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Sugden Connoisseur - lost classic?

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“…Is it normal to have 2 micro-switches, as far as I remember the BD1 instructions show only one ?...”

Grossly abnormal. The original may have been replaced as an experiment. Omron switches are cheap and you only are scheduled to use one of them. They are well made and seem to last forever. I still use the one that came with my BD1 kit in 1969.

I have a whole collection of Omron switches- most of them new- that I will never use. If you would like one p.m. me with your address and I will post it to you. It would be worth putting it into circuit instead of your current dual action jobby.
 
“…I used a strong light ie a halogen spot & a vertical bar behind (not on the plinth) to show off ripples (there weren't any)…”
Have Fun

I am not certain what you mean by a ‘vertical bar’. If it is something with stripes or directional indicators or a body that is ‘up and down’ I doubt whether the result will reveal all that the meniscus test should reveal.

I use a pattern. The wallpaper in my room has various patterns. This enables the meniscus to reveal any wobble IN ANY DIRECTION. This is what your test should do if you want the best (worst) result the test will yield.

It is best to use an intricate pattern.
 
A variable speed strobe is possibly - although it's yet to be proven - a better option than a simple light. I knocked one together with an Arduino board, a high power LED and a potentiometer. Works pretty well. Used in a darkened room it should also allow images of the water surface to be photographed.
 
My brother-in-law still has his Connoisseur Sugden (?) BD1 (?) with the Decca International unipivot arm I sold him nearly forty years ago.

He never uses it, mind, and never managed to reach audiophile status, despite my attempts. It still works as far as I know.

I also had a BD1/2 combined with the Decca International arm at about the same time.

The Connoiseur was the best value for money of any turntable I owned - fond memories of those biodegradable rubber bands! On the other hand, the Decca unipivot arm which replaced a Pickering, was the most expensive (save a much later SME) and least effective pickup I ever purchased, although the rather clever magnetic collar for bias compensation worked well enough. A neighbour paid me sufficient to then buy an Acos Lustre which was a much underrated arm and worked well with the V15Mk2.

Happy days . . . .

Richard.
 
Paint done, hardware in place, handles added to aid in getting it out of the enclosure. Just resting on the old cabinet for a quick test.

nzlg69.jpg
 
Paint done, hardware in place, handles added to aid in getting it out of the enclosure. Just resting on the old cabinet for a quick test.

nzlg69.jpg

It's looking smart what did you use to refurb the paint on the plinth & the knobs?

One of the attractions of the BD2 for me is its small scale & thin plinth - I hope you maintain a slim profile

What you going to use for a lid?
 
It's looking smart what did you use to refurb the paint on the plinth & the knobs?

One of the attractions of the BD2 for me is its small scale & thin plinth - why is that plinth so deep & chunky?

What you going to use for a lid?

I made the plinth myself from 18mm MDF - I figured out what shapes to cut/route... eventually. It's sprayed with black enamel - still needs polishing properly. The wood looking box it's sat on top of is the old plinth that the BD2 was in when I got it (some nasty veneered chipboard).

Somebody had already drilled the steel plate at opposite corners to hold it down on top of it's spring suspension. I drilled the other two corners and bolted the plate to the plinth with 6mm stainless Allen bolts. I chose the bolt size basically to match what would fit with the arm. Together they look pretty good, and given the over-engineering are rock solid.

What I will build next is the perimeter enclosure and suspension, which should look something like this:

http://pinkfishmedia.net/forum/showpost.php?p=1453071&postcount=44

I have some 2 inch thick stair treads to recycle.

The knobs and platter cleaned up well with Autosol, but may need lacquering to stay shiny. Not sure what to do about a lid yet; maybe buy some acrylic and make one to suit.
 
There don’t seem to be any test results on the link showing the results obtained with the silicone gel. If you want hi- tech isolators Michael Percy sells these, various types, and will provide free spec sheets/ test results if these are available and not already on his website.

I use some hi-tech as isolation feet- but not for my BD1 plinth. For this I am still most satisfied with the solid concrete/dedshete sandwich sitting on the waterbed sitting on the sand- filled shelf (wall mounted).

Light weight,stiff materials are now highly fashionable, thanks to Rega research. However, concrete is about as stiff as it gets and I am not convinced that very light weight materials make for realism in the sound; this as a result of hearing some speakers mounted on Russ Andrews' 'Torlyte' stands.

Isolation can be very difficult, particularly for turntables, because a less than ideally isolated turntable may sound very satisfactory although improved isolation may yield an even more satisfactory result.
 
“…Is it normal to have 2 micro-switches, as far as I remember the BD1 instructions show only one ?...”

Grossly abnormal. The original may have been replaced as an experiment. Omron switches are cheap and you only are scheduled to use one of them. They are well made and seem to last forever. I still use the one that came with my BD1 kit in 1969.

I have a whole collection of Omron switches- most of them new- that I will never use. If you would like one p.m. me with your address and I will post it to you. It would be worth putting it into circuit instead of your current dual action jobby.

You are probably right, I think maybe a previous owner fitted another when (s)he added a neon indicator, either way the live and neutral are both switched separately, I did move them when I was doing some rewiring so this looks a likely culprit. I will have a look tomorrow (hopefully).

But if I need a new switch then I will definitely take you up on your offer of a replacement, but as you say they are very reliable so removing one may be all that is needed.

Graham
 
My BD2 has only a two wire mains lead, and it's pretty old looking. I'd like to change this to add an earth. Just attach the earth line directly to the chassis?
 
My BD2 has only a two wire mains lead, and it's pretty old looking. I'd like to change this to add an earth. Just attach the earth line directly to the chassis?

I did consider using 3-core wire when I rewired my BD1 and earthing the steel chassis, I decided against it in the end - for no particular reason. Certainly an exposed metal plate would need to be earthed if it were being made under todays regulations.

The thing to do is experiment - run a temp wire from the chassis to the earth pin in your mains plug and (carefully) see what happens. Bear in mind that you may also be connecting the tonearm to the mains earth as well if it is not isolated from the chassis plate (mine is), if the tonearm has an earth wire connected to the amp chassis it could already be connected to mains earth.

Do let us know if you try it !

GR
 
I regard grounding the turntable as imperative. The way I did it is to earth the motor via a thin, green/yellow wire coiled into a spring. One end of the springed wire runs from a dedicated closed junction box. It is important that no mains wiring is exposed. All mains connexions should be enclosed and permanently covered so that they can never be accidentally touched. This applies even if it is out of sight. The mains must be disconnected first.

One tiny screw on the top of the motor can be unscrewed and a solder tag put underneath to secure the ground wire. DO NOT attach the ground wire to the underside of the motor. Doing so can lead to motor failure.

If you only ground the platform the motor may not be earthed. If you ground only the motor the platform may not be earthed. Test earthing arrangements with an ohmeter before plugging the mains in.

All mains wiring within the plinth should be shielded, in my opinion. The way to do this is to insert the mains wires into some pieces of braided sheath, cut into the correct size(es). You should connect only one side of the sheath pieces to ground- the side of the sheath that is nearest the mains input. Each piece should be connected.

Only 3- core mains wire should be used to rewire the BD1/2 and, apart from the few spiralled inches from a connector block to the motor, you should use at least 1.5mm (preferably 2.5mm) thick 3 core with a poly overall insulation.

The combination of both grounding the motor and shielding the wires should improve hum and interference level, though no difference may be audible.
 
I regard grounding the turntable as imperative. The way I did it...

Thanks for this. In general I'm fine with electronics, but usually avoid mains voltage stuff. My plan was to basically clone the cable connections that are there, but run the earth from the new cable to somewhere solid, like one of the mounting bolts, under the table plate. Good point on earthing the motor too. As to what kind of new cable, I was simply going to use a "standard" computer power cable with the IEC connector removed. Power plugs in NZ (where I am) are pretty much always molded onto the cable, which limits choice somewhat.

I think I may post a piccie of the underneath of my table, because to me the current cables don't look original.
 
There are two issues to consider: 1) hum and interference; 2) performance.

Mains rewiring is not something you do to a turntable every day of the week; so you might as well get it as good as it gets first time.

You may not notice any improvement by rewiring with 1.5 or 2.5mm cable or by shielding the mains cable with braided sheath, but if and when you get a much better cartridge- which I hope you will in due course do- you may well notice it.

I use ordinary mains flex purchased from any electrical supplier. It is cheap, easy to use, and can be fitted with any plug you may desire- with a bit of ingenuity. I have no real difficulty in getting 2.5mm cable into a standard MK British mains plug.
 
Hello!

I'm new in this forum

I watched a long time on the Diskusion about A.R. Sugden and his equipment. For me it is the best vintage audio. England can be proud of his work! It's just strange, that his work has forgotten .

I've collected some of pics from his record player. Very interesting is the comparison between the two top versions Garrard 301 and Sugden "3 Speeds".
Sugden wins in all positions!!!



















 
I never saw the 3 speed models but I remember after seeing the ads every month in gramaphone I concluded they were vapourware some 2 decades before the term was invented.

There to pad out the range rather than reflect any sales except in Rhodesia!
 
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