Seanm
pfm Member
Ah but how do you know it's spot on? You really need a second, possibly much more expensive protractor to confirm.
Fancy Protractors?
- Thread starter Darren L
- Start date
clivem2
pfm Member
I could use one the giveaways to check. Accuracy should be the same.
The typical 2 position protractors miss out the first half of the process, I couldn't believe how easy it is when you set overhang first My Dr F wasn't that expensive and it must be about 10 years old so the cost of it is well and truly sunk. It's saved me having to buy a wig.I have both, but the Smartractor is more accurate especially at getting the spindle to pivot distance correct. I believe there was a fault with some Feickert protractors which made the S to P distance out by millimetres. Best to double check with a ruler if you have a Feickert. If you have a high end turntable/tonearm/cartridge then one of these is absolutely essential.
Howdy
pfm Member
Personaly, I don't mind aligning the cart on two points, so I don't have a need for fancy protractors. I just print out my own on a transparent foil. There was even a time, when I thought I had superior grasp of tonearm math
))Searching through my computer files, I found 2 of my own designs, with custom null points 63 & 118 mm (compromise between Baerwald and Stevenson). I know I made them for all other geometries and with different designs of the lines or grids, just can't find the files at the moment.
So here are 2 of my files. I found a Baerwald file also - but it is corrupted and doesn't open.
63-118 v1
63-118 v2
clivem2
pfm Member
Interesting...all I’ve seen is that some spindles are smaller than the Dr F hole and arms without pivot markings are tricky. I have double checked mine, it seems good.
The Smartractor has as circular clear disc with cross hairs on at the other end of the point so its pretty accurate at getting the centre of the tonearm pivot bearing.
You can see it in the picture below:
Colin123
pfm Member
clivem2
pfm Member
Mine's the ancient Dr F which I believe started the market for such protractors. The pin is the same...I've always been able to see the pivot point, possibly I've been lucky with the arms I've used it with. Some of the errors I've found on friends' systems don't bear thinking about...The Smartractor has as circular clear disc with cross hairs on at the other end of the point so its pretty accurate at getting the centre of the tonearm pivot bearing.
You can see it in the picture below:
The pin on mine has a point on its end, the one in the photo looks flat..maybe it’s just the low res photo. The point is important for accuracy.
Mike Reed
pfm Member
I have the original as above in Clive's post. Fault above noted but mine's been checked out by a local dealer's digital gimmickry and laptop. Shall check though. The paper/card protractor which came with my Dais was a bit rudimentary so I got the Dr.F. Rarely use it but would be lost without it ! Seems that it cost a lot more originally than its successor even though it was missing one measurement format.
Mike Reed
pfm Member
Yes, it's v. good with its mirror facility for underslung canti's but it's around the price of a very capable m/coil. The mk.2 Dr.F at around £150 is more accessible. If you've got a Lyra or another cart.with exposed cantilever the Dr F would make much more sense i.m.o.
The Smartractor has a point at one end and the circular disc at the other. If you are setting up >£1000 cartridges, as we often do, then it is an essential piece of kit, along with a very accurate set of digital scales. Here is a better picture of it.
Note: the 2 alternative spindle bushes (3 provided). These are machined to very tight tolerances and are selected for the correct record spindle diameter, as spindles are not all the same diameter. Any "slop" between the spindle and the bush can make the adjustment less accurate. While expensive, it is the best protractor available today, and yes we do sell them...
daytona600
Registered User
Use a smartractor , project make everything analogue lower cost option circa 100quid
Align it – Pro-Ject Audio Systems (project-audio.com)
Align it – Pro-Ject Audio Systems (project-audio.com)
clivem2
pfm Member
Well...£100 to £150 isn’t too bad for a few decades of cartridge setup. You do though need to gain satisfaction from this sort of pastime...if not then avoid it. The Smartractor is surely the Rolls Royce version....with a high price tag but when I’ve seen it in the flesh it does look good.
One of my decks doesn’t need all this paraphernalia...it has a linear tracking arm...setup is all via straight lines.
Bairnstorm
pfm Member
I am using the Hoffman protractor that I printed off vinyl engine.
I have a 12" Ortofon arm and it is supposed to have been factory set at a spindle to pivot of 316.2mm. When I measured it was more like 315mm.
You can put in your own measurements on the Hoffman and it certainly makes a difference. I wish I had known about it before.
Tried J7's and the one with Ron Gregory's test disc but this is way better. Never tried the expensive ones.
I have a 12" Ortofon arm and it is supposed to have been factory set at a spindle to pivot of 316.2mm. When I measured it was more like 315mm.
You can put in your own measurements on the Hoffman and it certainly makes a difference. I wish I had known about it before.
Tried J7's and the one with Ron Gregory's test disc but this is way better. Never tried the expensive ones.
moffer
pfm Member
A £5 Ortofon two point protractor works fine for me. It may take a bit longer to align a cartridge but that's no big deal to me.
Darren L
Egalitarian
I've always used the various protractors that come with various tonearms, never had an issue but just wondered what other folks experiences or opinions were on the various protractors now available, I don't think any of these were available 20 years ago and we managed just fine.