All right folks. In this video, what we are going to be doing is looking at the anti-skating mechanism with my Technix SL 1200 Mark 2 or a Basic SL 1200. They are both the same. The only difference is the color. Quote me if I am wrong but I am pretty sure that that is all that it is. Again, I do say a lot. But then again, you are going to use a short amount of time to try and put as much information as possible. Now then, where is the anti-skating mechanism on the turntable?
Basically, what you have is that you have your cartridge style line, which is just about there. You have the tone on, S shaped tone on on an SL 1200. You have an actual enhancing mechanism here that holds the tone on to the base to the actual turntable itself. Behind the actual tone on, you have the counter weight. Now then, in between the count weight and the tone one, to the right of that, you have a black dial. Now that is your anti-skating mechanism. Very briefly, what you need to do is to make sure that the turntable is on the flat solid surface. The next thing that you definitely need is a one-sided piece of vinyl. You can see there that that is a very shiny clear side. That means that there is no music on that at all as opposed to the opposite where the music is, it is a bit more of a duller color. Still shiny but that is quite dull as opposed to there where you could probably see where it is.
Now, what you need to do, there is also this attached to this and there is there is the anti-skating on this particular table does not work because it is 30 years. And at one point, probably about six years ago, we have to change the entire tone on as you can see. This is from an SL 1210 which is the black turntable and this is the original SL 1200. Now, this is what you need to do. Make sure that your turntable is turning. So, turn it on. By the way, while you are doing this, there is no need to have it plugged in to any mixer or anything at all. You can have this completely separate. Now then, you have got just in front of the anti-skating mechanism, you got a little arm that lifts your tone on. So, lift that up. Have the tone on situated so that it is in the center on the piece of vinyl. But, the actual style line is not touching the piece of vinyl. It is floating above it. The reason is because the actual arm here has lifted the tone on above it. Now then, let the tone drop down. What you should see is one of two things. You just sort of move to the center. You should either see the tone on staying in exactly the right position where it dropped. In other words, the needle of starlight is now on the actual piece of vinyl. But, there is no groove. It is just sitting there by itself. If that is the case, then wherever the anti-skating is, wherever the position that is, that is the correct position for the anti-skating. As you see that in bearing among this does not work, the tone on moves to the center of the record or to the outside of the record, it means that the anti-skating is not working correctly. So, what you need to do is that you need to repeat that procedure. Move the arm up, move the actual arm into the center but I am not going to put this on there because this does not work. So, I am just going to talk you through it. I am not going to turn the actual turntable on, we are just going to pretend. I like pretending, do you?
What we need to do now is this. Let us say hypothetically, with the situation here, the cartridge, the arm, everything moved to the center. Now, you need to look at where the anti-skating is. If we go a little bit closer, we can afford to do that. Now, what you need to do is just move the anti-skating dial a fraction of a turn. And then, likewise again, we will move out, we will put the tone on down. Remember now, the record is moving. Now then, let us say that all of the sudden, the actual cartridge are faster than the last time. What you have to do then is that you have to consider and remember which way you turn the anti-skating. If you turn it clockwise, then what you need to do then is turn it anti-clockwise. But do not turn it back to the first position because it was still moving then. You need to move it a little bit more and then you do the same again. You bring the actual arm up. Leave it on the rest, get it into the center of the record, put the arm down and then watch it. Now then, at this point, it should start to go in slower and then you repeat that but you move the anti-skating a bit more and then it should start to go a little bit slower again until eventually, when you continue this process two or three times, you should find that the arm should stop moving full stop. In other words, if I show you very briefly, first time, it moves fast. So, you move the anti-skating a tiny bit. Second time, faster so you need to move the anti-skating the opposite direction but away from its original position. And then, you try again. It will move slower and then you move the anti-skating again, move it slower again then you move the anti-skating a tiny bit again and you will find eventually that this on here, the needle of starlight should stay exactly in that one position, full stop.
Now, the same applies if the arm is moving towards the outside of the turntable. In other words, you will do exactly the same with the anti-skating. You will move it a bit and then hopefully, it will start to move slower and then you move the anti-skating a tiny bit again and then the arm should start to move slower again until eventually, the arm will stay in exactly the same position as where it dropped. I hope that that is completely enough do double dutch you. I do apologize, I do talk fast. But then again, there is only a certain amount of time and I do try and explain things as precisely and concisely as possible. Thank you for watching. Practice and enjoy and I am going to go and have a couple of tea now. Cheers.
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