Resurrecting an old monster

[Gingerninja]

In process of trying to breath new life into an old turntable my grandfather built from scratch parts. It has the best sounds quality I've ever herd. But sadly the main motor and belts decided to die and dry rot respectively. At first I was going to just replace the whole unit but as it turns out almost every turntable I find is now a digital output cable. WHICH COMPLETELY DEFEATS THE PURPOSE of a record player if you ask me. Now I am by no means an audio snob or hipster but the stereo system I have the unit for is not capable of digital input. It's all run on 12 gage speaker wire. So I need suggestions on where I could get parts or how to Frankenstein a new table. eBay and Craig's list have utterly failed me in these regards.
Please and thank you for your help

[Hansontoons]

In process of trying to breath new life into an old turntable my grandfather built from scratch parts. It has the best sounds quality I've ever herd. But sadly the main motor and belts decided to die and dry rot respectively. At first I was going to just replace the whole unit but as it turns out almost every turntable I find is now a digital output cable. WHICH COMPLETELY DEFEATS THE PURPOSE of a record player if you ask me. Now I am by no means an audio snob or hipster but the stereo system I have the unit for is not capable of digital input. It's all run on 12 gage speaker wire. So I need suggestions on where I could get parts or how to Frankenstein a new table. eBay and Craig's list have utterly failed me in these regards.
Please and thank you for your help

Have you tried any used vinyl record shops in your area, if there are any? I know of two in my area (Houston) that also deal with old equipment and may be able to help source new motor, or at least belt as a start. If you have nothing nearby and cannot find contact info, let me know and I'll see what I can get for you. Best of luck!

[Atomic]

What? No RCA jacks! Improssabru!

[Dave]

http://www.turntablebelts.com/ - you can probably order a suitable belt from them (or a similar belt dealer) by measuring the size of the old belt, and subtracting 5% (or maybe 10%) from the circumference to allow for the fact that the old belt has stretched.

For a replacement motor: what you'll probably want is a good DC motor, and a variable-voltage DC power supply to run it with. A "brush" motor can be run directly from a DC supply, while a "brushless" requires a fairly complex electronic drive circuit... so, a high-quality DC brush motor would be easier to Frankenstein. One commercial supplier is

http://www.originlive.com/turntable-mot ... ables.html

but they are not cheap (to say the least!). I admit to being skeptical about the magicness of their particular chosen motor and power supply, and suspect that you could find something which would meet your needs for rather less.

Maxon and Ametek are well-known makers of DC motors.

http://www.robotshop.com/en/banebots-fi ... motor.html might be something you could adapt.

You'll need to figure out the speed you'll need from the motor: 33.3 RPM, multiplied by the diameter of the "belt drive" rim of the turntable platter, divided by the diameter of the motor drive pulley (which you'll have to select to fit the motor shaft). Pick a motor with a nominal operating speed somewhat higher than this; you can decrease a DC motor's speed by running on a lower (well-regulated) DC voltage. You'll need a DC supply which is well-regulated, lets you adjust the voltage easily, and which can deliver as many amps as the motor needs to pull when it's spinning up the platter.

If you're looking to buy new, you'll need to go to a specialist dealer. One I've dealt with a couple of times over the past few decades is:

http://www.audioadvisor.com/products.asp?dept=78

The Music Hall USB-1 has a built-in phono preamp, and a built-in analog-to-USB-audio converter... which you don't need to use. You can bypass both (feeding the cartridge to a "PHONO" input on your preamp/receiver), or use the built-in phono preamp alone (feeding its output to a "LINE" input on your preamp/receiver).

The Pro-Ject Essential II is analog-only (no USB, no preamp) and requires that your preamp or receiver have a PHONO input.

[Hansontoons]

Ummm... if you still need any help after Dave's reply, I'll be sitting against the wall clutching a few LP's and repeating the mantra "Dave's the man, Dave's the man...".

[Gingerninja]

Thanks a bunch you guys. MY STEREO SHALL LIVE AGAIN......in 3 to 5 business days.

[Jabberwonky]

Muah! Ha-ha-ha!

[DinkyInky]

It's nearly Vinyl Season again. I'm gonna crank out Revolver and L.A. Woman...LOUD.

Especially if that jackwagon across the street comes thumping along playing all bass, no substance again. I seriously hope he's graduating.

[jwhouk]

"Revolution." The B-side of "Hey Jude".

And if they're really annoying, "Revolution #9."

[Sgt. Howard]

"The Pipes of Scotland"...

[GlytchMeister]

...hah.

Let's kill someone! =)

You really, really want someone to leave you alone?

Convince them you're just begging for an excuse to disembowl them.

[Dave]

You really, really want someone to leave you alone?

A good drum solo will usually achieve that. Or perhaps a duet.

[DinkyInky]

"The Pipes of Scotland"...

I actually have several Bagpipe albums, and if all else fails, I can crank up my Off Kilter CD to maximum pipeage.

[ShneekeyTheLost]

...hah.

Let's kill someone! =)

You really, really want someone to leave you alone?

Convince them you're just begging for an excuse to disembowl them.

For example:

*idiot two-bit teen pulls a little pocketknife*

"I... I really appreciate the offer, but I-I-I'm not really supposed to do that anymore. I mean, sure, it's called self defense, but there's these pesky little clauses like 'excessive force', and then you get comments like 'you sick little freak', and... oh, oh 'okay, I've got the liver, I think, have you found the kidneys yet'. And of course, you have to deal with the cops. Yanno how that is. So if it's all the same, put that cute little thing away, turn around, and pretend you never see me, and I'll do the same. And then you get to wake up tomorrow morning. Won't that be nice?"

Make sure to do the tongue thing that Heath did. It's the same sort of nervous tic that happens when you take too many anti-psychotics for too long.

[TazManiac]

Well, this thread has certainly turned into "How to resurrect an old monster' alright, but maybe not in the original poster's initial intention.

btw- re: the most recent posts; I resemble that remark... Please kindly exit my thought processes and remembrances now, if you will...

btw II, back on topic: I just came across a Vintage piece of Stereo Equipment, but it remains to be seen if it will still hold the Magic Smoke inside anymore.

More to follow, when I get results either way.

[GlytchMeister]

Make sure to do the tongue thing that Heath did. It's the same sort of nervous tic that happens when you take too many anti-psychotics for too long.

Krieg from Borderlands 2 has this little head twitch thing that I've NAILED. It's very disconcerting. You can see it in "Meat Bycicle Built for Two" I think.