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The deck is not prone to going out of tune - we recommend that you check the level of the platter after the first few days
as the spring initially “beds in” and every year or so after this.
Depending on your use of the deck, the belt should ideally be replaced every 2 years or so.
If you withdraw the sub-platter spindle more than a few times you should put in a drop of oil to compensate for any
possible loss.
In the unlikely event that the support rod becomes loose over time such that it can “rocks” then the nuts need to be re-
tightened. Only “nip” the nut tight by a maximum of 1/8th of a turn after finger tightness has been achieved and it
starts to clamp onto the steel.
Troubleshooting
Speed variation
If there is significant speed variation then possible causes are as follows.
Significant changes in room temperature - this especially affects decks that use thick, viscous oil in the bearings e.g. Rega
decks
Lack of oil in the bearing so check by adding oil.
Changed belt tension or an oily belt or sub-platter - clean running surfaces.
Turntable out of level – this affects the main bearing friction.
After adjusting the tension of the 3 small Philips screws which hold the motor on, you may need to re-adjust the speed as
they affect motor bearing friction very slightly.
Check the sub-platter is not fouling on anything - on certain decks it can rub against one of the spring covers - it has also
been known to "bottom" against the top of the bearing house - there should be about 1 to 3mm clearance between the
top of the bearing house and the bottom of the sub-platter.
A dirty bearing that exhibits too much friction - The sub-platter should drift round effortlessly with the slightest of
nudges and go on spinning. If you suspect the bearing friction to be a little high return the bearing to us for checking.
A worn thrust bearing - this may occur on a small run of bearings, which were too soft.
Transistors that have developed temperature instability.
Excessive motor noise
The motor needs a run in time of around 2 - 4 days continuous running. They are sometimes a little noisy to start with. It
is best to run in the motor on full power with the belt off. Most importantly you can "tune in" the motor to give
minimum noise by adjusting the tightness of the 3 small Phillips screws next to the motor pulley. The best way to set
their tension is to tighten the screws until they just nip tight. Then back off all 3 screws a little way. Now tighten one
screw at a time till you hear which ones cause the least noise when tensioned and then adjust the other two to give
minimum noise. It may be necessary to use thread lock or similar to stop the screws vibrating loose. If it continues to be
very noisy please get back to us and we may check it out. However bear in mind that the dc motor is never as silent as
a/c motors are - this is because they are cogless and rely on a different type of brush. Having said this dc motors still
sound a lot better in terms of musical performance.
The other major potential source of noise is the motor vibrating due to lack of tightness and causing it’s top plate to
resonate. The solution is usually to slightly tighten the 3 small screws holding on the motor. This adjustment is fairly
critical - if the 3 small screws are too tight then the motor whispers, too slack and the motor can vibrate against it’s top
plate.
Please note that by adjusting these screws you affect the angle of the motor. If the belt touches the flanges at the top or
bottom of the pulley then the motor is at too extreme an angle and you will need to re-adjust the bolts.
The ideal is for a vertical pulley with the lowest noise level. If you get a knocking sound from the motor then slightly
slacken off the 3 screws holding the motor to the top plate.
If you have checked the above and are still having trouble please contact us making a note of the serial number on the
back of the control box..
Final setup of tonearm
Installing the arm
Introduction
Rega arms and Origin Live arms require mounting dimensions such that the centre of the platter to the centre of arm
hole is approx 223mm plus or minus 2mm tolerance and the hole diameter for the arm is 24mm to 25 mm.