So here is a tip that I wanted to share. From day one of owning my SL1210GR, I had what I thought was an anti-skate and/or tracking force issue. Every time the tonearm got to the inner grooves, I started to get more pops/clicks, and even skips/repeats. It was driving me nuts. I also had difficulty with cueing. The tonearm was always drifting slightly toward the armrest when I raised it or lowered it with the cue lever. I assumed this was an anti-skate issue, and adjusted it numerous times, adding, subtracting, yet the problem persisted. After doing a lot of reading online, someone mentioned that the wires that run from the cartridge, through the tonearm, and down into the plinth can occasionally be tangled or tight, particularly straight out of the box. This can create resistance in the tonearm as it travels. Given this possibility, I decided to (gently) exercise the tonearm horizontally, through its full range of travel, repeatedly, from the armrest to the spindle, back and forth. I also wiggled it up and down at times while I did this (keep the stylus guard on while performing this exercise to avoid rubbing your stylus on the platter!!). The first indication this had worked was that the cue lever operation was sorted-- it's now straight up and down, as it should be- the tonearm gradually moves through the runout area, and comes to a stop, and most importantly, the sound and tracking no longer deteriorate as the tonearm approaches the end of a side of vinyl. I am months into things since I performed this exercise, and have had no more issues, so the fix is real. I hope this helps someone.

Those are beautiful turntables but they had very thin conductors in the two audio cables. I changed many over the years. A few cue lamps too. Still the best unit ever built.

I have a pair of SL-1200s Sitting on my desk in front of me! Nearly 30 years old and still working like new! :D

@sdn1528

Жыл бұрын

Class

For someone who has their own Classic Dirt Bike Channel on You Tube specialising in old classic dirt bike motorcycles I don’t why I’ve taken to watching Mark fixing all these old electrical appliances but somehow I find it very interesting watching an expert demonstrating his craft. Well done Mark great to watch somebody who knows what their trade is.

@alanesq1

Ай бұрын

I am the same with "Drain Addict" - lol

Huge like for the nice khruangbin reccord! You've got a great taste ^^

Ich habe den Mark schon so oft angesehen und dabei auch meine Englischkenntnisse vertieft, aber erst jetzt ist es mir aufgefallen, kein Abonnement von diesem Kanal zu haben. Das habe ich heute sofort korrigiert. Dem Mark sein Equipment ist sehr fachgerecht, aber um die Transformator Wickelstadion beneide ich den Mark. Ein Super Kanal für Elektronik, ein Super Mensch und total vom Fach. Mach weiter so ...... ich kann mich auf diesem Kanal noch lange amüsieren, bis ich die eingestellten Videos nachgeholt habe. Grüße aus Bayern, Deutschland.

What a friendly and optimistic man with a lot of technical skills and informative videos. Why doesn’t he work together with Techmoan? This would be a wonderful fusion, for some projects, for example. Good luck for your forthcoming videos and greetings from Germany!

@hydorah

11 ай бұрын

That would be a great tie up. Sometimes Mat runs out of electronics repair skills and the economics of having the items repaired professionally make no sense. So mark could definitely help a lot!

I remember the time when Technics wanted to stop making this turntable, and DJ's around the world signed partitions to make them continue producing it. We actualy succeeded in keeping it on the market. I so lovede this turntable with th Ortofon OM-Pro pickup - Thank You for saving this gem!

@petetrimby

Жыл бұрын

They actuality did stop producing them in 2010. Took them 6 years to come back to the market with the SL1200GAE. But even that was aimed more at audiophiles rather than DJs. I think the MK7 released in 2019 is the first true technics dj turntable since their return.

There are now LED lamps for the pop up lights! But beware - you have to remove the resistor flanking the switch, or all hell breaks loose! I'm loving your vids. Bravo!

Magnificent beast, the SL-1200.

Hello Mark! Nice job on that repair! The SL1210 was a very good turntable back in the days! Happy to be on your page!

@felixfranzen7578

Жыл бұрын

It still is a very good turntabke! The original 1200MK2 is a actually better than many high-end turntables made today. Better specs than (all) the Regas, Clearaudios and many more for instance.

@chappy2121

Жыл бұрын

I bought 2, 2nd hand from my cousin last year. They're well used, but built like tanks no complaints at all

Its fun to watch you doing this work with such pleasure and dedication😊

Classic. I have a pair of them myself. I've also replaced the RCA cables on several of my friends' units who were more rough with their decks than I am. Also nice choice of Khruangbin for a test record, a favourite of mine.

@bengrimm1222

7 ай бұрын

Haha that's a way to get my attention fast, play a song ingrained to make me perk up. Great band.

yeah, the RCA cables on the SL1200's are the weak link in an otherwise tank of a turntable. I've had a beer spilt in one of mine and it still worked. dj's don't use the lifter though, but nice fixup. thanks!

Man, that thing was handed to you covered in dust Some people don't deserve your great work

@steveducell2158

12 күн бұрын

you would think the customer would at least wipe it down with a damp cloth.

Impressive, sir. I always like to watch a workman, who KNOWS what they are doing, carry out work. 😉

Had this back in 93, wonderful turntable.

I used to fix things electrical, every time I see that whiff of smoke from the solder I can still smell it.

Awww I cherished my two 1210s back in the late 80s.

Sir I love watching your videos, wish you were living around the block!

I remember years ago, spending a morning visiting a radio station with a friend and being allowed to use the massive Gates turntables in the studio, I enjoyed the "cue" function for setting up the 45 rpm records and the almost "instant on when the switch was pressed." They were amazing. Cheers ....

Excellent repair, all done in a cheerful manner. Thank you 😊

I enjoy seeing your work.

Just purchased a couple SL1210mk2 turntables and this video will be a big help for me when they arrive and for the future to come, thank you!

It's good to see Uncle Ted having fun. Bad news when music programs and art programs for that matter get cancelled( Queens U.).

What a great job and precision, thanks! :)

Top man wish I had all your test equipment awesome 👌

Super job, thx greats from Belgium. Love your vidéos

Poor old 1210 definitely needs some love. Not sure if that one hasn’t been used for something other than playing vinyl, it’s in a rough state. Prices are well giddy on these now so you’d think they would get looked after. I don’t do the whole fix on a budget thing. It costs what it costs and if you want things right then you have to pay the price within reason.

I'd love this guy's knowledge, equipment & expertise. Alas, I can barely manage a 13 amp plug!

Chaine passionnante, un vrai travail de pro, j'adore.

Cool khruangbin record!

@MendItMark

2 жыл бұрын

Yes! They’re ace.👍

Thank you pleasant to watch your informative video. TY! Impressive electronics shop also. You must know a lot to have such equipment!

Great job on that. I think the thing to do with the RCA plugs on those is to drill a couple holes in the back and convert it to two jacks; if it's life calls for it to be moved around to different venues, then you can choose a length accordingly, and if the cable wears out, you don't have to open the bottom.

@dokterzorro

Жыл бұрын

You cannot drill holes in the back, a 1200 is built in layers, the outer one being a rubber piece. The way I do this is to fit a rca stereo plug(the dual pcb type) in the metal plate, it will just fit if you take out the little tab for the strain relief. Then you can plug in any kind of cable, although it has to be low-capcitance or the bass response will be lacking.

@briangoldberg4439

Жыл бұрын

@@dokterzorro good info! I had to replace the RCA cable on my Thorens and I opted to put in jacks. I just use short Monster branded RCAs from the 90s. They work well

@dokterzorro

Жыл бұрын

@@briangoldberg4439 The thing with low capacitance cables isn't known or understood well. The sl's we use in the club I work as tech have said rca modification and I made custom cables for them with rf-coax cable @ 60pF/mtr. Technics themselves shipped 1200's with cables that measure around 100-120pF @ 1.2 meter. They once made a mistake with newer cables that were too high, resulting in weak bass and strange peaks in the highs. It was noted quickly and they reverted to low-cap cables. Still it's not easy to even find cables that have their pF's/mtr specified, only rf coax and some good audiocables do. Weirdly, if you have to replace them, the ultracheap chinese rca cables often have good pF specs because of the bad copper shielding.... The thinner the better!

@woopimagpie

Жыл бұрын

Interestingly the Audio-Technica knockoff of these Technics 1200 series units have RCA jacks on the back and not a fixed cable. They obviously figured out the fixed cable is a failure point and came to the same conclusion as you.

@briangoldberg4439

Жыл бұрын

@@woopimagpie yeah. I've done the cable mod on a couple of Tech units

Great video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge 😊

You need to do a video on what a vacuum cleaner is and how to use it = a lot of people would benefit from it!

why is this so relaxing

excellent video and SUPER channel, thank you

I have a couple of Technics Direct drive Turntables, they are worth keeping.

Built like tanks used them for years 😊

This man love to do this work love it❤❤

Great video. Thanks for sharing.

You are so good 😀👏👏 and looks like you are a very good person too 😊👌 keep up the amazing work 😊👍🏻🌺

Chane the cartridge because the cantilever is completely crooked! It will damage the records

@TheMrMarkW

Жыл бұрын

I dont think the cantilever is crooked - more that the tracking force was probably enormously changed during the repair (I've an SL-1900 which I repaired and I had to re-set the tracking force) and it's just not been set correctly I would suggest.

By replacing the new RCA cable you should have gotten rid of the annoying earth lead as I did as its already grounded inside the Tonearm assembly

Top job fella.

Great video. For the tone arm repair, you could also use cyano glue with baking soda as a substrate. Also, do you not solder the ground to one of the line outs? Some do because that feeble wire doesn't take to much abuse.

These things are built to last,iv seen a set of these in a club and there was blistering on the metal part of the deck from extrem heat and the turntable still worked perfectly so imagine the heat that would of caused that and still the turntable work fine

Nice one Mark

❤ thank you Mark

Nice fix although what about the light?It needs a new stylus too as that one is bent. Loads of upgrades available for the 1210s now too.

@danielross868

11 ай бұрын

The stylus was fine. It is the antiskating not set right. Notice as it dropped the stylus went to one side. Classic sign the anti skating setting is wrong . If set right ( should be roughly same as cartridge weight setting) then you will find stylus tracks in centre- not left or right when playing.

Gracias Mark

nice work

Good video for information ❤

Muy buena reparación

Good repair Mark. Looks like you touched up the black paint on the plinth, attention to detail is your forte. Thanks for the videos.

Another great video - so good to see someone who actually knows what they are doing. I can't help but wonder though, how much your time is worth in comparison to the value of this turntable!

@christopherdixon153

Жыл бұрын

Technics 1210s hold their value nicely, especially now as they are discontinued. Clean and in good working order you could expect to pay £300-350 per unit!

@pauldavies6037

Жыл бұрын

@@christopherdixon153 they sure do

@monz7951

10 ай бұрын

Well the prices for these have sky-rocketed in the last years, hard to find one under 500€ where I live. So a service like this is still reasonable for minor replacement parts, if you have a dead motor or a broken tonearm you need to sell the unit for parts, and that's a good business too

This turntable aimed for professional use is more service friendly than an ordinary turntable due to you have quick access to the components of the pcb just by lifting the platter.

@17.30 you need to set the tracking force, there is way to much weight on the stylus it almost bottoms out

Did I fall asleep while you were replacing the pilot lamp, or did the camera not record that repair? Love ya work and watch every video.

This cable always goes bad. Adding a RCA port to this was the most wanted mod even back in the old days

What about the pop up needle light ?

@Kogacarlo

Жыл бұрын

Exactly. I repaired such a light 30 years ago. I'm not 100 % sure but I think I replaced the tiny lightbulb. It comes with wires attached.

@djm955

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, I wondered the same. It's an easy fix with LED.

@hearmenow909

Жыл бұрын

Did he not mention it in the video?

@jasonpomare5639

Жыл бұрын

@@hearmenow909 he mentioned it but didn't fix it .

@mausermann7918

6 ай бұрын

What a shame to abuse an excellent turntable like that. So dirty and a cheap cart to top if off......😢

Great repair great turntables but should do an audio test check the cartridge, stylus and tracking force always

So easy to strip the screw under the foot where the start stop switch is located. So many of these are stripped out! I have a 1200 where someone wired the lamp short. Had to replace a few transistors. But can't find the screws and feet as of yet. I have probably 6 pairs of 1210's and 1200. I've repaired all sorts on these. People regularly bring me decks, I have two here to do right now. Think i will put a regulator on the lamp and run LED's the lamps are hard to find or expensive and they just keep going! The amount of people cringing when you do things up with an electric driver! What sorts of things were you sucking out with that vacuum? lol

Watch out for pick up cable capacitance. It often is lower than normal audio cable. I would guess 200 pF to be a maximum .

Hi, Love your videos. Where are you sourcing the RCA cables for the turntable from? Was desperately searching for several sets earlier this year. Lately it has been very difficult to find low capacitance cables for turntables. Capacitive loading from poorly matched RCA cables can have dire effects on cartridge frequency response as I have discovered. Technics also had a similar issue and recalled and replaced a large run of RCA cables on production model SL1200s around 10 years ago. if you have any good sources please share! Thank you! Have replaced cables on my 1200mk2s and a 1600mk2 that had the oddest internally corroded RCA cable wires I had ever seen, the internal wires were literally turning into powder.

YOU ARE A GENIUS...

We have four of these in our hospital radio station. Do you happen to know the connections for fader start?

Super Arbeit 👍

I recommend the SS-02 solder sucker..

Awesome 😀

Did you fix the pop up light? I don't remember if you did!

hi wear out alot of solder pumps over 40 years some i had before ebay maplin RS i got them i use RS now alot of the time

Neglected indeed! 🤧

Hey Mark NICE JOB with the repair on that awesome 1200, I have a SL 1200 MKII and noticed the resistor r213 and r201 get pretty hot up to 132F and 118F respectively is that normal?

@ocularcavity8412

Жыл бұрын

@P Mc I found a someone on youtube that also has an SL1200 and he measured the temps and his were not that hot even though the resistors are rated for 155F they are being overworked

I wonder about the replacement cables. Are they low capacitance cables?

Wait, did the speed light get fixed? I don't see it lighting up in the after demo... I actually have one similar to this, any thoughts on installing RCA jacks on the back instead of the hardwired cables? I do like the fatter audio cables, I might have to give that a try, as mine is getting that same intermittent cable issue. I've worked on a couple guitar amps that had hardwired audio cables, found I was much happier installing jacks.

@alext8828

Жыл бұрын

Right and right.

I never gave any thought to how a DD turntable motor works. Permanent magnet on the platter itself and a rotating field from the stator windings?

You selling that mate !!

Hi, thanks for the video! I'm just wondering how the voltmeter works when testing the rpm buttons? What number am I looking for to know if it's working? thx

@himselfwastaken

Жыл бұрын

continuity buzzer, or just lowest resistance setting. touch your probes together so you see how the meter acts with contact (maybe 0.3ohms or something).

Iv got a question.. do you think that its possible to put the vestax pdx 2000 guts in to a technics turntable.. the vestax is so light but a mega turntable..

Khruangbin ❤

@mikedo6

3 ай бұрын

Now I want a Corona!

Hi one of my 1200s platters feels stronger. I have to use more force to manipulate it. Do you have any ideas that might be causing this?

Do you service technics decks Mark?

I have a SL BD20 Direct drive t.table, Technics. Unforseen circumstances allowed heavy articleto fall on cover, breaking the arm by the balance weight and its rotator bracket. Is it repairable or jus better to get new arm. Kindly let me know pleass

@17:30 the needle is clearly still bent after the repairs, how did you get a decent stereo sound out of this ? I love your channel, by the way ! Inspirational

@v12alpine

Жыл бұрын

IMO kinda up to the owner to handle that one.

Have you ever looked inside the matching CD player ,,,, would you like to ???

Good afternoon from USA, question i bought an SL1200MK2 and the speed buttons work but when i go from 33 to 45 all ok but when i want to back to 33 she wont get out of 45. I have to shut it off then turn it back on what could that be. Thank you 🙏 in advance.

what about the pop up light? did it work?

I have a 1210 and 33/45 buttons has no effect whatsover and when the record is spinning, pressing the start/stop will slow down the platter for a second, but it will continue spinning, wont stop. Any idea where to start poking ? Thanks in advance 😊

If you change it to off-cable, the sound quality will improve. I also replaced it.

I watched the video over and over - did you replace the lamp or leave it in? I probably won't see an answer but I had to ask.

So you why did you not disassemble the arm while you were there and get rid of the old hard grease on the height adjustment ring of the arm? Technics SL1200/1210 failure numero uno. Wanna bet it's stuck ;-)

I like to repair my technics 1700 mk2 turntable... its platter generally stops rotating. I repaired it many times by cleaning optocoupler under the tonearm. But i want to get a permanent solution.

it was from a dj you said right? dj's don't use the lift anyways nice fix

more cleaning, rebalance the arm set tracking weight. can you fix my technics sl5? running slow

I understood why they didn’t put the rca on the back

Would it be better to put RCA jacks in place of the output cable's?

@beograd07

Жыл бұрын

yes, it would probably be more practical but that way you add more weak points to the signal (extra cold contacts)...

👍👍👍👍

Hi I want to replace my 1210 mk2 rca lead. Can you recommend the correct replacement and size please? Also where is a genuine parts supplier? Thanks

@markverhoeven7518

Жыл бұрын

There are replacement part resellers but you can just use any RCA cable, just prefer those with gold plated connectors. And don't make the cable too short.