DJ question - Broken pitch fader?

[trike12]

One of my turntables have been acting strange lately, when the pitch fader is at 0% the platter runs exactly 45 rpm (or 33) most of the time but sometimes it speeds up or slows down like i was moving the pitch fader up and down like crazy, sometimes it stops sometimes it just goes on and its driving me insane.

Is this a problem with the pitch fader at all? if it is, could it just be some dirt stuck somewhere or something like that or is this a broken broken pitch fader?
weird thing is that when you move it just as little as you can out of 0%, it acts exactly as it should at that point, its only 0% thats a problem?

[lowpass]

what decks are you using?

I have the exact opposite problem at a venue I play at, at 0 all is fine and dandy, but the faders aren't matched anywhere else, so 2 tracks at exactly 140 bpm, 1 deck will be at +2% with the other at 4% to match it

[the dub lemon]

That's pretty odd mate, sounds like a problem with the quartz lock. Basically when the pitch fader is clicked to 0% (assuming these are technics) and the green light is on the quartz lock is engaged, the quartz lock is a quartz crystal which is used to keep the turntable running at exactly 33 or 45rpm. If this problem is only happening when locked to 0% then it must be something to do with the quartz system.

I seriously doubt this has anything to do with the fader and more likely is something gone a bit dodgy on the circuitry which is a bit of a pain because you'd need to identify and source the correct part then replace it on the circuit board or replace the whole board, the first option would probably be a nightmare and would require a decent level of electronics whereas the second option would probably be fairly expensive.

There is however one final option, remove the quartz lock from the pitch fader, there are articles on doing this on the net, I seem to remember you simply disconnect/cut the (yellow I think but find out for sure first) cable going to the pitch fader, this disabled the quartz lock circuit from engaging.

I hope that helps.

[trike12]

what decks are you using?

I have the exact opposite problem at a venue I play at, at 0 all is fine and dandy, but the faders aren't matched anywhere else, so 2 tracks at exactly 140 bpm, 1 deck will be at +2% with the other at 4% to match it

that sound pretty odd to
but as you can hear i cant help you.

That's pretty odd mate, sounds like a problem with the quartz lock. Basically when the pitch fader is clicked to 0% (assuming these are technics) and the green light is on the quartz lock is engaged, the quartz lock is a quartz crystal which is used to keep the turntable running at exactly 33 or 45rpm. If this problem is only happening when locked to 0% then it must be something to do with the quartz system.

I seriously doubt this has anything to do with the fader and more likely is something gone a bit dodgy on the circuitry which is a bit of a pain because you'd need to identify and source the correct part then replace it on the circuit board or replace the whole board, the first option would probably be a nightmare and would require a decent level of electronics whereas the second option would probably be fairly expensive.

There is however one final option, remove the quartz lock from the pitch fader, there are articles on doing this on the net, I seem to remember you simply disconnect/cut the (yellow I think but find out for sure first) cable going to the pitch fader, this disabled the quartz lock circuit from engaging.

I hope that helps.

yeah its technics.

If it is a problem with the quartz system what could i possibly do except disabling the quartz lock? how much does it cost to get it replaced and can you get it replaced at all? If it is certain that its "just" a problem with the quartz lock and its replaceable im pretty reliefed (propably until i find out what it costs). I cant seem to find any info about it and i would really not like to disable the quartz lock (ofcourse this is just a final option).

Will just so hope that its not something with the circuit, looked around and it seems to be (like you said) a real pain to fix yourself and to get it fixed by proffesionals... around 100£..

Doesnt seem to be able find anyone else with the same problem either which makes this even more frightening.

Thanks for the answer!

[the dub lemon]

what decks are you using?

I have the exact opposite problem at a venue I play at, at 0 all is fine and dandy, but the faders aren't matched anywhere else, so 2 tracks at exactly 140 bpm, 1 deck will be at +2% with the other at 4% to match it

This can be fixed quite easily, if you take the platter off unscrew the plate underneath there are 3 little pots on the circuit board, 1 for break stop speed which is irrelevant here, one for the pitch 0% point which you can use to move the 0% point (which is separate to the quartz lock but should be at the same point on the fader) and the pitch range. By adjusting these you should be able to get them back to how they should be, however without measuring tools you'd have to do it by trial & error.

yeah its technics.

If it is a problem with the quartz system what could i possibly do except disabling the quartz lock? how much does it cost to get it replaced and can you get it replaced at all? If it is certain that its "just" a problem with the quartz lock and its replaceable im pretty reliefed (propably until i find out what it costs). I cant seem to find any info about it and i would really not like to disable the quartz lock (ofcourse this is just a final option).

Will just so hope that its not something with the circuit, looked around and it seems to be (like you said) a real pain to fix yourself and to get it fixed by proffesionals... around 100£..

Doesnt seem to be able find anyone else with the same problem either which makes this even more frightening.

Thanks for the answer!

I'm afraid I can't give you a more definite reply because I'm crap at electronics & have never come across this problem before. However going by what you're saying I'm about 90% sure it's the quartz lock circuitry which is the problem. I've got no idea how to fix it or what it would cost or even if it's a sign that other stuff maybe on it's way out.

Personally if I was in your position I'd probably just cut the quartz lock cable, infact I did that with both my technics years ago along with removing the ball baring for the central click of the pitch fader so I just have a nice smooth fade from top to bottom rather than having that horrible point where you try and mix and the speed you want it right near the click/quartz lock.

[ludofuzz]

A new pitch fader should sort this problem. You can buy the fader ( its actually a variable resistor PartNo.SFDZ122N11 ) and do it yourself if you are good with soldering and have your head screwed on. I actually repair audio equipment, where you based?

[trike12]

what decks are you using?

I have the exact opposite problem at a venue I play at, at 0 all is fine and dandy, but the faders aren't matched anywhere else, so 2 tracks at exactly 140 bpm, 1 deck will be at +2% with the other at 4% to match it

This can be fixed quite easily, if you take the platter off unscrew the plate underneath there are 3 little pots on the circuit board, 1 for break stop speed which is irrelevant here, one for the pitch 0% point which you can use to move the 0% point (which is separate to the quartz lock but should be at the same point on the fader) and the pitch range. By adjusting these you should be able to get them back to how they should be, however without measuring tools you'd have to do it by trial & error.

yeah its technics.

If it is a problem with the quartz system what could i possibly do except disabling the quartz lock? how much does it cost to get it replaced and can you get it replaced at all? If it is certain that its "just" a problem with the quartz lock and its replaceable im pretty reliefed (propably until i find out what it costs). I cant seem to find any info about it and i would really not like to disable the quartz lock (ofcourse this is just a final option).

Will just so hope that its not something with the circuit, looked around and it seems to be (like you said) a real pain to fix yourself and to get it fixed by proffesionals... around 100£..

Doesnt seem to be able find anyone else with the same problem either which makes this even more frightening.

Thanks for the answer!

I'm afraid I can't give you a more definite reply because I'm crap at electronics & have never come across this problem before. However going by what you're saying I'm about 90% sure it's the quartz lock circuitry which is the problem. I've got no idea how to fix it or what it would cost or even if it's a sign that other stuff maybe on it's way out.

Personally if I was in your position I'd probably just cut the quartz lock cable, infact I did that with both my technics years ago along with removing the ball baring for the central click of the pitch fader so I just have a nice smooth fade from top to bottom rather than having that horrible point where you try and mix and the speed you want it right near the click/quartz lock.

Sounds interesting? is it easy to do? and is it easy to get it to 0% pitch when you dont have quartz lock? also does the green light still turn on when you are at 0 percent if you remove the bearing?

A new pitch fader should sort this problem. You can buy the fader ( its actually a variable resistor PartNo.SFDZ122N11 ) and do it yourself if you are good with soldering and have your head screwed on. I actually repair audio equipment, where you based?

Sorry mate i live in denmark
are you 100% sure that this is fixed simply by getting a new pitch fader? i need to be sure before buying one.

[the dub lemon]

A new pitch fader should sort this problem. You can buy the fader ( its actually a variable resistor PartNo.SFDZ122N11 ) and do it yourself if you are good with soldering and have your head screwed on. I actually repair audio equipment, where you based?

Are you sure about that, I full respect that you repair audio equipment and I don't but the simple fact that this only occurs when the fader is clicked into the centre strongly suggests to me that it's the quartz lock system and not the fader itself because when the quartz lock is engaged the fader is overridden.

Sounds interesting? is it easy to do? and is it easy to get it to 0% pitch when you dont have quartz lock? also does the green light still turn on when you are at 0 percent if you remove the bearing?

It's not hugely complicated to do, I can't remember whether the click mechanism is actually part of the quartz lock switch but I think it maybe, if this is the case the quartz lock will not engage and no the green light will not come one.

The thing with the quartz lock is that if the 0% point isn't quite calibrated right then you get a jump to 0% then as you move away from 0% you might get it going the wrong way for a short distance on the fader then go through 0% again before adjusting it the right way.

The click and miscalibrated 0% point are the reasons why why the 1210mk3 and above have no click and a separate quartz lock button

from wikipedia

The SL-1200M3D (1997) adds a quartz lock button which resets pitch to 0 immediately. The purpose of this button was to remove the detent/"click" at the 0 point of the fader to improve the accuracy of the pitch fader.

Here's an article on the click removed (seems it does by pass the quartz lock).
http://music.hyperreal.org/dj/pitch_slider/

[trike12]

Anyone else got the answer for this?

(sorry if it bothers anybody that i bring this thread to the top again..)

[FSTZ1]

Anyone else got the answer for this?

(sorry if it bothers anybody that i bring this thread to the top again..)

yeah man

dust / dirt in your pitch fader can cause this

once you start messing with your zero point you are playing with fire

I reccomend replacing

hopefully there are repair shops in your area

I bought new pitch faders and had a hell of a time trying to find someone to fix mine

[trike12]

Anyone else got the answer for this?

(sorry if it bothers anybody that i bring this thread to the top again..)

yeah man

dust / dirt in your pitch fader can cause this

once you start messing with your zero point you are playing with fire

I reccomend replacing

hopefully there are repair shops in your area

I bought new pitch faders and had a hell of a time trying to find someone to fix mine

Thanks, really reliefed if this is the case, yeah theres repair shops nearby,

how much did you spend on new pitch faders plus repair?

[the dub lemon]

I'm afraid I've said all I can on the matter going from my knowledge. Do me a favour though, when you do get it fixed post in here and let us know what it was, I'm just intriegued because I can't see how it could be the pitch fader myself but since a few others are so sure I could well be wrong, would be interested to know though

[FSTZ1]

I got the replacement faders for $30 each

[trike12]

I got the replacement faders for $30 each

okay, thank you!

I'm afraid I've said all I can on the matter going from my knowledge. Do me a favour though, when you do get it fixed post in here and let us know what it was, I'm just intriegued because I can't see how it could be the pitch fader myself but since a few others are so sure I could well be wrong, would be interested to know though

sure, ill post it. I see your point, but for my own comfort i choose to believe in what these other guys say (until proved wrong, hopefully not...)

cheers for the answers!

[trike12]

hey, just a little update mainly for the dub lemon..

Theres was many other problems on this turntable..:
tonearm height unadjustable,
antiskate didnt work properly,
weight inaccurate,
pickup died a couple days later,
light broken,
no 7" disc,
broken wires resulting in
almost no signal in the right speaker
and no bass in the left.

The seller is cool, he'll take it back and ill get my money.
but guess im never going to know what was wrong with
the fader.

sorry...

[the dub lemon]

wow that's harsh...unlucky mate, good luck getting a decent turntable soon