pustelniakr
Silver Miner at Large
Stylus Drop Point Adjustment
You will need an old record, you don't care if it gets scratched, for this operation.
With the platter and mat installed, as well as the headshell, cartridge, and counterweight, adjust the tracking force and anti-skate to reasonable settings (you will get more accurate after the unit is completely reassembled).
Enjoy,
Rich P
You will need an old record, you don't care if it gets scratched, for this operation.
With the platter and mat installed, as well as the headshell, cartridge, and counterweight, adjust the tracking force and anti-skate to reasonable settings (you will get more accurate after the unit is completely reassembled).
- Put an LP on the platter.
- Press the lift button.
- When the lift is complete, verify that the lifter lifts the stylus high enough to clear the LP, but only enough to clear the LP if it had a bit of warp. If it is not set properly, loosen the lifter setscrew (seen earlier) and move the lifter arm up or down, for a reasonable lift. Note: If too high, the lifter ramp curve will be incorrectly selected, and the stylus will drop too hard onto the LP.
- Slowly move the tonearm across its full range of motion and make sure that the stylus will clear the LP all the way across, adjust the lifter height as necessary.
- Leave the arm lifted, and but return it to its rest.
- Remove the stylus drop adjustment cap and don't lose it. (see pic 1)
- Look down in the hole covered by the cap, and rotate the tonearm to near where it will need to drop the stylus. You will see a screw head come into view. That is the stylus drop point adjustment. With a jeweler's screwdriver (common), rotate the screw through its range of motion, then turn it to approximately mid-range (gentle here, remember the pickup plate is only just secured to the tonearm shaft, and this screw is on that plate).
- Return the tonearm to its rest, but leave it lifted.
- Make sure the 'Auto' control is active, and 12" disk is selected, then press the start button. The tonearm will move to where it is set to drop the stylus, but stay up.
- By repeated 'start' pressings and adjustments, set the drop point to a reasonable place, by loosening the optical pickup plate setscrew and changing its relative rotation to the tonearm until the the drop point is reasonable. Fine tuning will be next.
- Before leaving the pickup plate adjustment, shine a light in from the back and verify that the pickup plate clears the top and bottom edge of the optical sensor, being positioned, up or down on the shaft, approximately midway between them. If you don't, you will drag during play and your records will skip. Once satisfied, firm up the setscrew, just enough that the pickup plate does not rotate when the actual drop point screw is rotated.
- Fine tune the stylus drop point, via adjustment screw in the hole. Turn the screw one way and the drop point moves in. Turn it the other way, and the drop point moves out. Once you think you have it right, return the tonearm to its rest, lower it, and press start. The stylus drop point is properly adjusted when the stylus puts down just at the bottom of the hill you see on the edge of the LP, when viewed from the side. If too far in, it will drop inside the start of the 1st song. If set too far out, the stylus will slide down the hill and skip across the 1st couple of grooves of the 1st song.
- Lift the tonearm and drop it at the end of the last song (a couple of times), and watch to make sure that the table senses the end of the LP and properly returns the arm to its rest. Also verify that proper functioning in repeat mode (where the arm returns to the start of the LP).

Enjoy,
Rich P