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Vintage Audio (record players, hi-fi etc) Amplifiers, speakers, gramophones and other audio equipment. |
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2nd Oct 2019, 6:47 pm | #21 |
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Re: Dansette Conquest Auto Mk1
I've now reassembled and tested the player-at the moment only with one 1959 45. On that basis it's working very well, except that I'd connected the leads to the cartridge incorrectly, assuming that the two channels connectors were above one another, but it seems they're side by side-no markings on the cartridge body. I need to check and adjust the tracking weight, which given the fact that the original TC8 Mono cart was there, may be a tad high. John I'm (semi)retired, too, but as I rent a workshop and have a separate phone line there, will have to charge for some of the time I've spent.
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2nd Oct 2019, 6:51 pm | #22 |
Nonode
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: Aberaeron, Ceredigion, Wales, UK.
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Re: Dansette Conquest Auto Mk1
I understand Livewire, I use my shed so I only have very small overheads.
It’s been interesting following this thread. Cheers John |
3rd Oct 2019, 6:38 pm | #23 |
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Re: Dansette Conquest Auto Mk1
Further to the above, I have now set the tracking weight for the cartridge to 4.5G, as measured on my trusty Garrard Pressure Gauge (bought many moons ago for 18/6d (92.5p) incidentally), and have played a mixture of mono & stereo 45s, a 7" 33, and even a 78 on the Dansette (Whether the 0.1 diameter stylus should be used for 78s is a moot point), and all sound good with plenty of volume and at constant speed. On the basis of this admittedly brief test, lasting maybe 40 minutes at most, I have to say that the Ronette 105 clone has coped very well with various kinds of music, without any sign of the problems mentioned on the forum from time to time.
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3rd Oct 2019, 8:10 pm | #24 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Lincolnshire, UK.
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Re: Dansette Conquest Auto Mk1
Surely that cartridge is a turnover type with one stylus for vinyl 33 and 45 rpm records and another stylus for playing 78s only, so no need to play 78s with the wrong stylus, or am I missing something?
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3rd Oct 2019, 9:31 pm | #25 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Hereford, UK.
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Re: Dansette Conquest Auto Mk1
Is it definitely a clone, not a real one ? The main problem with the clones is that the stylus assembly is made of metal that is of a heavier gauge than the original stylus assembly so it doesn't move as freely as it should. Maybe a replacement 'real' stylus has been fitted to a clone cartridge.
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3rd Oct 2019, 11:17 pm | #26 |
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Re: Dansette Conquest Auto Mk1
I assume it's a clone, since the only markings on it are in Italian. Unfortunately it, and the Dansette, are in my workshop abut 2/3 mile from here, so I can't take a photo, though I may do tomorrow and post it on here. It's a long time since I've seen an original Ronette 105, so I doubt if I'd know the difference by visual inspection. Although the cartridge was unpacked when the player was brought to me, it looks brand new, which is why I also assumed it to be a clone. In addition the two sides of the turnover knob are marked 'S' & 'M' (Stereo & Mono) whereas I'd have expected the original to have been market 'LP' & '78'.
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3rd Oct 2019, 11:54 pm | #27 |
Dekatron
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Re: Dansette Conquest Auto Mk1
S & M = S, standard (78), and M, microgroove (vinyl 33/45).
All those all metal shank stylus types have very little compliance, they're like the BSR TC8 which are the same in that respect. There was a Vaco Luxor(?) - (I think it was) version of the TC8 stylus that had the metal shank broken with a 'soft' suspension type material in the middle, giving it much better compliance. |
4th Oct 2019, 7:41 am | #28 |
Dekatron
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Re: Dansette Conquest Auto Mk1
(MODS: If this is becoming off-thread then I will understand)
Aren't those S and M designations in Post #27 confusing? One would normally assume S = Stereo and M = Mono. Even worse, on some versions of the Mono Ronette clone, only one side of the turnover knob is marked "M" and the other side is Blank. And the side that displays "M" is in the usual 78 position!
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4th Oct 2019, 8:59 am | #29 |
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Re: Dansette Conquest Auto Mk1
Techman- According to the specification published by Musonic, the 'S' on the Turnover knob indicates the stylus is for Stereo records and is 0.5mil diameter, whilst the 'M' indicates Mono, the tip in this case being 1.0mil diameter. I have no means to check such small dimensions, so have to accept their data. As noted earlier, I have played a couple of 78s with the 'M' tip, plus a few mono 45s, though I'll probably advise the owner not to play 78s, and to use the 'S' tip for all LPs & 45s.
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4th Oct 2019, 9:07 am | #30 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: East Sussex, UK.
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Re: Dansette Conquest Auto Mk1
A stylus for 78's was 2.5mil radius as far as I recall. 1mil was for MONO 33 and 45 discs. A compromise often fitted was a .75 which was supposed to be alright with Mono or Stereo LP's and 45's.
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7th Oct 2019, 1:07 am | #31 |
Dekatron
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Re: Dansette Conquest Auto Mk1
It was always 'N' and 'M' standing for 'normal' (78), and 'microgroove' (33/45 vinyl only). If the cartridge supplier say it's a double LP cartridge, then I guess it is, but I'm very dubious about the stereo/mono thing. If it were me I'd be phoning them up and asking someone who (hopefully) knows what's what and if I wasn't satisfied with the immediate answer then I'd be questioning it. However, I'm sure the person you're repairing the player for will be perfectly happy with it, but if one of the stylus tips is for playing 78s, then it's not going to do microgroove records a lot of good and I'd be looking at them both under a microscope to see if there's a difference between them if I couldn't get a satisfactory answer from the supplier.
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7th Oct 2019, 8:29 am | #32 |
Heptode
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Coventry, West Midlands, UK.
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Re: Dansette Conquest Auto Mk1
the stylus used in the PYE Butterfly cartridge is also marked with S and M and it says in the instructions that the S is for stereo records and the M for mono there is no 78 stylus for them
Steve |
7th Oct 2019, 9:19 am | #33 |
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Re: Dansette Conquest Auto Mk1
Sound advice, Techman, but, as I noted earlier, the specification in Musonic's listing states 'S' = Stereo. tip 0.5mil & 'M' = Mono with a 1.0mm diameter tip. Having played a few old mono 45s, using the 'M' tip. I can confirm in practice this to be O.K. The only caveat I'll pass on to the owner is never play stereo records with the 'M' stylus. I don't know from where the player's owner obtained the new cartridge, but as I'm 99.5% certain it's a Ronette 105 copy, I'm equally certain the specification applies to it.
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7th Oct 2019, 10:34 am | #34 |
Heptode
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Location: Shrewsbury, Shropshire, UK.
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Re: Dansette Conquest Auto Mk1
Most of my customers still think that the parts are at 1960's prices!
David. |
7th Oct 2019, 10:42 am | #35 |
Dekatron
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Re: Dansette Conquest Auto Mk1
Adjust them for inflation and watch them blench
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9th Oct 2019, 11:18 am | #36 |
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Re: Dansette Conquest Auto Mk1
Because the switches in the phono sockets were/are intermittent at best, I've bypassed the 'Ext. L/S. switch and wired the two internal speakers in Parallel, which is how the switch was wired. My only concern is that the load presented to the o/p transformer is now only 2 ohms. The player works well and produces plenty of volume & clarity wired this way, but I can't find a diagram anywhere to check how it was originally wired. My collection of R&TV Servicing books doesn't go back far enough to include the volume which included the Conquest Auto Mk1. The oly other niggle is that whilst on 7" records the autochanger works perfectly, on the two LPs I've tried so far, the stylus skids onto the first track, rather than following the lead-in groove, so maybe a judicious tweak of the set-down position is required.
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9th Oct 2019, 12:32 pm | #37 |
Dekatron
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Re: Dansette Conquest Auto Mk1
These speakers were wired in parallel at the factory and so should work fine as intended. In terms of the pick up set down postion, there is ample adjustment under the end of the tone arm for this. It is ideally set up on a 10" discc. That should then mean the 7" and 12" set downs should be fine. Also your arm on the BSR autochanger may well be tracking too lightly - 5 grams is a good compromise.
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Edward. |
9th Oct 2019, 1:16 pm | #38 |
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Re: Dansette Conquest Auto Mk1
Thanks for confirming that the speakers were wired in parallel, Edward. As to the set-down position, I haven't checked it in detail, but it was OK on the two 10" 78s and all the 7" 33 &45rpm records I tried, so maybe I should increase the tracking weight a little., though, having just checked the specification of the cartridge, 4.5g is roughly midway between the 3 and 6 gram minimum & maximum specified.
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9th Oct 2019, 4:59 pm | #39 |
Dekatron
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Re: Dansette Conquest Auto Mk1
In terms of tracking weight you need to take into account the limitations of that BSR metal autochanger tone arm, however lightly the cartridge might optimally track.
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Edward. |
9th Oct 2019, 6:22 pm | #40 |
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Re: Dansette Conquest Auto Mk1
I think I may have found the cause. The original BSR Turntable mat was missing, and all I had handy was an old Garrard Autoslim mat, which I placed on the turntable upside down, since it's tabs don't align with the holes in the BSR Platter. Anyhow I tried the player this afternoon without a TT mat, and the stylus sets down perfectly.
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