Rim Drive Mod or how to make it even better

Without the foam rings, the net difference in height between the cones and mini-feet is 1/8 inch. That's still not enough clearance to use my outer ring clamp.
Do the mini feet have height adjustment? If so, how is it done?

Cheers.

Tom

I finally got my rim drive yesterday. I hooked it up, and tried it out. Right now, I have 2 problems:

1) Speed stability. The KAB speedstrobe shows that the table is not running smoothly. Just by visual inspection I can tell that this speed instability results from the belt on the rim drive. It does not form a perfect circle. It other words, the belt has a few "bulges" which cause the contact pressure with the platter to increase, thereby briefly speeding it up. How does one address this?

2) I cannot currently use the Periphery ring clamp because it contacts the rim drive. To accomodate the ring clamp I would need to raise the table about 1/2 inch. If you loosen the Scoutmaster feet enough to raise the table 1/2 inch, the table itself will no longer be stable, but will be "wobbly" instead. What to do?

Thanks.

Tom

I ordered my rim drive in February and still don't have it! Who do you know?

Can't wait to try all this stuff...

Tom

My cone feet are 1 1/2 inches tall. I'm not counting the foam rings placed in between the feet and the underside of the plinth, which add another quarter inch. The extra 3/8 inches of height provided by the mini-feet will probably be enough for me (assuming I still use the foam rings with the mini-feet). Do users of the mini-feet still have the foam rings in between the feet and the plinth?

Cheers.

Tom

I use the standard Scoutmaster feet. (My original table was a standard Scoutmaster which has been upgraded piece by piece to SuperScoutmaster).

Thanks.

Tom

Yeah, I may have to get the mini-feet. I'm still running the motor without a record playing to try to get the belt to "seat", but so far it hasn't really budged. I can actually feel the motor assembly rocking back and forth as the slightly thicker areas of the belt contact the platter. The felt pads underneath the feet, at this point, will only serve to allow the motor assembly to push itself away from the table, resulting in an incorrect table speed.

I hope it gets better. My first impression is not a good one.

Thanks for all the help and advice! I'll be sure to report any progress or lack thereof.

Tom

Hi Mike,
Yes, the instruction sheet tells you how to cut the wires. You have to do this because you must reverse the direction of the motors. The rim drive needs to run counter-clockwise so that the platter will spin clockwise.
Yes, it does conflict with the ring clamp if you use the cone feet. You can raise the table enough to get clearance, but I think you'll notice that the table is somewhat wobbly after loosening the cones enough to get the clearance you need. Keep in mind that my experience is with a Scoutmaster, not an Aries 3. Your situation may be different.

Cheers.

Tom

Mike,
Actually, I don't think the rim drive in its current form could be used with the Aries 3. The Aries 3 plinth has a cut-out where the motor is placed. The dual-motor flywheel is a long, rectangular motor that is able to be used with the HRX, TNT-6, or Super Scoutmaster.
I started this upgrade from an original Scoutmaster, which also had a cutout for the smaller 300rpm motor. I had to upgrade the plinth to a Super Scoutmaster plinth, which has no cutout, before I could upgrade the motor.
But, to answer your question, No, the rim-drive is not an all-inclusive upgrade. The upgrade assumes you already have the dual-motor flywheel. The rim drive upgrade package only includes the new flywheel, and some belts and pulleys. This is why you have to re-wire your motor.
In terms of cost, I feel like VPI should have offered the upgrade in completed form, with the motor already tailored to the rim drive. Because I didn't already have the dual-motor flywheel, I essentially had to pay for the old belt flywheel, even though I might never use it.
And yes, you can't unscrew the cone feet very much at all before the table gets wobbly. VPI should have listed the mini-feet as a required prerequisite for the rim drive upgrade, if that's what it will take for me to be able to use the ring clamp again.
Question for those with the mini-feet... How tall are they? The cones are about 1 1/2 inches tall.

Cheers.

Tom

Good idea. I think I'll try that. I'm not really feeling like spending $300 for the mini-feet just so I can gain the extra height.
After about 4 days of running the rim drive 5 to 6 hours a day, I see very little improvement in speed stability. If I put my ear to the rim drive, I can hear the noise of the "thicker" portion of the belt contacting the platter. Whether the belt is actually thicker at some point on its circumference, or just isn't seated yet, is anybody's guess. At that moment the platter speeds up slight, then slows down. This repeats over and over, and the KAB speed strobe confirms this by showing the "33" rocking back and forth ever so slightly.
My guess is that I will put a call into VPI tomorrow, and unless I get some recommendation that sets things right, will likely go back to the belts until this upgrade is ready for prime time.
Cheers.

Tom

I don't use a platform of any kind. My stand is a Billy Bags audio rack. Welded, single piece construction, and rock solid. I have tried some felt, and some furniture slides under the motor. Both help, but they don't come close to the speed stability I get with the belts. Do you use a KAB speed strobe, too? Is your speed dead solid 33?

It would be nice if I could check out someone else's system and compare. Any one else running the flywheel upgrade in Chicago?

Stringreen, when you put your ear right next to the flywheel, can you hear any contact noise between the flywheel O-ring belt and the platter? I sure can. It's a "scrape, scrape, scrape" kind of noise that occurs once every revolution of the flywheel, when the area of the belt with the slight bulge to it contacts the platter. And if I press my finger in between the motor assembly and the TT plinth, I can feel the motor assembly rocking back and forth. Granted, it's a VERY slight rocking, but that rocking will surely transmit far more vibration to the table than a belt hooked to a motor flywheel...

Thanks again for the help.

Tom