EV Cali Posted November 18, 2019 Share Posted November 18, 2019 (edited) On 17/11/2019 at 9:14 PM, candyflip said: I paid $300 for this damn thing (s/hand). Can't I just get it fixed by someone in the know?..... Or has this throwaway culture gone so far as there is no-one left to look at machines like this anymore? @candyflipI agree with your sentiments but with out the knowledge to be able to repair the Ultrasonic bath yourself , the cost of the labor and parts is likely to be much more than the baths can be presently purchased for. Not all the Chinese US baths are the same and I have had mine for three and a half years ,cleaning thousands of records with only one minor problem, that even with out being a Electrician, I was able to repair my self. The bath I have are presently selling for $165.99 DIGITAL STAINLESS ULTRASONIC CLEANER ULTRA SONIC BATH CLEANING TANK TIMER AU WWW.EBAY.COM.AU Ultrasonic cleaning is based on the cavitation effect caused by high frequency ultrasonic wave vibration signals in fluid. 1.3L / 2L / 3L / 6L/10L/15L /22L/30L Digital Heated Ultrasonic Cleaner... So my recommendation would be to buy another one, so you can start cleaning records again. Yes you can spend $1800 on a ,perhaps, non Chinese, US bath and if that is what you want to do, go for it,but I do not believe you have to, to still get good results This is my post relating to the problem with mine Noticed recently that the ripples on top of the water, in the Ultrasonic bath, were not quite the same and cleaning was a bit off. I assumed one or two of the three transducers must of failed. Not too bad considering I have probably cleaned 20 to 30 records a week for the last three years. Opened up the bottom of the unit to see if replacing the transducers was an option or there was an easily visible fault. Removing the bottom panel revealed that the transducers were wired in series and one had come un soldered, perhaps through a dry joint and vibrations. Re soldered the offending joint and it is now as good as new. Second picture is before soldering, wire just striped back and twisted round tab. Edited May 16 by EV Cali I am led to believe, by a post on another site, that the 40kHz bath are presently being sold for a lot less than the cost of their parts, primarily because of the economies of scale, not because 60 kHz or 80kHz baths are actually more expensive to make. 3 PREV 1 2 3 4 Page 4 of 4 Edited November 19, 2019 by EV Cali 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_m_54 Posted November 19, 2019 Share Posted November 19, 2019 (edited) @EV Cali that seems a strange configuration. It appears that two transducers (on the left) are wired in series, but the one on the right is from it's own separate waveform generator. -------------------------------------------------- Edit: OK, probably not so strange, after doing a bit of a google and looking at common drivers and transducers. It looks like maybe one 100W driver supplying two 50W transducers, and a second 50W driver supplying one 50W transducer. Don't know how they sync them though, or even if it is a problem not being synced. -------------------------------------------------- BTW most "electricians" wouldn't have a clue about them LOL, you need an Electronics Technician. @candyflip in reality, they are a pretty simple circuit. A basic power supply and a square wave generator. So it shouldn't be too difficult for any Electronics Tech to repair. Where the problem comes in, is sourcing replacement parts, and the job hours. I imagine that most would be charging in the vicinity of $100/hour and some more than that. That's one of the reasons I got out of the game, the repair costs started to overtake the replacement cost of a lot of gear that was only worth a few hundred dollars, and make it not economically viable to repair. Check out your local TV and consume brown goods repair type people, if you still have any in the game. Most have given up nowadays though and only a few diehards seem to hang on. Edited November 20, 2019 by bob_m_54 more info 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EV Cali Posted November 20, 2019 Share Posted November 20, 2019 @BoB-M "@EV Cali that seems a strange configuration. It appears that two transducers (on the left) are wired in series, but the one on the right is from it's own separate waveform generator. BTW most "electricians" wouldn't have a clue about them LOL, you need an Electronics Technician." My Trade is a Carpenter and Joiner but the configuration did appear strange to me. Two transducers wired in series meant I lost both transducers when the wiring to only one failed. On the bright side I may not have noticed the difference so soon if only one had.failed 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t_mike Posted November 29, 2019 Share Posted November 29, 2019 Finally have had the chance to drop the bottom cover off both my dead machines. Ome has destroyed at least 1 if not 2 of the exciters. This can be seen by the epoxy falling out of them and the wires getting hot and fusing the solder joint. The other machine seems to only have fryed a transistor, so I'll attemp a repair on that one and see how things go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t_mike Posted November 29, 2019 Share Posted November 29, 2019 More photos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericcklau Posted November 29, 2019 Share Posted November 29, 2019 I don't have the skill to make my own so I just brought one from China. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candyflip Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 Remember how I turned my US machine up too high and burned it out? It also did a nice number on one of my test records. LOL 2 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Y Posted December 11, 2019 Author Share Posted December 11, 2019 I see that the 6.5L Ultrasonic tanks are available again: (The model no. should be PS-30A)) https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-6-5L-Mechanical-Industrial-Ultrasonic-Cleaner-Ultra-Sonic-Wave-Tank-Basket/274098967977?hash=item3fd19255a9:g:LVsAAOSwEP5dnEwr&frcectupt=true Cheers, Owen Dark Lantern blog - http://darklanternforowen.wordpress.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crtexcnndrm99 Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 Does the US clean offer an advantage over a vacuum machine like the new Project vc-e? http://www.clefhifi.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=4444&gclid=CjwKCAiAluLvBRASEiwAAbX3GSjJGzqIgkmELorXtXxvY5qxpnj7ruBWNTuCDjcHl6rEZGcZxIVD5hoC3YMQAvD_BwE Are there any pieces of kit still available to purchase? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Y Posted December 17, 2019 Author Share Posted December 17, 2019 Hi @crtexcnndrm99 Ultrasonic freq 'cavitation' penetrates deep into fine, deep recesses of objects, like record grooves, dislodging gunk - that brush-scrubbing does not manage to get to. If wish to add some detergent-surfactant to the water, it helps to 'solubilise' oily or adhered substances like record-pressing release-residues. This helps rapid air-drying of records, as the water 'films' thinly over the record surface. Or, ideally, use a record vacuum to vacuum-dry afterwards. Yes, 'kit' parts are here ready to ship - price is still A$149 + airmail $15. Assembly is simple, just 4 screws (+ 3 motor screws) - but we provide instructions & some cleaning advice. You just need to get the tank & rotisserie motor.... I was given this link recently to the PS-30A, 6.5L tank needed: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-6-5L-Mechanical-Industrial-Ultrasonic-Cleaner-Ultra-Sonic-Wave-Tank-Basket/274098967977?hash=item3fd19255a9:g:LVsAAOSwEP5dnEwr&frcectupt=true https://www.bunnings.com.au/gasmate-240v-rotisserie-motor_p3180311 https://www.outdoorsdomain.com.au/gasmate-240v-rotisserie-motor/ https://www.ebay.com.au/p/1938162590 More info here - https://darklanternforowen.wordpress.com/2017/05/12/ultrasonic-record-cleaning-pt-2/ Cheers, Owen Dark Lantern blog - http://darklanternforowen.wordpress.com/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crtexcnndrm99 Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 15 minutes ago, Owen Y said: Hi @crtexcnndrm99 Ultrasonic freq 'cavitation' penetrates deep into fine, deep recesses of objects, like record grooves, dislodging gunk - that brush-scrubbing does not manage to get to. If wish to add some detergent-surfactant to the water, it helps to 'solubilise' oily or adhered substances like record-pressing release-residues. This helps rapid air-drying of records, as the water 'films' thinly over the record surface. Or, ideally, use a record vacuum to vacuum-dry afterwards. Yes, 'kit' parts are here ready to ship - price is still A$149 + airmail $15. Assembly is simple, just 4 screws (+ 3 motor screws) - but we provide instructions & some cleaning advice. You just need to get the tank & rotisserie motor.... I was given this link recently to the PS-30A, 6.5L tank needed: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-6-5L-Mechanical-Industrial-Ultrasonic-Cleaner-Ultra-Sonic-Wave-Tank-Basket/274098967977?hash=item3fd19255a9:g:LVsAAOSwEP5dnEwr&frcectupt=true https://www.bunnings.com.au/gasmate-240v-rotisserie-motor_p3180311 https://www.outdoorsdomain.com.au/gasmate-240v-rotisserie-motor/ https://www.ebay.com.au/p/1938162590 More info here - https://darklanternforowen.wordpress.com/2017/05/12/ultrasonic-record-cleaning-pt-2/ Cheers, Owen Dark Lantern blog - http://darklanternforowen.wordpress.com/ That sounds excellent. I’d like to purchase a kit then! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Y Posted December 18, 2019 Author Share Posted December 18, 2019 Hi @crtexcnndrm99 - excellent, we can have one packed for you within a day or so. When it's packed ready to ship, we'll Paypal you. Please PMessage me your postal name & address & email for Paypal. Cheers, Owen Dark Lantern blog - http://darklanternforowen.wordpress.com/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crtexcnndrm99 Posted December 18, 2019 Share Posted December 18, 2019 39 minutes ago, Owen Y said: Hi @crtexcnndrm99 - excellent, we can have one packed for you within a day or so. When it's packed ready to ship, we'll Paypal you. Please PMessage me your postal name & address & email for Paypal. Cheers, Owen Dark Lantern blog - http://darklanternforowen.wordpress.com/ Sounds great - pm sent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Y Posted January 30, 2020 Author Share Posted January 30, 2020 Someone brought to our attention this ebay.au link for the Ultrasonic Cleaner tank which appears to be the same as what we use & fits our kit: Price seems good at AU $166.99 for the '6.5L' model. (Model PS-30A) https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Digital-Ultrasonic-Cleaner-Stainless-Steel-Heater-Timer-Industrial-Grade-1-3-30L/282539569913?hash=item41c8abb2f9:m:mZod3FFNC6C2NgX0NKn8Ixw&frcectupt=true Cheers, Owen Dark Lantern blog - http://darklanternforowen.wordpress.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Y Posted January 30, 2020 Author Share Posted January 30, 2020 On 30/11/2019 at 8:37 PM, candyflip said: Remember how I turned my US machine up too high and burned it out? It also did a nice number on one of my test records. LOL Although some users report improved results with heating the fluid, I don't think that there is any need to turn on heating in these US cleaner tanks, the system cleans beautifully without heating, using just the 0.1 -0,5% surfactant/detergent mix. The ultrasonic action tends to raise the fluid temperature a little anyway (depending on how many records/cycles you run in a session). I do recommend vacuum-drying if you still have a record vacuum or such. And either filter of otherwise keep your fluid as refreshed as clean as possible. Cheers, Owen Dark Lantern blog - http://darklanternforowen.wordpress.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phileaudio Posted January 31, 2020 Share Posted January 31, 2020 Just for info, I have a similar unit that I got from the guy who invented this type of cleaning device. It works well, the cleaning mix is about 80% distilled water 20% pure lab alcohol and a couple of drops of Kodak koda flow, this works well. And I have found that to get more use out of this mix before replacing the fluid just float a couple of large Kleenex tissues on top of the fluid when all of the gunk from the records has floated to the top, then carefully slowly remove the tissues and all of the floating gunk will stick to the tissues. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candyflip Posted January 31, 2020 Share Posted January 31, 2020 12 hours ago, Owen Y said: Although some users report improved results with heating the fluid, I don't think that there is any need to turn on heating in these US cleaner tanks, the system cleans beautifully without heating, using just the 0.1 -0,5% surfactant/detergent mix. The science says US are barely effective with fluid temperatures less than a fair whack of heat being added (technical terms) I can quote the papers for you, but a Google search turns up a bit on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyr Posted January 31, 2020 Share Posted January 31, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, phileaudio said: Just for info, I have a similar unit that I got from the guy who invented this type of cleaning device. It works well, the cleaning mix is about 80% distilled water 20% pure lab alcohol and a couple of drops of Kodak koda flow, this works well. My understanding is that 5% alcohol is the go - especially if you heat the liquid. Any higher and you are risking the alcohol igniting. Quote And I have found that to get more use out of this mix before replacing the fluid just float a couple of large Kleenex tissues on top of the fluid when all of the gunk from the records has floated to the top, then carefully slowly remove the tissues and all of the floating gunk will stick to the tissues. That is a great trick! However, whilst it will certainly remove the scum ... I suspect there is gunk which has fallen to the bottom of the tank - so a filter circuit is required. Andy Edited January 31, 2020 by andyr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_m_54 Posted January 31, 2020 Share Posted January 31, 2020 (edited) 11 hours ago, andyr said: My understanding is that 5% alcohol is the go - especially if you heat the liquid. Any higher and you are risking the alcohol igniting. That is a great trick! However, whilst it will certainly remove the scum ... I suspect there is gunk which has fallen to the bottom of the tank - so a filter circuit is required. Andy You need in excess of 40% ABV to ignite. Try it out on your preferred spirits... hic.. Edit: Warning, don't try it with Stroh Rum... Edited January 31, 2020 by bob_m_54 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Y Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 16 hours ago, candyflip said: The science says US are barely effective with fluid temperatures less than a fair whack of heat being added (technical terms) I can quote the papers for you, but a Google search turns up a bit on it. Chaps - my experience is that ultrasonic cleaning with a 0.1+% dilution pure, non-ionic, detergent-surfactant mix at ambient temp. gives excellent sonic results - more balanced tonally (without the slight brightness) than traditional (20%) iso-alcohol-water-surfactant cleaning & the stylus seems to track better (dynamics are more open at both ends of the freq band) - I suspect that detergent residue may be a factor, not unlike when using Lyra's SPT stylus treatment. Depending on season, anything from 18-35deg C works very well. I clean also new vinyl, to remove stamper-release residue before playing. This gives consistently good sonic improvements. Cheers, Owen Dark Lantern blog - http://darklanternforowen.wordpress.com/ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey_Relish Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 If you run a 5% IPA mix at 35 degrees, does the alcohol evaporate ? Mr Relish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyr Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 4 minutes ago, Monkey_Relish said: If you run a 5% IPA mix at 35 degrees, does the alcohol evaporate ? Mr Relish Naturally! So: that's probably a good reason to start with a higher %, and you keep having to top it up. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob_m_54 Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 (edited) 13 hours ago, Monkey_Relish said: If you run a 5% IPA mix at 35 degrees, does the alcohol evaporate ? Mr Relish Yes it does, but not at a rate that will produce flammable levels, at moderate temperatures. That's why you should always ad a nip of brandy, when topping up your port barrel, even though it is ethanol. See how drinking can be such an educational activity? hic.. Edited February 1, 2020 by bob_m_54 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPete9 Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 I am getting ready to give this a go. Do the labels ever get wet? I am not very keen on that. Is the authoritative process for both precious/collectables and market scores posted somewhere? eg do you use revirginiser/glue or purely the US cleaner? Do you wipe them with something special or how do you dry them? How long do you bath them for? Any other equipment needed? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiram.j Posted February 3, 2020 Share Posted February 3, 2020 I haven' read all of this topic, but one comment I will make is that while mechanical processes can remove surface gunk and dust, it can never restore a played vinyl record to its original, pristine condition. This is because the stylus exerts so much pressure on the record at its point that it liquifies the vinyl. So the vinyl becomes a liquid then solidifies again once the stylus has passed. This allows 2 things to occur: microscopic distortion in the groove as it melts and re-hardens, foreign matter that is present in the groove to fuse to the vinyl while it is in a temporary liquid state. No cleaning process can correct for these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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