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My AT 637 elec. stylus cleaner is knackered; what's a current equivalent?

Mike Reed

Mike Reed

pfm Member
My fault entirely; because it's used so infrequently and a battery seems to last forever, I didn't check until it didn't work suddenly last week. I've cleaned the leaked acid residue etc. and left it for a while but I don't think it's going to recover.

Had it for a long time and wouldn't mind getting a similar gadget but no idea what's out there. Of course, if any used ones come up.........
 
There's a thread on the Flux stylus cleaner over on Hoffman, many satisfactory reports. Pricey, mind...

BTW, I picked a near mint AT637 on hifishark of late for about 60 euro.
 
Hi Mike, hope you're keeping well. Before abandoning hope on the AT cleaner, have you tried carefully cleaning the affected areas in the battery compartment with a mild acid, such as lemon juice or white vinegar? I had an old remote which I thought was a goner but lemon juice worked in cleaning off the leaked (alkaline) residue from the corroded battery, and I was able to use the remote again.
 
Is there anything in the AT cleaner that would make it unrepairable?

The Flux and AudioZomba models are around £100. Which seems a lot for a small vibratey thing.
 
Mike just remove the battery contacts, sandpaper them back to shiny and resolder the connections with a bit of solder flux.

It's only a battery, switch, pivot and piezo transducer in there. At worst you'll need to replace coroded wires which could be causing too high resistance for it to work.
 
starbuck said:
Before abandoning hope on the AT cleaner, have you tried carefully cleaning the affected areas in the battery compartment with a mild acid, such as lemon juice or white vinegar?
Click to expand...

Good call, Chris. No I haven't; I've simple soft-wire brushed all the corrosion but white spirit vinegar did wonders for my antique two-mug breakfast tea-pot recently (wife's idea) so nothing to lose trying that or lemon. T.b.h. it's not bacd, and I'm surprised it doesn't work.

sq225917 said:
At worst you'll need to replace coroded wires
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Thanks Simon, but all the wires and innards look okay. I do have solder + small iron, but tricky for me to do fiddly things like that nowadays. However, why not if all else fails?
 
I never use mine. (No, not for sale, even so.)

A stick of blue/green jewellers' putty (£4? £6?) and a 12mm squirrel brush is all that I need or use for stylus cleaning.
 
The corrosion eats into the solder making it less conductive. Its the bane of old remote controls.
 
clean records don't need much.
Wet clean your records every 10 plays or so. Store them in anti static sleeves, before plat, a wipe with a carbon fibre brush and no stylus cleaner is needed.
Apparently. with ultrasonic cleaners, this is even more true, since they get deeper than the deepest stylus ;)
 
Rockmeister said:
clean records don't need much.
Wet clean your records every 10 plays or so. Store them in anti static sleeves, before plat, a wipe with a carbon fibre brush and no stylus cleaner is needed.
Apparently. with ultrasonic cleaners, this is even more true, since they get deeper than the deepest stylus ;)
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Getting deeper than any stylus is a total waste of time, even if actually true.
I clean only second-hand records when purchased, and very seldom need to clean a stylus. I do use a carbon brush every play.
 
Mike Reed said:
My fault entirely; because it's used so infrequently and a battery seems to last forever, I didn't check until it didn't work suddenly last week. I've cleaned the leaked acid residue etc. and left it for a while but I don't think it's going to recover.

Had it for a long time and wouldn't mind getting a similar gadget but no idea what's out there. Of course, if any used ones come up.........
Click to expand...

Hi Mike. You can have my old Goldring 'sonic stylus cleaner if you wish, for free. It looks like this:

goldring_electronic_stylus_cleaner.jpg
 
Shuggie said:
Hi Mike. You can have my old Goldring 'sonic stylus cleaner if you wish, for free. It looks like this:

goldring_electronic_stylus_cleaner.jpg
Click to expand...
Mike will be along to bite your hand off shortly! Never seen that one before. My AT jobby still going strong after 25 years now.
 
Shuggie said:
Hi Mike. You can have my old Goldring 'sonic stylus cleaner if you wish, for free. It looks like this:
Click to expand...

That's a very kind offer, Hugo, and I'm 'umbled. I had a feeling Goldring did sth like this but hadn't seen one. Let me follow advice above and use vinegar or citric acid to clean the affected parts, just in case, but I'm not optimistic. If no joy I'll gratefully accept your offer (in exchange for garden produce, jam etc. maybe? ;)).

That Goldring design appears to be more practical in shape than the AT.

I'll let you know how I get on.
 
JezmondTutu said:
PFM community assistance at its best!
Click to expand...

Indeed; Simply the Best (T.T.).

JezmondTutu said:
I just rushed to check my battery…
Click to expand...

I bet you're not the only one; remotes can soldier on for yonks and I for one don't have a regular checking procedure; until now, that is. ;)


Gentlemen, thanks for all your comments, advice and not least the offers, which are much appreciated. Looks like, one way or t'other, I'm sorted.
 
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