J.R. we gotta talk about WallySkater

[tony22]

Hi J.R. You may recall I bought a few of these great Wally tools from you at this year’s Florida show. I love them all (especially WallyZenith!), but I do feel there’s a range of ambiguity in the use of the WallySkater (I have the Pro). The driver behind the ambiguity is where the string with the loop winds up when hanging the tonearm. If you’ve got a straight finger lift, the loop snugs right up to the outer edge of the headshell just like in your video. If you have no finger lift and use the soft wire accessory, the loop now usually ends up (or can end up) over the center line of the headshell. Worse, if you have a curved finger lift the loop winds up several millimeters away from the outer edge of the headshell - the loop of the string follows the natural curve of the lift.

I’m sure you’ve thought of this already, but because of all these possible resting locations, the 9% target (for a 12” arm) can only be assumed valid if the loop snugs up against the side of the headshell, as in your videos. If it doesn’t, trying to adjust for 9% will result in being quite off the mark - either too much or too little depending on where the loop is resting. But there’s no guidance on what to do if the loop isn’t resting in that location. Help needed.

 

[J.R. Boisclair]

Hi Tony. Next time give me a head's up if you are hailing me by using the @J.R. Boisclair doo-hickey. I found this note from you by chance as I don't often have time to come lurk here. Alternatively, you can email me directly via the website. I respond pretty much 7 days a week.

I understand your question and you are not the first to ask it. The bottom line: it is immaterial where the string attaches to the arm (unless the tonearm bearings are crappy in which case the vertically oriented rotational torque force of the lever arm - the fingerlift - causes galling in the bearing and therefore increases friction). We are measuring the behavior of the arm to horizontal forces. We are not measuring anything related specifically to the position of stylus. We do care to measure tonearm horizontal behavior AROUND the outer area of the platter and AROUND the inner area of the platter - something which is easily accomplished by positioning the hangar appropriately.

To sum, because of WHAT we are measuring, ONLY the plumb bob and the yellow string matter because we aren't measuring anything related to stylus position. Don't get fixated on the stylus. We simply aren't measuring anything related to the cartridge with the WallySkater. Tonearm behavior only!

 

[tony22]

Hi Tony. Next time give me a head's up if you are hailing me by using the @J.R. Boisclair doo-hickey. I found this note from you by chance as I don't often have time to come lurk here. Alternatively, you can email me directly via the website. I respond pretty much 7 days a week.

I understand your question and you are not the first to ask it. The bottom line: it is immaterial where the string attaches to the arm (unless the tonearm bearings are crappy in which case the vertically oriented rotational torque force of the lever arm - the fingerlift - causes galling in the bearing and therefore increases friction). We are measuring the behavior of the arm to horizontal forces. We are not measuring anything related specifically to the position of stylus. We do care to measure tonearm horizontal behavior AROUND the outer area of the platter and AROUND the inner area of the platter - something which is easily accomplished by positioning the hangar appropriately.

To sum, because of WHAT we are measuring, ONLY the plumb bob and the yellow string matter because we aren't measuring anything related to stylus position. Don't get fixated on the stylus. We simply aren't measuring anything related to the cartridge with the WallySkater. Tonearm behavior only!

Sorry about not attaching your link-name, J.R. I guess what I'm concerned about, though, is in the determining of the specific "number" for anti-skate as appropriate to arm length. It's recommended to be 9% for a 12" arm. If I use the soft wire to try and keep the yellow string up against the headshell as though I had a "flat" finger lift, then sure I actually get right about 9%. But if I just loop the string around the lift, the curve on the lift results in me getting a different number. If I use the soft wire and cause the loop to align with the center of the headshell, it will be yet a different different number. What I'm trying to say is that one of the goals with the use of the WallySkater - to determine a desired numerical value for the AS measurement - is based on a method that will have varying results depending on just how the yellow string is situated.

 

[J.R. Boisclair]

I have a pretty good guess I know which tonearm brand behaves like this. ASSUMING you are controlling for cartridge location when performing these multiple tests so as to eliminate the possibility that the arm has variable bearing resistance depending upon where along its travel arc it currently is (this happens!) then the problem points to LOTS of slop in the bearings. Contact me directly via the website.

 

[tony22]

I hang my head in shame. I ran a bit more of a controlled test, as I didn't like what I was seeing using the curved finger lift as the anchor point for the WS yellow string. I used the soft wire, but this time was very careful for the first try in making sure the hang point for the string was dead center across the center of the headshell. I looked carefully at where the blue and yellow strings were on the lower scale. Then I reshaped the soft wire to make sure the hang point set the yellow string exactly in line with the outer edge of the headshell, as shown in J.R.'s videos where he's using the Kuzma arm with the straight finger lift. The blue and yellow strings intersected the lower bar readings in exactly the same place. I then removed the soft wire and tried to use the curved finger lift again. Looking at it very carefully I saw that what was really going on what the string loop basically sliding along the curve in an unpredictable manner. It was the random motion of the loop that was throwing things off. I tried my very best to steady this, and finally felt I was seeing results similar to the other soft wire controlled tests. What it tells me is a) I jumped the gun on my original post, b) my arm isn't exhibiting any unexpected torsional deviation from having the loop pushed out a bit from center (yay!), and c) if you have a slick curved metal finger lift, use the soft wire method! Thanks for all your help, J.R.

 

[J.R. Boisclair]

I hang my head in shame. I ran a bit more of a controlled test, as I didn't like what I was seeing using the curved finger lift as the anchor point for the WS yellow string. I used the soft wire, but this time was very careful for the first try in making sure the hang point for the string was dead center across the center of the headshell. I looked carefully at where the blue and yellow strings were on the lower scale. Then I reshaped the soft wire to make sure the hang point set the yellow string exactly in line with the outer edge of the headshell, as shown in J.R.'s videos where he's using the Kuzma arm with the straight finger lift. The blue and yellow strings intersected the lower bar readings in exactly the same place. I then removed the soft wire and tried to use the curved finger lift again. Looking at it very carefully I saw that what was really going on what the string loop basically sliding along the curve in an unpredictable manner. It was the random motion of the loop that was throwing things off. I tried my very best to steady this, and finally felt I was seeing results similar to the other soft wire controlled tests. What it tells me is a) I jumped the gun on my original post, b) my arm isn't exhibiting any unexpected torsional deviation from having the loop pushed out a bit from center (yay!), and c) if you have a slick curved metal finger lift, use the soft wire method! Thanks for all your help, J.R.

You are most welcome! Enjoy the sonic performance of having a symmetrically compressed damper.