1200 Gurus.. advice needed on calibrating my tonearm

[lovecitydjs]

Ok.. so i've been using 1200s for roughly 15 years. I'm experiencing a strange problem with one of my 1200s (an M3D). I play roughly 2-4 gigs per week, many require me to bring decks with me (freaking Philly). Setting up my decks one night, i noticed the tonearm on one of the decks was totally loose in its housing. There are three tiny screws that hold the tonearm in place in its assembly and for whatever reason the screws were loose and the tonearm was free to roam about the cabin. I tightened the screws and everything seemed back to normal. At some point, i relegated this pair of decks to studio use and started using a different set for the road. The other day i was playing records in the studio and i notice that the tonearm would slowly drift outward on that deck and eventually skip all the way off the record. I'm assuming it has something to do with the way i adjusted those three screws since that's the only radical thing that's happened to this deck. However, before i go tinkering with the screws, i was hoping someone would give me some advice on how to do this before i totally screw up my tonearm (if i haven't already). bonus points if you've got a video tutorial. haha!

thanks!!

[Panotaker]

The story I heard is that it takes a Technics technician 3 hours to adjust those screws correctly, so they simply replace the tonearm since it is cheaper. I don't know if that is true or not, because I bought a 1200 once that had those same screws loose and the tonearm skipped just like you described. I played with the screws and had it working within 15minutes. I don't know if I got lucky or what, but you got nothing to lose by trying to adjust it yourself. The only advice I can give you is make sure the turntable is absolutely level, and if at anytime you over tighten the screws, you will need a new tonearm. Luckily new tonearms for 1200s are cheap.

[g-sep]

http://www.djforums.com/forums/content.php?208-Turntable-Maintenance-Introduction

Was on the front page of the website. It's towards the end. Also, check out some youtube vids of viperfrank.

[lovecitydjs]

so i'm running into another problem... 2 of the 3 screws are no big deal.. the 3rd one won't budge. i think the outer ring is keeping the inner screw locked in an i'm not sure what type of tool is used to loosen the outer ring.

[g-sep]

Just try out a wider flathead screwdriver. Make sure the inner screw is lower than the outer, than unscrew the outer with the larger flat head. Thats the way how it goes. The outer screw is to keep the inner one from moving.

[lovecitydjs]

right.. that part i've already discussed.. so if they don't line up and the inner screw won't budge then what
???

[g-sep]

Just try to get one of the small slots on the outer screw and turn a little. Once it comes loose it spins freely.

[Nicadraus]

so i'm running into another problem... 2 of the 3 screws are no big deal.. the 3rd one won't budge. i think the outer ring is keeping the inner screw locked in an i'm not sure what type of tool is used to loosen the outer ring.

You don't need to remove the 3rd screw to calibrate. The 3rd and inner screw near the pivot bridge is supposed to be locked and never unscrewed. That is why there is a lock glue placed in the tiny hole seen on the side. All you need to adjust are the 2 screws (top and side-outer screw) with the locking rings.