Grundy asked in another
thread if I could explain how I solved the problem in English to get rid of some of the language side effects from speaking German through Google Translate. It seems like he managed on his own, but for reference here it is.
The problem I had was that the Braun PS 500 turntable platter was riding very low. It was so low it was practically impossible to adjust the suspension high enough to keep the platter from touching the chassis with the platter, rubber mat and vinyl record spinning.
Reading every piece of documentation I could come across I found the setup guidance that the suspension should be adjusted to give a clearance of 4.5 to 0.1 mm between the platter and the chassis when loaded and several recommendations of keeping it high at up to 5mm. Remember this is with the suspension active so that the sub-chassis is hanging on the springs with a gap between the sub-chassis and chassis top plate. What I saw on my table was that even with the suspension locked in the highest position possible, so no gap between the sub-chassis and the chassis, there was only 3 mm clearance between the platter and the chassis. It was like I was missing several millimeters on the main bearing shaft. At first I thought there might be a bearing ball missing from the top of the shaft but this was not it.
It seems the Braun PS 500 bearing shaft is joint to the sub-chassis with
interference fit. Basically the shaft and the sub-chassis are only kept together by the fact that the shaft is a little too big for the hole in the sub-chassis. The hole goes completely through the sub-chassis so you can see the end of the shaft.
What happened to me and probably many other victims of clueless turntable shippers is that the platter was left on the sub-platter and the bearing shaft during shipping. During the bumpy transport the platter becomes like a hammer knocking the shaft further into the sub-chassis until the platter practically rests on the chassis. I pray that this is the only damage that this "hammer" has done...
You can see in one of my
pictures the end of the shaft is sticking out so much it is bending the box that is partly covering it. Looking at other pictures online it seems the norm is just 1-2 mm of the shaft showing from below.
Note! You do this at your own risk! Always think twice before you listen to people on the internet telling you to take a hammer to your turntable.
Note! This is not an alternative to adjusting the suspension! This is for a very specific problem when the suspension can't be adjusted.
Note! This is how I did it - there might very well be an official way that is much safer. If you know - speak up!
To get the shaft back into working position:
1. Unplug the power.
2. Remove the platter, sub-platter, capstan and secure all loose parts of the table.
3. Secure the sub-chassis to the chassis with the three red transport screws.
4. On a soft cloth that won't scratch the finish, turn the turntable on the side or upside down if you like.
5. The bottom plate is of course already off since you have investigated all other possibilities properly before attempting this fix.
6. Find or make a punch that won't damage the shaft. I put three layers of thick tape on the end of an old flat head screw driver.
7. Put the punch against the bottom of the shaft.
8. With a hammer, gently tap the punch until the shaft bottom has gone back up into the sub-chassis the amount you want to recover.
9. Put the hammer away and turn the turntable back the right way
10. The security clip on the shaft between the sub-platter and the plastic on-off mechanism must be moved back down. This clip is not in a slot afaiks. The right way is to use proper spring clip pliers. My pliers didn't fit so I risked damaging the shaft and just pushed the clip down to the plastic switch mechanism.
That's it. Hopefully this will of use to others.
Best regards
Edvard
