Rega Planar 3 help please
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New member Username: Sim222Post Number: 1 Registered: Aug-09 | Hi bought my rega planar 3 on ebay last month and have had a number of issues. Firstly it ran slow on occasions, i managed to work out that this was because the bearing had been taped in the bearing well with a little dot of tape to stop it coming out in transit. i then realised that the bearing was dry so bought some specialist oil to lubricate it! Problem solved i thought!?? but not it seems to run fast. Now i know that the RP3 runs a semitone faster than other turntables - but on mine it seems particularly noticeable. Not sure whether i'm driving myself mad or not. Could it be the oil settling in or is the motor gone and should i just give up? pls help |
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Platinum Member Username: NuckPost Number: 13246 Registered: Dec-04 | Paul, the external power supply and speedbox for the P3 is a worthwhile upgrade. |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 13867 Registered: May-04 | . Dropping the main bearing shaft in place should "settle in" any grease. The first thing to do IMO is contact the seller and ask if they experienced the same issues. They might not tell you the truth but it's worth asking. The Rega motor is a synchornous unit which locks onto the frequency (50/60Hz) of the AC line. Assuming the unit was sold for the same voltage/frequency as your location this should mean there is nothing the motor can do except spin at the expected speed - which with a Rega is about 1% fast. If you suspect this is not the case with your table you need to be certain of just how fast the platter is spinning before you do anything else. For this you will need a strobe and a flourescent lamp. You can download the strobe for free off a few sites on the web and the lamp you can scrounge for a few dollars. Check the actual speed deviation and then let us know what you find. Depending on your sensitivity to speed accuracy this may be a non-problem as far as Rega is concerned. . |
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Platinum Member Username: NuckPost Number: 13273 Registered: Dec-04 | Cool, I didn't know about the strobe. |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 3448 Registered: May-05 | I think he has an older deck - Planar 3 vs P3. If its the older deck, the TT PSU probably won't work. If all else fails, Rega sells new upgraded motors for the Planar 3. Its a pretty big upgrade IMO. http://www.musicdirect.com/product/74205 |
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Platinum Member Username: NuckPost Number: 13276 Registered: Dec-04 | Eeesh, glues onto the plinth? Adhesive not included? |
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Gold Member Username: Frank_abelaBerkshire UK Post Number: 3793 Registered: Sep-04 | He glued the d4mn bearing??? Did you use the Rega recommended oil (if it's too thin it can run a touch fast and wear the bearing). they talk about it on their website (http://rega.co.uk - look at their FAQ page). The external power supply is not an option on the Planar 3. |
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Gold Member Username: John_aLondonU.K. Post Number: 4825 Registered: Dec-03 | I found I could measure and adjust the speed on a Planar 3 fairly simply. 1. Time 100 revolutions with a stop watch. I used a digital wristwatch. For 33 and-a-third r.p.m., 100 revolutions obviously take 3 minutes - 180.00 seconds. If the turntable is running 1 % fast, as mine was, 100 revolutions will take 178.2 seconds. This is easy to resolve. Put a small, light, object on the felt mat, and watch from one position for the precise moment it passes a reference point, say another object, stationary on the table. 2. Carefully apply a layer of insulating tape around the rim of the glass platter. It should be just the right length - no overlap. Time 100 revolutions again. 3. Repeat 2 until 100 revolutions takes as close to 180.00 seconds as you can get. I found three layers of thin, black, plastic insulating tape worked fine. If you have a CD and an LP of the same programme material, you will hear that the two sources now play at the same musical pitch. Very satisfying. The tape is increasing the effective diameter of the platter, and stretching the drive belt just a little more. I found no side effects, just a more accurate sound. Before the treatment, the pitch difference between LP and all other sources used to bug me no end. I've never understood why Rega did not get the ratio of diameters of platter and pulley right in the first place. It is not, as they say, rocket science. |
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Silver Member Username: SoundgameToronto, Ontario Canada Post Number: 943 Registered: Jun-08 | Interesting analysis and solution John. Neat. |
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Platinum Member Username: NuckPost Number: 13350 Registered: Dec-04 | Very good John. |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 13888 Registered: May-04 | . "I've never understood why Rega did not get the ratio of diameters of platter and pulley right in the first place. It is not, as they say, rocket science." I think it was intentional, John. A small bit of too fast and the music sounds a bit more exciting on first audition. They were counting on not many people listening with your ears. . |
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Platinum Member Username: NuckPost Number: 13351 Registered: Dec-04 | Good call, JV! |
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Gold Member Username: John_aLondonU.K. Post Number: 4827 Registered: Dec-03 | Thanks, George, Nuck, Jan. I would guess your are correct, Jan, and it was intentional. That would explain why Rega stuck with it. The motor pulley is a small piece of plastic and would have cost very little to replace in production after the fault had been pointed out to them. Do the newer Rega turntables also run fast? I remember when I was considering the Rega Planar 3 that a salesman demonstrated to me the variable speed control on a Dual turntable, which I also had in the running. I asked what it was for, and he replied that some music sounds better played back fast. I didn't ask which. There is only so much to be gained from discussing these things. |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 13890 Registered: May-04 | . Yes, the newer Rega's also run fast unless you have a model that accepts the motor controller - and you are using the motor controller. However, the motor controller only assures proper synching of the motor to the frequency of the incoming AC. The pulley diameters remain the problem. I wonder who gave the salesman that as an answer to the question you asked. Must have been a rep. Why do people become audio reps? Because they weren't very good audio salespeople. . |
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Gold Member Username: John_aLondonU.K. Post Number: 4828 Registered: Dec-03 | A salesman should have known better than to pass on the rep's statement and spin that yarn on to a potential customer. I'll bet you never did that, Jan.... That guy seemed OK, and it was an up-market retailer. He was young, had an american accent, and a moustache. I think I remember he also said it could also be good to run TTs fast at parties. I never worked that out, either. |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 13892 Registered: May-04 | . Get the drunks out early. I was usually telling the reps how to sell their product. Not that they cared, they got paid on how many the store bought not how many the store sold. . |
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Platinum Member Username: NuckPost Number: 13358 Registered: Dec-04 | But the reps handed out the party favors back then. |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 13893 Registered: May-04 | . Yep, I still have my Luxman jacket. One of the best all weather jackets I've ever had and it's lasted since 1984. But some reps were pretty tight too. I don't think the TDK rep ever gave away so much as a blank tape.  |
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