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How to use Feickert Protractor on SME V Tonearm

I just bought a Feickert Next Gen Protractor. So far I just measured the spindle to pivot distance, it was set to 212mm. This is using a Denon DL160 cartridge setup using a paper protractor from the web. The spec for the spindle to pivot distance is given as 215.35mm. My turntable is a Gyrodec with mounted SME V tonearm. So I started thinking about how this would work using the Feickert protractor, each time I move the sliding mount of the SME V, I would then need to adjust the position of the sliding spindle to pivot distance of the Feickert protractor and thereby moving the alignment point. This seems like a never ending loop of adjust SME V slide adjustment, then re-adjust the spindle to pivot distance on the Feickert to get the correct alignment. Am I missing something, it seems like a very interative process to use the Feickert Protractor with a SME V tonearm. I bought the Feickert to make alignment simpler and more accurate. How do others use the Feickert Protractor to align the SME V tonearm cartridge?
hartonr

Showing 1 response by dougdeacon

dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
Larryi,

Fully agree with your latest, provided that SME owners pay heed to Albert's initial post. Use of a Mint (or any arc) protractor with an SME V requires that the user provide Yip with their cartridge's cantilever length (i.e., the hypotenuse of a triangle drawn between the stylus tip and the two cartridge mounting holes, when viewed from directly above).

Lacking this information, a protractor designer could not calculate the arc any particular stylus should follow except by guessing, which Yip seems uninclined to do.

Albert correctly explained SME's naive assumption as to cantilever length, which necessitates a unique Mint (or other arc) protractor for each cartridge. Whether SME was being shortsighted or haughty is open for debate, but in any event it's a weakness in an otherwise fine tonearm.
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