Citroen Posted April 9, 2017 Share Posted April 9, 2017 I still reckon the spacers should cover the full label, or if not then why not just have them at say 20mm? Wouldn't that be cheaper than a 75mm spacer? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Y Posted April 9, 2017 Author Share Posted April 9, 2017 2 hours ago, Citroen said: I still reckon the spacers should cover the full label, or if not then why not just have them at say 20mm? Wouldn't that be cheaper than a 75mm spacer? You need to 'grip' the record as it turns & a decent diam spacer does this better, with less clamp force. Also, there's the question what's readily available in the right material, at reasonable cost & minimum labour input. Cheers, Owen http://darklanternforowen.wordpress.com/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Y Posted April 21, 2017 Author Share Posted April 21, 2017 Chaps - for those awaiting completion of kits - I'm pleased to report that first batch of stainless steel laser-cuts arrived today, also pre-folded. Rivnuts to be fitted & we'll dble-check correct fit this weekend. Just the drive-coupler moulding part to come, then ready to ship. Thanks for your patience everyone. Cheers, Owen http://darklanternforowen.wordpress.com/ 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zenikoy Posted April 21, 2017 Share Posted April 21, 2017 On 4/9/2017 at 7:22 PM, Owen Y said: You need to 'grip' the record as it turns & a decent diam spacer does this better, with less clamp force. Also, there's the question what's readily available in the right material, at reasonable cost & minimum labour input. Cheers, Owen http://darklanternforowen.wordpress.com/ How much for a set of the spacers? The gherkin jar lids on my Polski USM are killing me! Agreed that the labels don't need protecting, the film of cleaning fluid doesn't run or drip on to the labels. I run with the labels about 8mm above the bath fluid level. Actually I haven't wet a label since I graduated from cleaning records over the kitchen sink. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Y Posted April 21, 2017 Author Share Posted April 21, 2017 6 hours ago, enikoy said: How much for a set of the spacers? The gherkin jar lids on my Polski USM are killing me! Agreed that the labels don't need protecting, the film of cleaning fluid doesn't run or drip on to the labels. I run with the labels about 8mm above the bath fluid level. Actually I haven't wet a label since I graduated from cleaning records over the kitchen sink. Hi @enikoy - we're just assembling a small batch of these & not really a commercial enterprise with stocks of parts avail, sorry. Cheers, Owen http://darklanternforowen.wordpress.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Y Posted April 22, 2017 Author Share Posted April 22, 2017 A bit of overtime in the engineering shop & the injection moulding is done - drive couplers moulded in ABS plastic (below). The trial rivnuts in the metalwork were a bit tight fit on the tank, so the remainder will be installed a touch shorter. Everything is to hand now, we'll be ready to ship next week. Cheers, Owen http://darklanternforowen.wordpress.com/ 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PixelPlay Posted April 22, 2017 Share Posted April 22, 2017 Looking good Owen! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citroen Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 I've been watching the various DIY Ultrasonic cleaners for the past few years or so with great interest. Almost got one bought over from USA, but even with free transport cost (via a US visiting relative) the lp holder/spinner still seemed too expensive. Owen's version is much more affordable! It is designed for one model of US cleaner, and one model of lp rotater only. However, these two are very commonly available worldwide. It also packs up to a small footprint when you've finished cleaning. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citroen Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 @Owen Y Just an after thought, with 4 lps its a bit of a tight fit getting them in, as you do need to angle the spindle (and hence the stack of lps) to get the drive coupler in position. If it was a vertical drop in place, it would be much easier with 4 lps and possibly even with 5, given the spacer widths. Cleaning should be uniform as the gap between the records is the same, just more lps being cleaned at once, cf narrower spacers, which could possibly reduce cleaning ability. If the support had a cut out, then vertically dropping the stack of lps in place would be easier. Not sure about the structural integrity but should be oK given the bottom is still in tact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyr Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 (edited) On 31/03/2017 at 8:36 PM, ABG said: My experience is that all of them are improved by cleaning in an US cleaner. The results are significantly improved (and often drastically improved) by running the still wet records fresh out of an US cleaner through a vacuum type RCM. I tried letting records air dry when I first got my US cleaner - let's face it, it's less work - but now I run them all through my Record Doctor V after a bath. I reckon the US cleaner loosens the crud, the RCM sucks it away from the grooves. See if you can borrow one to try for yourself. I reckon you'll be pleasantly surprised. Hi Andrew, Re. vacuum dry vs. air dry ... and the (good) effect of using a 1-micron filter: this long weekend, I finally got my 1 micron filter working (with a 12v DC pump), with my Sonix IV US tank. first, I listened to an LP which had been cleaned using the (previous) aquarium filter ... but not vacuumed dry. then I re-cleaned it with the 1-micron filter in circuit ... then blow-dried it. result - quieter! I then re-washed it in the US tank for a couple of minutes - and then used my NG to vacuum it dry. result - no quieter! So AFAIAC, using the 1-micron filter takes out all the crap which was in suspension in the water - which was previously resting in the bottom of the grooves with the liquid ... so was still there when the liquid dried (unless I vacuumed it out) and which caused the LP to be noisy. Removing this crap in suspension results in a quiet record - so the 1-micron filter is doing a much better job than the aquarium filter. So I no longer need to vacuum dry each side. So my US cleaning setup consists of the following: 10l Sonix IV tank (60Khz) - this is wide enough to take 6x LPs at a time, with 25mm spacers in between each LP. This has a heater and a drain spigot. 5" high filter housing: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CFOFW4C/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 this uses these filter cartridges: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D049XFQ/ref=od_aui_detailpages01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and driven by this pump (for which you need to buy a 12v plug-pack from Jaycar or similar): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DWCPFUC/ref=od_aui_detailpages01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Unfortunately, I sourced these from Amazon - which I hate with a passion, as they don't offer any way of getting in touch with them to ask questions - but I know you can search eBay for the same pump. Plus the following items from www.ultrasonic records.com: 2 spindles with spacers (to take 6 LPs) and a gear wheel. One spacer for the LPs in the US tank, the 2nd for LPs which are being blow-dried. a frame with a slow-rotation motor, to hold the spindle at just the right height above the US tank. a "Blower Cube" - a box with a powerful fan (and a lid) to blow-dry the LPs. Unfortunately, this is not 100% effective, as supplied - I had to fit a slow-rev motor to turn the LPs in the airstream ... and I think it would be good to rig up some ceramic resistors in the base of the Cube, to provide a warming effect on the airstream. So it's not a budget setup - but I believe it cleans just as well - if not better than - the commercial "all-in-one" units and I get to clean 6 LPs at a time. And my liquid mixture is: 7.8l of distilled water / 400ml of 99% IPA / 8ml of Ilfotrol. Andy Edited April 25, 2017 by andyr 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Y Posted April 25, 2017 Author Share Posted April 25, 2017 2 hours ago, Citroen said: @Owen Y Just an after thought, with 4 lps its a bit of a tight fit getting them in, as you do need to angle the spindle (and hence the stack of lps) to get the drive coupler in position. If it was a vertical drop in place, it would be much easier with 4 lps and possibly even with 5, given the spacer widths. Cleaning should be uniform as the gap between the records is the same, just more lps being cleaned at once, cf narrower spacers, which could possibly reduce cleaning ability. If the support had a cut out, then vertically dropping the stack of lps in place would be easier. Not sure about the structural integrity but should be oK given the bottom is still in tact. Thanks @Citroen - good feedback, will think on that one. My initial thoughts: - the square drive spigot is around 13mm long, inserted inside the mtr drive hole. - plus the stainless plate is around 9mm clear outside the motor drive. - so you need to slide the shaft horizontally out of the motor drive at least 22mm before it clears the plate & can be lifted vertically out. Thus, as long as the outer record is at least 22mm inside the outer tank wall, a 4-record stack should be able to be placed & removable as above. Does that sound workable? Cheers, Owen http://darklanternforowen.wordpress.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Y Posted April 25, 2017 Author Share Posted April 25, 2017 (edited) On further consideration: - a 4-record stack with 3 spacers, should be no more than around 83mm wide. - the tank down at record depth, should be around 130 - 135mm wide. - so there should be around 24mm clearance each side (this can of course also be varied ea side using the clamp knobs). So, there should be adequate clearance to slide & lift vertically out without problems. The other strategy, as mentioned, is to mount the motor hard against the plate without the plastic spacers (the spacers can go on the plate outer & the tank lid should just fit under) - this way, horiz clearance needed is reduced from 22mm to 13mm. (Or use shorter screws, omit the spacers.) Cheers, Owen http://darklanternforowen.wordpress.com/ Edited April 25, 2017 by Owen Y Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citroen Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 The tank is curved at the corners, so the outer lps need to be a few centimeters in from either long edge. Otherwise they hit the tank. I'll try omitting or moving the spacers. Or just do three at a time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citroen Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 (edited) 4 hours ago, andyr said: Hi Andrew, Re. vacuum dry vs. air dry ... and the (good) effect of using a 1-micron filter: this long weekend, I finally got my 1 micron filter working (with a 12v DC pump), with my Sonix IV US tank. first, I listened to an LP which had been cleaned using the (previous) aquarium filter ... but not vacuumed dry. then I re-cleaned it with the 1-micron filter in circuit ... then blow-dried it. result - quieter! I then re-washed it in the US tank for a couple of minutes - and then used my NG to vacuum it dry. result - no quieter! So AFAIAC, using the 1-micron filter takes out all the crap which was in suspension in the water - which was previously resting in the bottom of the grooves with the liquid ... so was still there when the liquid dried (unless I vacuumed it out) and which caused the LP to be noisy. Andy, Your conclusion may well be correct. Or the second reclean may just have removed all the remaining dirt from the grooves, so if you had done a second aquarium filter clean you also could have gotten it to sound quieter. A rewash (3rd time cleaning) may also have resulted in no quieter with aquarium filter, as its already as clean as its going to get. Edited April 25, 2017 by Citroen 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Y Posted April 25, 2017 Author Share Posted April 25, 2017 (edited) 8 hours ago, Citroen said: The tank is curved at the corners, so the outer lps need to be a few centimeters in from either long edge. Otherwise they hit the tank. Hi @Citroen - yes the tank has curved bott corners & also tapered sides, however, I have taken these into account. A 4-record stack should work fine - just slide shaft sideways first out of the motor & then lift vertically - see below. Additionally, you can simply offset the records on the shaft slightly towards the motor, by adjusting the clamp knobs. Cheers, Owen http://darklanternforowen.wordpress.com/ Edited April 25, 2017 by Owen Y Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Y Posted April 25, 2017 Author Share Posted April 25, 2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Y Posted April 25, 2017 Author Share Posted April 25, 2017 (edited) Chaps - those who have PM'd earlier, expressing interest, I will PM you in next couple of days when we have figured out postage costs - then you can confirm if still interested. Meanwhile please PM me your postal & email addresses. Cost is A$175 + postage. The 'kit consists of (see pic below): 3-part, 1.2mm stainless steel frame, stainless screws(4) & spring washers, stainless steel shaft with ABS drive-coupler & end bearing, semi-soft record spacers(4), clamp knobs(2). - All you need is a 2.5mm hex wrench (allen key) to attach 4 screws to assemble. (The black laser-cut burn marks on the plates are just on the protective plastic film, which is removed.) You will of course need: 1) Ultrasonic cleaner tank - this is the cleaner that I have & the one that this design will fit (be sure that you have this type of tank, there may be other sellers) .- http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/302040010527#shpCntId?rmvSB=true 2) Rotisserie motor - https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/gasmate-240v-rotisserie-motor/ (other motors may fit, but you may need to re-drill or renew the mounting the plate). Cheers, Owen http://darklanternforowen.wordpress.com/ Edited April 26, 2017 by Owen Y Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Y Posted April 25, 2017 Author Share Posted April 25, 2017 (edited) Fully assembled, it looks like this.... (Sorry, the white protective plastic film has not been fully removed from the stainless top plate in this photo ) Cheers, Owen http://darklanternforowen.wordpress.com/ Edited April 25, 2017 by Owen Y 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Y Posted April 25, 2017 Author Share Posted April 25, 2017 This is the model no. details on my US cleaner tank: Cheers, Owen http://darklanternforowen.wordpress.com/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Y Posted April 27, 2017 Author Share Posted April 27, 2017 Reports of some out-of-stock difficulty in sourcing this 6L US cleaner tank. Has anyone recently successfully purchased the above model from a supplier? 240v version. Cheers, Owen http://darklanternforowen.wordpress.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balk2117 Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 I emailed two suppliers on ebay with one being the link sent by Owen and both have replied saying that the wait for this tank is 4 to 6 weeks. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EV Cali Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 (edited) We may be looking at the same ones but if you search under Ultrasonic Cleaner 6l , on ebay there are a lot of them starting at $149 for the same model as Owen and I have. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Digital-Ultrasonic-Cleaner-Stainless-Steel-Heater-Timer-Industrial-Grade-6L-/221617736837?hash=item3399724c85:g:UxcAAOSwA3dYdxoz Edited April 28, 2017 by EV Cali 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Citroen Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 @balk2117 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
balk2117 Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 3 hours ago, Citroen said: @balk2117 I think I have to the tank sorted thanks to Robin, just waiting for Owen to confirm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Y Posted April 30, 2017 Author Share Posted April 30, 2017 Hi @balk2117 - which tank have you ordered? Cheers, Owen http://darklanternforowen.wordpress.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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