Restoration of my Technics SL-Q33

[Saket]

How heavy would the glass dust cover be? Do you plan to hinge it on to the usual place on the TT cabinet or are you using a bigger glass cover which will rest on table?

I had changed the hinges when I bought the TT, as the original hinges had become loose and were not able to keep the dustcover up. The new cover will use the same hinges.
I will know the exact weight only after its fabricated, but surely I expect it to be on the heavier side. It will be made by the original dimensions, hence, it will rest on the deck only. I plan to stick some thin & small rubber beads at some points on the resting area of the glass so that it does not scratch the paint on the TT. Just like the small rubber beads are stuck on the display lids of laptops which don't scratch the lower cabinet when the lid is closed.

Please give details of the painting process when you reach that stage. It would be interesting to note what primer you are using, etc.

Yes, sure. I will be painting it (rather getting it painted by a car body shop) by the 2K paint, which offer good finish & quality. I will try to match the original factory color which is like dark metallic grey. The rear labels will be masked by tapes before painting.

Actually, there were 2 colors in which the SL-Q33 came from factory- Silver & Black. Though, black not being black exactly, more of dark greyish tone. The silver ones were called SL-Q33 while the black ones were SL-Q33K. Though the 'K' is only mentioned on the base of the TT.

Regards,
Saket

 

[reubensm]

I had changed the hinges when I bought the TT, as the original hinges had become loose and were not able to keep the dustcover up. The new cover will use the same hinges.
I will know the exact weight only after its fabricated, but surely I expect it to be on the heavier side. It will be made by the original dimensions, hence, it will rest on the deck only. I plan to stick some thin & small rubber beads at some points on the resting area of the glass so that it does not scratch the paint on the TT. Just like the small rubber beads are stuck on the display lids of laptops which don't scratch the lower cabinet when the lid is closed.



Yes, sure. I will be painting it (rather getting it painted by a car body shop) by the 2K paint, which offer good finish & quality. I will try to match the original factory color which is like dark metallic grey. The rear labels will be masked by tapes before painting.

Actually, there were 2 colors in which the SL-Q33 came from factory- Silver & Black. Though, black not being black exactly, more of dark greyish tone. The silver ones were called SL-Q33 while the black ones were SL-Q33K. Though the 'K' is only mentioned on the base of the TT.

Regards,
Saket

are you planning to use the aerosol spray can?

 

[Saket]

are you planning to use the aerosol spray can?

No, the traditional spray painting method used by car body shops.

 

[Saket]

Post 2:


1. Last night, the player was taken apart completely.
2. First & foremost, the headshell along with the cartridge was taken out and stored at a safe place; not among the other parts that would come out.
3. Then the platter was removed. Its a die cast 31.2cm diameter aluminum platter and is heavy. Since, its a direct drive, the platter is actually the rotor and hence a part of the motor. This means that it has a circular magnet, which makes it fragile. Also, as I told earlier, the turntable uses infra-red rays to sense the disc sizes, hence the platter has 9 IR lens(es) mounted on it. The plastic cover frame below the platter was also unscrewed and removed.
4. The transformer, IR LEDs, main kit, including the motor, control switches, Remote control extension were unscrewed one by one & removed. All these things were held up by identically sized screws. There was no sign of any repairs carried out: happy about it!
5. But the major challenge is the auto mechanism coupled with the tone arm. I would have preferred to get the complete assembly out from the chassis in one piece, but unfortunately, the screws holding the tonearm base was hidden under the mechanicals, hence I was left with no other option than to dismantle the mechanism totally. Frankly speaking, the major concern in this whole restoration is this mechanism only. Unlike most audiophiles, I am a fan of automatic mechanism; as someone on the forum once remarked- An automatic turntable is a lazy persons choice or similar.
6. Every thing came apart well, but somehow I still managed to break the tone arm rest. Currently the rests luck is being tried by Araldite, lets see.

Thank you JLS for sharing the upload method on Imageshack.

The Player Before:

Platter Removal: Notice the IR LEDs lens (3 long transparent strips)

Insides:

Opening the Kit:

The complicated Auto Mechanism under the tonearm:

Mechanism & Tone arm removal:

The Anti Skate Machanism:

The nuts holding the black cosmetic strip:

Bomb Explosion?:

The seller decided to share the feet of the TT with his dining chair:

More to follow: stay tuned!

Regards,
Saket

 

[reubensm]

Good going Saket, can't but notice what lovely engineering goes into Technics Turntables. They were without doubt, absolute Kings of the direct drive world.

 

[Saket]

Good going Saket, can't but notice what lovely engineering goes into Technics Turntables. They were without doubt, absolute Kings of the direct drive world.

Certainly Reuben, There is a feedback servo generator too, which actually works. If I try to resist the platter movement with my hand, it increases the torque and maintains the correct RPM! As soon as I take off my hand, I can hear a momentary high rpm sound from the playing record before settling into the correct RPM again! Indeed a masterpiece!

Also, note how the chassis is reinforced at every single area.

 

[jls001]

Just a wild thought: is damping the platter and chassis with something like dynamat or plasticine useful for such a turntable?

That's a scary amount of electronics you had dismantled Great going.

 

[reubensm]

To add to what Joshua said, hope you've been able to document every single stage before dismantling. If you've done that then you should not have much trouble putting it all back together again. We recently pulled a Garrard RC210's spindle assembly to bits and put it back again, that was one complex piece of machinery.

 

[Saket]

Just a wild thought: is damping the platter and chassis with something like dynamat or plasticine useful for such a turntable?

That's a scary amount of electronics you had dismantled Great going.

Actually I am planning to dampen the base of the TT, which is also cast metal by using insulating foam sheets. Chassis is actually quite thick in itself and feels like its not that sensitive to resonance. I thought of using rubber bushes/ o rings at various points where the Kit is mounted on the chassis, but then that will bring the motor level down and the platter will then bottom out on the deck.

Though, still in my wild thoughts, but am thinking to develop some kind of suspension system for the TT which will isolate the upper deck from the bottom base, but that will be stage 2 (once this job is done)

To add to what Joshua said, hope you've been able to document every single stage before dismantling. If you've done that then you should not have much trouble putting it all back together again. We recently pulled a Garrard RC210's spindle assembly to bits and put it back again, that was one complex piece of machinery.

Yes, I followed your Garrard (mis) adventure (on buying that) and the pics that you posted. However, I have some diagrams, scribbles, pictures and not to mention the service manual for the TT, that should suffice; only crossing my fingers for the auto-mechanism as that was a real pain to fix when I bought this TT.

Regards,
Saket

 

[sachu888]

Just a wild thought: is damping the platter and chassis with something like dynamat or plasticine useful for such a turntable?

That's a scary amount of electronics you had dismantled Great going.

I had once stuffed my Technics SlD-303 plinth with 500gr Palsticline.It solved feedback problem.I would suggest Dynamat or Self adhesive Bitumen sheets for better results.

Regards,
Sachin

 

[jls001]

I had once stuffed my Technics SlD-303 plinth with 500gr Palsticline.It solved feedback problem.I would suggest Dynamat or Self adhesive Bitumen sheets for better results.

<OT>
I love turntables. You can screw them up and learn something. You can screw them up big time and learn a lot of things. You can tweak and improve them and enjoy the improved playback. You can improve them big time and enjoy the fruits of your hard work. They're never boring:lol:
<End of OT>

 

[Saket]

You can improve them big time and enjoy the fruits of your hard work.

Wish me that this time I fall in this category!:lol:

 

[Hiten]

Nice work Saket. The turntable is more complicated than I imagined. As Sachin said try damping the bottom plinth (Enclosure) with neatly cut bitumen sheets. Which would be enough I think. When reassembling take precaution that tonearm wire has free movement other wise tonearm gets stuck while playing. Keep them free flowing at all the bends in tonearm.
Regards

 

[Saket]

Last night, the plinth/ chassis was given a good wash to clean grease & dirt, if any. Then it was sanded down. Special effort was put on the edges and where paints were chipping off. It was again washed to remove the dust resulting from sanding. Also the tone arm base of plastic was sanded just a little to take off the paint of the areas which were on the verge of giving up.

Went to collect the dustcover but those lazy chaps have not yet completed the job.

Nice work Saket. The turntable is more complicated than I imagined. As Sachin said try damping the bottom plinth (Enclosure) with neatly cut bitumen sheets. Which would be enough I think. When reassembling take precaution that tonearm wire has free movement other wise tonearm gets stuck while playing. Keep them free flowing at all the bends in tonearm.
Regards

Thanks Hiten bhai! Planning to dampen the base by such sheets. Will have to apply adhesive all along the base, as the the base is not in the same plane. It is also cast metal and has reinforcement shapes all over.
Yes, will keep the tonearm wiring in mind when I solder them back, allowing sufficient sagging.

Regards,
Saket

Edit: Called the dust cover maker, they have asked me to come tomorrow.

 

[reubensm]

what did you sand it with? if sand paper was used, what grade?

 

[Saket]

what did you sand it with? if sand paper was used, what grade?

Yes Reuben, I used sand paper. Grade: That I will have to check as a few sheets were lying in my parts bin from where I just took one. I will surely get back to you on this.

Regards,
Saket

 

[Hiten]

It is also cast metal and has reinforcement shapes all over.

Exactly. Cut same shape sheets and put in those reinforcement shapes. As this will create varying impedance for resonance/vibration instead of big contineous sheet.
Regards

 

[Saket]

Exactly. Cut same shape sheets and put in those reinforcement shapes. As this will create varying impedance for resonance/vibration instead of big contineous sheet.
Regards

Sounds good to have but I get your point.

 

[Saket]

Post 4 regarding restoration

The plinth has been given to MASS: Maruti Authorized Service Station!:lol:

Though, they were reluctant to do this paint job, but with the goodwill that we share as an old customer to them, they have agreed to do the job for me. Should be ready by tomorrow or Monday. They have assured me of that they will match the factory color & finish. I have specifically asked for matt finish.

Opted for MASS because:

1. They have specialized paint shops; free of dirt, moisture & particles.
2. They are well equipped to match the shade.
3. I don't have to worry for the finish quality.
4. They will use good quality 2K paint.
5. And above all, peace of mind.

The glass dust-cover should be ready by this evening too. Let me see, if I can collect it after office.

Regards,
Saket

 

[Saket]

what did you sand it with? if sand paper was used, what grade?

Sand paper; Grade 60