Just another DIY RCM!

Tarl Of Gor

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
I finally got around to getting my new RCM to a rough workable stage and thought I would share what I've done so far.

Damaged cabinet base - Lowe's - $25
Vacuum head - Lowe's - $23
5 gallon bucket - Lowe's - $4
Toggle switches - Radio Shack - $10
Hurst Gear Motor (Reversible) - eBay - $30
Sansui TT spindle - free from AKer Andy_H
Pioneer PL-112D platter - $10
VPI 16.5 Vacuum Tube - Elusivedisc.com - $70
VPI record clamp - $8

The motor is a brand new Hurst 12 rpm, 115v 60hz reversible gear motor. You can't even hear it run it's so quiet and has enough torque that it's not going to stop I don't care how much vacuum you apply to it.

I attached the spindle to the motor by drilling out the shaft just large enough to fit over the motor's output shaft. The output shaft of the motor is a half moon shape so I then drilled another hole through the side of the shaft and tapped it for a set screw. The bushing for the spindle was too long so I cut it off with a hack saw so that the spindle shaft would stick through far enough to attach it to the motor and also to be able to tighten the set screw. I also had to make a spacer to mount the motor and cut a notch in it in order to tighten the setscrew once everything was mounted to the underneath of the base. I also threaded the part of the spindle that goes through the record by just using a tap that was the closest size to the spindle size. I then drilled out the VPI record clamp and retapped it for the size that was used on the spindle. This has been the easiest setup that I have found to attach the platter to a motor. The Sansui spindle with the Pioneer platter works perfect. It is also pretty much direct drive with no idler wheels, belts, etc to mess with. And once the clamp is tightened to the record, the record isn't going to slip and the platter isn't going to stop.

One toggle switch is just an on/off switch and turns on the vacuum. The other is a 3-way/center off toggle switch which allows the motor to spin both directions.

The vacuum head works great. The hose that came with is just a little bigger than the VPI vacuum tube but I just used an automotive hose clamp to attach it. In order to use this vacuum head you'll need a heavy duty bucket. This white one from Lowe's is the only one that I found that won't collapse when you apply vacuum to it.

The only thing I have left to do is tidy up the power strip and wiring inside, install some formica on the inside and stain the outside. I might even put some oak veneer along the edges of the lid just to top it all off.

All in all, this is just another variation of what alot of other people have done. I think it turned out great and works like a champ.

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Pretty nice unit ya built there ! Much better looking than my shop vac in a cardboard box rig :D
 
Very nice work!

Are you going to add any sound deadening material to the base where the shop vac is located?

I like the layout and possible WAF.

Thanks for the pictures.
 
Thanks guys! I am thinking about putting a divider in the bottom and adding a shelf to maximize the storage space on the opposite side of the vacuum. As far as sound deadening goes, I haven't really thought about that yet. It's not that bad right now but I might experiment with a few things to see if I can get it quieter.

With the amount of records that I need to clean, it probably won't take too long to fill up that 5 gallon bucket!
 
Great build ideas and very nicely done - there is even enough space to add a second vacuum wand to keep wash and rinse stages isolated.

I could see something like this replacing my VPI machine someday.
 
Nicely done!
A friend of mine did one similar to this, built into a rolling kitchen island cart. It was something like an Ikea-special, or maybe from a Target retail store (read: inexpensive).
 
Great build ideas and very nicely done - there is even enough space to add a second vacuum wand to keep wash and rinse stages isolated.

I could see something like this replacing my VPI machine someday.

I had thought about trying to rig up another vacuum tube to use to rinse and rig up some kind of valve that I could move that would allow the vacuum to go to whatever tube that I am using. And not have to buy another vacuum head and bucket. But I suppose that it really wouldn't matter if vacuum was supplied to both tubes at the same time. :scratch2:

Looks like I need to order another vacuum tube. :thmbsp:
 
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I was thinking about that too - don't remember ever seeing a 2-way valve that would let you switch between the 2 wands and having 1 suck air while the other is on the LP might kill it's effectiveness.

I believe some here have modded VPIs to use 2 wands, maybe they could shed some light on this.
 
I just thought of a brilliant idea! Just have an extra wand and swap it when it's time to rinse! :thmbsp:
 
If the wand doesn't touch the record, there's no need to worry about washing and rinsing.

The VPI wand has velvet strips that touch the record. I was thinking about cross contamination, but once I thought it through I decided that might be excessive. Every time the record is rinsed the VPI wand is rinsed too.
 
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