| ATR Flutter Idler [message #359189] |
Wed, 23 July 2008 22:38  |
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 bigaudioblowhard
Messages: 1225
Registered: February 2005
Location: Los Angeles |
Platinum Member |
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The flutter idler on my ATR 102 is chattering like crickets on a hot summer night.
Thats the silver rollers between the record and repro head. It doesn't appear to be
affecting PB, that I can tell.
Anyone know what to quieten it down with? Oil? Grease? I've got the Studer Oil, would that work?
bab
mark@littleredbookmastering.com
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| Re: ATR Flutter Idler [message #359259 is a reply to message #359189 ] |
Thu, 24 July 2008 09:15  |
David Kulka
Messages: 560
Registered: January 2005
Location: Burbank, CA |
Gold Member |
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I used to repair them on a fairly regular basis. Take note of the amount of vertical play in the bearing so you can match this later on. Carefully disassemble the unit, taking care not to damage the ruby bearings. Clean all parts thoroughly with alcohol. Please a small drop of light high grade machine oil on top and bottom of bearing. Reassemble, matching the original amount of vertical play in the bearing.
It always worked for me, but others may have had different methods...
http://www.studioelectronics.biz
Service & Restoration of UREI dbx Neve Eventide Marshall AMS Tube Gear and more
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| Re: ATR Flutter Idler [message #359385 is a reply to message #359189 ] |
Thu, 24 July 2008 16:25 |
Stephen Anderson
Messages: 58
Registered: March 2005
Location: Los Angeles |
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David's reply is very good, but to amplify:
Loosen only the upper retainer, take the roller out of the holder.
Sharpen one end of a wood Q-tip, dampen with solvent (head cleaner), and use this pointy stick to clean all the caked oxide in the pocket of the ruby bearings.
Use virtually any light machine oil, tiniest bit, to re-lube.
Reassemble, but instead of duplicating the original vertical movement, which I have seen often to be too large, try this:
Slide the upper retainer down until the roller has no vertical movement, then raise it up by the tiniest amount to create absolutely the minimum vertical movement possible. There has to be some movement, it can't bind, but the slop I feel needs to be minimum.
Check to make sure the surface is centered on the tape, and you're ready to go.
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| Re: ATR Flutter Idler [message #360046 is a reply to message #359189 ] |
Sun, 27 July 2008 20:36 |
John Monforte
Messages: 266
Registered: January 2005
Location: Miami FL USA |
Active Member |
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Good stuff here - but I have more amplification:
The idler should barely touch the tape and definitely not wrap it. The idea is to damp vibrations of the tape the way you deaden a guitar string without fretting it. You will see it be still when the tape first starts up - lots of "slippage" is good.
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| Re: ATR Flutter Idler [message #360776 is a reply to message #359189 ] |
Wed, 30 July 2008 12:38 |
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bigaudioblowhard
Messages: 1225
Registered: February 2005
Location: Los Angeles |
Platinum Member |
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I cleaned up the bearings per your guys suggestions and it quietened down alot, but didn't cure the problem altogether. The person who actually owns the machine called ATR Service. They told him it needed to be cleaned ultrasonically and relubed. They provide this service for $40, by mail. I'm gonna bite when I get through this project.
Half Inch projects aren't exactly lining up out the door these days and I can get by without it for a week or so.
As to the placement of the flutter idler. John Austin at Sprague Magnetics just relapped and installed an new flutter idler on the quarter inch stack. One day turnaround and huge improvement in sound quality.
Taking a plastic ruler straight edge and placing it across the heads and flutter idler, I noticed he placed the idler so that about .5 millimeters of gap exists between straight edge and the heads. Simple diagram below.
img]index.php/fa/9616/0/[/img] 
I also noted the U bracket holder lines up with the scores on the plate used to align it.
Now... on the Half Inch stack, with the now quieter idler, I aligned the bracket to the score marks on the plate but that distance between straight edge and heads incresed to about 2 millimeters.
I'm leaving it as is for now, we have good sound, tones and azimuth align normal. Do you guys think this will be okay?
Hey Steve, btw, its me, Mark Chalecki.
bab
mark@littleredbookmastering.com
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