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Gyro SE bearing?

B

Bigchriscross

Active Member
Hi, I have recently come into ownership of a Gyro SE turntable and a MC100B valve amp. First off, are these any good?

Secondly, in the turntable box there was a small ball bearing. I guess it fell off somehow in transit. Any idea where it is supposed to go?

Thanks in advance.
 
Thanks, you're right that is plenty of reading!!! I was hoping someone could quickly tell me where the bearing goes rather than having to read the entire manual.
 
Simply lift off the platter and then the outer bronze bearing sleeve. The ball should sit atop the inner spindle shaft.

NOTE: You will need to fill the bearing well round the base of the spindle with ~2mm depth of oil before placing the ball on top and fitting outer bronze bearing sleeve. Michell recommend Mobil 1 0w40 synthetic.

bearing1.jpg

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There are four ball bearings in a Gyrodec. One each in the suspension towers and one in the main platter bearing. I suspect it is most likely the one from the platter bearing that you've found, as, IIRC, there's no need to open up the suspension towers unless doing a complete strip down/rebuild. I think the suspension balls are a different size from the spindle ball.. but don't quote me on that. The platter bearing ball goes in top of the spindle. Bear in mind that the bearing is 'inverted'. If you've found the ball. the bearing has been disturbed so needs checking anyway as it may have lost its oil.

Have a read of the link above, but there are plenty of Gyro users on here who will offer advice. My one time Gyro is now an Orbe, but the principles are the same.

Is the Gyro any good? Is the Pope a Catholic? I'd say the Gyro will be as good as the arm and cartridge you use, so long as it is set up correctly.

P.S. Useful pic from Craig B above. Check that the oil 'gallery' in the spindle is clean and clear. The bearing works by pumping oil from the well at the base of the spindle,up the spiral groove in the bronze bearing outer and out via the hole on the top surface of the spindle. If you replace the oil, you'll need a couple of mm depth of oil in the 'well'.

P.P.S., I did a longish write up on complete assembly of my Orbe, which shares suspension and bearing with the Gyro. I'll try to link to it later.
 
P.P.P.S.... I suppose it's possible that the ball you found is a spare and that there is still a ball inside the bearing..... :)
 
@ CraigB. I've been meaning to ask Michell about oil but if they recommend Mobil 0w40, I suppose the Castrol Edge O-w40 Synthetic I use in my Civic would be OK.
 
Hi all, it was the ball in one of the legs. In the course of my investigation some oil came out of the main spindle so I will need to top that up, probably best to clean it out and replace completely. Thanks again.
 
Glad to hear that you've had success!

@Mullardman,

The word from Michell's Jonathan Nye was that it should be synthetic motor oil, full stop. Mobil 1 was the first synthetic, so perhaps that is why Michell has stuck with recommending it.
As such, I can't imagine your Castrol Edge not being approved of.
 
Yes, using multi-grade motor oil does seem to be misdirected, however, I suspect that it is the long-term stability of synthetic oils that Michell were on about. Another reason may have to do with gear oils tending to have sulphur additives which can cause corrosion of yellow metals. I recall Michell not being too picky about the winter rating; 0, 5 or 10W all being fine. Afterall, it isn't as though customers are going to be cold starting their GryoOrbes out on the driveway of a winter's morning.
 
Yep. I think we've been here before. The oil simply has to be capable of protecting some very small bearing surfaces under extreme pressure, such as the ball/spindle interface.. and to do so without 'going off' solidifying or itself damaging bearing surfaces. What it does not have to cope with are things such as the polluting effects of 'blow by' gases, extreme and rapid temperature changes, very high relative speeds, etc., etc.

Castrol Edge is about fifty quid for four litres. I think I could make a tidy sum flogging it as 'Phonoslip Ultra' 'Universal Audiophile Turntable Oil' in 5 ml bottles for twenty quid a throw.... with a recommendation to change every three months... :rolleyes:
 
Bigchriscross said:
Hi all, it was the ball in one of the legs. In the course of my investigation some oil came out of the main spindle so I will need to top that up, probably best to clean it out and replace completely. Thanks again.
Click to expand...

Well spotted! When I got my s/h GyroSE and stripped it down, one suspension ball was missing completely and I had to source a new one. Hint.. Michell use a little Vaseline to hold the suspension balls in place to aid assembly.
 
@Bigchriscross

Regarding the MC100B amplifier, I had to do a search to confirm, however, I do remember these being a very decent sounding Chinese unit, akin to the popular Shanling models, but built like the proverbial brick loo (30Kgs!). It was mostly sold under the Yaqin brand but has also been sold under such made-up brands as Silk and Markhill Audio, amongst others. Starting back in 2007 these were chatted up quite positively on Stereophile's Forums.

Interestingly, this amp can be run in either triode (advertised as 30W/ch into 8Ω) or ultra-linear (advertised as 60W/ch into 8Ω) modes.

As this will be getting on in years, I'd recommend looking into having the tube bias checked , as these amps are manual adjust via hex key. If you have a multi-meter and are feeling up to it, the manual is available via www.hifiengine.com and Manuallibs.com and details the bias adjustment procedure.
 
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