How to Modify the Pitch Faders on a Technics SL-1200 Turntable
Vložit
- čas přidán 9. 09. 2024
- This video will teach you how to modify the pitch faders on a Technics SL-1200 Turntable. There are several reasons you might want to do this: either as part of regular maintenance, to replace an MKII style with an M3D style fader, to remove the "center spot," etc.
If you own a Technics deck, this video will certainly teach you a bit about the insides of your turntable. I also have a page on my website teaching more basic aspects of turntable setup, etc. Here's the link:
www.djbolivia.c...
Please do NOT attempt to make any repairs to your own equipment unless you first watch the first and feel comfortable with the repair/upgrade techniques described within. The viewer assumes all responsibility for the effects of repairs and modification to their own equipment.
And most of all, watch those soldering irons, so you don't accidentally start a fire.
Big thanks to Fred Bisnette (Nexus6ix) for helping with this video. You can follow Fred on SoundCloud at this link:
/ nexus6ix
For a complete organized index list of music and DJ'ing-related videos by DJ Bolivia here on CZcams, go to this link:
www.djbolivia.c...
As a dj that’s been doing it from 14 - 41 you learn to stay away from the click. I think every pair of decks I’ve used or 99% at least have the click. The biggest thing is know your vinyl. If you know your vinyl you will never have a problem
I love it how you scratch up your dust cover 😂
hello,and thank you for the really great informative video,and i sure wish you were closer to have my turntables worked on,and put back into shape again. thank you bolivia
Thank you for taking the time to do this video. Changing out my pitch controls on both of my M5G's spilt a beer on one & a shot on the other one a while back. It's time to change these out
+Tru Music Lighting We've all been there.
sorry to be so off topic but does anyone know of a trick to get back into an Instagram account..?
I was stupid forgot my password. I love any help you can give me
@Xander Kristopher Instablaster ;)
@Holden Briggs Thanks for your reply. I got to the site through google and Im trying it out atm.
Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@Holden Briggs It worked and I actually got access to my account again. Im so happy!
Thank you so much, you saved my ass!
Great video. Lots of great information about the turntable. Thanks for the tip about the mulltimeter battery -- hadn't thought about checking mine since I purchased it 5 years ago,
thank you for the information, your video helped me with my record player ... congratulations!
If you guys have access to an M3D or MK5 service manual (or any of the click-less fader equipped 1200's, besides the digital M5G), you will see that the manual calls for 2.87k on the VR302 (the pot on the pitch fader pcb) as opposed to the 2.70 value seen in the MK2 manual.
I have recently replaced the pitch fader in my old mk2 with a m3d/mk5 fader. Using the 2.87 setting, I can get it to match my actual m3d table perfectly.
So in short, if you are using old style/old manufacture faders, use the 2.7 adjustment. For newer style faders, use 2.87 and you will be good.
I now also understand why the m5g has markings that state you should be at +6.4 when the top dots are stationary. Adjusted to true factory specs, the top dots do not land on 6.
My new m3d/mk5 pitch controls adjusted to factory specs, coupled with the proper 262.08 kHz value for VR301 under the platter result in the pitch slider and dots correlating at 0, +3.3, and +6.4
It seems that everyone on youtube thinks that VR302 on the pitch slider PCB is the zero adjustment, but all it does is adjust the gain (how fast or slow the pitch will range from the 0 point).
VR301 under the platter is the actual 0 adjust that moves the point for and aft along the slider. You can set this with a 3150hz test tone and use PlatterApp if you do not have frequency tester. Since I am using the m3d faders, I no longer have the zero lock to deal with it, so I was able to see the true zero point. Put the pitch slider on 0, and use a test tone record in order to properly adjust the center to 33.3.
+JaeOne3345 Great, great info. Thanks!
+djbolivia thank you! Watching you desoldering helped me overcome my fear of it lol
I've had a go at both ways. Cheers first to the vid author - very useful guidance
Calibrating to 2.87 on my MK2 (2006 purchased) gives a pitch ranging between plus and minus 8, however the 0 mark is about 0.4 above where it should be.
Calibrating to 2.70 gives me a pitch ranging between plus 7.9 and minus 8.2 - however the centre mark is correct.
To be honest I'd rather have the centre mark correct as this is probably more important for mixing, so have left both decks at 2.70.
Only other remarks are that the quartz lock light no longer works. Not sure if this can be fixed, although only a minor sacrifice to have smooth pitch right through
Conor H changing the pitch slider and changing the frequency on the board should not affect the light at all unless if the green light is burnt
JaeOne3345 great info. That’s the answer I’ve been looking for. I have a pair of very old TT’s 1200’s. I replaced them with new pitch sliders and I set them at 2.68 oms They work ok but the pitch slider when moved speeds increase or decrease a bit faster. I will try 2.87. Hopefully it will work
dude is crazy, but got it done.. i was right about it soo ill make some mods asap... keep learning we need more techs out here...
A stealth button in place of the LED to engage lock would be awesome.
This mod may serve a few people but in 25 years I never had a problem with the center click - a bonus of having that intact is to play records at correct speed, and also you don't have to look at the pitch fader as it is a tactile function to know where 'center' is. Again may be good for a few .. so it's an intersting mod, but not for everyone.. especially removing the quartz lock is kind of the anti-thesis of one of the cornerstone playback functions of the 1200 series. I've beat mixed every type of music .. and have been in many turntable battles, never a problem ..especially if using close proximity BPM platters. Using a modern Hanpin turntable (the Audio Technica LP1240)... and I DO have pitch control issues as each turntable I have used of those Hanpins..are NOT FACTORY MATCHED.. you have to tweak each one!!! I had such speed deviations outside of the quartz lock area that I thought the dang things were broken until I found they simply did not standardize the pitch function properly. SO something to keep in mind if not buying a Technics 1200MK series.. these Hanpin turntables are nice but lack some of the 'standards' that existed with TEchnics. Not surprising coming from a Chinese branding. Also the Hanpin turntables do NOT have the rubber base which makes them prone to certain frequencies and feedback.. something Technics obviously spent much time to engineer solutions for. Rubber in reality is NOT expensive, so there is no excuse for these modern companies NOT to use it. Instead the Hanpin turntables place a big piece of Metal (IRON) under the chassis to add weight but the metal will oscillate readily at mid frequencies.. which is the most dominant in music. Thanks for the informative video.
this is a super vid man, learning so much, thank you !!
Diggin' the 45 insert tat.
Tres Chic what a tune, great video too
Brilliantly done video! Much gratitude, many thanks!
Never had a problem with that dimple in the pitcy
A very informative tutorial guys. Thanks!
fred yr the man my faders are smooth because of yr knowledge u teach thank bro true dj kinda like an grandmaster flash type eletronic knowledge and can dj yr ass off nice bro !!!!!!!
I believe we used to remove resistor r13 or something to disable the quarts lock. And that chip is called an IC (integrated circuit) or motor driver
Great vid THANKS you saved me about $150 us..good job
Cool. Fred knows his stuff.
Awesome video! Thank you!
its an interesting point about the black spot on the pitch fader. looking back now im wondering if that was behind the change in house music tempo from what used to be often 116 / 119 bpm dance tracks up to 120 / 124 bpm productions because they reflected the fact that a lot of djs would have to pitch up slightly to get around the black spot.?
its just a theory but its all relative.
great video btw, i learned lots of new stuff i didnt know. like i had no idea you could get a desoldering iron, ive been a solder sucker for years haha.
I love you crazy ca-nooks! Rave Goo, Booth bunny, you're hilarious and informative. Great job.
Thanx man I feel rave power Djweszone.
great video dude. Thanks for this. made my life alot easier :-)
wish u lived on longisland need my turntables worked on
any link to the replacement fader ? my 1210's are 11years old, and I really think they would benefit a pitch change ;)
also considering adding a dpst to the organge-wire-hack to re-gain quartz+led..
with that and the already installed reverse-platter-mod, they'll be sweet looking 1210's :)
Hey there. I'm from Ontario. Just an hour west of Toronto. Take off eh!
Thanks for this man, much appreciated 🙏❤️🙏
Very informative video I've seen here in youtube Thanks man....
Thanks Nate.
Thanks for the tutorial. I've just done my 1200 mk2s. Work a treat. But now my mate wants me to mod the pitch faders on his 1210 mk3s. Is it essentially the same? thanks
Great video. I can see this being one of those looks easy, hard in reality jobies. But fuck it, how else you going to learn!
Exactly! Tear it down.
your mohawk made me a better Dj
great video, very useful
where can I find the video for the regulation of the range of the pich?
tks
dane
DJ.FOOD YUM GOOD POST
Fred doesn't, but he has a friend who does it. Maybe a good subject for a video next fall, when I get back to New Brunswick ...
Hi, the VTA on my Technics 1200mk2 is frozen and a friend has opened it up to try to fix it. Wondering what grease to use? Ideally would be something I could pick up tomorrow at Home Depot or an automotive store. Thanks in advance!
great video, very easy to watch, I just want to clear something up in my mind. If you remove the ball from the original slider will you have true continuous pitch control or is there this a jump. Can you answer the question with quartz lock connected and disconnected? Just want to add I've measured the Resistance on my pitch before starting work and it is 3.12 ohms. is the factory value the same for 1200 and all 1210's ?
Thanks
Thank you
Start/Stop button is easy. I'm not sure about the faceplate. My decks are about six thousand kilometers away from me right now, on the other side of Canada. I'd have to take a close look. I think you just take apart the housing and then the faceplate screws in from the back, but I'm not positive.
Wish I knew how to disengage the pitch engage lock when I bought my 1200's back in 97, that tiny bit of pitch has been a pain in my ass for so many years. When ever I got to spin on a 3D deck, it was like magic! Now, armed with this new knowledge, I will no longer swear at my now perfect decks. So my next question, I also feel that my decks wander a smidge, do you cover that in another video? Or is that also a function of the pitch slider?
I think you answered that with the pitch adjust to 2.70. That should take care of the wandering?
Good, help my friend Mk2 not turn on the power supply board is correct because the other mount another mk2 and it worked perfectly, where I can start looking for the fault help me is you're a Crack in this topic
Thank you
Did you check and/or clean the pitch control potentiometer on the main board? This could have been the source of your erratic pitch issue.
im considering purchasing a Technics MK2 used and homeboy says the pitcher is a little sketchy. If I replace it like this will that solve the problem?
How hard is it to only replace the faceplate of the pitch slider? Mine is sort of worn down and I'm looking to replace it with a brand new one. Bonus points if you know how to replace the stop/start button too :)
Great vid! In the final minute, you mention that connecting the yellow & orange wires of the pitch PCB would engage the pitch LED - would that also engage the quartz lock? I have an MK5 fader installed in my 1200, on a 1200 PCB. I'd like to have the pitch LED on at all times and am wondering if I can just connect these 2 wires for that effect. Thanks in advance!
Hey, how did it work out? Interested in this too.
I've never managed to find one of those solder suckers but your the 2nd person i've seen with one. Where did you buy it?
Do you need to do the quartz lock mod by snipping the resistor and perhaps removing the orange wire in order to get smooth response around the zero click area of the pitch fader or is removing the ball and spring enough? You know what i mean when trying to beat match near to the click it always has a funny spot where the speed goes in the wrong direction for a mm or so of travel.
Any chance in finding out what tip he used on the Desoldering Iron? I have the ECG J-045-DS 45 Watt desoldering iron and the tip doesn't seem to hug the soldering area as in the video(tip too small). Can you obtain the tip size, please? Great and helpful video.
If turning the pitch pot has no effect on a reading, is it a problem with the pot itself? or the entire board?
Where is the video with the part that has been cut out?
That’s correct you ordered a pitch slider for a mk5. That’s the reason why the light won’t go on. At the 0
Thanks for the video. I'm trying to decide what's better: simply removing the little ball that makes the click on my MK2 or just replace it with an MK5 pitch altogether. I want to get rid of the iffy zone around the 0 mark that you mention. What do you recommend?
I think I'd just put in a new one if you can afford it. It will cost a bit more, but the advantage is that you get a brand new slider in great shape. Or, if you're ok with maybe not being able to use your deck for a short time, try doing the other option and if for some reason you mess up your slider and it doesn't feel right, just order the new one.
hi, I have a SL - 1200MK2 about 14 years old, and I am going to replace the pitch slider. I found one on line, and the one that I found, is desing to use it with a SL SL 1200/1210 MK5. ( non click ) pitch slider, will that new slider work with my TT thanks
The light does not come on from the pitch. What should I do ???
hi ,how can you tell if the motor is burnt out,or the powersupply board has a circuit out on the turntable
hello, I'm writing from italy ... I changed the pitch from a mk2 mk5 to my turntable but now it no longer works the green LED on the pitch ... help me!
AB audio just like Fred said probably you ordered a pitch slider for a 1200 MK5. Not knowing. And when they sell them they do not specify 100%
I orderd a new pitch, then took my sl1200 apart, just to find out that my pitch control board pins are much different then the pitch that was sent to me, The pitch circut board is NOT the same as yours, BUT the new pitch that i was sent is JUST LIKE YOURS, did technics make two different boards for a technics sl1200mk2.? my 1200s are older decks..
help please!I have problem with the pitch indicator .I cheched and replace the led but in zero does not indicates.Any ideas?The fader is completely clean!
i cant find any vids on how to specifically higher the pitch range as i have alot of old skool jungle and fairly recent drum and bass i like to mix it up alot and alot of the time i have to put the pitch for the jungle all the way up and the drum n bass tracks much below zero. would you be able to do one on this? much thanks
i have an 1210mk2 can i update to a 16% pitchfader?
I have put in M5K pitch faders, the middle point is much better but it still wants to lock it in the middle, i tested it with traktor scratch pro which has a readout of 000.00
It definately wants to lock it.
+Jef Damen That's interesting, thanks for this.
can u put pitch from mk7 in a mk5g's? they both digital pitch but mk7 pitch better
how do you calibrate the pitch control with a multimeter for a technics 1210 m5g? I see that the electronics are different than this. I just changed out my pitch controls on my m5g's. please help. thank you
any luck? I have a pair of m5g.
Never opened one , they use a digital pitch not a quartz control so not sure
Hi, I am sorry to say that I have tried to put the pitch control on my plate and it seems to work but at the time of mixing it does not work correctly. That's because it is not compatible with the 1200 mk2, to not have click in the center is the pitch of the m3d mk5, I've asked in an official service panasonic technics of my city, and also says this guy from UK, he works in a technical service. He said to me there is a code in the pitch box and the only codes that are compatible with 1200 mk2 are SFDZ122N11, SFDZ122N11-1 and SFDZ122N11-2. The one in mk5 is SFDZ122N11-3 and is not compatible. The failures that you will notice if you try it is that when mixing the turntable is not stable and the mixes can not stand and you have to be correcting the turntable all the time, do not think that your performance has dropped, the reason is the pitch that is not compatible. The bad thing about this story is that those that no longer exist in stock, and find a compatible one is difficult and very expensive, you can look on ebay or someone who sells it but it is very expensive. I leave the link of the boy from the UK.
czcams.com/video/m_rr01ssq8o/video.html
how much time do the restauration
of THREE sl 1210 mk2 will take
for two mk2 lovers ?
one bro is a pro, i'm an absolute beginner. the lucky owner, that wants to learn and help.
i want to keep it as original as possible, no gimmixxs and no fx.
if it's possible to improve sound quality, that would be accepted.
but i'm not interested in any other features 'cause the mk2 are ICONS.
and if there ain't no parts to find,
is it possible to use parts from NON
mk2 decks ? like mk3, mk5, mk7 !
please help and thanxxs.
Hi there! Very cool video here. But I need some help please. I have a pair of MK3D's of 1997 and 1998 years build. The problem is they are different in pitch positions and numbers they produce at the same positions. For example, if I set +4.0% on both TRAKTOR shows +4.0%. But when I set -4.0% the 1998 one is running -3.5%. The zero position and +/-8.0% are as they are set. Also that strange TT is running +-0.1% at a still position of pitch. What is the problem there? Does pitch fader change help?
Quick question, hopeful for answer my wires to plugs broke, no idea how, anyway question is do I nee to use same gauge wire to repair, cause some broke to short to solder back together, hoping for a good answere. If ya find the time please respond, really hoping for a answer that will work. Be checking back. Name is richard from pa. Had to add edit cause I'm losing my fkn mind trying to repair
i am experiencing a little problem, my turntable was bought second hand off ebay and the pcb of the fader was modified because the variable resistor that you use to tune the resistance to 2.7 (factory setting) was missing, they added a different potentiometer instead and some resistance across the two points that you need to probe to test the resistance ... i changed the fader and i also changed the resistor to one that allowed a resistance of 2.7 ... i put my turntable together but when i go to its highest pitch it starts turning the oposite way ... are you familiar with this problem ? is it fixable or do i have to get a new pcb ? thanks again for the video !
Hey, I just changed my pitch fader on a stanton T60 using a replacement for a 1210, seemed fine to me as essentially they are exactly the same. I have a problem with the fader pitching up, fine, but if i then move it from +8%, it jolts about and i can hear the motor twitching around +6%. Also, sliding the fader down to -8% has very little effect on the speed of the plater, only slowing it down by about 0.5%. Any help would much appreciated, thanks!
is the value the same as a 1200 fader ? 100k 50k?
Anyone who's done this mod, does the Pitch LED still light at 0?
Robby Lapp yes. Light will come on every time you set it back at 0 or slide it by
Do you know what kind of tape is on the bottom of the turntable where the pitch fader goes? The tape that prevents stuff from falling in the pitch fader..
Sheldon Beatty it’s called pitch fader shielding sheet SFUZ-122-01. Do not pay over than 6$ US
Why's your shirt inside out? Hiding a logo or brand name? lol. Thanks for the upload.
is there a way of removing the click but keeping the center light illuminated still but avoiding the 33rpm lock?
Samit Samitov
your guess is right, I moded the fker few days ago, cut only orange and it works as it should - quartz lock disabled but led still working.
And I choose this kind of mod, where the led is kept working, because I like the green led at the centre, simple... disabled led for me is like the turntable isnt fully working.
Anyway, thanks for info, was really helpfull.
+HybOj I just did it on my MK2. You are talking about the orange cable comming from the pitch fader board right? it did not work for me
Richie Coulter I did removed the little ball and light works Removing the ball doesn’t affect that at all
i used to have those slipmats
I like cats ornaments
can any one tell me why some vids av 2.70 and some 2.75 would like to no the right 1 for Technics mrk 2 please any one
i just took mine apart and discovered that the circuit board under my pitch faders (1200 mk5) has no little hole for adjusting the resistance. there doesn't seem to be any adjustment screw either. so im stuck. any ideas?
+jcue cancel that. i just found the screw pot. im looking for 2.87 on the multimeter right?
jcue that’s correct.
I'm not going to lie, I'm only 20 minutes in but I'll continue watching. I'm trying to figure out what is wrong with my pitch fader. I've calibrated at least 6 technics 1200's and my 1210mk2 has two zeros BEING READ WITH A MULTIMETER. So reading it at the 2nd zero, going to the zero click to adjust it is pointless, because it already has the resistance reading of the 2nd zero. I cleaned the POT and slider, also disconnected the zero circuitry, which is how I got the table. I just can't get rid of the 2nd zero.
Michael Jackson check viper Frank there is a video that shows you how to fix that. It’s and easy fix. I will recommend you to watch it. You won’t regret it
I never know you can calibrate the fader lol What if its not proper calibrated?
thanks, just want to let ppl know its possible to do it, but its not a easy task. You absolutely must have good tools or u doomed like I was. I fucked my pitch completely in all possible ways. The main thing u must have is a solder with built in vacuum cleaner, I bought one that had a heated tube where the vacuum cleaner was. So u just place it on the place, let it heat up, than press a button to get the tin out. And when u solder things back, just a classic solder works nicely, but if u have a clean tin (no aditives) and real hard bits of rosin (calafuna) u can IMO get better results than with newskool synthetic stuff. Removing quartz lock can get u rid of double zero, which can occur after a pitch range mod...
anyway Im glad we made it (with my friend), its ok to know your stuff... and you get some real retro feeling, when you play with old integrated circuits, solder stuff up with the smell of calafuna/rosin... the board of the pitch we modded was from 1984 I think... those old parts have their own spirit, the old engineering of things that were made to last, were smartly designed, and not made in china... its like a time capsule from a era that ended already, but produced such a high quality stuff, it will outlive the fast consumption low quality era products that followed.
Hail to the king of all turntables!
+HybOj The vacuum soldering iron is sooooo helpful.
Crap, my replacement fader has 8 pins while the original has 6...
Jef Damen I got the same thing. Your TT must be over than 20 years old. There is an upgrade the board. I think it should work. That I don't know. Maybe some one can let us know
You need to buy the newer PCB board and swap it out.
Booth Bunny!!! lol hahaahahahahahah
I love the center click. Nobody should be playing more than 1 or 2 % off center anyway imo. It's so gross seeing people mix in songs at -6
Useless modification. The speed resets to zero as soon as green led goes on, and that happens a few milimeters before the click anyway.
LOL, the previous work that has been done on that SL looks botched. Electrical tape lol
You say putada and I say poato, you sauder I say solder ... Let's call the whole thing off. 😋
omg those faders where nasty... i dont wanna know how my faders looks like from my technics.. i got them atleast 15 years ...
A hour and 10 min video?...reallly?!!!
What a sloppy job.
You guys are off your heads! They are perfectly tuned! If you wanna play Mickey Mouse Music (which is all it will end up sounding like) use a computer. Don't disrespect and try alter fine engineering that's not broken and has built the platform for a plethora of music. (nuff said!.......) :(
+rekkit You didn't watch it all did you?
+rekkit Regardless of the content of the video. Technics are far far far from "perfectly tuned" or "fine engineering" it was a sold built deck with pitch (the first sl2000 only had pitch because it couldn't keep a constant speed without intervention) that lent it's self well to DJ use. As far as audio quality, Technics were a budget brand originally aimed at consumers that wanted a direct drive table without the cost. Then to make it worse people stick a cheap £100 shit stylus on them and think its the best.
Jaw draw.....Jesus has the answers.