Instructions for fitting Bearing Base Plate and Bearing to the SL1200

Issue:-- 4
(23-01-2011)

Note: These Instructions should be read and understood before proceeding with changing the Bearing and/or Fitting the Bearing Base Plate.
Every effort has been made to ensure that these instructions are clear and unambiguous; follow them carefully. Note: These Instructions assume that the customer has replaced the Technics Power supply with an External Power Supply and that the old transformer and small circuit board have been removed. Tools required: a) Posidrive screwdriver to remove the three black bolts that hold down the coil assembly and bearing. (a Phillips screwdriver may be used with care.) b) Two spanners to fit the 5mm bolts and nuts which clamp the Base Plate c) Allen Key to fit the new 1/8 Whit bolts for the bearing and coil assembly. d) 5mm drill (To fit holes in Base Plate) e) 10mm or 3/8 drill f) Power Drill g) Soldering Iron (to remove PS wires) h) Clean workbench on which to carry out this exciting task, the kitchen work-top is ideal!!! i) Large soft towel (to protect Platter top) j) Smooth file (without handle) k) Small pair of wire side cutters or nail scissors.

Disassembly
a) Remove all power from the SL1200 before proceeding b) Remove the top Hinged cover if you have one c) Clamp down the Tone Arm and fit cover to stylus. You may find it more convenient and prudent to remove the tone arm if you wish. However this will probably require you to separate the top chassis from the Molded Rubber Plinth, which you will need to do later anyway. d) Remove the platter by inserting fingers into the two holes and pulling upwards. e) Remove the five screws holding the large black cover (with radial slots for ventilation) remove the cover and discard if using my new Platter, as it cannot be used with the new platter. f) Carefully remove the three plugs attached to the cable forms from the main circuit board. One on each side of the board, (top, bottom and right hand side, when viewed from above.) Note: you may need to clip the cable clamps on the bottom cable form to give more freedom. g) Now unsolder the wires, which come from the external power supply to the circuit board. Mark which is positive and which is negative. If it is a Time Step power supply, the Negative (earth) should be connected to the bottom left hand corner of PCB. The positive will be connected at the top of the board, note the position for re-soldering. In the case of the KAB PS the DC power is connected to the two pins at the bottom left hand corner of the PCB. next to the big capacitor. h) Now remove the three self-tapping screws, which hold down the circuit board (Top Right, Bottom Right, and Bottom Left hand corners.) Use the correct size Posidrive or Phillips screwdriver. i) Now remove the three long screws equally spaced around the periphery of the motor coil assembly, these are black in colour. (these screws clamp the coil assembly and bearing to the main plinth.)

j) Carefully lift the circuit board upwards and remove the old bearing assembly, or your new Bearing if it is already fitted; from the bearing cavity while observing how the bearing housing fits into the three curved slots of the main circuit board. k) Now remove the small black circular plastic cover that locates on top of the coil assembly if it is fitted. Note: This cover is no longer required as it interferes with the extended locating spigots, which more accurately locate the bearing into the coil assembly. The cover was only used to protect the coil assembly during the rigors of storage, warehousing and assembly. It serves no technical function in the direct drive motor. l) With small side-cutters or nail scissors carefully trim the component wires that poke through on the soldered-track side of the circuit board, in the area of the circular body of the new bearing housing. Nip the wires neatly to immediately above the solder dome. There will be three sets of 6 wires. Note: If you already have my bearing and are only fitting the Bearing Base Plate, then you will already have done this!! m) Now carefully insert the new bearing into the circuit board and check that it fits correctly. If all is OK then remove it and set the circuit board safely to one side where it cannot be damaged.

Installation of the Bearing and Bearing Base Plate.

a) For this procedure you will require a 5mm and 10mm (3/8) drill and a power tool. b) Remove the five bolts and their nuts which are loosely fitted into the five holes in the Base Plate and place to one side. c) Now take the three long securing bolts taped to the Base Plate and screw into the Base Plate from the top so that they protrude by about 1.5mm on the under side. They will serve to accurately center the base plate over the bearing well by locating into the three existing small holes which take the long bolts you have just removed. d) Now we need to remove the top of the three lugs, which protrude above the level of the chassis. This is easily done, by using the 3/8

(10mm) drill, to drill them out. Do not go to far, just enough to make them level with the bottom surface of the chassis. e) Now with the file laid flat onto the surface, clean off any rough parts to the work just done

f) Place the bearing Base Plate onto the cast alluminium alloy chassis with the arrow pointing towards the back of the unit, so that the three protruding bolts on the underside of the Base Plate locate into the three holes in the remainder of the lugs, which you have just drilled out. You may be able to screw them into the chassis holes by one or two turns for additional firmness. Make sure you keep the steel plate flat against the chassis. g) NOTE: There may be some instances where the old Power supply has been left in position. In which situation the Base Plate may be prevented from locating correctly by the transformer and small circuit board. If you are adamant that you require to leave the old power supply in position then you will need to cut away that part of the Base Plate which interferes with the power supply. The Base Plate has been designed for maximum effectiveness as it is, cutting some of it away is not the preferred option!! h) Now with the 5mm drill fitted to the power tool carefully drill through the hole marked #1 in the Base Plate to a depth of about now place a 5mm bolt into this hole. Now drill through the opposite hole #2. and place a bolt into this hole. Next drill hole #3 and place a bolt into the hole and proceed to drill the remaining two holes as before. To more accurately carry out this procedure you may wish to get a friend to make sure your drill is vertical in all directions. Also ensure that you keep the Base Plate correctly located while drilling the holes, by tightly pressing down on it. i) You should now have a situation where the chassis is drilled with five holes, which accurately match the location of those in the Base Plate.

Also, you will have partly drilled into the center composite molding, which is required for the next operation. j) Now for the fun part! You now need to remove the securing screws from the underside of the molded rubber plinth and remove it, revealing the black molded composite center-piece. Some of the screws are of differing lengths so work out a way of remembering which goes where!!! Note: You may find that placing the unit upside down onto a soft cushion will protect the tone Arm and surface.

k) You now need to remove the screws, which hold the molding to the Alluminium chassis, note which goes where. You will now have just the naked alluminium top chassis with all the switches and wiring. Not so difficult was it!!! l) Now fit the 3/8 (or 10mm) drill to the power tool and drill through the four holes that you have previously partly drilled into the molded center-piece. The purpose of this is to provide clearance space for the nuts that will be fitted to the Base Plate bolts. Note; Hole #5 does not extend into the center-piece molding, so you only have four holes to open out to 3/8. Clean off all dust and dirt from the chassis and center molding. Note: The bottom of the Molded Center-Piece is not flat. So before drilling out the holes ensure that the larger flat portion, (through which the holes must be drilled) is laying on a flat piece of wood. Failure to do so may cause the molded centre-piece to break at the very thin section. m) Now remove the three long bolts from the Base Plate and carefully fit the Bearing Base Plate assembly into its correct location onto the chassis and insert the five bolts. n) Attach the five nuts to the lower side of the chassis and tighten evenly until all are tight, thus firmly clamping the Base Plate evenly to the chassis, using a spanner or small size socket set. o) You can now replace the center molding onto the Alluminium chassis and insert all the screws and tighten. Note:-- On the two SL1200s

that I have, only two of the three clamping screws around the arm Plate hole have been fitted!! You may wish to add the third one. p) Now place the sub assembly into the molded rubber plinth and fit all the screws thus clamping the base to the assembly. q) Now place the bearing into the Bearing Base Plate so that the three holes line up with the threaded ones in the Base Plate. r) Take the main circuit board and carefully place it over the bearing in the correct position, so that the three vertical pillars on the bearing fit into the slots in the circuit board. Ensuring that the coil assembly locates correctly and squarely, as it should, since you previously checked this!

s) Now insert the three long 1/8 Whit bolts into the larger holes in the coil assembly and carefully locate and screw into the Base Plate with an Allen Key of the correct size. Evenly tighten these. Be careful not the damage the coils. t) Using the three brass spacers and self-tap screws supplied, fit these to the three corner holes, with the spacers underneath the board. There will probably be an earth connection lead to the bottom left hand corner position, do not forget this!! u) Now re-solder any power connections that were previously removed. v) Now refit the three cabling plugs into their respective sockets on the main PCB w) Check that the external power supply is correctly connected x) Replace the Technics platter and check that it rotates at the correct speeds. If this does not happen then you have an electrical connection problem of some sort. Carefully check all connections. y) If all is Ok you can now remove the old platter and fit the new one if you have purchased one.

z) See the Instructions for fitting new Platter.

Before final running add three or four drops of the bearing oil supplied, to the top of the bearing.

Final Considerations
The new Base Plate will have radically altered the VTA setting, as it was partly intended to do; So you will now need to reset your arm before spinning some vinyl. The platter needs to be carefully leveled in all directions for maximum benefit. A short level placed on the platter will give the best results. Rotate the platter and check for level in all directions.

Note: The standard feet on the SL1200 are a loose fit in their threads and are unsuitable for the best results. Tightly screw all four feet into the base as tight as possible. Now use shimming to level the platter, pieces of plastic, cardboard etc will do the job. Alternatively use the Isonoe feet, which provide excellent support, or those rubber feet supplied by Origin Live for the SL1200. Note:-Allow about 50 hours for the bearing to effectively run-in before any critical listening, although you will notice a difference immediately, in the overall sonic performance

GOOD LISTENING