A $7.49 Illuminated Microscope Can Get You a Decent View!

Maybe you don't want to spend a few hundred dollars on a digital USB microscope because that's more than you spent on your phono cartridge in the first place?

SRA is still important. So we were recently alerted to a 45X LED microscope that gets close enough and big enough to let you know if your SRA is at least in the ballpark.

We bought one and following the same instructions we provided for using a digital microscope, which you can find on this website, we placed a CD on the platter, moved it well beyond the platter's edge and lowered the stylus onto it.

You have to carefully approach the stylus with the eyepiece and its illuminating LED and after a few frustrating minutes you'll be able to locate the stylus sitting on the CD. Though the view will be fleeting unless you have really steady hands, it should be long enough to see if your SRA approximates 90 degrees (you want 92).

While you can't use this device to get a precise setting, by knowing if you're even in the ballpark is better than not knowing and you can then adjust from that starting position at least knowing if you're below or above 90 degrees.

You can get one for $7.49 at Overstock.com

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Comments
samman's picture
Now that's something to jump on!

For that price, I'm in! Hey Mike. I've got a great idea for a new business venture for you. We vinyl fanatics PAY YOU to come to our house and set our SRA for us. I'll even throw in a beer AFTER you complete the job. Make me the first one on your list!

Honestly though, after I read the instructions for setting SRA with the other microscope, it sounded pretty complicated. If I can eyeball it based on the photos you provided (looks like the needle is tilted forward somewhat) than maybe I can get close without having my blood pressure go through the roof.

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addenmillter's picture
You have to carefully

You have to carefully approach the stylus with the eyepiece and its illuminating LED and after a few frustrating minutes you'll be able to locate the stylus sitting on the CD.1z0-507 || 1Z0-569 || 1z0-895 || 250-315 || 312-49v8 || 3306 || 350-018 || 642-447 || 642-874 || 642-902

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abdivilliers's picture
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deckeda's picture
N41

At $300 or so for a USB model I can eyeball the overall situation and listen to the effects. In other words, skip it. But only because it's not in the budget.

At less than $10 I can play with a cheap piece of shit and feel good about it for a while longer.

Thanks for the tip!

mpego's picture
A tip for foreign readers

For those not living in the USA who want to try these, it can be bought for about $4 at dx.com (from China). It takes a lifetime to be delivered but it's free shipping (at least to Brazil) and they deliver worldwide (unlike overstock.com and amazon.com). I bought a 60X for $4.10. Hope to test it before Christmas :)

Moko's picture
Even Cheaper

As most people now have a digital camera of at least 2m megapixels, or even have one on their phone why not use that to capture the image of the stylus.

It might take a bit of balancing to get the angles right but you can get a really good image and adjust it to be horizontal using free image software and then use a program like MB ruler to measure the angles on your image.

Here's a photo I took using a cheap Canon digital camera of my stylus http://i787.photobucket.com/albums/yy154/MokoMilk/New%2012%20Arm/IMG_000...

I hope this helps.

Michael Fremer's picture
Even Cheaper

That's fantastic!

mpego's picture
Even cheaper...great idea

Great idea...should have thought about it before purchasing the microscope...but for $4 with free shipping that's not much money wasted if I end up not using it. It would make a great toy for my daughter anyway.

Just to try to help further, if I understood it correctly, you actually don't need to get an horizontally aligned picture, or even make it so with a software, all you need to do is measure the angle between the cd surface and the stylus (whichever method chosen). It doesn't matter if the cd surface is at an angle in the picture, am I wrong?

You should however try the best to get the camera parallel to the cantilever in order to get a correct reading of the stylus angle, as pointed out in the original article.

Moko's picture
Measuring Angles

I guess the photo wouldn't have to be straight to measure the angle between the stylus & the CD surface, but I couldn't find a way to rotate the measuring scale on the program I used (MB ruler) so I decided to rotate the photo instead and base the measurements on the horizontal.

If you know of a better free measuring tool please let me know (I did try an old maths set protractor placed over the photo but it wasn't that accurate!)

sbhifi's picture
Reflections

I spent forever trying to find the horzontal plane. But, using the measuring program that came with my $99 'scope, I can measure the angle of the stylus shank in relation to its reflection. 2 x 92o (one up, one down) is 184o. My tool measures the 176o adjacent angle but it still adds up to 92o SRA (or pretty close as in this picture). Thanks Mikey! At least there's something right in this imperfect world...

AndyPrice44's picture
USB microscope on amazon

There is a reasonably priced USB microscope on amazon. I realize it is not as cheap as the one mentioned in the article above but, it is still a pretty good value. It is a 150X that is made by celestron. I have a telescope made by celestron and it is good quality. I can't speak of the quality of this particular microscope but, It has numerous good reviews on amazon. Check it out below......

http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-Deluxe-Handheld-Digital-Microscope/dp/B004QF0A1Y/ref=pd_sxp_grid_pt_0_1

You can check it out here as well on the celestron website. They have some videos of it being used on an ant there. Looks like it shows pretty good detail.

http://www.celestron.com/science_education/microscopes/deluxe-handheld-digital-microscope.html

Jim Tavegia's picture
I've ordered mine.

Ordered it Wed.  If nothing else it will help me read the mastering codes off the lead-out area of my lps.

Now that would be a reference book I would buy. A deciphering code book of all the mastering engineers and companies. 

Michael Fremer's picture
Mastering codes

I think I gave the EMI codes somewhere on the site. I can also give the UK DECCA codes... I think I will soon..

mauidj's picture
Could it not be attached

Could it not be attached somehow to a table tripod? Or am I oversimplifying the situation.

I would also love to have a list of codes Michael.

Mahalo for all you do for us licorice disc junkies!

Stephen Scharf's picture
Just a note regarding the term "precisely"

Just a note regarding the comment of setting SRA precisely at 92 deg.; it's actually SRA accuracy that's important. Accuracy reflects the degree of bias of a measurement relative to a standard (which represents the truth), the truth being in this case whether the SRA really is at 92 deg. Either the SRA is at 92 degrees or it isn't; the key is to have a measurement system that can detect that if said measurement achieves the standard (92 degrees SRA), and if not, by how much it is off (the degree  of bias). 

Precision is a measure of the variation that occurs from a set of many measurements of the same thing (or dimension), and can only be assessed from a number of repeated measurements, not a single measurement. It is usually assessed by the statistical parameters for measuring dispersion in normally distributed population or sample set of continuous data: variance, standard deviation, or in some cases, the sum of squares of the measurements-note the plural, measurementS.

Therefore, it is possible to have a very precise measure that is completely inaccurate (a set of many measurements at 90 deg with a small standard deviation), and also possible to have an accurate measurement at 92 degrees that is imprecise (large standard deviation). 

I've used a USB microscope and attendant measurment software and found it can be challenging ot measure the SRA accurately...I've found that it's very easy to take repeated measurements and get an inaccurate measure of SRA because how one draws the line using the software from stylus tip to cantilever can easily vary due to a  lack of precision in the mouse or tracking device. 

suparlan's picture
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Timlane's picture
You can use a digital camera
Timlane's picture
If you've got a digital camera

If you've got a digital camera with a macro lens, or macro attachment, you might not need to buy a digital microscope. Procedure I used for my Lyra Delos:

1) I put my Nikon D300 on my tripod, with a Nikon 105mm macro lens attached. 

2) Turned on the grid lines in the viewfinder, to allow accurate alignment of the camera to the platter.

3) Focused using zoomed in Live View on the digital screen. If you've got a tether cable to go from the camera to your laptop, this will be even easier.

4) Imported the photos into Photoshop for image adjustments in Camera Raw, then crop and zoom in on the stylus.

5) I then used the Measurement tool to draw a line through the stylus, which calculates the angle.

Would put in a screen shot if I could figure out how to do it with this editor...

Jody's picture
problem.

What to do if it's impossible to get it at 92 degrees, or even 94...

My cartridge has low clearance, and the back of the cartridge body is just about touching the record... if I were to play a record with a warp, it would bump the vinyl as it's spinning. But the stylus is clearly a few degrees forward. It seems as if my cantiliever needs to be pulled down from the body a bit, but I don't want to try anything like that, for fear of causing another problem, or snapping it off.

samman's picture
Received my $7.49 microscope from overstock.com

Hey, this little thing (and I do mean small) is really nice! The only thing I had to do was to remove the clear, plastic eyeshield that is situated on the front of the lens. Every time I got close to the cartridge to view the stylus, the plastic piece hit the wood body of my cartridge. Needle nose pliers did the trick. Carefully pull out the plastic piece. Some areas of the plastic broke during removal, but I could care less as long as it did not damage the lens. Nice light. I'm getting great views for such an inexpensive microscope. I checked my SRA by looking at pictures that Mikey posted on correct SRA setting, and mine looks like a match! Close enough for me as this device has no way to take a picture. And this little baby is great for seeing the dirt buildup on your needle and cantilever. Best $7.50 I ever spent!

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