Click on the picture for a larger view.
Serial #5 - Sept 28 2000, David Suess - St Paul, Minnesota
Design: The design for #5 is very similar to what Chris has
posted on his web site, except that this design uses Corian
where Chris' design uses aluminum. The Corian top layer is
13"x13" and is 1/2" Corian kitchen counter top material which
was the piece left over when the cutout was made for a sink.
To the bottom of the Corian is bolted two layers of 3/4"
MDF. The MDF layers are glued together with construction
adhesive. Resting on top of the top plate is a 4"x16" piece
of Corian backsplash material. This piece is drilled at one
end for the bearing and at the other for the arm support
pillar. The top plate is also drilled in the center for the
bearing well. The armboard is also made from 1/2" Corian and
rests on a pillar made from an 3" ABS plastic pipe end cap
filled with lead shot. The entire table structure rests on
three spikes. Currently, I am using a re-wired (by me) Rega
RB300 arm and I do not anticipate going to another arm.
Motor Pod: The motor pod is constructed of two 4" I.D. black
ABS pipe joined together by a short piece of 4" pipe. The
top end cap is cut out to accept the motor controller unit,
but the cutout is small enough so that the motor mounting
plate is bolted to the top of the end cap. The bottom end
cap is drilled and fitted with nylon bushings for the power
and sensor wires. Lead shot fills the bottom end cap and makes
for a well damped and sturdy arrangement. The belt material
is 8-lb fishing line.
Plans: I may decide to go the aluminum route as Chris and
other have done, but I'm in no hurry at the moment. The sound
is way better than my previous RB300/Planar3. The bass I'm
getting is way better and the steadiness of sustained piano
notes is rock solid. I am planning to build a new phono stage
to replace the phono stage from a modified original Audible
Illusions Modulus and I've settled on the Euridice 5842 phono
stage. My line stage is a DIY 5687 housed in a gutted Dyna
PAS-3X cabinet. -- David
