| Originally Posted by amb /img/forum/go_quote.gif Even though the concept is simple enough, building a true DIY turntable (except perhaps the tone arm, motor and platter spindle/bearing) is exceedingly difficult to do right. By "true" DIY I mean design-it-yourself as well as "build-it-yourself", rather than a predesigned kit. I embarked on such an effort in 1994 and finally finished it in 2004. Granted the project sat on the shelf for some years in between, because I ran into difficulties getting some of the pieces machined to my satisfaction, and I had trouble getting the floating suspension to balance properly. I did eventually solve all the problems but it was a project that made all my amps seem like child's play. And you don't want to know how much the project costed. Turntable design and building is all about controlling energy. Every part of my TT design was conceived with that in mind. The November 2007 issue of Stereophile has a good article on the Merrill-Scillia MS21 turntable which touches on some of the issues that I had to deal with. I didn't arrive at all the same conclusions or solutions as the MS21 but reading that article is food for thought. One of the reasons that there aren't many DIY TT around is the nature of the beast. It is less electronics and mostly mechanical fabrication, and this is not easy for most DIYers unless you have a large workshop with a CNC milling machine and other specialized tools, or you're prepared to pay $$$ to have a machine shop make the pieces. Anyway, here is a pic, some details and more pictures can be found at my website.
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