HELP: Technics SL-QL1 Linear tracking TT behavior

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kap'n krunch

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Hello all out there!

Hopefully someone will be able to clear my doubts...
I know that linear tracking TTs are mostly for freaks like me and that since there are no good methods of taking care of the LINEAR tracking part, the industry has given up on them...except for Clear Audio´s really expensive arms...

I personally love the sound of my TT but it has always had this nagging defect:
you can see it in the waves when I rip any album, it seems it either goes towards the inside or it is dragged from the outside and it makes this low frequency noise/thump once every revolution which I have to EQ from quiet passages.

Now, I think that my TT´s arm is moved through a servo motor but that´s as far as I go.

I have 2 other exact TTs in Madrid, (I got 2 so I could use one for parts) so my question is:

is this a "manufacturing/impossible to solve problem" or would it go away if I change the belt that is used???

I had my other 2 TTs in Madrid serviced by Panasonic/Technics personnel when I got them originally but it somehow still made that noise (I guess in a way this MAY answer my question but I will never know if the folks ACTUALLY changed the belt)...

This is the Vinyl Engine page where anyone (OK, you have to sign up but it´s free) can look up the user guide and schematics for this TT in case someone is willing to give me a hand...granted, I know a lot of you are a bunch of wizards (I am NOT!) and in case anyone can actually help out I will gladly ship this and pay for the upgrade...

Thanks in advance!
 
I had one of these TTs at one time, been quite a while. Never noticed the problem you are having.
Sounds like pages 9 and 10 of the service manual are the parts of interest here (figures 12 -16).
 
Love my Dual 721...It goes round and round and gives no problems at all. No belts and no idler wheel.
 
I've never had the thumping with a Technics, but I have had it with a Sony. One shop tried to fix it but couldn't. Another replaced a belt and, a mere $30 later, the problem was gone.
 
It might be the platter bearing. If it occurs once a turn regardless of where the arm is located it almost certainly is.
Getting the platter off should be in the manual. You probably need to top up the lubricant.
Or maybe something under the platter that is rubbing once per turn.
 
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Alright, so I gathered all my troops and set forward...
After getting some GREAT advice from Fred at the Vinyl Engine Forums I got TWO (they´re cheap) belts to replace the old one and several cans of oil, etc, with a "computer" toolkit.
I opened up the Service Manual and set forth...

Any advice will be welcome and appreciated...well , unless , it´s "go to hell kap´n" ;) but that ain't no advice...it´s a suggestion...

Opened up the top , where the tone arm assy is and found the following...


Here is the wheel of the cord/belt that moves the tone arm full of brown grease...how do you clean this stuff and how much of it?? I have been told ALCOHOL and Qtips and a Very steady hand (especially if you need to avoid having the alcohol with grease drop on top of the rubber round thingy underneath!!! The belt on the left was replaced and I had to make sure none of the grease would touch it...now THAT was FUN!!!
1.jpg



Purple arrow is some more (I´d say UNWANTED) grease on the cord/belt that MOVES the tone arm and on the orange arrow is where the slob who opened this the last time cleaned off the rest of the grease from this toes...yuck!
2.jpg


Yellow arrows point at where the metal tone arm guide rail is mounted on. I see that the screws are different Left (round top) and Right (flat top) . I was advised by the great Fred to unmount these so I could restore the rubber tips at the end which are not very visible... I can´t take it off unless I take the top parts off and I ain´t doin' that, so, can I spray some rubber restorer on the rubber ends? I might not have to cause the rubber still feels "rubbery" and is not dry...
3.jpg


Here is all my stuff...
arsenal.jpg


Next time I´ll post photos of Emily Blunt...or Juliette Binoche...
 
I recommend NOT using silicones. They form mono layers and damage paint . They are very bad for optics. You should only use silicones where it is necessary and recommended. (ie aluminum window jams, unpainted.)

I would not worry about recleaning the old lube. That often results in more damage if you take stuff apart. Even grease on the belt may be in a spot where it does no harm. My preferred approach is to "freshen" the lubricants with some high quality oil. Grease is oil and soap usually. the oil falls of and the soap is what is left and stiffens due to polymerization and attack by atmospheric oxygen. Just get some new oil into it and it may well be fine. Dropwise.

For plasticware as is found in these wonderful linear tracking devices I like to use teflon containing white lubricants.
https://www.amazon.com/teflon-grease/s?k=teflon+grease
get a hypodermic needle oiler to place drops of oil. The sleeve bearings in the motor will thank you. Just takes a drop.
 
I recommend NOT using silicones. They form mono layers and damage paint . They are very bad for optics. You should only use silicones where it is necessary and recommended. (ie aluminum window jams, unpainted.)

I would not worry about recleaning the old lube. That often results in more damage if you take stuff apart. Even grease on the belt may be in a spot where it does no harm. My preferred approach is to "freshen" the lubricants with some high quality oil. Grease is oil and soap usually. the oil falls of and the soap is what is left and stiffens due to polymerization and attack by atmospheric oxygen. Just get some new oil into it and it may well be fine. Dropwise.

For plasticware as is found in these wonderful linear tracking devices I like to use teflon containing white lubricants.
https://www.amazon.com/teflon-grease/s?k=teflon+grease
get a hypodermic needle oiler to place drops of oil. The sleeve bearings in the motor will thank you. Just takes a drop.
So I should get teflon oil and put only a drop on the white wheel?
 
that is what I would do. maybe a few drops. one on the bearing. a couple on the worm gear which will distribute it.

some people like to get OCD and "clean up the old lubricant" that is valid I suppose but also may not be necessary. Unless the old lubricant has completely polymerized and turned into stiff varnish which does occur.
 
teflon is likely better for plastics than lithium which is for outdoor equipment.
I DID also listen to you Gene...so I did use the Teflon oil everywhere (if it comes out wrong, I WILL remind you!!!...just saying...)....

it was more than 3 hours going thru cleaning with alkyhole and then applying the Teflon stuff VERY carefully cause there was a LOT of shite in there but the Teflon looks like it broke down the greasy mess that had been left by the SLOB who opened it up last time....
 
Wow looks like an intense surgery with a bunch of doctors, I am assuming you have the service manual? If not you can probably find it online, I believe most manufacturers did not like paying Rabco all their licensing fees for linear Tracking arms, Plus most purchasers were not familiar with the concept so it failed, not because it was a bad design or concept if it was you'd never see new turntables with these types of tonearm but hey that's a different conversation, I have a couple of Lineair Tonearmed turntables, I have serviced and I only used lubricants specifically for Turntables, Lube, Oils & Stuff from the big box stores can cause a lot of weird issues.

If you don't get it running OK, I would take it apart and Clean everything that had some form of grease or oil with 91% Alcohol and restart over, I have a Harman Kardon ST8 and a Yamaha PX-2 both with different concepts of how the manufactures designed their tonearm to track a vinyl record. The HK only requires Lubricant on the spindle assembly and only a couple of drops, everything else is run on about 3 belts and centrifugal motion. The Yamaha is pretty elaborate and it was making a grinding sound intermittently, I found it required a good track cleaning and I used a special lubricant that I had for servicing my Dual 701 which fixed it.

Actually, if you get them set up right they are great turntables, they can track the worst warped records and are effectively rumble free! Good Luck, Don't give up I bet you get it working with the help of everyone here, if not find a good tech who knows your turntable, you may have to look a bit but this is America where everything is possible, Just Believe!

Stay Safe!
Stewart😎
 
Wow looks like an intense surgery with a bunch of doctors, I am assuming you have the service manual? If not you can probably find it online, I believe most manufacturers did not like paying Rabco all their licensing fees for linear Tracking arms, Plus most purchasers were not familiar with the concept so it failed, not because it was a bad design or concept if it was you'd never see new turntables with these types of tonearm but hey that's a different conversation, I have a couple of Lineair Tonearmed turntables, I have serviced and I only used lubricants specifically for Turntables, Lube, Oils & Stuff from the big box stores can cause a lot of weird issues.

If you don't get it running OK, I would take it apart and Clean everything that had some form of grease or oil with 91% Alcohol and restart over, I have a Harman Kardon ST8 and a Yamaha PX-2 both with different concepts of how the manufactures designed their tonearm to track a vinyl record. The HK only requires Lubricant on the spindle assembly and only a couple of drops, everything else is run on about 3 belts and centrifugal motion. The Yamaha is pretty elaborate and it was making a grinding sound intermittently, I found it required a good track cleaning and I used a special lubricant that I had for servicing my Dual 701 which fixed it.

Actually, if you get them set up right they are great turntables, they can track the worst warped records and are effectively rumble free! Good Luck, Don't give up I bet you get it working with the help of everyone here, if not find a good tech who knows your turntable, you may have to look a bit but this is America where everything is possible, Just Believe!

Stay Safe!
Stewart😎
Thanks Stewart, it was a lot of fun and now I understand the "pride" in one's own work... I played some Windham Hill first but I don´t think that the arm´s rail was totally lubed...I played another LP and made sure the arm went all the way down and up so it would get lubed and ...goodness, I may have solved it!!!!
I will report back---
 
Kap'n, I am one of those freaks that believes in removing old grease that has lost its spec and the orangy stuff is horrible looking. I use WD40 applied lightly to a Qtip and clean or Varsol in the same way. Light lubes are better than sticky. Lithium is too sticky here. That brown skidmark with the yellow arrow is actually intentional. As a bicycle mechanic, I have learned that in the war between plastic and metal, rubbing plastic will always win against metal. It is protecting the wire insulation. Same as weight weenies on high end bikes that have to put a piece of electrical tape where the cable sheathes rub on the headset when they shave off millimeters and grams from a 15 pound road bike. Changing belts is always best too. the belt pic I saw |I have to assume is the old one as it is way too slack. I would carefully one at a time remove a cog and clean, lightly relube and replace and move in to the next taking pics of EVERYTHING. Caps intentional Kap'n. ;) I know you can do the repairs with observational skills and patience. Also, ask at KABUSA.com for appropriate lubes. Their advice is freely given and they carry Technics type oils and other parts though they specialise in SL1200 types. Good Luck!
 
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