Thorens TD-135 light wiring

[cmcguire]

Hi, I'm hoping someone who is familiar with this practice can give me a hand on this one. I've seen a few pictures of td 135's with an "on" light installed custom plinths. I've made myself a compact slate plinth and I'd love to install an LED light that switches on when the motor is on, not just when the table is plugged in. Would this be wired the same way the strobe is wired on a td-124? Any ideas?

Thanks

 

[bob smog]

Yeah, pretty basic. Bridge rectifier, couple resistors and caps.

Here's the easy way to do it

 

[cmcguire]

Thanks! Would I need the 33k resistor dound in the 124's wiring as well?

 

[tnsilver]

Not if you use the LPV-20-12 from Bob's link above. Otherwise you'd need to drop the voltage (R1,R2) from mains to whatever the Bridge rectifier and LED can take.

 

[cmcguire]

Not if you use the LPV-20-12 from Bob's link above. Otherwise you'd need to drop the voltage (R1,R2) from mains to whatever the Bridge rectifier and LED can take.

Got it! And if I choose to use a regular incandescent I would obviously lose the bridge rectifier but would I have to use the 33k resistor as well? I know it's there so the neon lamp doesn't get fried but wasn't sure about a small incandescent bulb.

 

[Dandy]

I just wired a 240V neon and switch in such a way that the neon lights up when the switch is on (leaving the tonearm rocker switch underneath in the 'on' position). But this is in an arrangement with the original tonearm removed (safely stored) and replaced with a 12" SME 3012 clone.

 

[Dandy]

I have some old pics of when I did the refurb here: http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/thorens-td135-refurb.447529/ but without the neon.

I later added the neon and a better switch. I'll see if I can take a pic later this week. The table is out of circulation at present.

 

[tnsilver]

Thank you! Great refurb job! Those are little less known devils them TD-135's. Mine is a pristine condition early 60's piece in the original greenish plinth and blueish dust cover. I've recently gave it some serious TLC. I acquired a missing black BTD-12S headshell that needs a paint job and a new mounting plate that I'm working on. I reserve the bragging rights to a later thread.

 

[cmcguire]

I just wired a 240V neon and switch in such a way that the neon lights up when the switch is on (leaving the tonearm rocker switch underneath in the 'on' position). But this is in an arrangement with the original tonearm removed (safely stored) and replaced with a 12" SME 3012 clone.

Your build looks fantastic! Just a question regarding the tonearm choice.
I'm currently wrestling with the BTD 12s on my td135 mk2. I've been experimenting with ball sizes for the horizontal bearing and am missing the tiny balls for the vertical bearing as well (though it seems to work fine without the vertical bearings in the little threaded cups). Anyhow, I just can't seem to get the arm to function without slight friction. I have the finicky lift function working well and all and It's getting really frustrating and I've been seriously thinking about doing something similar to what you've done. The problem is that I've already built a slate plinth that won't accommodate the extra arm! Argh. How to you find the new tonearm when compared to the original?

 

[Dandy]

How to you find the new tonearm when compared to the original?

Thanks for the kind words. I did restore the counterweight to my BTD-12S before removing it, and did the same with my other Mk2, which has the arm still attached, but it was a while ago and I can't remember the assembly details. There is an assy diagram of the BTD-12S somewhere. Do you have access to that?

Re your question: I really went that way with my Mk1 because it needed a complete rebuild and I wanted my own poor man's TD124/SME3012. It works well practically, particularly when powering off and on. I didn't do a side by side acoustic comparison, but I think the 12" arm tracks better than the 12S. I have also had my doubts about the friction in the latter. I'll check my own 12S when I get home and report back.

 

[cmcguire]

A little off topic but I've been through that recently. The balls are 2.8mm in diameter and there are 9 in each cup. You must have both cups with balls, washers (both copper and Teflon) and the springs. No way the BTD-12S functions properly without the two cups. It will skip.

Thanks so much for the info on the balls! I actually have both cups, what I don't have is the tiny bearing assembly that fits inside the two threaded bolts that hold the wand in place. I also don't have both springs or teflon washers though I do have the copper ones. I suppose that I could fabricate the springs and washers myself or find similar replacements at a hardware store. Do you know if the the tonearm ultimately rests on the balls in the cups or do the balls prevent the shaft from moving side to side?

 

[Dandy]

I've just checked my Mk2, but the tonearm is a TP14 of course, which has an antiskate device. This has no noticeable friction. My BTD-12S is, as reported earlier, removed and stored.

 

[cmcguire]

Thanks for checking that for me, Dandy. Tnsilver, thanks for the washer info as well. These bearings are friggin' expensive! Do you happen to know if these will work? I see they have the two holes for adjustment rather than the slot that the tp14 bearings use but if they're the same thread and size I can save a few dollars.

 

[cmcguire]

Other than the slot for a flat screw driver they are the same thread and size but the same seller has the exact BTD-12S bearings too. BTW, That shop sells NOS Thorens stuff from Switzerland and price accordingly. You may want to see if you can find a TA "for parts".

Thanks for the sage advice! With some patience and searching I found a TP 16 in need of repair which donated its bearings to me. Oh, and I managed to track down the issue with the tonearm not moving smoothly on the horizontal plane. It seems the shaft was slightly roughed up and the bearings were binding against it and ultimately getting stuck in the lower cup. Polishing the shaft and using a slightly smaller bearing seemed to do the trick just fine!