WallyTractor Instructional Series (Part 4 of 4) - Aligning the Cantilever

This is the final step in ensuring the perfect horizontal alignment of your stylus/cantilever assembly.
Read more about the WallyTractor here: www.wallyanalo...
Watch "Aligning the Stylus" before watching this video: • WallyTractor Instructi...
Go to @WallyTools Analog Setup Tools for all of our instructional and educational videos.

[@random_ramblings]

Ultra detailed series. Makes me wanna run inside the groove myself.🤣

[@WAM-Engineering]

Ha! Thanks for your comment. I've spent many sleepless nights imagining the environment and angular relationships in that groove. Sign up for our webinar on Stylus Rake Angle later this month on our website. We will be talking about just that!

[@TweakedSystems]

Good vid. Balance and Tracking Force is just as important. I always set my Anti-Skating at the same amount and the same with G-Damping I use the Ortofon Black Cartridge weight is set at 1.5g

[@WAM-Engineering]

Thanks, Steve. I agree with you on the VTF comment, but what is "balance"? What is "G-Damping" for that matter? Perhaps we don't use these terms where I'm from and I'd like to know what their synonyms are over here.

[@alvinapollo547]

i realize I'm pretty off topic but do anyone know a good site to stream newly released movies online?

[@kingsleymohammed9627]

@Alvin Apollo flixportal :P

[@alvinapollo547]

@Kingsley Mohammed Thanks, I went there and it seems like they got a lot of movies there :D Appreciate it !!

[@kingsleymohammed9627]

@Alvin Apollo no problem :)

[@leon9021]

Cant there just be slight manufacturing error, unequal balance in the cantilever so it leans slightly to one side when lowered? Or say the Anti Skate mechanism is magnetic and doesnt fully disengage even at 0. Should one really align for that or is it not better to float the cantilever just barely above the disc so that it is in its natural resting spot?

[@WAM-Engineering]

Hello Leon. This does happen, but it is almost never because of the cartridge assembly. It is almost always because the tonearm has internal forces within it (usually a bad bearing or twisted/poorly routed tonearm wires) that are causing a horizontal force that the cantilever then reacts to when VTF is applied. This is NOT GOOD since you'll never get your cantilever aligned properly as a result. This is why I suggest a quick analysis of the tonearm quality with the WallySkater before aligning the cantilever in order to determine whether this condition occurs. I go into this in the first of the four WallyTractor instructional videos. Thanks for the question.

[@leon9021]

@@WAM-Engineering Great answer, yes same idea with residual anti skate then, if its magnetic and still slightly pulling at 0. In these cases I suppose floating the stylus just above the glass with 0 VTF is preferable over getting misleading readings from the tonearm.

[@endorphinsftw6218]

where did you get that little light?

[@yoragistri]

Nice video. Can the wally tractor be used for aligning the cantilever on tangential arms?

[@WAM-Engineering]

Absolutely! That is what the radial line is for. Also, the WallySkater is good to use on tangential arms as well in order to measure for any horizontal forces pushing the carriage one way or the other. If such forces are over about 5% of VTF it may make it impossible to perfectly align your cantilever.

[@yoragistri]

@@WAM-Engineering Thanks, it'd be great if you made a video about tangential arms and cartridge alignment!

[@WAM-Engineering]

@@yoragistri Thank you for the idea. I will put it on the list. There are many, many videos that we need to make!