution is at hand. Seems I want to simply ground the motor to the preamp and be done. If I stop there, the tonearm will not be connected to the ground wire.
As I'm new to all of this, I just wanted to check with the experts if I'm seeing this correctly and not missing anything.
Any advise would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!
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8xlaxx
Have you ever seen a spleen that large?
adnick
Addicted Member
@MWG outstanding equipment!
Run an early version of the same Grado tonearm and ground it directly to the turntable motor, however the table still should have a ground to the terminal and then a ground to the preamp.
Since that’s an open plinth I’d add a piece of old carpet or similar cut to fit underneath the plinth, it will reduce the “echoes” inside the box…These tables benefit from a heavy layered plinth interior, but that’s a very involved process.
VR
Andy
Run an early version of the same Grado tonearm and ground it directly to the turntable motor, however the table still should have a ground to the terminal and then a ground to the preamp.
Since that’s an open plinth I’d add a piece of old carpet or similar cut to fit underneath the plinth, it will reduce the “echoes” inside the box…These tables benefit from a heavy layered plinth interior, but that’s a very involved process.
VR
Andy
MWG
Active Member
Good tip thx! I also somebody screw some metal plates underneath to add more mass. The plinth is solid walnut with 3/4" hardwood plywood on top, so its not terrible.
On grounding tip, not sure I understand. For now, Ive just connected turntable ground wire to motor ground screw. Seems to work great like that, so I'm inclined to leave it alone in the absence of a compelling reason to do more.
It is true that my tonearm is not tied to that ground wire, but that doesnt seem to be causing an issue at present.
On grounding tip, not sure I understand. For now, Ive just connected turntable ground wire to motor ground screw. Seems to work great like that, so I'm inclined to leave it alone in the absence of a compelling reason to do more.
It is true that my tonearm is not tied to that ground wire, but that doesnt seem to be causing an issue at present.
Here's my contribution to the thread. I purchased a nice K-33H from @HBTim in February 2020. I decided to re finish the plinth which led me down a long and painful road due to my lack of finishing skills. Long story short, I ended up re-veneering three times because I kept screwing up. I learned a lot of what to do and what NOT to do and the third time turned out to be the charm. The veneer is Bubinga with three coats of AquaSeal grain filler and three wipe-on coats of Arm-R-Seal gloss topcoat. I spent a lot of time sanding and polishing the platter and cleaning up all the other bits. I still haven't even plugged it in and am waiting for the specified SAE 20 motor oil for the platter bearing and shaft. I also need to install and align a cartridge and install the belt after I get the platter bearing and shaft oiled.
It took a long time and LOTS of effort to get this TT finished but I think it came out pretty good:
Thanks for looking!
Joe
It took a long time and LOTS of effort to get this TT finished but I think it came out pretty good:
Thanks for looking!
Joe
AvFan
Super Member
Yes it did! Outstanding! You should get an award for the most perseverance and it paid off handsomely. The music will sound that much better knowing the effort you put into the plinth. Enjoy spinning some records.
