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To Loricraft users

After much consideration and I decided to take the plunge and now I'm a proud owner of a PRC 2.5, and have a couple of questions for those of you who have lived with your machines for a while.

a) Did any one experience the crumbling bottle syndrome? The plastic bottle that came with my unit folded from the pressure of the suction. I hooked it up to the side of the machine with the hook supplied, but after 2-3 days use, the bottle gave way.

b) It is possible to clean the LP on both sides (inside-out, and outside-in). Has anyone compared both methods and found either method more effective?

c) How many drops of cleaning solution do you use for each side? I've found that about 8-10 drops is sufficient and does not leave any droplets on the plinth even with the high speed platter revolution.

d) Does anyone else use 0g tracking force?
cmk
dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
a) Mine came with a glass bottle. I'd contact Smart Developments and tell them you're not happy with this "upgrade".

b) I've tried both ways. It made no difference that I could tell. All the arm is doing is vacuuming. It's not cleaning in the sense of "scrubbing", the string is larger than a record groove and it tends to lie across the grooves anyway. I always do inside-out, it lets the arm vacuum the lead-in grooves right to the edge a bit better.

c) With RRL I run a single bead across the music portion of the grooves. That's all you need, and it prevents spraying, as you found.

d) I've never tried it at 0g. How would the nozzle stay on the record with no downforce? At 70+ rpm the first warp would launch it into orbit! FWIW I use about 1.6g. If you go much heavier the thread can visibly score the vinyl.

One tip: leave the pump running between sweeps and move the arm off the back of the machine so it sucks air. This helps keep the tube dry and prevents the thread from jamming up.
cmk OP
397 posts
 
Hi Doug

Thanks for your replies and mails, good user advice which is always welcomed.

a) I got my unit in Singapore, not from Smart Developments, so pls don't chastise them - LOL. It would be good for Loricraft to go back to the glass bottle though.

b) At 0g, the pressure from the suction is sufficient to keep the nozzle on the record till it reaches the lead in groove, thereafter the arm just floats off the record. This recommendation came from a VA user who saw a demo by the Loricraft folks in UK. I've tried it and it works.

Thanks for the tip.
shventus
77 posts
 
Maybe try using a Nalgene bottle.
dougdeacon
3,338 posts
 
Hi Cmk,

Your experience beats my theory any day. I'll try lighter VTF myself, thanks. Hmmm, I wonder if -.5g would work!

The glass jar I got was like the ones used for canning tomatoes and fruit. I'll wager you could find one of those for next to nothing and transfer the hose fittings pretty easily. Nalgene would also be strong enough of course.
tbg
5,263 posts
 
Actually, the original glass jar was a mayonase jar that they thought was a proper size. I would use glass, but you will have to do some work on the cap, of course.

I thought the pull was to draw the arm outward. How can you use it from the outside inward?

I found that 0 tracking force gives me the best vacuuming. The vacuum does draw it to the record surface.

I use an atomiser to spray cleaning fluid on. I use the new AudioTop fluid.

This unit works better and more reliably than the Keith Monks that I once owned.
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