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Upgrade for users of 1/2" mylar belt

This thread will be of interest to Galibier, Redpoint and Teres belt drive TT owners, or anyone using or thinking of using a drive belt made from 1/2" mylar. The belt material of choice on these tables for several years has been the silver holographic mylar streamers from sources linked on the Teres and Galibier websites. This outperforms everything else we've tried but like anything it's not perfect - and we've now found something better.

One of the silver holographic mylar's assets can also become a liability. That metallic layer, when new, gives the belt exceptional "grip" on the platter and motor capstan. Minimal slippage on transients is one reason the material works so well. Unfortunately, that layer can wear over time, leaving a silvery gray residue and allowing performance to deteriorate. The only solution has been a good cleaning and a new belt. No big deal, but if there was a better or more stable belt Paul and I wanted to find it.

I'll spare you a recounting of our many experiments and jump to the good news: thanks to (yet another) brainstorm by my resident genius/partner, we've developed a belt that both performs better and lasts longer. I've held off posting until we were sure, but after 4 months of steady use Paul’s idea is still working perfectly. The only negative is that making this new belt takes an hour or more of work spread over two days, but to us it's worth the effort.

HOW TO MAKE ONE

1. Cut a length of the silver holographic mylar tape sufficient for your TT, plus 3-4" extra.

2. Remove the silver metallic coating off the backside of the mylar. Paul used an acid etching cream popular with stained glass hobbyists to dissolve the metal - safe, quick and easy (use skin and eye protection).

3. Rinse thoroughly under running water, inspect to make sure you got all the silver off, wipe and hang to dry overnight.

4. Splice as normal to make a TT belt, making sure you tape on the OUTSIDE (which will be smoother than the now bare inside).

5. As always, the best splicing technique is to overlap the ends and cut on a 30-40 degree angle. Apply 1” video splicing tape (*not* tabs) across the belt at the *same* angle and trim away the excess.


WHY IT PERFORMS BETTER

Unlike any plain mylar ribbon you could easily buy, the silver holographic streamer has an ultra fine texture embossed on the back side of the *mylar* during manufacturing (*before* the metallic backing is applied). Once the silver layer is applied you can't see this texture, but that's what diffracts light like a million tiny prisms to produce the shimmery rainbow effect. Stripping the metal backing away exposes this texture, which becomes the contact surface of your new belt.

Paul realized this texture must exist and then hypothesized that using it for the working side of a TT belt might provide more “grip” on the platter rim and motor capstan than either plain mylar (which is extremely smooth) or the metallic backing. He was right. This belt produces more lifelike dynamics, both macro- and micro-, than even a brand new silver holographic belt - which heretofore was the best.

WHY IT LASTS LONGER

Removing the metallic backing exposes bare mylar, which is much sturdier than that fine layer of metal. Under normal use and assuming no accidents, one of these belts should last many, many months, perhaps years, while delivering consistent performance. Ours is going into its fifth month with few visible and no audible signs of wear.

Different motor capstan materials might interact with this belt differently, but I urge anyone with a compatible table to give this a try. Like all our favorite little tweaks, we'd find it hard to go back.

A FEW TIPS

1. Clean any silver/grey residue from your old belt off the motor capstan and platter before mounting the new belt.

2. As many of us have learned, the more inelastic the belt, the more critical motor leveling becomes. That is truer than ever with this new belt. Getting the motor set just right is touchy. Take care that your new belt is riding level in the center of the capstan before you start to play. You don't want it sliding up or down and mangling itself.

3. Motor distancing is also more critical than ever. Since this belt will not slip *or* stretch, tension must be perfect. The right amount is just shy of the tension that would tilt the motor off its feet.

4. Depending on your climate, the belt can build up static potential during use. Not enough to spark, but more than enough to attract airborne dust. I dust the belt's inside with my CF brush after each side before stopping the platter.

5. With this or any belt, always start your platter spinning with a helping push. Just pressing the motor's ON button creates lots of belt-wearing friction as the rapidly spinning motor tries to drag that heavy platter up to speed.

It all sounds like a pain, and it is! But the sonic and longevity results are worth the effort.

Cheers,
Doug
dougdeacon
dougdeacon OP
3,338 posts
 
George a,
Thanks for that link. Splicing the belt cleanly and with the two ends precisely aligned is certainly the most difficult aspect of this. Mylar tape has no forgiveness so close doesn't count, the splice has to be perfect. I've ruined more than one...

I looked into companies like that one but none had the right material (holographically textured mylar tape but WITHOUT the silver reflective layer). So we end up buying the finished tape and stripping off the silver layer before splicing. What we do for love... :)

***
Thanks, Mike. Paul's not only a science/engineering wiz, he's a mean chef too. Am I livin' lucky or what? :)
grbluen2
38 posts
 
Hi Doug,
Thank you so very much for your upgraded mylar belt. I have a heavily tweaked VPI Scout (which I love), but there was a recording which gave me fits. Joseph Haydn Streichquartette on Telefunken, which I am convinced was recorded to drive me insane, was easily sorted after using the belt as you've described. You and Paul are to be commended. Thanks a thousand times.

Don
dougdeacon OP
3,338 posts
 
Hi Don,

Thanks for reviving this thread from the depths of time... well, 2011. You must have tweaked your Scout quite a bit to use a belt like this... impressive.

Like you, we've always used natural instrument recordings to test any system or component. The pre-19th C. instruments one typically gets on labels like Telefunken are the sternest tests of all. Classical and Baroque instruments favored complex harmonic overtones more than their modern counterparts, which emphasize the fundamental in order to fill large, modern concert halls. The timbre of a Baroque oboe is more complex than its modern counterpart and that complexity is difficult to reproduce accurately.

Complex harmonics challenge every aspect of a system but none more so than a TT, which can so easily generate distortions in the time domain. Even if a TT maintains perfect average speed, variations lasting mere thousandths of a second (which fall below the resolution of strobe discs, laser pointers and such) will distort complex harmonics enough to drive sensitive listeners out of the room.

Original instrument recordings sound ghastly in many systems. Some listeners just blame the recording and move on, happily unaware of just how weak their systems actually are. Great job persevering, glad you found a way to enjoy Mr. Haydn.
pani
1,049 posts
 
Hi Doug, for the past few months I am desperately looking to upgrade the drive system of my Verdier. It was originally supplied with a silk thread which was okay but a friend of mine suggested I try 1/4 inch reel to reel tape. The tape immediately gave me the immediacy and dynamics that was somewhat lacking with the thread but the tape also increased the noise floor and reduced instrument seperation, also took away some of the body from the instruments. So, I had to go back to the thread. However it gave me the confidence that the thing to improve with the Verdier is the drive system. I would like to try out your recipe but I dont know where to source the silver holographic mylar tape from. I am at Singapore. I will be really grateful if you could share your email ID with me or drop me a test mail at dr.basss@gmail.com so that I could take some guidance from you to settle my TT drive system.
jtimothya
551 posts
 
>>The timbre of a Baroque oboe is more complex than its modern counterpart and that complexity is difficult to reproduce accurately.<<

I wholeheartedly concur about the challenges in reproducing complex harmonics and the importance of proper platter speed yet remain doubtful about the above claim. Yes, between Baroque and modern oboes there are different woods, different keys, different reed constructions, different impositions on the musician, consistency of instrument construction, etc. etc. yet timeline would seem to have little impact on musician's note bending abilities. Doesn't the modern instrument also have a broader range? Not being an oboist I cannot speak with authority, but having sat next to enough of them I've heard no lack of harmonic complexity from modern instruments, live or recorded. Nonetheless, your point is quite make-able without the appeal to specific musical preferences. A system that sounds ghastly on hip is likely as ghastly on (heaven forfend) hip-hop. Cheers.
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