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Sideways Uni-Pivot Arm, SUPATRAC Blackbird, formerly "Ekos Killer (Price?)"

Another arm shipped for trial today. Manual and protractor designs finished.

4arms.lowrez.jpg
 
I'll just talk you through the box, for those who are having trouble getting to sleep tonight.

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Safety gloves, recommended for installation as the arm has no less than 7 sharp hazards: 4 edges on thrust box, front end, rear end and pivot point.

Instructions for installation, setup, troubleshooting, disassembly and warranty. SUPATRACTOR inside enabling correct positioning of spindle-to-pivot, pivot-to-stylus, and cartridge offset.

Sachet containing spare hoist twine, toggles, bias filament, 3rd rest magnet.

Spanner for pivot lock nut.

Arm with string lift.

Pillar/post & bias rig (left).

Downforce scale with penny taped in.

Base bolts x 3, 2 lengths.

Spare pivot bolt.

3 x Allen keys.

Arm cable with DIN and RCAs.

Optional rigid finger lift with bolt and nut!

Inertia (effective mass) adjuster.

Magnetic counterweight grip with tungsten rods.

Non-magnetic tweezers.

Screwdriver.

Please ask if you have any questions.
 
Are you planning on a Rega geometry version?

Rega turntables do not have removable arm-boards so you cannot fit a Linn geometry arm. On older decks you could, with a jigsaw, but newer decks with braces, forget it.

Also, Rega dominate the aftermarket tonearm market so lots of decks, like MIchelles and Roxsans for instance are also Rega geometry or will already have Rega armboards.

You can fit a Rega arm to an LP12, by changing the armboard, unless you are limited by the sub-chassis. So if you only offer Linn geometry you are quite severely limiting your potential buyers.
 
Are you planning on a Rega geometry version?

Yes - I will be offering a Rega compatible version that can be dropped in to replace Rega arms. Since the arm tube is not tapered it is easy to offer it cut to any length. The only necessary adjustments are cartridge bolt hole angle and additional counterweight.
 
Looks fantastic ,well done .
I rather like the string lift but do wonder if it would go limp with use and age if you know what I mean . I do note the inclusion of the traditional finger lift good move .
So finally my question

What cable is in the Din to Phono tonearm cable ?

Cheers Martin
 
Looks fantastic ,well done .
I rather like the string lift but do wonder if it would go limp with use and age if you know what I mean . I do note the inclusion of the traditional finger lift good move .
So finally my question

What cable is in the Din to Phono tonearm cable ?

Cheers Martin

I've been using string for about a year. No problems so far. It is very easy to replace.

The arm cable is shielded Mogami Neglex - fairly neutral. The shield earths the arm and connects to ground at the phono amp. Again easy to replace if you prefer something more exotic.
 
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Looks very nicely and effectively packed.Very very nice package.

I've noticed plastic/non-magnetic tweezers. Never thought of this before - is it very wrong to use ordinary tweezers, pliers to connect tags to the cart?
 
I've noticed plastic/non-magnetic tweezers. Never thought of this before - is it very wrong to use ordinary tweezers, pliers to connect tags to the cart?

Non-magnetic tweezers just make things a little easier because they don't get stuck to the magnets. Moving coil cartridges are strong magnets and you can damage the cantilever if your tweezers jump around. The hoist toggles sometimes attach to the arm rest magnets during installation. Consequently non-magnetic tweezers make it easier to manipulate the toggles. The counterweight grip is also magnetic, so it is easier to unplug the electrical connections without the tweezers sticking to that if the tweezers are non-magnetic.
 
Great job getting it to this point. Next year when my house renovations are finished and the Gyrodec is relocated I am going to try one of these if you can provide the mounting etc. One thing I think you need are some pictures of the finger lift as it seems to be a bone of contention with many... people don't like change :D From an aesthetics perspective the SUPATRAC logo on the arm looks a little out of place with the rest of the design.... maybe a bit smaller or in black like a spot varnishing effect... just my ten cents worth.
 
Great job getting it to this point. Next year when my house renovations are finished and the Gyrodec is relocated I am going to try one of these if you can provide the mounting etc. One thing I think you need are some pictures of the finger lift as it seems to be a bone of contention with many... people don't like change :D From an aesthetics perspective the SUPATRAC logo on the arm looks a little out of place with the rest of the design.... maybe a bit smaller or in black like a spot varnishing effect... just my ten cents worth.

Thanks for you interest tiggers!

I assume that the Rega mount version will fit the Gyrodec with a little help. We'll look into that and get it right.

I'll try to get around to posting the rigid finger-lift pictures today.

A smaller SUPATRAC logo arrived yesterday, and black gloss on black has already been discussed at length with my branding consultant (wife). I'm leaning towards dark grey, as black will be mostly invisible except in the right light. I may offer a choice of black or grey logo. Some people wear big equine sports logos on their shirts without any compensation from the manufacturer! Others don't. ;-)
 
Thanks for you interest tiggers!

I assume that the Rega mount version will fit the Gyrodec with a little help. We'll look into that and get it right.

I'll try to get around to posting the rigid finger-lift pictures today.

A smaller SUPATRAC logo arrived yesterday, and black gloss on black has already been discussed at length with my branding consultant (wife). I'm leaning towards dark grey, as black will be mostly invisible except in the right light. I may offer a choice of black or grey logo. Some people wear big equine sports logos on their shirts without any compensation from the manufacturer! Others don't. ;-)

Cheers and as I said all in my opinion, but I think you're wife is thinking alongs sensible lines :D I think the logo on the arm is an essential, but getting the balance right is important. The rest of the arm looks 100% spot on aesthetically now as far as I am concerned, you've done a great job, but of course... sound is the deciding factor, but the principles you have employed make total sense to me (I have an engineering brain apparently).
 
I actually tried mixing a darker grey paint with my logo ink but it didn't work so now I'm ordering more logo ink shades to experiment. Perhaps the ultra-rare pale grey logo ones will be collectible one day. I'll keep you posted.
 


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