A wow and flutter app

SeleniumFalcon

This might be well known to the more phone app savvy reader, but I found an application for my Samsung phone which is pretty interesting. I learned about it from watching an audio repair site on YouTube. This person, I think his name is Dave, is located in the Canadian west and he makes videos about fixing all things electronic, mostly audio and some video gear. In any event he used this app to check out a belt drive turntable that had severe speed problems.
It's simple to do, you try and center your phone as much as possible on your turntable. Then begin playing a record and once the speed is correct tap a button on the phone's screen. The display shows the playing speed always centered so you can read it (which is cool enough by itself) then after some measurements are taken you get a readout screen that shows how fast and slow the speed was and a percentage of wow. I repeated the process for about two dozen times and it seemed to register around 0.02% for wow and speed error.

mhardy6647

... and boy, howdy does it confuse the analysts at the NSA when they're trying to figure out what you're up to by tracking your phone's GPS coordinates.

SeleniumFalcon

Probably makes their heads spin! He he.

mhardy6647

In seriousness (and on topic), I knew there was a popular speed and w/f app for iPhones. I have read of one rpm app for the (ahem) Android ecosystem -- but I didn't know of one that could measure variation, too!

Since I - at long last - actually now have a smart phone (albeit a pretty intellectually challenged one), it is something I have been "meaning" to look into. Thanks for mentioning this!

SeleniumFalcon

I think the app was around $38.00 or so. Nice to see new technology serving old devices.

SCompRacer

It is a nice app.

My record weight is not flat so it was tricky to get phone centered and stable. I achieved better results using the weight (phone sits more level?) than resting phone on the spindle/platter at an angle. Tough to push the start button...lol My idler drive heavy plinth/platter Lenco has electronic speed control so if the phone is way off center, the controller tries to compensate for the imbalanced platter and I experience greater speed fluctuation.

This was my best result. My Lenco has a larger stainless aftermarket platter bearing with tight tolerances (requires turbine oil) which is much better than the OEM bearing.

SeleniumFalcon

I found that with my turntable the music seemed a little sharp after setting the speed with the app. I used my tachometer to adjust the speed down a bit and things sounded better.

mhardy6647

SeleniumFalcon wrote: »

I found that with my turntable the music seemed a little sharp after setting the speed with the app. I used my tachometer to adjust the speed down a bit and things sounded better.

Did you check it against a pitch pipe? that would be interesting to do (if one had a recorded tone at some standard concert pitch).

SeleniumFalcon

No, no pitch pipe, but I did time the Minute Waltz and got it exactly 60 seconds long. So, I got that going for me.

SCompRacer

I have a test record with tone but dont use it. I use the KAB speed checker with needle in the groove to compare to my Phoenix Engineering Roadrunner tachometer readings. KAB provided the 9v battery powered strobe so no mains variation like with a light bulb. The speed numbers on the card are much easier to follow than lines. I fear my spinning smart phone would hit my linear air bearing tone arm with needle in the groove. A pivoted arm would also be at risk.

I use a speed control on my Lenco idler drive. I can adjust speed with the controller by tenths. The tach reads to thousandths. The tach and controller were designed and manufactured by Bill Carlin under Phoenix Engineering (he is retired now). The tach feeds rpm into the controller and so it holds the set rpm on the controller. 45rpm is just a button push away so the speed linkage that moves the idler drive is stationary. Slight wear in the Lenco idler linkage can introduce speed errors after changing speeds.

I became a beta tester for Bill after I apologized for some Lenco forum members treatment of him. He was desiging a 25 watt unit that would handle the Lenco motor. I would provide video and written/verbal feedback. I returned it a couple of times for tweaking until it performed properly. Harry Weisfeld of VPI was said to be impressed by Phoenix Engineering speed control products.

There was a fellow on the Lenco forum that designed and built an analog speed control. I purchased boards from him, gathered the parts and assembled it. The down side, for everyone, is the speed varied as it warmed. This meant checking and adjusting speed after it warmed up. Bill's design was electronic and was rock steady.

SCompRacer

Double pic post

mhardy6647

Now that I actually have a smart phone, I've been thinking really seriously about getting a (the?) W&F app for it... but the idea of spinnin' a phone on a tt platter just makes me feel weird.

Clipdat

I got two words for ya'll: Quartz Lock

SCompRacer

I should have said digital instead of electronic control. I'm competing with a migraine and losing...lol

As the smart phone spins on the platter, touching the start button lightly so you don't slow the platter can be fun. The wife inferred some crass comment that I often use about a monkey and a football...

mhardy6647

SCompRacer wrote: »

I should have said digital instead of electronic control. I'm competing with a migraine and losing...

Hope it subsides quickly!

SCompRacer

Clipdat wrote: »

I got two words for ya'll: Quartz Lock

I hear you. Been there a time or two, just took a different path. The tach connected to the controller is my lock. I'm thinking there is a crystal involved....lol