Rim Drive Mod or how to make it even better

No foam rings...The problem with the cones, is that when you unscrew them...make them taller, they get rickety.

What I find so interesting is that the felt,et al only works with the rim drive - and only under the motors, and is detrimental under the platter assembly. Additionally, that it is a step backward using the felt under the motors as well with the belt drive. Never the less....using the soft footers with the rim drive is surely an advancement. ...from top to bottom there is a significant increase in clarity, pitch stability, etc.

Harry W... I had to wait as well. The wait is worth it. You get to open up the motor assembly and see a rats nest full of wire. You must cut and reattach the wires. MAKE SURE YOU"RE CUTTING THE CORRECT ONES. Oh - here's something I remember as well. You have to take the 4 silver feet off of the assembly. Peel the green felt pads off - they are only stuck on with glue. Put them carefully onto some wax paper or something similar to save them. When you finish the project, it will run (I forgot) very slow or very fast. Adjust with the SDS. Put the felt pads under the feet as I suggested above. Get the felt pads from Home Depot - furniture slides. This will enable the whole assembly to slide easily so that you can just kiss the drive wheel to the platter. Be sure that the wheel is driving on solid metal. Adjust the height so that the wheel is not running in one of the grooves of the platter. If you have a VPI arm, at first the drive will make the arm dance uncontrollably. Don't be socked - just wait 2 days for the belt around the drive wheel to seat. Enjoy.

TFKaudio...don't fret...the ring will seat and you will be happy. It took a couple of days for mine to seat properly. Do get the minifeet...it makes the table much easier to level, raise/lower. Don't forget to use something soft under the motor assembly and have the turntable proper on a very solid platform.

Tfkaudio is right...get the feet Mike, it also makes it easier to level the table accurately (a must). You will like the rim drive - do it.

TFK..Have you put a soft material under the motor assembly, and make sure the turntable itself is solidly resting directly on your table?? That soft footer/solid setup completely cured all the problems...and it sounds absolutely stunning. MUCH better than the belt drive. Are you using a platform of any time?? Try it without.

I just turned on my table and put my ear right up against the motor assembly and heard nothing.. It is very quiet indeed. I would call VPI. I don't know when you got your new drive, but they have just changed the formulation for that belt. Call Harry and have him send you one of the new belts. I'm sure (but not positive) he won't charge you anything. You shouldn't be unhappy. It is really excellent. I thought I was going to change it back to belt drive when I got my unit, but I was able to stamp out all of the bugs. I am really happy with it now. I know you will be too. Call VPI tomorrow.

OOPS - I didn't respond to your speed question. I use the VPI strobe that came with the Supscoutmaster, and a neon light I got for about 3 dollars at Home Depot. When I first installed the rim drive, it ran either very fast or very slow - I forgot which, however, the SDS adjusted the speed perfectly. Those hash lines just stay solidly put.

Powerdoctor..I don't think that would work, but by all means try it. I suspect the rim drives need the soft footers under the motor assembly to damp any out of roundness with the rim drive, and solid platform under the turntable proper as usual for VPI.

I really like the guys at Gingko. They are honest, kind, and have a very good product. I have their dust cover which makes the Superscoutmaster look like a museum piece. (By the way... if you are thinking of the dust cover, make sure you know your ultimate version of the table you are using. The 9 inch arm requires a different cover than the 10.5) I think however, that the base may not be the best thing under the rim drive. By all means try it - I think Gingko has a try and return policy - if it doesn't work for you, return it.

What Harry told me was that the best sound from the table comes from the most solidly constructed table for the turntable. You might go on line and check out their supporting table. It is excellent and not too expensive. If your Billy Bags table is as inert as the VPI, you will get similar results. (When I got to my new digs just recently in Scottsdale, where the floor here is French limestone and solid, there was a remarkable improvement in comparison to my New Jersey home which had wood floors). To the solidity of the turntable, you should put the felt, or any softer material under the motor assembly. That's what I have and it sounds great.