Re-using V-M Tonearms W/Crystal Cartridges

[Hi-Fi-Mogul]

I have 5-6 V-M tonearms that came with Ronette turn over
cartridges that are dead.

These arms have no 1/2 inch mounting holes, and crystal carts
are sometimes difficult to replace.
Even if they test good, their days of function are numbered.

The Pfanstiehl P-226 type carts have a hole in the plastic
mount that can take a mounting screw.

You have to thread a small screw into the hole first, to
create some threads.

I've done this on a couple of BSR changers that had bad carts
that are mounted with a single screw through the top of
the tonearm head.

So, I'm going to experiment with drilling a mounting hole on
one of these V-M tonearms.
Due to their casting design, it must be done from inside
the tonearm body.
Then, I'll have to drill a small amount of countersink area
on the top side of the hole, due to the "peak" of the arm's
casting form.

I hate to throw away those nicely painted arms.

Stay tuned !

[hermitcrab]

Funny you would bring this up, I also am working on a replacement cart for the unobtainable astatic 353 RCA floating cartridge ... I have been experimenting with printing up a plastic replacement for the metal bracket to fit a pfansteil p-149 ... getting close after about 5 prototypes
here is what the 353 looks like

[TC Chris]

Funny you would bring this up, I also am working on a replacement cart for the unobtainable astatic 353 RCA floating cartridge ... I have been experimenting with printing up a plastic replacement for the metal bracket to fit a pfansteil p-149 ... getting close after about 5 prototypes
here is what the 353 looks like

Wouldn't it be just as easy to fabricate a bracket out of sheet metal? I'm a ferocious saver of little bits and pieces of various metals for use in making things.

Chris Campbell

[William]

I also have one of those floating cartridges in my RCA Home Theater. I guess I'm lucky that mine is working, at least for now. Elton, is that for your RCA Home Theater, or another RCA unit you have?

Bill

[hermitcrab]

Wouldn't it be just as easy to fabricate a bracket out of sheet metal? I'm a ferocious saver of little bits and pieces of various metals for use in making things.

Chris Campbell
[/quote]

I tried and failed ,I don't have the tools or brakes to bend and manipulate something this small out of metal , I wish I did ,maybe in a few years they will have cheap home metal cutting lasers ?

[hermitcrab]

I also have one of those floating cartridges in my RCA Home Theater. I guess I'm lucky that mine is working, at least for now. Elton, is that for your RCA Home Theater, or another RCA unit you have?

Bill

The home theater, I thought it had a weak channel , but the cart is on the way out .... only found one site that has a OEM cart and they want well over 100 bucks...

[William]

Thanks, Elton, and that is kind of rich. If it's NOS, who's to say how long that will last.

Bill

[electra225]

Back to our regularly scheduled topic.....

Mr. Mogul, if you get the hole threaded for a bolt, what kind of a bracket will you use? I assume you will use a 1/2" mount cartridge of some kind?

[Hi-Fi-Mogul]

Back to our regularly scheduled topic.....

Mr. Mogul, if you get the hole threaded for a bolt, what kind of a bracket will you use? I assume you will use a 1/2" mount cartridge of some kind?

Greg,
If all goes well, I won't need a bracket, as the small bolt will go through from
the top of the tonearm and engage the hole in the Pfanstiehl plastic
cartridge mount.
Tightening up the bolt will then hold the Pfanstiehl cart in position
on the tonearm.

I've seen similar set ups in BSR tonearms.

[Hi-Fi-Mogul]

While waiting for parts to arrive to make my
dim bulb tester, I finally found my box of V-M
crystal cart mounted tonearms.

I removed the old crystal cart.
I was able to drill a hole through the tonearm easily,
but centering the hole is a bit difficult.

I came pretty close, and I don't think it would affect
playability of the Pfanstiehl cartridge.

The Pfanstiehl P-226/228 carts have a plastic mounting
bracket with a centered hole in it.

I measured 10 mm to be the length away from
the inside front of the tonearm to where the hole
needed to be drilled to mount the P-228 cartridge
mount bracket.

I believe I used a 4/40 screw, but it may be smaller
than that.

After drilling the hole for the 4/40, I widened
the top hole in the tonearm by shallow drilling
it out a bit larger than the original hole.
This created a bit of counter-sink on top of the tonearm hole.

Then I removed the mount bracket from the P-228, and
screwed the 4/40 screw into the bracket's hole.
That takes some patience, but once you get the thread
started, you can pincer the screw/mount with your
fingers of one hand.

With the other hand, use a small screwdriver to then
turn the screw through the plastic bracket's mount hole.

I then removed the screw, put it through the top hole of the
tonearm, then centered the hole of the plastic mount
over the screw.

Tightend it down good, and it appears this technique will
work to re-use V-M tonearms that came with crystal
turn-over carts sans 1/2 inch mount holes.

[William]

Nice job, Mr. Mogul.


Bill

[Hi-Fi-Mogul]

Thanks Bill, I like to keep re-cycling these old parts
as much as possible.

Gary has a finite supply of the other tonearms, I'd bet.

[hermitcrab]

Nice job... I will try it as the Phonola I have has a bad cart and the same tone arm... are you using the p-226-8 cart or the p-191? also how do you remove the tone arm to get access to the cart?...
Thanks

[Hi-Fi-Mogul]

Nice job... I will try it as the Phonola I have has a bad cart and the same tone arm... are you using the p-226-8 cart or the p-191? also how do you remove the tone arm to get access to the cart?...
Thanks

Cart is a P-228.

Recommend disconnecting tonearm wire clips from cart first.

You will need a very small (jeweler's) flat end screwdriver to
remove the screw from the side of the flip-over crystal cart knob,
if that's how it is attached.

Then the cart can be removed before removing tonearm.

See downloads for the record changer file that has exploded view
of tonearm mount.