The home of the turntable THE VINYL énainé For more turntable manuals and setup information please visit www.vinylengine.comGarrard MODEL SP25 Mk III Single record playing unit. contents 1 Introduction 9 Operating instructions 3 Installation 10 Maintenance 3 42 Adjustments § Fingcanrgge 16 Spurr and acoveor 1 fratafationsdfaimenta introduction ‘The Garrard SP25 Mk. Ill throe speed, single record playing unit retains features which made its predecessor the most popular choice in its cless. In addition the SP25 Mk, lil includes a numb of refinements and new features. Notably, an improved damped cueing system is incorporated, and 88 an alternative to cueing, automatic play of a single record Is ‘now possible. Other refinements include a fully adjustable pickup arm blas compensator and the versatile Garrard Type C2 slide-in cartridge carti ‘The tubular aluminium pickup arm with its precision ball-bearing pivots, resiliently mounted counterbalance weight and calibrated stylus force dial, remains characteristic of this famous series of units, and the SP25 Mk. Ill is powered by a resiliently mounted Garrard motor, developed and proven over many years. After playing @ record, the pickup litts, returns to its rest and the Unit switches off automatically, and this feature adds safety and convenience to @ performance which makes the SP25 Mk. {ll a worthy complement to quailty high fidelity sound equipment.Counterbalance weight clamp screw installation These instructions do not apply if your unit is already fitted to a cabinet or ba: Unpacking When unpacking a unit, withdraw it and its polyfoam pack from the carton as instructed on the carton flap. Never lift the unit by its pickup arm. Carefully remove all packing materials which may include wire ties, rubber bands, plastic bags and cardboard fit ‘ments. Accessories are found in the cavities of the polyfoam pack. Cabinet space Model SP25 Mk. II is 148° (874.5mm) wide by 124” (317.5mm) front to rear by 2%” (73mm) above and 24” (7omm) below the lower edge of the unit plate. Although the template illustrates a minimum recommended mounting board size, a general rule Ie to allow at least +” (12mm) clearance to the dimensions glven here, in order to give $” (6mm) all round the edge of the unit and 4° (12mm) above and below for the unit to float freely on its mountings. These clearances also allow for the unit to be clamped for transit Additional clearance may be required around the unit according {o the design of the cabinet or case. If necossary, allow clearance for operating the controls, record handling and 12” records, Fitting 1 Cut out the mounting board to the template. (Fix the template to the board with adhesive tape and mark through with a sharp point.) If the board is more than 4” (12mm), thick the transit holes will need recessing to 12” (285mm) diameter trom underneath to reduce the effective board thickness to} (12mm).installation continued (a) Transit screw (b) Transit screw in playing position Intranaport position CCip must be vertleal when aseombling unit to mounting board TRANSIT SCREW DETAILS Spigot Spring —+ Washer. Cabinet. Washer. ‘Spring Washer. Nut Diagram @ 2 Attach earth, power supply and audio leads to the unit, noting that they must not restrict the movement of the mechanism (see ‘Wiring’) ‘3 Assemble the unit to the board with transit screws turned right ‘down and locking clips set vertical. Locate the foam damped mounting springs In their recesses and make sure any attached Teads go through the cutout. 4 When the unit Is in place, press it down on its springs, 1 tum the transit screw locking clips horizontal as in diagram 21 (Note: When trangporting the unit, the transit screws should always be tured counterclockwise to clamp the unit against the board as in diagram 2b.) 5 Fit the counterbalan ‘of the polyfoam pack, to the rear of the pickup arm, as shown in diagram 1, then (assuming that a pickup cartridge is fitted) set stylus force and bias compensator as described under ‘installation Adjustments’. 6 Fi the record spindle in its turntable centre location. 7 As @ check on the mechanism revolve the turntable slowly clockwise by hand. Use an old record for setting up purposes, ‘and with power supply off, move the operating control to “Auto” to soo that the unit responds as described under ‘Opersting ‘Instructions 8 Reset pickup arm adjustments it necessary (see ‘Adjustments’ section) 9 If desired, drill an ¥” (3mm) hole in your cabinet at a convenient place and assemble the kit of parts supplied es a parking peg for the 45 rpm adaptor. See diagram 3.10 Links set for nominal 4107525 voltage range Both inks set for nominal 220/240 voltage range Black (or Blue) | Whive ion & Right Let channel channel biegram s Black Grey phono Tea Green Brown phone lead owsgram 6 wiring Power supply connections Power supply leads complying with the international standard colour ‘coding should be used on these units as follows: Green and yolow — Earth (formeriy Groen) Blue — Neutral (formerly Black) Brown — tive (formerly Red} Connect an earth lead trom the solder tag or screw terminal on the side. of the voltage changeover block to a good earthing pe Atlach @ light, flexible power supply lead trom the terminals inside, the Voltage changeover biock to the power supply: Make sure that the ike lead (brown) goes terminal marked L' to the ‘ive’ pin of your ower supply plug and the ‘neutral lead (blue) goes from the terminal marked 'N'to the neutral’ pin. See diagram 4, Model $P25 Mk. ill is normally supplied a8 a combined high and low voltage renge model — ‘nominally 110/128 volts or 220/240 volte ACY, According 10 the seiting of the links in the changeover block, Make sins the links are set to sult the supply voltage as shown in clagram 4. The unt will run on SOHe or 60Hz frequency according to the type of motor pullgy fitted (see ‘Speed’ paragraph in “Adjustments section Ht your unit is a low voltage mocel for 110/125 volts AC. only, a Socket wil be fitted in place of the voltage changeover bio, 4 Gord plug shoule be connected irom tha unit to the power supply ales Connect the unit to an earthing paint ‘Audio connections Gonnect screened leads trom the pickua terminal tag strip (if fitted) to the amplifior (see diagram 5), It ihe unit fe connected 1 gn ‘ampiticr whose wiring is not isolated irom the power supply, jsolating components ‘must be incorporated in its pickup circuit If In doubt consult your Gealer On some units pickup leads may terminate at a phono socket insiead Of @ tag strip, But the same pickup lead colour cading applies, namely led — right channet signal Green —right channel ground White — left channel signal Black (or Blve) — left channel ground Qn units to which @ phono socket is fitted, connect phono leads from lett ‘and right channel soekets t0 the ampliir, See diagram & When @ stereo pickup is Used with e mono ampli, peraliel the right and iat channolefitting pickup cartridge ‘Serews for liking cartdge Garrard slide-in cartridge carrier, type C2 is used on the SP25 Mk. Ill and may be supplied with or without cartridge. The cartridge fixing kit, part number $9048, contains fixing accessories (less cartridge) comprising @ pickup head weight, a tilt wedge and pairs of screws of various lengths With most cartridges the tilt wedge helps obtain the correct tracking angle for the stylus. The wedge should be positioned between the cartridge and the carrier with its thin edge to the front and its identification mark facing the carrier. Thus fit the cartridge (which must have @ 2hole fixing bracket) to the carrier, with the tilt wedge between them, using the pair of screws of most suitable length. If the pickup cartridge is too light to come within the counterbalanes range, include the pickup head waight next to the carrier in this assembly. Diagram 7 shows the order in which the full assembly is made Connect the colour coded leads on the carrier to the connection tags for the cartridge, but do not solder leads directly to the cartridge as this may damage cartridge elements. Connect leads as follows: Red to Right Channel Green te Right Channel Ground White to Left Channel Black (or Blue) to Left Channel Ground Information on its connection is usuaily supplied with the cartridge. For cartridges with 3 connections use the green as common, or join the green and black (or blue) leads together as the common connection. For mono cartridges use the red and green leads. Insulate and tuck away any leads not required Carefully slide the cartridge carrier so that it clips into place in the pickup head. When removing the cartridge carrier, grip its sides and pull it forward from the pickup head.Gounterbalance weight clamp Bias Compensator contro! Diagrams installation adjustments Pickup stylus force See diagram 8. 1 Set dial to zero, 2 Slacken pickup arm counterbalance weight clamp screw. 3 Check that mechanism is not engaged by rotating turntable clockwise by hand until free running. 4 Take pickup arm from rest. 5 Slide counterbalance weight to position which balances pickup arm with the stylus tip about }” (mm) above the turntable mat. Clamp counterbalance weight. Set dial to stylus force recommended for your cartridge. Numbers on dial represent stylus force in grams and a minimum stylus force of 2 grams is recommended for cartridges used | with Model SP25 Mk. I Pickup arm bias compensat: This unit has a calibrated bias compensator. Move the bias com- | pensator control shown in diagram 8 along its scale to the figure | which corresponds to the previously set figure for stylus force. ‘The bias compensator compensates for the small side forces acting on the pickup arm,Turntable Transit Screw (2) Cue and pause control Turntable contre Pickup arm Pickup arm -salely catch Turntable Pickup arm finger itt ‘Speed/size control Diagram 9 Record spindle Operating control Slide-in cartridge tcarrier under pickup , headFree the pickup arm by releasing its catch and remove the pickup stylus guard, if fitted. Check that the speed and record size settings, also the stylus, are correct for the records to be played and that the transit screws are turned fully clockwise. ‘Automattc play 4 Place the record of your choice on the turntable. 2 Move the operating control to ‘Auto’, pause and release the control, which will return to ‘Manual’. 3 The record will be played automatically, the plokup will return to its rest and the unit will ewitch off Relect Move the operating control to ‘Auto’ and immediately feturn it to ‘Manual’ and the pickup will it from the record being played, return to its rest and the unit will switch off. Manual play 1 Place the record of your choice on the turntable, 2 Move the operating contral to ‘Manual 3 Place the pickup on the record by hand. Cue and pause When playing a record manually, the cue and pause control may be used to place the pickup on the record, also to raise or lower the pickup at any selected point. Record play can be temporarily interrupted in a similar way. To raise the pickup, lift the cue and pause control, to lower the pickup, steadily lower the cue and pause control. operating instructions Large hole records Fit the adaptor proviced over the record spindle in order to play 7” — 45 rpm large hole records,maintenance To ft turntable clip 2, Pross.clip downers ‘To remove, laver this face {oeptingoverchamler back to position shown ‘on turntable spindle ‘opposite Se BE Bmw 1. Engage clp in turntable Spike Skane irelpet roar Diageam 10 Caution Switch oft power supply and protect stylus before carrying out maintenance. To remove the turntable Pull out the record spindle then remove the centre disc from the turntable mat, taking care not to buckle the disc. Now remove the turntable clip (see diagram 10) and lift the turntable with equal pressure on diametrically opposite sid Nace the turntable Cheek that the bearing and spindle are clean and thet the gap in the teeth of the cam gear Is adjacent to the turntable spindle with the trip pawl pushed away from the spindle (see diagram 11). The tumtable will now slide on easily, Fit the retaining clip in the {groove of the turntable spindie with record spindle removed as in diagram 10,Turntable spindio (oil) Trip paw Rubber ‘Top motor Intermediate bearing wheal (oi) (Si"bearing) Diagram 11 Cam bearing Turntable ball race beneath thrust washer lightly it) maintenance continued Lubrication The motor, turntable spindle and rubber intermediate wheel bearings are of the cil retaining type and rarely need lubricating. When the need for oil is apparent, hold the intermediate wheei away from the motor pulley and apply a few drops of fine grade machine oil to the top motor bearing. Also oil the intermediate wheel bearing, the turntable bearing and, occasionally, the bottom motor bearing, including lever pivot points if stiffness in the mechanism becomes noticeable. Remove surplus oil with a clean cloth. Diagrams 11 and 14 show further points where a little oil or grease can be used beneficially. On no account apply oil to the damped cueing system. To remove motor pulley The pulley has minimum clearance between its bore and the motor shaft, to ensure true running. If, with its locking screws loosened, the pulley is tight on the shaft, apply gentle heat to the base of ti pulley for about 30 seconds Using a small, clean soldering iror the pulley should then slide off easily. Use this method to fit a new Pulley if necessary, but take care not to damage the intermedi wheel or motor wiring when using a soldering iron.adjustments Pickup auto height adjustment screw Pickup cueing height Pickup auto lowering Adjustment screw” position adjustment (factory set) Screw Switch off power supply before making adjustments. If necessary move operating control to ‘Auto’ and rotate turntable clockwise by hand to operate, Pickup lowering position This adjustment is factory set but can be altered if necessary by turning the horizontal screw shown in diagram 12, clockwise to move the lowering position inwards, or counterclockwise to move it outwards. Pickup height ‘The height that the pickup lifts off a record can be adjusted by turning the vertical screw shown in diagram 12, clockwise to raise, counterclockwise to lower. Make sure that the tension nut beneath this screw does not turn with the adjusting screw. The pickup height should be set normally so that the arm just clears the top of the pickup rest as it returns automatically. Gueing height The pickup height screw just referred to, can be used to give special adjustments to the height to which the pickup lifts when cued. A separate adjustment screw in the lifting platform is factory set and should need no adjustment. (Note that on later units refinements to the cueing system may mean that your unit is Tot quite as illustrated; functions, however, are unatfected.) Pickup tracking If the pickup tracks incorrectly, check that the correct stylus is in Use and is cjean and not worn. (If a mono cartridge is fitted it is recommended that it be of a type suitable for playing stereo records as mono.) See that the pickup leads allow the arm free movement. Make sure that stylus force is as recommended by the cartridge manufacturer and that the bias compensator is set to correspond to the stylus force in use.Motor putley Intermediate whee! Unit plate Haight adjus uagram 18 adjustments continued Speed Fast or slow running is very unlikely, but if speed is Incorrect, check the motor pulley type against power supply frequenoy. The pulley base diameter (shown in diagram 13) is smaller than th 78 rpm pulley step for 60Hz and larger for 60Hz pulleys. Change the pulley if necessary ~ see under ‘Maintenance’ for pulley access {and removal information. If speed varies, check pulley, intermediate wheel and inside of turntable rim for tracss of oil. Wipe them thoroughly with a clean cloth. Check that the pulley lock screws are equally tight and that the intermediate wheel runs in the centre of the correct pulley step without rubbing the adjacent step. Adjust intermediate wheel height if necessary by moans of the blade shown in diagram 13, Motor I the motor fails to start, first check the power supply to the motor. Then with power supply switchad off, chock motor switch (fitted with suppressor network) and plug-in lead connections ( diagram 14). Check that the switch blades connect when closed and that contacts are clean. Also check that if a voltage change- over block is fitted, the changeover links in the block are set correctly. Make sure that the motor voltage detalls the motor correspond to the power supply voltage. ”Lightly grease fend of slot. Grease working Surface of cam track: Grease working surface of plate Pickup tag strip Diagram 14 Switch incorporating suppressor Voltage changeover block (combined high and low range model) Transit sorew clip (2) (Shown set vertical) Grease speed ‘change eam Earthing tag or ecrew terminal Speed change rechanism ‘Note motor details Iabelled on motor Plug-in motor bobbin lesa Spring suspension and damping pad (9)Spares and accessories When ordering spares, please quote SP25 Mk. Ill code (74750 plus its following 3igure stroke number from Inspection label), part number if listed and colour, voltage and frequency when applicable. Part number Description 75013 Record spindle 72698 Adaptor for large hole records 59602/019 Record spindle kit with parking peg 43834 Turntable retaining clip 74739 Turntable and mat assembly (non-magnetic top) 73033 Turntable centre disc (for 74799) 74168/003 Steel turntable and mat assembly 75333 Steel turntable centre disc 73361 Slide-in cartridge carrier type C2 (less cartridge) 59048/072 Pickup hardware kit 60848: 50Hz motor pulley with screws 60845 60Hz motor pulley with screws 60660 Motor for high and low voltage ranges, less leads. 60365 Plug-in motor lead assembly with switch etc. 58179 Changeover block cover 00451 Nut for changeover block cover (quote 991/4/00451/002) 43129 Rubber grommets for motor (three) 58220 Rubber intermediate wheel unit 43855 Transit screw clip (two) 59028 Grey phono lead 59029 Brown phono lead 44893, Stylus force spring Garrard wood bases, type WB1 or WBS make an elegant stand for your SP25 Mk. Ill when this unit Is used with other audio components, Rigid, transparent cover, type SPC1 can be used with the WB1 base when the unit is not in use, whilst the larger type SPC4 Mk. Il cover can be used with the WBS base ‘even when the unit is playing, ‘SP25 Mk. III $.P.C. Cover ‘SP25 Mk. IIl Wood Base