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Have anyone replace VPI SSM belt with string?

Most heavy platter tables like Verdier or Micro Seiki use silk or string to drive the platter and reason is obvious. VPI SSM or HRX both have heavy fly wheel that motor has to drive. I can hear my VPI SSM belt noise when it is not perfectly clean and will wobble and shudder especially running at 45RPM. This is more obvious on the two small belts driving the flywheel which much more work than the long belt driving the platter.

Has anyone tried using string or dental floss to replace the belts on VPI tables? I know for SSM or HRX, making two identical length strings for the motors will be extremely difficult and that means different load for each motor. But is this idea feasible at all? Are there any downside to the string?
semi

Showing 4 responses by semi

semi OP
649 posts
 
guess no one has tried. my VPI SSM is packed away at the moment so I can't try it myself.
semi OP
649 posts
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I have cleaned my platter with Windex and my VPI SSM does have those one piece black nitrile belt, but those small belts still make some noises from time to time. Wouldn't boiling the belts make them brittle and crack easily? My VPI SSM belts do not seem to have any talcs on them when I first used them unlike the older VPI TNT Jr that I used to own.

So dental floss will not have enough friction to drive the flywheel or platter? My friend who has a Micro Seiki replaced his string with dental floss and that's what Micro Seiki forum suggested as well. Maybe I have to experiment with different floss materials. One of the advantage of using floss or string is to reduce speed variation since belts stretch, but some floss are too slippery for this application apparently. So no wax, no nylon type if I want to experiment with floss?

Fortunately, my SSM does come with SDS so I can dial in the speed easily.
semi OP
649 posts
 
Thanks for all the input. I am in transistion right now, taking on an assignment oversea that uses a different voltage and I have to build a system from scratch. Did bring my VPI SSM with me, but it's been sitting in the box for the past few months as I have no phono stage to hook it up to. But hearing all the positive feedback of using strings I am inclined to give it a try since there is little to lose.

I wonder if I only replace the long belt with string and keep the motor/flywheel belts, will I hear any improvement? It will be easy to do as I can move the motor assembly in/out to adjust tension. But most of the belt noise is coming from those short belts, so I won't be cutting down the noise there. With the old TNT flywheel setup, I assumed one can move the motor/flywheel around to adjust string tension as well?
semi OP
649 posts
 
wow, didn't expect this old thread to revive after 3 years.

I sold the SSM and got a SSM Ref with rim drive, PRAT was definitely improved. I also picked up a Nottingham Hyperspace and have been playing with strings, no luck so far with what I have at home. sounds like cotton string is the ticket to get good grip and just enough stretch to couple the motor to platter.

can someone share the "proper" way to tie the knot?
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