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The Downward Spiral - AR XA Restoration Begins.

elgato,

I think the motor might be OK. If you have to stick your ear close up to it to hear the noise then you are probably fine. The thick, aluminum plate on top should drown out any slight noises coming from below.

PM me your e-mail address and I will send you every .pdf and link I have saved on the AR XA Turntable.

Don't fret, AK is full of friendly people and great advice that will help to get your vinyl spinning again!

:smoke: herbs4life
 
AR Accessories - Pesent & Absent

I smashed my finger when I dropped a TV on it last night, so I thought I would do a post while I am out of work waiting to go to the doctor.

My AR Turntable came with most of the original accessories, not bad seeing as it was manufactured in 1969.

Here is the cartridge mounting hardware -

ARTurntable010.jpg


ARTurntable016.jpg




These are all over the web in .pdf form, but this is the original owners manual -

ARTurntable013.jpg




Stylus force pressure gauge. I have heard these are an ABSOLOUTE MUST for this type turntable. Fortunately, these are readily available new if yours did not come with one -

ARTurntable011.jpg




Not sure what this thing does, but I believe it measures either tone arm length or stylus over hang. If you need one, vinylnirvana has one you can print out and use.

ARTurntable009.jpg




Cartridge mounting instructions -

ARCartMountinst.jpg




All the accessories that I am aware of that did not come with my turntable are:

1. the 45 adaptor
2. the little bottle of AR oil
3. dust cover
4. turntable mat

I really don't want a dustcover. I am going to get a soft, plastic dustcover to cover both the AR and the receiver it sits on when I finally get it set up.

I plan on making a mat from either a thin foam or cork. Right now I am having troble finding the flat, rolled cork at the "big box" harware stores. Eunomians - Where did you find your cork mat???

I want lubricant. I would like to find an old AR bottle and just fill it up with a suitable replacement oil. What kind of oil do I need to use?

I am sure a 45 adaptor will come up on ePray eventually. I have heard that the record spindle on the AR is slightly larger in diameter than other turntbles, so could this pose a problem with a non-original replacement? I ought to order about 100 of them machined if I could get an original one to go by.


Also, my AR came with some "WARNINGS".

ARToneArmWarning2.jpg


ARToneArmWarning.jpg



Again, many thanks in advance for any advice given. AK rules!

:smoke: herbs
 
Ouch, sorry 'bout that finger! Anyhow, nice pics once again...

I got a package of rolled cork from Michael's Art Supply. They also have (at some locations) flat cork. I steam-ironed the rolled cork flat. There are some hardware stores that have cork, but might I suggest you go to an Art Supply store instead (since you're not having any luck at the hardware stores).

The AR spindle is slightly larger than most spindles - it is broadcast radio spec sized. Sometimes LPs will be too tight to fit the AR spindle. The solution is to keep a pen laying around near the TT. You can use the pen to slightly widen the spindle hole so that it fits the XA spindle. Don't worry, you can still play these LPs on any ol' TT, the spindle size difference is so minute that it does not affect playback in any way.

Cheers
 
Johncan said:
I just picked up an original AR XA with the real wood base. It is mighty pretty.

John
Click to expand...

Wanna go in halverz on a parts unit? You will inevitably need to replace something. (Kidding - Good Luck!)

They really are classy looking. Is yours solid walnut or veneer? One or two motors?

I have considered getting a banged up XA, or possibly an XB for parts.

Most of the stuff on the XA and XB is the same as far as I can tell. The only differences are:

The XB does not have the tone arm that drops the arm slowly. This is replaced by a cueing feature.

The XB AR badge is silver and located on the top next to the cue lever instead of the side in brass.

There are minor cosmetic differences as well. The XB had a vinyl base, the improved black headshell, and a silver tone arm rest.

Getting an entire parts unit would be worth it just for the headshell. I also like the looks of that silver XB tone arm rest.... Hmmmmm..... Might could pick one up pretty cheap......

NO! NO! Must resist! Must work on what I am knee deep in presently!:nutz:
 
PM sent.

Do the two motors work OK? I have heard they are trouble prone. Mine was made in 69, yours is even older if it is the 2 motor kind.

:smoke: herbs
 
Yeah the 2 motor version is older than '69. The earliest 2 motor types are the first incarnate of the AR turntable known as the AR-TA. The 2 motor type comes with a pully that only allows for 33.3 rpm. Kind of a bummer if you are into 45s or 12" 45rpm extended remixes. AR made a replacement kit in the late 60's to eliminate the 2 motor system as it was prone to trouble. 2 motors = more potential trouble.

:beer:
 
FWIW and for folks that have not seen this store.. If you are looking for SMALL parts this be the place to look first... You can DL their catalog and look around in it on your computer......

http://www.smallparts.com/
 
OMI said:
FWIW and for folks that have not seen this store.. If you are looking for SMALL parts this be the place to look first... You can DL their catalog and look around in it on your computer......

http://www.smallparts.com/
Click to expand...

What a cool place - thanks for posting this link! Looks like you can get a ruby, saphire, aluminum oxide, or plain SS ball to replace the one you lost, if you wanted.
 
herbman1975 said:
The XB does not have the tone arm that drops the arm slowly. This is replaced by a cueing feature.
Click to expand...
Herbman
If you want the best sound from your stock TA, you will want to disable this function, it will make a HUGE difference in sound, BTW pm sent to you, your washers are on the way:thmbsp:
 
Divotdog said:
Herbman
If you want the best sound from your stock TA, you will want to disable this function, it will make a HUGE difference in sound.
Click to expand...

I am going to disable it. I think the only thing that keeps the cueing working is the:

1. Grease in the pivot housing
2. Oil soaked foam ring and washer at the top of tone arm pivot spindle

I think after you clean all the grease out with lighter fluid the damped cueing is pretty much gone. This is included in the audio basics article, I think. I am going to follow that mod word for word after I get the wiring done.

Right now I have another problem, How do I tell where to solder the tone arm wires below the base? I know you are supposed to check the plastic tone arm receptacle after removing it to see what color wires go where, but I yanked mine out completely during removal.

Does anyone have a wiring schematic that describes where the wires are soldered in under the TT? I need to know where each wire from the headshell solders in.

I beg of you more assistance oh AR gurus!
 
There is a little pin in the side of the bearing that you need to remove to disable the cueing:thmbsp:
top left is white or left pos
top right is red or right pos
bottom left is blue or left neg
bottom right is green or right neg
 
Divotdog said:
top left is white or left pos
top right is red or right pos
bottom left is blue or left neg
bottom right is green or right neg
Click to expand...

Is that description for the headshell or the posts underneath?

Thanks!
 
Thanks! There are still some wires attached underneath, I can tell which is the ground, I will see what color they are.

Thank you Mr. Divotdog!
 
It will be hard to see the colors on that XA, but I belive that the center pin on your RCA plug is pos and the outside sleeve is neg, sombody please correct me if I am wrong, as I am not positive on this.
 
On mine, the top pin underneath is the ground. I can distinguish two - the green and blue wires, but it looks like two are red.?..

I am trying to find a flashlight to get more light on them so I can tell.

After I am through I will post a correct schematic as to where they all go.
 
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