Origin live DC Motor Kit User manual

1
Instruction
Manual
DC Motor
Kit For
Turntables
Do not plug this kit into a mains conditioner or surge protection etc or the
performance may be severely degraded.
O
R
I
G
I
N
L
I
V
E
|
O
R
I
G
I
N
L
I
V
E
|
O
R
I
G
I
N
L
I
V
E
|

2
Contents
PG.3 Introduction
PG.3 Packing List
PG.4 Installing The Kit
PG.4 Motor Installation
PG.5 Connecting Power Supply
PG.5 Upgrade Transformer
PG.6 Seing Motor Speed
PG.6-7 Notes
PG.8 Trouble Shooting
PG.9 Example Kit Fiing (LP12)
PG.4 Correct Belt Tension

3
Introduction
Congratulations on choosing your Origin Live DC
motor kit. You can now look forward to hearing
dramatic performance improvements
in your system.
To achieve the full level of performance it is
critical that this instruction manual is followed
and read fully.
Installing the motor will be relatively easy for
some decks and more challenging for others. If
at first things appear dicult, give yourself time
to think clearly and you will invariably find ways
of accomplishing your objective. Most of the
installation demands lile expertise – if you think
anything is beyond your capability then you can
either ask a friendly dealer to do the job for a
small fee or get a friend to do it.
These instructions are wrien to cater for those
new to turntables. Some sections may therefore
appear lengthy, as they need to address all
potential questions and levels of expertise. When
reading the instructions refer to the various
diagrams for part names and clarity.
The motor kit can take as lile as 30 minutes to
install depending on your deck and expertise. The
DC regulator electronics will initially encounter
speed dri when first started (if they have not
been run in) and so may need at least 4 hours to
run in before the speed can be finally set with
accuracy. We wish you an enjoyable time not only
in seing up but most of all in the end result.
Packing List
• External Control Box
•Transformer or Wallwart
• DC Motor / Pulley
• 2x no 6 ½ Screws / 1 Small Cable Clip
• (For Linn Turntables Only) 4 x M6 Brass Washers / 2mm Allen Key / Switch Cover Plate
Options
• Round Transformer - Medium size fully balanced transformer
• Upgrade, large transformer purpose built for the DC motor kit
• Ultra control box - components in the circuit are upgraded to the highest possible quality
and specification along with precision tuning. The circuit design also includes added sophistication.
Paperwork
• Motor Kit Instructions
• Strobe Card
When you unpack the kit, check that
you have all the parts listed in the pack list.

4
Motor Installation
Fiing the motor is fairly self-explanatory but will
vary slightly from deck to deck. If the motor body
is too long you may need to raise the height of
your deck using higher feet.
The motor is normally supplied with a “tall” pulley
but you may need a shorter pulley (10mm less
in height) – Please contact us if this is case. The
motor sounds best supported by only 1 bolt.
You can tension the belt by pivoting the motor
plate about the bolt and relying on the bolt
friction to hold the motor in position. You should
aim to have at least the belt tension required to
prevent the plaer running slow or incurring speed
variation due to slippage. To this end it is best
to have it relatively tight when seing the motor
speed and then slacken it o fractionally without
any loss in sound quality once you know the
speed is correct. There will be an optimum tension
although it is not always easy to tell by listening
and the tension is not that critical.
Please see Fiing Power Supply lp12 for further
information.
Correct Belt Tension
Disconnect Old Supply
Unplug the deck from the mains supply for safety reasons and before doing any work allow capacitors to
discharge for 45 minutes – especially on the Linn which can give a dangerous discharge from it’s Valhulla
board. Do not remove a base board cover before this period is over as there is danger of lethal electric
shock. You MUST also remove the mains plug at this stage to avoid any possibility of someone plugging
it in at a later stage. You will not need the old power supply any more, so it can either be detached entirely
or simply le in place for quick reversal of this modification.
Installing The Kit
To set correct belt tension finally, li the belt o the
pulley and let it lose it’s tension almost completely
whilst still holding it gently - With no tension
whatsoever in the belt it should be approx 7mm
o the nearside of the motor pulley (flange edge)
as per diagram below. Move the pod till the pulley
is this distance from the belt, then stretch the belt
to fit over the pulley.

5
Connecting Power Supply
Plug the motor and power supply plugs into the
matching sockets at the rear of the control box.
1. Plug the smaller male DC connector from the
motor into the le hand of the two holes at the
back of the control box Page 4 (see diagram).
2. Plug the male DC connector from the
transformer (low voltage input) into the right hand
socket (when looking at the back of the box)
another way of describe it is the socket directly
behind the LED.
3. You will know that the motor kit is connected up
correctly when the LED comes on (This light will
remain lit all the time that the motor kit is plugged
in at the mains supply). The location of the control
box should preferably be kept away from strong
electromagnetic fields such as those generated
by transformers, amplifiers, power supplies etc.
Power LED
Rotary Speed
Control Switch
You can tension the belt by pivoting the motor
plate about the bolt and relying on the bolt
friction to hold the motor in position. You should
aim to have at least the belt tension required to
prevent the plaer running slow or incurring speed
variation due to slippage. To this end it is best
to have it relatively tight when seing the motor
speed and then slacken it o fractionally without
any loss in sound quality once you know the
speed is correct. There will be an optimum tension
although it is not always easy to tell by listening
and the tension is not that critical.
Upgrade Transformer
To upgrade to the Origin Live Upgrade transformer you simply need to unplug your existing transformer
(mains connection) and plug in the upgrade transformer.
Note: You will need to set/reset the speed if you are changing up to the upgrade transformer see
seing speed below

6
Seing Motor Speed
Please note: In the first 4 hours of use from
starting up the motor, the speed tends to dri but
then seles down fairly permanently. To burn in
the regulator board components we recommend
at least 4 hours of running the motor at 33 rpm
(approx) before you accurately set the speed.
The thin output wires from the transformer only
carry 8 volts and are safe to handle. Voltages
inside the transformer are dangerous so the
transformer case should not be unscrewed or
opened.
The switch box is designed such that when the
rotary switch on the front of the control box is
turned fully anti-clockwise the motor is o. One
click of the switch clockwise is 33.3 rpm and the
second click clockwise is 45rpm.
Please note: The speed should only be checked
with the cartridge dragging on a centre track of a
record as the drag aects speed seing slightly.
Reading The Strobe
Place the strobe disc on the record to be played.
Play the record and watch the relevant ring on
the disc. Adjust the speed until marks on the ring
appear stationary while the record is rotating. It
sometimes helps to stare at infinity whilst doing
this as the marks become easier to see. You can
see the strobe eect in florescent light although
an ordinary bulb held about 2 feet from the
strobe disc will also work fine. The bulb flickers
at 50 Hz in the EEC and 60 Hz in the USA. You
can purchase bayonet fiing florescent bulbs to
fit normal lamps. Try to shut out daylight when
carrying out speed seing.
Note A: P1 is the le hand adjuster when looking at
the rear and P2 is on the right.
Note B: You cannot use many modern LED lights
or high frequency fluorescents because these
bulbs use a modified supply which is not 50 or 60
Hz as the mains is.
Motor Socket Transformer Socket
PI Adjuster
for 33 RPM
P2 Adjuster
for 45 RPM
Adjust the motor speed as follows: using a small
flat blade screwdriver turn the screws of the 25
turn Trimmer resistors P1 and P2 on the regulator
board. P1 is for the 1st speed 33 rpm and P2
45 rpm. To increase speed, turn the screws
clockwise. The pre-set screw will not fall out and
may need a fair number of turns to set the correct
speed so keep turning until the speed changes.
If the screw reaches the end of it’s travel you can
usually hear a faint clicking.
Rotate the switch knob on the control box
clockwise to the first click i.e. 33 rpm seing.
Set P1 so that the plaer turns at 33.3rpm. When
seing the speed, place the arm on the centre
track of a record so that the cartridge is tracking
the grooves. This ensures that the drag of the
cartridge is taken into account. Speed variations
of up to plus or minus 1% are quite common on
decks and the DC motor is capable of plus or

7
minus 0.1% accuracy. Use the strobe disc provided
to set the speed (instructions are on the card).
However if you have problems using the strobe
card, then count the rpm using the following
method. Counting the 33.3 revs per minute is best
accomplished by placing a small piece of sticky
tape on the perimeter of the plaer and then
counting 100 revolutions. 33.3 rpm is exactly 100
revolutions completed in 3 minutes. To save time
in the early stages it is easiest to count 50 revs in 1
minute 30 seconds (or 25 revs in 45 seconds)
and save the 100 count for the final check.
Please note the following points when seing
the speed. Firstly all the figures below are based
on seing the speed on the deck using the
centre track and leing the deck play for a good 5
minutes beforehand with the stylus on the record
so that the whole system has seled down. The
regulators seem to take about 5 minutes to warm
up, so speed is about 2mins 58 seconds for 100
revolutions when the system starts from cold.
In other words it is 2/180 x 100 = 1 % fast when
started from cold. Speed variation with the DC
motor varies minutely depending on the track
played and cut of record.
Click the rotary switch to the 2nd click clockwise
and set P2 so that the plaer rotates at 45 or 78
rpm (if you wish) using the same procedure as
outlined above. The DC motors emit a slight noise
to begin with and are never completely silent in
comparison to a/c motors. This is due to their
precious metal brushes. Having said this they still
sound a great deal beer in performance terms.
Allow approx a 4 hours running in period then
reset the motor speed. The motor should then be
run for approx 2 days under load (i.e. turning the
plaer) to free it up from vibration and to “bed in”
the bearings.
Like most other turntable manufacturers we
recommend that you leave the turntable running
between changing records as this reduces the
belt wear that occurs with constant stopping
and starting.
Note A: Do not use the power supply for anything
other than the DC motor or the power supply
may be irreparably damaged and you could also
damage the equipment you are plugging it into.
Note B: The circuit will take around 8 hours to run
in and sound its best.

8
Trouble Shooting
The speed stability of your deck should be
excellent once everything has seled down in a
listening session i.e.:
• The power supply and switch box have been le
plugged in on standby for 15 minutes
• The plaer has been turning for 2 minutes
• The cartridge has been on the record for 30
seconds
Bear in mind that the ear detects when music
is playing slightly slow much more easily than
it detects it playing fast. For this reason most
manufacturers set their decks to run slightly fast.
You can expect a bit of speed variation when
the motor is first switched on - it takes about 2
minutes to warm up properly and then the motor
should run at its correct speed but only when the
stylus is on the record.
It is highly preferable to keep the power supply
plugged in at all times (unless you are away on
holiday) because it takes a good 15 minutes to
warm up from cold and run correctly. When in
standby mode the control box draws a negligible
current so you need not worry about your
electricity bill.
If you keep switching the deck on and o you
will get a lile speed variation as it takes approx
2 minutes to warm up the circuit each time even
if it’s only switched o for 3 seconds. This is
unavoidable although we have tried to design out
the variation as much as possible.
If you measure the speed within 30 seconds of
puing the needle on the record the speed will
not be perfect as it takes a while to sele down.
Some people make the mistake of constantly
watching the speed before the deck has
seled down and the needle has been on the
record for a good 2 minutes. Strobes are very
accurate and the slightest speed variation is
picked up. 0.03% variation is observable.
Speed Variation Trouble Shooting
If there is significant speed variation then causes can be down to the following:
•Significant changes in room temperature (this aects decks which use thick, viscous oil in the bearings)
• Lack of oil in the bearing, check by adding oil
• Changed belt tension
• An oily belt / sub-plaer, clean running surfaces
• Turntable out of level, this aects the main bearing friction
• Aer adjusting the tension of the 3 small Philips screws which hold the motor on you may need to
re-adjust the speed as they aect motor tilt very slightly
• Check the sub-plaer is not fouling on anything, on certain decks it can rub against one of the spring
covers. It has also been known to “boom” against the top of the bearing house, there should be about
1-3mm clearance between the top of the bearing house and the boom of the sub-plaer
• A dirty bearing that exhibits too much friction. The sub-plaer should dri round eortlessly with the
slightest of nudges and go on spinning. If you suspect the bearing friction to be a lile high return, talk
to the manufacturer
• A worn thrust bearing
• Transistors that have developed temperature instability

9
Excessive Motor Noise
The motor needs a run in time of around
2 - 4 days continuous running. They are
sometimes a lile noisy to start with. Most
importantly you can “tune in” the motor to give
minimum noise by slackening o all 3 mounting
plate screws next to the pulley then tightening
one screw in turn. Find out which screw reduces
motor noise when lightly tightened and then
adjust the other two to give minimum noise.
Please note that by adjusting these screws
you eect the angle of the motor. If the belt
touches the flanges at the top or boom of the
pulley then the motor is at too extreme an
angle and you will need to re-adjust the
bolts. The ideal is for a vertical pulley with
the lowest noise level. If you get a knocking
sound from the motor then slightly slacken
o the three screws holding the motor to the
top plate.
It may be necessary to use thread lock or similar
to stop the screws vibrating loose. If it continues
to be very noisy please get back to us and we
may check it out. However bear in mind that the
DC motor is never silent as a/c motors are - this
is because they rely on a higher grade of brush.
The other major potential source of noise
is the motor vibrating against it’s top plate
and causing it to resonate. The solution is
usually to slightly tighten the 3 small screws
holding on the motor. This adjustment is fairly
critical - if the 3 small screws are too tight
then the motor whispers, too slack and the
motor can vibrate against it’s top plate.
If you have checked the above and are still
having trouble please contact us making a
note of the serial number on the back of
the control box.
Example Fiing the Kit to an LP12
To fit the DC motor kit to the Linn is
straightforward by carrying out the following
steps. No drilling of the top-plate is required and
the modifications are easily reversible should you
ever wish to sell your Linn but retain the DC motor.
Unplug the deck from the mains supply for safety
reasons and before doing any work allow the
Valhulla capacitors to discharge for 45 minutes.
Do not remove the baseboard cover before this
period is over as there is danger of lethal electric
shock. You MUST also remove the mains plug
at this stage to avoid any possibility of someone
plugging it in at a later stage. You will not need the
Linn electronic power supply any more, so it can
either be detached entirely or simply le in place
for quick reversal of this modification. The LP12
will sound beer if the Valhulla board is removed
entirely due to the additional resonance it inputs to
the plinth.
Unscrew the baseboard from the Linn - the
screws, which hold on the 4 rubber feet and 2
others, usually hold it on.
Disconnect the 4 wires leading to the Linn motor
(2 grey, 1 blue, 1 red) by slackening the screws
holding them at the terminal block.
Unscrew the 2 sloed pan head screws that
control the tilt of the Linn motor.
Unscrew the 2 black round headed Allen screws
that hold on the Linn Motor - you may need to

10
slacken o the nuts underneath first. This will allow
you to remove the Linn motor but be careful not
to lose the 4 cone-shaped spacing washers that
reside between the top of the motor
and the boom of the stainless steel top plate
(see Fig 1).
It is also recommended to remove the belt guard
as this can rub against the belt depending on how
your Linn is adjusted.
Now fit the DC motor as shown in Fig 2 below
using an original black round headed Allen bolt
and nut plus the 2 brass washers supplied with
the kit. The brass washers only serve as spacers
- they are not designed fit directly under the bolt
heads. The bolt only need to be “nipped“ tight
for best sound quality and the distance from
centre of plaer to motor pulley centre should be
adjusted to approx 127- 129mm for correct belt
tension (start at 127).
There are 3 holes drilled in the DC motor top-plate
to allow extra flexibility in positioning the motor
as Linns dier slightly in dimensional set up. For
tension see also notes on wiring the power supply.
Now connect up the control box set the speed
(see previous text) and enjoy!
Note: The plate can be aached using
super glue. (If you wish you can remove
the existing Linn on o switch and replace
it with the Origin Live logo / brushed
stainless steel plate supplied.)
www.originlive.com