There defiantly sounds like you have another problem going on here
Maybe a faulty belt (it can happen) or something unrelated
Might be worth removing the belt completely and spinning the platter to make sure all is smooth …Then try again against the old belt to see how they compare?
What motor / drive are you using on the LP 12…
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It’s driven by the original Lingo 1 upgrade, later had the Cirkus bearing.
The worst bouncing happens just when the platter reaches speed and settles within a few seconds - you can see the platter/armboard physically wobble - it wobbles slightly when you press the on switch and is starts to turn, is ok for a couple of seconds then wobbles quite violently for 1-2 secs as it stabilises speed.
Swapped back to the old belt and it doesn’t happen - I noted earlier that the two seem to be slightly different lengths, and an assumption the old one has stretched, but I gather they have been redesigned too in recent years - I wonder if it could be the wrong drive belt as they sell other turntables.
Anyone know the official diameter of the LP12 belt?
A belt that’s been used will always stretch and be longer than a brand new belt.
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Interesting …
The only way I can imagine the arm board being wobbled like that is a sudden change in speed or belt tension
Both these conditions could occure if the belt is not riding up the (shaped) motor pulley properly …Maybe because the belt is too tight
You may be able to check this by putting the outer platter on up side down and watching how the belt behaves when it climbs the pulley during startup
You should not really be putting the stylus in the groove before the platter is up to speed anyway …
Genuine Linn belts should be ground (Matt) on one side as part of the manufacturing process …I thought it was this side …The ground flat side …That needed to go against the motor pulley / inner platter rim…And then the direction judged by listening tests…
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If the old belt is fine I’d be really suspicious of the new belt. I’ve replaced the belt on my LP12 a few times over the years and it’s always been fine. A smoother startup and nicer sound.
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Have a look with the outer platter upside down as above. With mine at switch off the belt sits on the parallel section of the pulley. At switch on it drops onto the taper and rises again.
I had the symptom you describe, the 35 year old motor was showing end of life symptoms.
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Good idea about placing the platter on upside down. Yes, I wouldn’t normally lower the tonearm until it was spinning properly, can only assume I thought it was up to speed with stability, then the big wobble. I also generally tend to be one fo those who often leaves the platter spinning all the time and changes LPs quite quickly without stopping/starting.
My other thought is whether or not the newer belt might be putting different stresses on the Lingo’s electronic which might be in need of a service, though motor would seem more likely.
OK, rough size only, but old belt seems to measure around 57cm circumference, new one 55.5 cm.
With the new belt it only marginally drops down on startup or stopping compared to the old one - has to be tighter due to different diameters.
Could the old belt have stretched by 1.5cm?
This has always been my assumption.
The old belt consistently runs without the wobble. The new one looks to be the correct size from a bit of Googling, the old one must have stretched over the years.
I just tried turning motor on/off without the belt attached, and it’s making a clicking sound as it turns. Light pressure on the pulley stops the noise but this implies to me something isn’t right with motor/pulley assembly. Switched to 45 rpm and the pulley seemed to stop turning several times with a buzzing noise.
Ho, hum…LP12 still sounds good, but can’t be giving it’s best.
Maybe time to look at a Lingo/motor service/upgrade.
I don’t know how old your current motor is …But for about £110 a brand new one is one of Linn’s most cost effective upgrades I have found…
The slight clicking is fairly normal on a motor with no belt and the old type of (none sealed) thrust pad…And not really anything to worrie about IMO
I’m reassured if the clicking may be normal, though I can honestly never say I’ve never noticed it before which is what concerned me, and I would have run the motor without a belt many times in the past to clean the pully for example.
The motor is getting on for 30 years old assuming it was replaced when I got the Lingo in 1990 - my housemates thought it was a crazy purchase until they heard the upgrade.
Same here but the motor doesn’t get replaced, the bearing cap just gets removed.
I had a brand new motor fitted last year as part of a service.
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It was so long ago, I’m not certain what they did!
My dealer of old was very good at upgrading things and taking the money, I often wonder if the old parts eg valhalla boards etc were part of a trade-in for the upgrade or quietly retained by the dealer as I didn’t ask.
Looking at a Cirkus kit which seems to come in a nice box with belts, various bits and bobs and oil, I wonder why I never got the box, maybe they never used to come in boxes.
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Even more confusing to me is that with the old belt the LP12 is soundly utterly sublime today - maybe the albums I’m playing, but I’m more than happy with this old belt, trouble is I can’t remember how old but must be more than 5 years. Maybe I’ve put it back upside down and the direction is better!
If the listen to what sounds best mantra is true then perhaps there isn’t really a correct side at all - if there were a definite side and vertical orientation I can’t see why it shouldn’t be marked.
I’m really struggling to see any visual difference with the belts one side vs another, perhaps one has some subtle grain/tiny fissures to it and the others don’t.
You can feel the difference by rubbing the belt on your lips.
I always forget this - and which way up the mat should go!
I bought an Origin Live belt a year back and it made strange noises on start up so back it went and I invested in a genuine Linn replacement.
Yes you can, and it’s quite subtle to me, but then you have people saying lips/fingers get oils on the belt which might be detrimental. Equally with an old belt I suspect the in use side is going to be much smoother than when new so if you got it wrong originally you’d be stuck later down the line.
I also find it bizarre we are supposed to use furniture polish to clean the belts - long before the internet I think I used to rinse with tap water and Fairy liquid - perhaps the worst thing I could have done!
…and if you’ve figured out the correct mat side you can be scuppered when static causes it to come off with the record as it slowly peels away and tumbles down to the floor!