Alright, folks. In this video, what I am going to do is describe to you the difference between Direct-drive and Belt-drive turntables.
Belt-drive turntable. What are we to consider is this. This is the platter, this is where you actually put your record on here. Now, with most belt-drive turntables, this actual element here—this spindle here, is just situated in a slot. This is a very basic example, by the way. On the actual platter spindle, you will have—it is almost like this wheel here.
Now, this red bit is an elastic band, okay? Now, the elastic band is not that long—again, this is very basic—the elastic band then will go on around another wheel, and that wheel is attached to a motor.
In that motor, there are magnets, coils, etc. positive and negative terminal go into that motor. So, what happens is basically this: the power goes into the motor, the motor inside here turns, turning this spindle, turning this wheel, turning this elastic band, turning this wheel, turning this spindle, turning the platter.
So again, not meaning to go into depth from the Physics’ point of view, you have motion here, you have motion around the elastic band, motion pushing this here, and pushing the platter.
Now then, what can happen here is at over a period of time, this elastic band—like the same as a belt on a car, on a vehicle—will eventually start to wear away the actual band and eventually, it will start to pull and of course, that is when you start having problems.
Plus the fact: if all of a sudden you press start. Bang! On your turntable, the motor, in a fraction of a second, will start up. But then, the elastic band, in a fraction of a second after that, will start up. And then, in another fraction of a second, the platter will start to turn. You do have a difference in time from the time you pressed that button, to the time that platter starts. That is the basic principle behind belt-drive.
Now, the direct-drive and Technics were the first ones to do it, and they painted the idea.
Listen to this. If you ever take the top, the platter, off your Technics SL-1200 and turntable motor, something like this—you will notice again, the hole there is just the hole inside the platter, okay? You will notice on the under side of the platter, you have got some magnets, and the actual magnet is in a circle, like so. That there, is the hole inside the center of your platter. The hole will fit in here.
Now here, you have the coils wrapped around the spindle. This twists, then that will fit through here. The magnets go either side.
Now basically, direct-drive is simply this: This is the motor, that is one half of the motor, that is the other half. Here is the coil, wrapped around here. The electricity or the power is put inside here, and inside here. As soon as the platter is put on here and you press start, instead of like here, the power is going into this motor, transferring the power to the elastic, transferring the power from the elastic band to here. The power is basically transferred in one. That is why direct-drive is far superior to belt-drive.
I hope that has been of help. Thank you for watching. Practice and enjoy.
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