I just replaced my tone arm and the needle keeps skating to the middle or the outter edge. messed with the ski and counter weight. it gets better doesnt fix the problem. my styles is old and i havent used it in awhile but it worked just fine before the tone arm was changed.

Unit may need a skating adjustment. If the needle still stakes across the record check to make sure the tone arm weight is at least 1.5 grams if good you may need a new stylus or needle. a stylus and a needle are the same thing. Larry

I gather you don't know how to adjust the tonearm. First put the stylus pressure, and antiskating to zero. Balance the tonearm for a free floating position. Ortofon cartridges will list the stylus pressure, generally 1.5 grams. Dial in the correct pressure, and set the antiskating to the same as the stylus pressure. If you require more assistance, or would like to inquire about repairing your Technics, please visit my website at audioserviceclinic.com. You may contact me there. Thank you.

hello george!
first of all remove any needle protectors provided, there is some "weight" on the arm (at the opposite end from the needle). Release the tonearm, you have to turn the weights untill the arm is in balance, then turn 2 and a half so that the needle will go down (2.5 grams), this is the optimum pressure for the needle (pick-up), some people will tell to do more pressure on the pick-up but this will result in higher wear down. On the other hand necessarily this is needed for environments with higher vibrations like discothekes. Be careful not to allow the needle to drop onto the mat or the turntable platter during this adjustment.
The next step is to adjust (if available) the anti-skate adjustment. Set the antiskate adjustment to the same number as the needle pressure setting (i.e. 2.5 grams would be an anti-skate setting of 2.5). If you are back cueing or scratching, then set the anti-skate setting to 0.
regards

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there is a counter balance on the side of the arm called an anti skating weight.it prevents the grooves on the record from pushing the stylus inward,wearing out one side.when the anti skate weight system has a fault,it drags the arm toward the center of the record faster than needed.there is also a weight on the back of the arm.that is the balance.when set to zero,the arm should balance.then the weight is turned to 1 gram or so.if there is not enough force downward,the anti skate mechanism will drag the arm inward.

Hi the pennies will mess up the stylus. There should be an anti skate setting at the back of the turn table, a round adjustable bit with numbers, increase the anti skate and then use the balance weigth (weight right at the back of the arm that turns to get the weight right. Set the anti skate with the tone arm light, then increase the weight a bit. Hope that helps

If you're a real DJ then the Technics is the best TT to scratch on. Don't listen to that fool about not scratching, lol. Your tone arm could be the problem. Have it checked out. I repair TT's

You need to adjust the downward force by adjusting the counter weight which is on the back of the tone arm. Rotate it so it's closer to the tone arm fulcrum to increase the weight on the arm, like tightening a nut on a bolt.

Balancing the tone arm is a two step process. Set the needle weight adjustment to zero(0) and make sure that the tone arm is balanced. It should rest horizontally without touching anything. Next, set the needle weight (usually 1.5 grams). Both adjustments should be on the rear of the tone arm. That should cause the tone arm to drop toward the record and have the correct pressure for the needle. Also, check the anti-skate adjustment. If that is off, the behavior you describe will occur as well.

Dan

Hi Vat,
Although I live in Canada now, I was born in the former
Czecholsovakia. While I spent a year in the Czech Republic in
2006, I was amazed how advanced their technology was, in
comparison to Canada or the US. If you want modern technology,
Prague is the place to go. Anyway ...

1) As I said before, do NOT adjust the tone-arm weight up
and down. This setting must be set to match the stylus and
the cartridge !!! The wrong setting is very bad.

To get the weight adjusted correctly, do the following.

a) Check the cartridge and stylus (needle) specifications, on
the WEB if necessary.

A typical tracking weight is between 0.9 grams to 1.5 grams,
but this very much depends on the needle geometry. To much
weight will damage the needle and the record, but

so will too little, because the needle will not stay on the
surface, skipping or mistracking on loud passages.

Note that the tracking acceleration is proportional to the
the square root of the loudness, multiplied by the frequency
squared. So if the tracking force is too low, the needle will
bounce over high frequencies and damage the record as
well as the needle's tip.

2) Once you know the correct force for your needle, adjust
the rear weight for ZERO force, such that the needle just
floats weightlessly in the air. If your turn-table has an anti-
skating adjustment, set that to zero as well.

3) At this point the tone-arm should be totally weightless,
and should neither touch the plater nor swing up/down
by itself. It should float halfway.

4) A this point, adjust the rear weight's dial (not the weight) to
read zero. Note that the dial will slide, while you hold the
weight still. You have now calibrated the tone-arm's zero
point.

5) Now, adjust the weight (with the dial) to read the desired
tracking force, for example 1.25 grams.

6) Now adjust the anti-skating dial to the same number as
the rear weight. This setting compensates for the radial
(towards the center) component of the friction vector,
caused by the needle riding on the record groove, at some
specific (average) tone-arm angle.

7) Your tone arm is now balanced, and you should not
touch it after this, accept for minor adjustments.

For brand new records, you may lighten the tone-arm
by 10%. For old records, you can make it a little heavier.
Similarly, you can adjust the anti-skating to prevent a
record from skipping, but a bad record should be played
only once (and stored on your computer).

8) For some tone-arms and cartridges, the cartridge pitch
(up/down angle) is also adjustable. This requires a special
jig or gauge, supplied by the cartridge manufacturer.

The pitch can be adjusted either by the use of screws or
wedges, and by lowering / raising the rear gimble. On my
Technics SL 1200, the gimble elevation is adjustable with
a large ring, and my SURE V15 cartridge came with a guage
for adjusting it correctly.

9) It may also be possible to adjust the cartridge's yaw and
radius, but all of these adjustments should only be done
using the correct gauges and by strictly following the
cartridge installation manual.

10) NONE of these adjustments should effect the tone-arm
cueing or return process. There should be plenty of
clearence if the cueing mechanism is working properly,
except, perhaps, for the gimble elevation, if the cartridge
is unusually tall.

11) Is the cuing mechanism (i.e. the tone-arm lifter)
mechanical or hydraulic ?

Is it the lift consistent or does the tone-arm drop down
with time?

Does the tone-arm move parallel to the plater, or does the
stylus height change with tone-arm position (yaw)

You are looking for a mechanical defect in the cuing
mechanism.

12) How much over all lift do you get between the down position
and the up position? This should be at least 8 to 15mm

If the cuing mechanism is worn out, it may not move enough.

If it starts too low, it may move enough but not raise the
needle enough to clear the record.

If the cartridge is tracking too low, you may have to
remove some wedges or spacers between the cartridge
and the head, or lift the rear gimble if it is adjustable, or
get a different tone-arm head, that matches the cartridge
profile.

Finally as silly as this sounds, make sure that the
platter is fully dropped and properly engaged. If the
plater is too high, for what ever reason, this would also
cause the needle to drag.

Also make sure that the rubber mat on the plater is the
right one and that it is not too thick.

Martin


installation manual.

There are two main things that will influence the anti skate settings.

1) The Headshell Weight and Balance
Firstly, check the data sheet for the cartridge and stylus you are using. It should tell you the correct weight setting which will vary from one cartridge and stylus to another. If the stylus is set too light, it can skate across the disc. This can damage the disc and the stylus. The sound will also be thin and it is likely to distort on high frequencies. If the weight is too heavy, it will not jump but will definitely damage the disc.

If you are a serious vinyl user, get yourself a tone arm balance. This is a device that you place on the turntable and you rest the stylus on a plate which is marked in micrograms. You place the stylus exactly at the correct weight marking and then make adjustments to the turntable settings until the tone arm is balanced. It's easier than it sounds!

If you don't have the data sheet for your cartridge and stylus and cannot find it online, use an old disc that you don't mind damaging, set the weight on the light side and gradually increase the weight until it stops skating.

2) Platter Levelling
Secondly, you need to make sure your turntable us on a level surface. If you are a purist, use a spirit level. to do this.

There are other things that can cause skating and jumping, especially if you use the turntable as a DJ. For example, vibration (caused hopefully by dozens rocking to your music). DJs will often increase the headshell weight very slightly to overcome this and I have sometimes placed the turntables on a thick rubber sheet such as carpet underlay to improve shock absorption.