Anti Skating?

[mtemur]

You'll have to verify that the strain gauge is not giving off false readings due to new vector forces, so you still need something "true" to reference its reading against when the scale is used in an orientation such as you have it there.

Assuming you've managed to get through that matter, you will also have to ensure the scale platform is orthogonal to the force direction in order to get a reliable reading.

Simple answer is use finger-lift. It should be perpendicular to scale. It’s certainly better than nothing and better than sticking to the numbers on anti-skating dial.

How will you measure static friction without having the scale throwing off an unreadable result?

By carefully and slowly moving VTF gauge while finger lift engaged. Again it’s better than nothing and it’s not the main purpose of this contraption setup.

 

[mtemur]

I am not pushing any product and have no bias towards anything other than trying to help people achieve the best sound from their systems.

So, do I.

 

[mtemur]

You can set anti-skating using a cheap VTF scale. Turn the scale on only after you placed it just like the one in picture. ~%11 VTF for 9” and ~%9 for 12”

Arm should be floating with zero VTF while this procedure.

 

[Bonesy Jonesy]

Arm should be floating with zero VTF while this procedure.

It's not possible for some tonearms to be 'floating' with zero VTF due to their inherent design and operation i.e. the Kuzma 4Point 11" and 14" for instance !

 

[mtemur]

It's not possible for some tonearms to be 'floating' with zero VTF due to their inherent design and operation i.e. the Kuzma 4Point 11" and 14" for instance !

I agree.

 

[J.R. Boisclair]

Simple answer is use finger-lift. It should be perpendicular to scale. It’s certainly better than nothing and better than sticking to the numbers on anti-skating dial.


By carefully and slowly moving VTF gauge while finger lift engaged. Again it’s better than nothing and it’s not the main purpose of this contraption setup.

Dunno about your arm, but on my Kuzma arms the force vector is more than 20 degrees off of the central axis of the fingerlift. Just something to keep an eye on.

 

[J.R. Boisclair]

It's honestly best to set AS by ear. No tool is going to give you the fidelity required. Consider that AS itself is a moving target. To that you add a tool, which - no matter how precisely made and well designed - has it's own error.
It is not difficult to set by ear at all - just about an hour of trial and error.
I am not pushing any product and have no bias towards anything other than trying to help people achieve the best sound from their systems.

Yes, you can find the peak performance by ear for AS, but the very process assumes you aren't starting with a problem you don't know you are fighting, such as high frictional forces or variable horizontal torque forces across the platter surface area caused by such things as the tonearm wires or out of level armboard.

Certainly, skating force is a moving target, but the bounds of variation are well studied and they aren't all that great from min to max though I do believe you could hear a difference if you applied your setting for max and then listened at the min or vice versa. Setting for average gets you in the center of the distribution curve.

We have heard a very famous tonearm designer exclaim that his tonearm sounds best without anti-skate applied, to which I say: I believe he experienced that! But I need to ask: what was his starting torque force before he applied AS? Did he know this torque force wasn't enough to have caused him to misalign the cantilever at the time of cantilever alignment? Did he know whether the arm has its own friction problems PLUS a horizontal torque problem before starting the evaluation process, either - or both - of which will keep one from ever achieving an optimal AS setting?

Of course, all of this is measurable.

 

[mtemur]

Dunno about your arm, but on my Kuzma arms the force vector is more than 20 degrees off of the central axis of the fingerlift. Just something to keep an eye on.

Then tilt the scale 20 degrees, that's not a logical reason when you can locate the scale anywhere at any degree on the platter. Skating force vector should be perpendicular (opposite direction) to the scale. If we are going to continue nitpicking it should be measured at stylus but between stylus and finger lift there isn't too much of a distance (9.5mm) and your product also measures at finger lift.

 

[J.R. Boisclair]

Then tilt the scale 20 degrees, that's not a logical reason when you can locate the scale anywhere at any degree on the platter. Skating force vector should be perpendicular (opposite direction) to the scale.

I agree! I'm just stating something that might not be obvious to many in an effort to be helpful.

 

[Another Johnson]

Yes, you can find the peak performance by ear for AS, but the very process assumes you aren't starting with a problem you don't know you are fighting, such as high frictional forces or variable horizontal torque forces across the platter surface area caused by such things as the tonearm wires or out of level armboard.

Certainly, skating force is a moving target, but the bounds of variation are well studied and they aren't all that great from min to max though I do believe you could hear a difference if you applied your setting for max and then listened at the min or vice versa. Setting for average gets you in the center of the distribution curve.

We have heard a very famous tonearm designer exclaim that his tonearm sounds best without anti-skate applied, to which I say: I believe he experienced that! But I need to ask: what was his starting torque force before he applied AS? Did he know this torque force wasn't enough to have caused him to misalign the cantilever at the time of cantilever alignment? Did he know whether the arm has its own friction problems PLUS a horizontal torque problem before starting the evaluation process, either - or both - of which will keep one from ever achieving an optimal AS setting?

Of course, all of this is measurable.

My personal experience with the “famous arms” is that they are highly variable. AS won’t help this. I do not recommend those arms, but YMMV.