Anyone in NZ got one of these, or made one up/bought online?

Any advice/tips?

Plenty of advice on DIY but I'm not that way inclined/capable. Apart from buying a cleaner and the parts that fit to it.


 

I have had one of these sitting here since last Nov....

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

Have been designing, prototyping for a record cleaner....



(Thanks for opening a thread on this, I was meaning to.)

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

Well come on Owen. Get on with it. It's not as if you have anything else to do

Ah, Owen so where did you get the US machine? Cost?

What are you using for motor/record spacers? RPM, reversible? Any fluid cleaners (e.g fish tank filters?)

It seems to me that the standard 6L US machine, with either a DIY motor/clamp or proprietary one is the way to go.

But just trying to get the best VFM model.

these were advertised on SNA recently and appear that someone in aus is making them and they will appear regularly.

www.stereo.net.au/forums/topic/118628-fs-ultrasonic-record-cleaner-kit/#comment-1792260

they will need a tub like owens, which seem to be readily and cheaply available in aus but not here. or have i missed something.

and then there is the gentle man from poland doing something quite similar but including the tub and offering a basic and a deluxe version and selling them through ebay

audiorevita.pl/

this could be a project for owen's son and his cnc machine

Chaps - there's a lot of chat about US cleaners & quite a few people have adapted their own solutions for record cleaning.
For me, there's still a lot of questions.

Once you have the cleaner tank, you can get a readymade record cleaning fitting for as little as USD 189 (to clean a single record).

The one that got me interested is this one, made by Robin over in Oz:



Robin used plastic cutting board material, High Density Polyethylene (HDPE).

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

These 6L tanks are made in China, they are found on eBay Austral for A$179-ish and arrive here for ~NZ245 depending on exch rate of course.

We are in the process of making a prototype setup to test & also to check out a few things:
- does US cleaning work? (On records.)
- time needed to clean
- heating (is this desirable/essential?)
- cleaning solutions (are chemicals still necessary?)
- is there any problem cleaning multiple records with minimal spacing?
- rotation speed
- immersion depth
- how to dry them? Is it beneficial to vacuum?
- etc.

As soon as I can get my engineer onto my job/s

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

Feb 24, 2017 22:07:18 GMT 12 Owen Y said:

These 6L tanks are made in China, they are found on eBay Austral for A$179-ish and arrive here for ~NZ225 depending on exch rate of course.

We are in the process of making a prototype setup to test & also to check out a few things:
- does US cleaning work? (On records.)
- time needed to clean
- heating (is this desirable/essential?)
- cleaning solutions (are chemicals still necessary?)
- is there any problem cleaning multiple records with minimal spacing?
- rotation speed
- immersion depth
- how to dry them? Is it beneficial to vacuum?
- etc.

As soon as I can get my engineer onto my job/s

From what I've READ, not experienced it seems that

- does US cleaning work? (On records.)
Yes
- time needed to clean
About 5 mins
- heating (is this desirable/essential?)
Desirable, but can just use warm water rather than a heater
- cleaning solutions (are chemicals still necessary?)
Most use some chemicals
- is there any problem cleaning multiple records with minimal spacing?
No
- rotation speed
Slower the better
- immersion depth
 
- how to dry them? Is it beneficial to vacuum? Fan or vacuum required, not air dry.

i have read some saying 15mins. and also that the action of turning it on and running it for 10mins before dunking the discs warms it to about 40 which is sufficient.

as with cliff, i have no experience but am very interested.

Thanks chaps - I've read those various comments myself, but reserve judgment until I've tried it myself.

You probably know all this but here's a nice demonstration of the 'cavitation' process (although it doesn't explain cavitation in detail)..

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This is the US tank cleaner that I bought:

www.ebay.com.au/itm/302040010527#shpCntId

This machine has 3 x 40kHz 'transducers' underneath....

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

A fitting like Robin's above, is nice in HDPE plastic, but involves quite a bit of labour, assuming you have cutting tools.
Also some parts & fittings to source or make.

So we are prototyping a fitting that could be easily assembled, with all readily available parts, that anyone can source or provided.

If the prototype works & if there is interest from others - to keep costs down, we may have a batch of more than one, made/cut/machined.

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

I'd be very interested in one Owen.

Your US machine is the one that I've been eyeing as the best value for money/readily available/drainable/heated/right size. But never found a source as cheap as yours, as they either don't post to NZ or the cost doubles.

i am also very interested in one owen.

Sorry, I put you wrong, shipped cost was ~NZ$245 (I've amended above) - can't remember if exch was via paypal or visa, you may be able to do better.

Yup, as is often the case with China products, listing price can vary a bit
And yes, some listings do not ship here.

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

Chaps - some confusion, sorry, I checked my order details for the cleaner:

Price - AU$197.99
Shipping - AU$25
Total - AU$222.99
(As image snip below.)

After exch thru my visa card - NZ$245.37

The seller was googlucksell - same as that AU$171.98 listing I linked above - but this one may not post to NZ, don't ask me why.
You may be able to do better.

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

PS. Prototype fitting (for holding the motor & record spindle) has been waterjet cut. And folded.

Decided to use sheet metal (stainl steel), which will minimise labour, esp if multiple copies might be required.

The spindle fitting needs a motor-drive square end & bits for 'clamping' the records.

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

Prototype first cut looks pretty good, dimensions need a slight tweak, motor fits.

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

it looks ...

functional

304 stainless....
Less is More

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Feb 27, 2017 20:25:30 GMT 12 Citroen said:

I'd be very interested in one Owen.

Feb 27, 2017 21:13:42 GMT 12 rocl said:

i am also very interested in one owen.

Chaps - once we get the prototype working, we'll tally some costs + a bit of 'time/cost' for my 'Development Engineer'
It is not hard just to rig up a working machine, but to reproduce a DIY effort for others could be prohibitive, labour/cost-wise.
So we are trying to work out a design that is cheap to reproduce (should there be enough interest for a small 'batch') - machine-fabricating some bits & utilising inexpensive, off-the-shelf parts where possible.

Here's the driveshaft mocked up:


Another criteria is to have it 'flat-packable' for postage & easily re-assembled.

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

Mar 5, 2017 16:17:59 GMT 12 Owen Y said:

Feb 27, 2017 20:25:30 GMT 12 Citroen said:

I'd be very interested in one Owen.

Feb 27, 2017 21:13:42 GMT 12 rocl said:

i am also very interested in one owen.

Chaps - once we get the prototype working, we'll tally some costs + a bit of 'time/cost' for my 'Development Engineer'
It is not hard just to rig up a working machine, but to reproduce a DIY effort for others could be prohibitive, labour/cost-wise.
So we are trying to work out a design that is cheap to reproduce (should there be enough interest for a small 'batch') - machine-fabricating some bits & utilising inexpensive, off-the-shelf parts where possible.

Here's the driveshaft mocked up:


Another criteria is to have it 'flat-packable' for postage & easily re-assembled.

Yep count me in also pls

Manager & Product specialist at Rapallo AV & HI-FI

Mar 5, 2017 16:17:59 GMT 12 Owen Y said:

Feb 27, 2017 20:25:30 GMT 12 Citroen said:

I'd be very interested in one Owen.

Feb 27, 2017 21:13:42 GMT 12 rocl said:

i am also very interested in one owen.

Chaps - once we get the prototype working, we'll tally some costs + a bit of 'time/cost' for my 'Development Engineer'
It is not hard just to rig up a working machine, but to reproduce a DIY effort for others could be prohibitive, labour/cost-wise.
So we are trying to work out a design that is cheap to reproduce (should there be enough interest for a small 'batch') - machine-fabricating some bits & utilising inexpensive, off-the-shelf parts where possible.

Here's the driveshaft mocked up:


Another criteria is to have it 'flat-packable' for postage & easily re-assembled.

Good thinking on the flat packable, should cut down on postage costs.

What speed does the motor run at?
What are you thinking of for number of lps cleaned at once, 5?

I've found a Chinese company that will ship a 220v US bath for under $200. Will wait to see if it actually arrives!

Mar 5, 2017 23:01:48 GMT 12 Citroen said:

Good thinking on the flat packable, should cut down on postage costs.

What speed does the motor run at?
What are you thinking of for number of lps cleaned at once, 5?

I've found a Chinese company that will ship a 220v US bath for under $200. Will wait to see if it actually arrives!

Oh good - if it is exactly the same size (ideally same manuf) as this one, the fitting that we are making will fit - does it look to be same manuf?

Motor runs at around 2 rpm.

The tank is a approx 145 wide inside, so possibly up to 5 records - theoretically the cavitation process should still work with minimal space between the records, but at this stage, my feeling is that 4 records max. may be better - to be tested

DarkLantern blog - darklanternforowen.wordpress.com

Yes, looks to be the same generic model that's widely used.

Mar 6, 2017 10:03:04 GMT 12 Citroen said:

Yes, looks to be the same generic model that's widely used.

can you give a link for this please cliff?

I just checked the '6L' one that I have here - it is 312 long x 163mm wide at the base.

The top flange (the critical part) is 325 x 175mm.
Overall height is 265mm.

(The base size is not so important. Even to top length can be varied, but the top flange width is critical for the fit of the mtr & spindle shaft fitting being made.)

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Mar 6, 2017 11:51:56 GMT 12 Owen Y said:

I just checked the '6L' one that I have here - it is 312 long x 163mm wide at the base.

The top flange (the critical part) is 325 x 175mm.
Overall height is 265mm.

(The base size is not so important. Even to top length can be varied, but the top flange width is critical for the fit of the mtr & spindle shaft fitting being made.)

Looks identical, although the size doesn't quite match up...rounding error from imperial measurement?

Mar 6, 2017 10:48:46 GMT 12 rocl said:

Mar 6, 2017 10:03:04 GMT 12 Citroen said:

Yes, looks to be the same generic model that's widely used.

can you give a link for this please cliff?

If I was you I'd use my trade as a guineapig/test before ordering, unless you're prepared to be disappointed!

www.aliexpress.com/item/New-Stainless-Steel-6-L-Liter-Industry-Heated-Ultrasonic-Cleaner-Heater-w-Timer/32720458329.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.0.FyyBWW

Additional discount code of US$3 and US$5 makes it US$137.98 shipped cost.