Is there a problem with setting VTF this way?


I was wondering if anyone else has tried setting their tracking force this way. I have a very accurate laboratory beam balance scale with which I weighed out a blob of blue tack weighing 1.7 grams. I attached this on top of the headshell over the stylus contact point. I then adjusted the VTF until the tonearm was balanced, horizontally level in equilibrium. I removed the blue tack, VTF should be set at 1.7 grams. Is there a problem with this method I haven't thought of?
photon46

Showing 1 response by albertporter

Reading the comments in this post prompted me to do an experiment. I wanted to see how extra weight affected a tonearm.

Several months ago I formed a ball of Fun Tack by pressing tiny bits into a clump until I formed a perfect counterbalance for my Walker tonearm. The purpose being to perfectly balance the tonearm parallel (and above) the platter. Balanced this way, the suspension adjustment knob may be turned to achieve zero anti-skate.

I just weighed this successfully formed Fun Tack ball with my Winds track force gauge (100 ths of a gram model) with a reading of 3.94 grams.

Without the Fun Tack my Koetsu measures a tracking force of 1.92 grams at stylus tip with that same gauge.

Unknown if results with a Walker applies other tables, but on the surface, TIC's guess appears to be correct.