MEITNER AT-2

OWNER'S MANUAL

Initial Assembly | Pitch Control Calibration: | Tonearm and Cartridge Assembly | Setting Tonearm Height | Lift Mechanism Assembly | Anti-Skate Adjustments | Installing the Dust Cover

AT-2/TA-2 Assembly Instructions:

Initial Assembly

  1. Set out the four metal feet and assemble them onto the base by screwing them onto the four corner screws attached to the base. Start with the feet threaded all the way on. These may be adjusted from above later on to level the base in its final location.
  2. Take out the two black support pillars for the dust cover and remove the screws mounted in the bottoms of the pillars. Line up the bottom of each support pillar with the holes provided in the back of the base and insert the screws. These will screw onto the threaded nuts on the portion of the pillar beneath the base. Do not over-tighten. These will be adjusted for placement and tightened once the dust cover is installed; to ensure correct alignment.
  3. Position the upper assembly with the points of the three metal cones in the dimples provided in the base. The motor should be at the left rear of the base when the control panel is facing you.
  4. Connect the wire harness from the motor to the supplied socket in the base. Caution: Ensure that all nine pins align with the nine holes in the socket. DO NOT FORCE THE CONNECTION. The wires from the plug should exit in the direction of the motor. Double check that this connection is correct before applying power to the motor.
  5. Carefully insert the main bearing shaft into the bearing well.
  6. Gently seat the platter on the bearing shaft. The platter will seat correctly on the shaft with a minimum of force. Be careful not to drop the platter on the bearing shaft.
  7. The spacing between the top surface of the upper assembly and the top of the platter should be approximately 1-1/2 to 1-5/8 inches as a general starting point for later platter height adjustment. This is a convenient time to check and set this approximate spacing. The platter may be raised or lowered by turning the height adjustment knob that comes out of the platter cone.
  8. Turn the platter. It should now spin freely and quietly.
  9. Fit the supplied belt around the platter and motor pulley. A few turns of the platter will allow the belt to center itself.
  10. Connect the power supply to the four pin DIN terminated cable coming from the base.
  11. Plug the AC cord from the power supply into an AC outlet. Before switching the power on, double check that motor to base and base to power supply connections are made correctly. Improper connections can cause motor damage. Switch power supply on by moving the rocker switch on the power supply to the right.
  12. If any indicator lights on the control panel are on, press the off switch on the control panel to reset the controls. Never plug or unplug the motor from the base while the power supply is switched on. If it is necessary to unplug the motor from the base, always be sure that the power supply is switched off first.
  13. Now you're ready to check speed adjustments. Adjust the pitch control (on the control panel) so that it is at its 12 o'clock position - straight up and down. Place the test disc on the platter and clamp lightly with the record clamp.
  14. There are three "on" switches on the control panel, marked 33, 45 and 78 RPM. The switch pressed determines the playing speed. Select 33. The test disc should not be turning.
  15. Observe the test disc using the 33 RPM marking. (in North America use the markings for 60 Hz, for other countries use 50 or 60 Hz depending on the AC line frequency used in your country.) Note: The recommended light source is fluorescent or non-coated incandescent bulb, not sunlight. The markings should appear stationary. Remove the test disc and set it aside.

    Pitch Control Calibration

    If it seems that the pitch control requires too much adjustment away from its 12 o'clock position, calibrating adjustments are available. Looking beneath the base directly under the control panel, from the front, you will see a black metal casing with three holes providing access to three trim-pots. The order of the trim-pots corresponds to the order of the 33, 45 and 78 switches on the control panel. Using a small precision screwdriver (not provided) adjust the relevant trim pot so that the markings on the test disc appear stationary with the pitch control set to 12 o'clock. Repeat this procedure for each speed setting required.
    Note: These adjustments should be finalized with the turntable at room temperature (60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.)

    Tonearm and Cartridge Assembly

  16. Remove the tonearm and associated parts from its packing. Identify the following:
  17. Thread the arm pivot shaft into the nylon nut set into the arm cone. The shaft should be threaded in approximately 8 to 10 full turns to position the shaft at the mid-point of the desired height adjustment range.
  18. Fit the arm base assembly over the arm pivot shaft so that it rests on the upper assembly. Position it so that the cueing lever is on the right side. Note that the arm base assembly is free to move a small amount in any direction. Position the base assembly so that it is centrally located when viewed from above.
  19. Thread the black arm base assembly lock nut onto the pivot shaft and finger tighten. It is not necessary or recommended that you use a tool on this lock nut, as it may mar the finish.
  20. Install the cartridge in the headshell according to the manufacturer's instructions. Do not tighten the cartridge in its mounting slots too tightly for now, just enough so that it doesn't change position.
  21. Connect the colour coded wires to the cartridge pins. We have used the standard colour coding, as follows:
  22. Replace the test disc on the platter and clamp tightly.
  23. Position the arm on the pivot so that the top point on the arm shaft rests in the pivot well on the underside of the arm.
  24. Lay the tonearm wiring harness out so that it is not hanging off the upper assembly or otherwise creating a drag on the arm.
  25. Carefully remove the stylus from the cartridge. When performing the following steps be very careful in handling the tonearm so as not to damage the cartridge. Using the supplied Allen key, loosen the eccentric counterweight and adjust its position so that the arm is floating with no tendency to drift up or down. (The second counterweight should be mounted close to the rear of the arm, depending upon how much weight is actually needed to balance the cartridge. By turning the eccentric counter weight to the left or right you can adjust the azimuth of the cartridge so that the cantilever is approximately perpendicular to the test disc.
  26. Adjust cartridge to the manufacturer's recommended tracking force value by moving either the eccentric counterweight, or both, forward or backward. (Measuring the tracking force requires the use of a good quality stylus force gauge.

    Setting Cartridge Alignment

  27. The test disc incorporates two alignment points to locate the position of the cartridge in the headshell. Position the tonearm so that the cartridge is parallel with the lines on either of the grids. The stylus point should rest on the line that intersects the small black square. (It may be helpful to make a small indentation on the point in the black square with a pin in order to more accurately locate the stylus on the point.)
  28. When properly aligned, the stylus should rest on the point and the front and sides of the cartridge should be parallel with the grid of lines. If, when the cartridge is aligned with the grid, the stylus is behind the point, the cartridge needs to come forward. If the stylus is in front of the point, the cartridge needs to come back.
  29. Repeat the above procedure on the second alignment grid.
  30. Continue to check and make small adjustments for both grids until the cartridge will align satisfactorily on both. Note that the objective is to make the closest alignment possible on both grids, and not to optimize one at the expense of the other.
  31. In the event that the slots in the headshell don't provide enough cartridge movement to properly align the cartridge, you will need to re-position the arm base assembly. To do this, remove the tonearm from the pivot shaft, being very careful not to damage either the cartridge or the wiring from the arm.
  32. Loosen the black arm base assembly lock nut slightly and move the arm base assembly forward or back, depending on your needs.
  33. Repeat alignment procedures as necessary, then tighten the cartridge mounting screws when you are satisfied with the alignment.
  34. The next step involves setting the height of the tonearm and cartridge relative to the test disc so you may wish to leave the black lock nut slightly loose to permit adjustment to the height of the pivot shaft.

    Setting Tonearm Height

  35. With the stylus resting on the test disc, the top of the tonearm should appear horizontal with the top of the test disc. If this is not the case, replace the cartridge stylus guard, if supplied, and remove the arm and set it aside. Loosen the black arm shaft lock nut and adjust the height of the pivot shaft by turning it either up or down, depending on whether you wish the arm to be higher or lower at the pivot. Re-tighten the lock nut and replace the arm.

    Lift Mechanism Assembly

  36. Insert the threaded guide shaft into the lift platform. Thread the guide shaft into the lift platform so that one end of the shaft is just visible over the top of the lift platform.
  37. Finger tighten the jam nut against the underside of the lift platform. Nearly all the length of the guide shaft should extend down from the lift platform.
  38. Take one of the two knurled brass nuts and thread it on to the threaded pillar extending up from the cueing assembly with the raised center area facing upward. Thread this as far down as it will go. (This will give the lowest cue height and can be adjusted up from there as needed. If a lower cue height is desired, do not use this lower brass nut.)
  39. Position the lift platform so that the guide rod slides into the hold provided on the platter side of the arm cone. The threaded shaft on the opposite side of the cueing assembly will slide through the small hole provided for it.
  40. Thread the second knurled brass nut on to the threaded shaft over the lift platform. Finger tighten to secure the lift platform.
  41. The height of the lift platform can now be adjusted as needed by:
  42. Place the arm back on the pivot shaft, carefully passing the wire harness down through the cut-out in the lift platform.
  43. Operate the cueing assembly. The lift platform should now elevate the arm enough for adequate clearance of the cartridge above the test disc (or record) but should not lift the arm completely off the pivot shaft. (If the arm is raised too high it may not re-seat properly on the pivot when lowered.)
  44. The inset screw on the side of the cueing canister adjusts the rate of descent of the arm. This can be adjusted using the supplied Allen key. Note: If the threaded shaft of the cueing assembly interferes with the free movement of the outrigger weight/anti-skate mechanism, loosen the lowest knurled locking nut and lower the height of the threaded shaft to compensate. Repeat lift platform adjustments if necessary.
  45. Plug the arm wiring harness into the mating socket in the top of the output terminal. When the plug is oriented correctly the triangle marking on the plug should face the front of the turntable. Plugging this plug in the wrong way will not do any harm but will reverse the left and right channels.

    Anti-Skate Adjustments

  46. Viewing the turntable from the front, take the anti-skate string attached weight and place the loop over the notched bar attached to the left of the arm pivot. Position the loop in the notch nearest to the front of the arm.
  47. Hang the string over the adjacent notched bar with the string in the notch nearest to the front of the tonearm.
    The anti-skate string should always be placed in the corresponding notched positions on the two notched bars. The farther toward the rear of the tonearm the string is set, the more anti-skate compensation you will have.
  48. Make sure that the string and weight are hanging freely and are not obstructed nor obstructing free movement elsewhere. You can now adjust the degree of anti-skate compensations for your choice of cartridge.
  49. For correct operation the height of the two notched bars should be approximately the same. The notched bar attached to the arm base assembly can be adjusted in height by loosening an Allen screw at its base and then re-positioning the height of the bar.
    In the interest of simplicity of operation we have provided the following table of approximate anti-skate values. Please note that these are nominal values and the exact anti-skate setting selected can vary from these general recommendations. Due to extremely low friction offered by the unipivot design, the amount of anti-skate compensation needed for your particular cartridge may be less than would be neccessary with another tonearm.

    Where it is necessary to choose between two settings that both seem to work, the lower setting will generally produce better sound.

    Anti-Skate Compensation Table

    Small Weight | Large Weight

    Postion 1 - 0.50 - 0.75 gram | Postion 1 - 1.50 - 1.75 grams
    Postion 2 - 0.70 - 1.00 gram | Postion 2 - 1.75 - 2.00 grams
    Postion 3 - 1.00 - 1.25 gram | Postion 3 - 2.00 - 2.25 grams
    Postion 4 - 1.25 - 1.50 gram | Postion 4 - 2.25 - 2.50 grams

    Installing the Dust Cover

  50. Install the dust cover and check the position of the support pillars for the proper alignment and freedom of movement. Tighten the screws holding the support pillars in position.

    The dust cover is intended as just that, a means to protect the turntable from dust when it is not in use. It is not intended for use on the turntable when records are being played. It is designed so that it can be easily removed when the turntable is in use, and replaced when not in use.

    If the dust cover remains on a turntable when records are played it will act as an acoustical antenna and contribute to acoustic feedback from the loudspeakers. Therefore we have elected to eliminate the compromise to sound quality by providing for simple removal and replacement.

For more information please contact John Wright at (403) 968-1400 or email john@museatex.com


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