Hi DL colleagues

My LP12 had this Linn Basik LV V tonearm installed on purchase (1982 and upgraded to an Ittok about a year later).
This 'Made in Japan' (Jelco?) Basic arm has been in storage since then I had forgotten about it until delving through boxes today.  

Seems in tidy nick -
moving parts are operational, i.e. the arm cue dampener, bias, counterweight  
detachable headshell,    detachable phono connx to armbase,  no cartridge
has 0A20S printed in black on the underside of the black plastic gantry (if that is a s/n or model). 









available to a good home for postage cost. drop me a PM

"I see music as a lifetime affair." [Rory Gallagher]

PM sent.

Unfairly maligned, the original Basik was a decent enough arm that helped get a lot of people into LP12 ownership.

It was also the arm of choice for NZ assembled Rega Planars before RB300.

When mounted, the cutout on the mounting ring faces forward and receives the armlift.

The allen bolt on the side mates with the groove on the side of the arm post.

Thanks MW, it certainly looks very Jelco ish from where I am sitting.

I had a Jelco arm that had exactly that cable DIN-like 5-pin to RCA & ground pin-out, so I'd concur.
A more modest version with a cylindrical bearing enclosure, anodized black, straight arm pipe.

I must say that the RCA end ground tag looks severely black, possibly oxidation that needs to be cleaned?
Scraped, or scrapped and replaced?

O Lucky Man, anyway;- it's something! ;=})) Cheers!!

Hadnt noticed the arm tag, maybe I should have asked for a discount lol.

Possibly silver-plated, which has 'oxidised' - actually it's sulphides that cause the blackening..

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

"oxidised" or US oxidized?

I was just discussing, arguing, yesterday whether silver oxide was conductive, but yes sulphides turning black.
Should be easy to remove then;- what was that silver polish brand name when people still had silver cutlery &etc. ?
Like Brasso but for Silver.

But I've found similar black oxidization on amplifier switch contacts, and even on a plug-in op-amp legs recently.



After replacing dud output transistors in a friend and neighbours early NZ made owned from new Roberts transistor amplifier, it still not working, and after lifting and checking good all transistors back in the chain from driver to pre-amp, I finally found this.

After cleaning those legs, it worked again!

I have other pics of oxidised switch contacts.

This is in Auckland. I wonder if hifi gear might be even more under threat in say Rotorua?

Yes I'd say so (Rotorua).

Silver is routinely used for RF connectors & in the military - I believe for various reasons relating to the silver sulphide black tarnishing remaining moderately conductive, it's thin & readily 'self cleaning' in mechanical contacts, etc. Good for low maintenance situations, but obviously for audio, best if the silver is clean.

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

Silvo it is

Thanks for the quick nice reply Owen, but (have to research) still not sure, I'd thought that there was a natural silver oxide, entirely separate from those sulphides, from sulfur after all, turning black. But I'm just exhibiting my ignorance! ;=}))

I've been glad to have some silver plated cable, a roll actually thin and for RF, I've used some for local video links, may use some for hifi audio too.

Jan 8, 2021 20:25:31 GMT 12 michaelw said:

Silvo it is

Fantastic, Michael, thanks so much! ;-

I'll see if I can find some!

Meanwhile... just for fun

silverprice.org/

Tobacco tax here comparable .

Have a cigar! ;=})

Contact stability.... it depends on the switch. If the contacts wipe each other during switching it on or off the tarnishing rubs off to an extent. For a toggle switch or relay contacts handling low level signals silver isn’t a good idea as during operation the contact hits in the same place, not rubbing off the tarnishing. These switches rely on a bit of contact wetting, a tiny arc that clears the tarnish off and are better for power circuits. Silver rca sockets also need a bit of tlc to keep them working nicely.
I look after a console at the local studio that has lots of silver contact switches in it. The service manual mentions that to keep the pushbutton switches in good working order you need to press them on and off regularly.
Gold is a worse conductor than silver though and if you can maintain silver contacts in good order the resistance is lower. Tarnishing on silver plated wires isn’t really a problem as it’s superficial.
So to keep those nice older amps going the switches all need to be operated regularly. Equipment these days has electronic switches, and surface mount components on which the solder keeps air out of the joint.
Btw, do you think this Linn arm is made by the same manufacturer as that no-name arm we saw for sale on TM a little while ago?

AMR-iFi R&D

Jan 8, 2021 20:54:07 GMT 12 colinf said:

Btw, do you think this Linn arm is made by the same manufacturer as that no-name arm we saw for sale on TM a little while ago?

Which one was that? - do you have a link?

Will need to find it!

AMR-iFi R&D

No problems, always interested! ;=)}

Michael, I'll save you some money on Silvo. Take a receptacle of hot water, stir in a generous amount of table salt, screw up some aluminum foil and put it in the receptacle and then place your silverware on top. Five minutes later presto! Not recommending it for a tone arm though.

www.electrical-contacts-wiki.com/index.php/Silver_Based_Materials

Pure silver (also called fine silver) exhibits the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of all metals. It is also resistant against oxidation. Major disadvantages are its low mechanical wear resistance, the low softening temperature, and especially its strong affinity to sulfur and sulfur compounds. In the presence of sulfur and sulfur containing compounds brownish to black silver sulfide layer are formed on its surface.

and plenty of other links, some quite arcane and erudite, from a search on say

silver oxide contacts electronics

Complex stuff! Silver has at least three major oxide forms, namely, Ag2O, Ag2O3, and AgO.
journals.aps.org/prb/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevB.84.115141

People have developed a Flexible, Rechargeable Silver Oxide-zinc Battery!
www.printedelectronicsnow.com/contents/view_breaking-news/2020-12-17/researchers-develop-flexible-rechargeable-silver-oxide-zinc-battery-with-greater-energy-density/

But down here, for a start, all we want to do is to keep our contacts clean!

Will give it a wipe with IPA and see how I get on....