“bottom-out” onto the breech block when the six male gold connectors fully seat inside the six female
gold connectors located near the front/center of the breech block. Connections for the 4 signal wires
and two LED stylus spotlight wires are now complete.
WARNING: The bearings are stainless steel, the pivot points are 10.9 steel, but the inner gimbal is
Delrin. The bearings and pivots are rigid, but Delrin has some flexibility by nature. If pushed without
any constraining support it is possible to flex the Delrin enough so that a pair of bearing/pivots could
be pressured to unseat (as opposed to break). The method described here for wand insertion and
extraction works well, and MUST be practiced without any exceptions.
extraction works well, and MUST be practiced without any exceptions.
Vertical Tracking Force
: For normal cartridges, now would be the time to utilize a vertical force gauge
and adjust the counterweight position to comply with the cartridge manufacturer’s stylus force
recommendations.
Vertical cartridge alignment tool
.
The green vertical cartridge alignment tool comes pre-mounted on the lightweight ladder wand. It is the
last check that is made before shipment. Since the green vertical alignment tool can be pressed down
onto the platter surface manually by finger pressure, setting tracking force is not yet required
This tool insures that the stylus will be standing up perfectly straight when attached to the cartridge
mounting pad. Less than perfect vertical could be the result of either the front tower’s elevator or the
back tower’s elevator not being adjusted to exactly at the same vertical displacement from the tone
arm’s base plate surface.
arm’s base plate surface.
Press the blue LED button to send the lift/lower motor into cycling the wand down toward the platter.
Manually push the green cartridge alignment tool down onto the platter and observe whether any light
is present at the left or right bottom edge. If present, then adjust one of the tower elevators to
compensate. Read the next paragraph for wand extraction process, then remove the wand, dismount
the green cartridge alignment tool for placement back into the accessories box.
Wand Extraction
: With your left hand, grasp the wand by the thumb and forefingers closer toward the
channel where a second set of vertical grip grooves are present. With your right hand, firmly grip the
two smooth (non-rod) sides of the counterweight and hold the counterweight and breech box steady.
Now, with your left hand, begin pushing against the Plexiglas channel, while sliding the wand straight
back and away from the breech block. Slow, steady sliding pressure is recommended, no fast or
irregular movements. Eventually the wand will “free” itself from the breech block, with signal and LED
10
irregular movements. Eventually the wand will “free” itself from the breech block, with signal and LED
connections being disengaged.
