You could email Bruce Thigpen at Eminent Technology.
He was the designer and owner of Mapleknoll.
Advice on a recently purchased Maplenoll Athena
I recently purchased a Maplenoll Athena from an Audiogon seller and need some advice.
I have uploaded 3 pictures that I hope will better communicate what the issue is. The photo shows the sub-platter and when the sub-platter is removed the plate is visible (
). In the middle of the plate is a spindle that attaches to the sub-platter and prevents the sub-platter from moving around.
After unpacking the turntable, I noted that the sub-platter was not in a fixed state (it was easily moved), so I removed the sub-platter to investigate further. I noted that the spindle was just slightly above the plate and was not protruding enough to connect with the sub-platter. I connected the air hose thinking that maybe the spindle needed air to raise to the correct height, however this wasn't the case. I gently pushed down on the spindle, and it dropped below the plate.
I removed the plate and realized what the issue is: if you review the photo entitled there are two areas of the interest. To the left of the motor is the spindle, and directly below is the hole where the spindle is to be placed.
The hole is larger than the spindle and when inserted the spindle drops through the plinth and the bottom of the table finally landing on the piece of furniture the turntable is currently placed upon.
Can someone clarify for me if this turntable is missing a sleeve or a ring of some sort in which the spindle is inserted to hold it in place? If so, does anyone know of a replacement part that would work?
Thank you for your time and as always, best regards.
Joel
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Interesting, I thought Bob Dilger was the owner of Maplenoll. This post has many details on the tables and other posts in the thread may also be of interest. |
@jpost I hate to be the purveyor of bad news, but what you have there is best described as trash:-( You might be able to get a Clearaudio magnetic bearing assembly and fit the subplatter to it, but my sense is you would be throwing good money after bad. |
"I don’t know if Pierre is still active but I think the company still exists." Umm...Pierre passed 3 years ago. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Sprey I do remember their cataolgs mentioning how Pierre was a Maplenoll fan. Hopefully, the OP can get his setup running soon.
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Sorry to hear about Pierre. I used to be a casual friend but had not seen him or heard from him for many years, much more than 3 years. Because of the public and private silence, I did suppose that he might have passed, which is why I used the euphemism "active". As in, you and I are still "active", Doggie. Does Mapleshade still exist? Pierre was more than a fan of Maple Knoll TTs; he had a side business restoring or upgrading them. The Walker Audio Proscenium was a very juiced up Maple Knoll; maybe one of Lloyd’s disciples could help the OP, too. |
@jpost Do you have a drill press? You can not just enlarge the hole with any old hand held drill, VERY inaccurate. You chuck up a drill exactly the same size as the hole. You lower the drill into the hole and lock the press in place. Then you clamp the part down so it can not move, raise the drill, remove that drill and replace it with one the size you want and drill the hole. You have used the press to accurately locate the hole. @lewm IMHO the Walker Proscenium is the audio Rube Goldberg device of all time. You might strangle yourself in all the hoses. |
Mijo, The hoses are because the Proscenium has an air bearing platter and an air bearing tonearm, which is an homage to Maple Knoll, even also including the lead platter, albeit the Proscenium platter is gigantic in size and mass compared to any Maple Knoll. When the Proscenium was introduced, there were those who accused Walker of copycat-ism. Nevertheless, it is a great sounding TT. |
When current, I bought a new Maplenoll Athena. For the first month or possibly 6 weeks it was one of the best table/arms I've heard. Then it stopped working normally. I waited weeks for my dealer to make repairs but he gave up and refunded my purchase. Some time later I read that proper filtration on the air lines to the arm and platter were critical. Apparently that was missing from my version. Years later there were articles in TAS (Enid Lumley?) on maintenance and optimizing the Athena. Probably worthwhile if found by any current owners. |
I was able to finally get the turntable up and running, though it does have a steep learning curve. I solved the platter spindle problem using a drill press and a 20-cent drywall anchor. The original air pump died so I spent a fair amount of time researching replacements, until it dawned on me to take apart the pump box, find the model number of the pump, and use various internet search engines. I was able to locate 2 separate pumps from the same manufacturer, one was the original 7 psi, and the second one is 12 psi. Each one cost around $100. I also built a new box for the air pump and was able to lower the pump DB from 68 to 41. I shortened the air hose from ~100 feet to ~30, removed the tonearm air bearing and pumped 90% isopropyl alcohol through it to clean and did the same treatment to the shortened air hose. I have 3 additional projects: complete replacing the power switch to the table; resolve an issue where the turntable motor will run backwards when it has been running for the length of a record (most likely caused by a bad capacitor); add a filter for moisture removal. I don't regret the purchase, and it performs just as I remember when I first experienced this turntable, some 35 years ago. I am more than willing to assist you in your project, though I am far from an expert. Best regards, Joel |