Tracking force

[Mgrenwick]

Hello, so I followed the VPI video on setting up a table.
In the video I notice they had no mat on the plater while setting the tracking force. I did the same and set mine with no mat. With the mat on I noticed the tracking force is higher, so I must assume with a record on the platter its even higher.

How should you set the tracking force?

[mcpaf76]

I set mine with the mat, as the tracking force gauge is about the thickness of a record.

[mcpaf76]

Don't pay too much mind to that video, it's not what they did when I brought the table directly to them for setup. (I live 10 minutes from them)

[doggiehowser]

I don’t have a VPI but I have tried setting up a unipivot before and i notice the VTF is dependent on the thickness of the record. So for some gauges which are thicker than the standard record thickness, I use the gauges without a mat. With the mat and record, it works out to about the same thickness.

[lem321]

I measure the VTF with the pressure gauge sitting on a stack of CD's or cards (e.g. 3"x5") that is placed on the plinth just outside the platter. The goal is to get the platform of the gauge (where the stylus pressure is measured) the same height as a "standard" record, be that 180gm or 150gm that is placed on the platter. The heights are pretty easy to see when the platform and record are placed side by side.