Hoopsontoast
pfm Member
I was aligning, or at least trying to from above, although seems tricky with such a large headshell covering the cartridge. I'm busy until Sunday so I'll give it another go then!
TD160 Mk2 & SME 3009 S2
- Thread starter Hoopsontoast
- Start date
I was aligning, or at least trying to from above, although seems tricky with such a large headshell covering the cartridge. I'm busy until Sunday so I'll give it another go then!
Craig B
Re:trophile
You don't actually need to see the cartridge, just make sure that it is nice and square in the headshell whilst attaching it.
Then it is simply a matter of moving the arm along the bedplate until the headshell appears square to the grid lines of the protractor (cf. pg. 8 of the manual).
Hoopsontoast
pfm Member
Yeah the cart is certainly square in the headshell, there is no adjustment for that. IIRC the headshell was facing outwards rather than square, even on the furthest setting at the base.
Craig B
Re:trophile
Now that is strange. I would expect the headshell to appear inward relative to the sight lines when the arm is fully back along the bedplate.
Can you provide a link to the Thorens/SME arm board that you purchased?
Hoopsontoast
pfm Member
Hoopsontoast
pfm Member
Here’s where mine ends up in the slide for my MP-500. I think Japanese carts are pretty standard tip to mount so I’d expect the AT33 to be pretty similar. My pivot to centre spindle is somewhere in the vicinity of 220mm.
Thanks Tony, I'll try and grab a quick photo later when I'm home from work...
Craig B
Re:trophile
The following photos are of the genuine SME TD160S/3009 Adaptor Kit documentation and item (images credit: sme3009tonearms.com but copyright remains with SME Ltd.).
Unfortunately, there exists no 'simple straight swap arm mounting solution' (that fits all), as advertised by the supplier of yours. A wee bit of sub-chassis metal needs cutting away (assuming yours hasn't been modified for an SME prior) and the rear of the oval aperture of the 'genuine' arm mounting plate extends further back beyond the 2 rear mounting holes than do those of the 'straight swap' aftermarket offerings. This extra bit of rearward travel becomes doubly important when the arm hole is parallel to the plinth, rather than angled inward toward the spindle.
(Fig. 1 omitted, as it isn't relevant unless the deck is equipped with a Thorens tonearm.)
MikeMA
pfm Member
@Craig B 's latest post with the diagrams has just reminded me that when I fitted an SME adapter plate and arm to my TD 160 I had to completely dismantle the sub-chassis and file out the armhole to match the slot in the adapter plate so the arm could traverse the full length of the slot (does this make sense?). It's a long time ago now, but I'm pretty sure my adapter plate had a longer slot than yours.
Hoopsontoast
pfm Member
Perfect, my SME Armboard looks identical in design to the one you posted on the last post.
Looks like I need to file out the sub-chassis as described then, a job for Bank Holiday Monday!
Hoopsontoast
pfm Member
This is where I'm at, with the arm at its furthest back in the armboard, it can't really go any further back as the end of the rear stub would hit the lid when its closed.
The back of the armboard lines up with the back of the hole on the sub platter, so even if I enlarged that, it could not move any further back in the armboard.
2021-05-28_05-27-00 by Robert Seymour, on Flickr
The back of the armboard lines up with the back of the hole on the sub platter, so even if I enlarged that, it could not move any further back in the armboard.
2021-05-28_05-27-00 by Robert Seymour, on Flickr
Tony L
Administrator
If you want to close the lid you definitely need a 3009 Series II Improved! This early era of SME was designed for 301s, 124s etc which ended up in large cabinets. I have to admit I’m really surprised it won’t align though.
As a matter of interest try measuring the distance between the centre of the headshell cart mounting bolt holes and the outside edge of the mounting collar that meets up with the arm (i.e. not the part that goes inside the arm, just what is visible when fitted). I get 40mm with the type I’m using.
As a matter of interest try measuring the distance between the centre of the headshell cart mounting bolt holes and the outside edge of the mounting collar that meets up with the arm (i.e. not the part that goes inside the arm, just what is visible when fitted). I get 40mm with the type I’m using.
Craig B
Re:trophile
Leaving dust cover clearance aside for the moment, are you able to move the arm back any further, or is it at the limit of armboard travel now?This is where I'm at, with the arm at its furthest back in the armboard, it can't really go any further back as the end of the rear stub would hit the lid when its closed.
The back of the armboard lines up with the back of the hole on the sub platter, so even if I enlarged that, it could not move any further back in the armboard.
2021-05-28_05-27-00 by Robert Seymour, on Flickr
It appears as though you might have another 2mm before the arm collar flange makes contact with the machine screw heads.
Then again, perhaps the screening can down below is already at the 3rd party mounting plate end stop.
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Hoopsontoast
pfm Member
Yes it is, but so do all the other straight SME armplates, unless the improved 3009 S2 has a different mounting distance.
Craig B
Re:trophile
Not all of the other straight SME mounting plates, just compare the last photo in post #29 to your plate. This SME supplied plate provides the full 70mm slot length of the tonearm bedplate. The maximum amount of travel is 70mm minus the widest dimension of the screening can.
These 'straight' plates place the line of tonearm travel at 70º to the line between tonearm pivot and platter spindle. The further away from this radius that the slot is angled, the greater the amount of travel that is required between any two overhang settings.
As a next step, you may want to try fitting the tonearm sans screening can.
Hoopsontoast
pfm Member
Yeah, the one I have looks the same as the AS-160SME. All the photos I can find of a TD160 with an SME arm (mostly S2 Improved) show the arm mounted halfway along the or near the back as I have it, the closest I can find is this video that shows an early non-improved in a similar position:
Tony, the headshell measures 40mm from the middle of the catridge bolts to the start of the black metal shell.
I've taken the screening can off and it makes no real difference, it does not go back any further.
I think I might just scrap the idea, get another arm and be done with it! Keep the SME for the Denon project as originally planned if I can't get an M2-9/10/12...