DIY ultrasonic cleaner for records.

ben62670

I am thinking of building one after seeing a thread on DIYaudio's website. I think this would be ideal for very dirty records. I have a smaller unit that I use for cleaning circuit boards, and jewelers use them for cleaning jewelry.
Ben

mmadden28

Hey Ben, where did you get the smaller unit that you do have. Ever since I started that Adcom GFA 5500 repair and how hard it has been cleaning it, I've lusted for an ultrasonic cleaner. I'm subscribing to this thread-please keep posting about it if you go through with it. I might try it myself as well. Do you have a link to the thread on the DIY site?

AudioGenics

could you use the circuits from the smaller ultrasonic unit and
adapt it to a larger container or use multiple smaller units circuits
in the larger container ?

Tater

mmadden28 wrote: »

Do you have a link to the thread on the DIY site?

I'd like to read that too.

quadzilla

I think this is it?

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/analogue-source/120394-i-made-myself-record-cleaner.html

jm1

Hi Ben,

Any updates for this thread? While I find the traditional cleaning method works very good on newer LPs, I would like to try the ultrasonic method for the used LPs.

The one purpose built unit I know of is about $3000. Not sure I want to wait for other manufacturers to create a unit at a lower price.

Thanks.

hearingimpared

^^^^^ what he said. I've been wanting one for quite a while but the price is prohibitive.

Hell we had to start a Polkie consortium for the record flattener (which I coveted for a long time) due to the price.

What about it Ben? I've not heard that mentioned in any of our conversations and quite frankly I forgot about it.:o

jm1

I have been contemplating this topic for the last hour and think I have come up with a plan. I will start looking at locally available units and proceed based on what I find ...

hearingimpared

jm1 wrote: »

I have been contemplating this topic for the last hour and think I have come up with a plan. I will start looking at locally available units and proceed based on what I find ...

A Polkie consortium?

TECHNOKID

Hey Ben, where did you get the smaller unit that you do have

I'd like to know that too. Ben, any update on this since you've started this thread?

ben62670

Here is your update. I have been putting a lot of my time into researching this project. The only device I have found that is similar to my design costs $3,500 and does only one record at a time. It takes about 40 minutes for it to fully complete the cleaning cycle. I have my signal generator/amp on my desk right now. The tanks are on order. I still need the transducers and chassis. The hardest part of the design is coming up with a solution to suspend, and rotate the records. My goal is a machine that will do 12 records at a time. I may have to increase the size of the spacers to reduce the number of albums to be cleaned at a time if the transducers can't efficiently energize the cleaning solution. I may also modify the amplifier circuit to run another pair of transducers to keep the power up for the target of cleaning 12 records at once. The design goals are being met fairly easily. The cleaning operation will not be fully automatic so there will be a few easy steps to complete the cleaning cycle.

Here is the over priced fully auto ultra sonic RCM
http://www.ultrasystem.com/usfeaturedprodsAudioDeskVinylClnr.html

jm1

ben62670 wrote: »

The only device I have found that is similar to my design costs $3,500 and does only one record at a time. It takes about 40 minutes for it to fully complete the cleaning cycle.

It has a five minute cycle time.

And it is fully automatic - just put the LP in the slot, push the button, and come back in 5 minutes for a thoroughly cleaned and dried LP (both sides).

ben62670

The 5 minute cycle time is just for the short clean cycle and not the drying cycle IIRC. The drying is via two fans, and I can't see them drying the album that fast by themselves. If that is true then my machine will need a shorter amount of time to complete the whole cycle.
Ben

jm1

Since you don't believe the manufacturer, this is from someone on Agon who has the unit.

last night my Audio Desk Systeme Vinyl cleaner, Lp cleaning machine arrived. i went down to the grocery store and purchased 2 gallons of distilled water. i poured one gallon into the machine, along with a small bottle of cleaning fluid....set-up complete.

i placed my first Lp into the top slot and pressed 'start'. 5 minutes later i had a perfectly clean, dry Lp.

ben62670

I did miss the 5 minute complete cleaning cycle on the manufactures page. I don't see how such a short cleaning cycle would be efficent. I have cleaned a bunch of circuit boards with my ultra sonic cleaner and it took about 10 minutes for just the cleaning cycle. If it takes less time then great. It is a pretty simple formula for watts/transducers/volume of cleaning soulution. On dirty records I would sugest a longer cleaning cycle. Also there is no mention of a rinse cycle. I would not consider the cleaning process done without a rinse cycle. I would rather estamate the cleaning to take longer and have it work quicker than the other way around.
Ben

jm1

Have you gone any further with this? Now that I am just about finished making the new (temp) TT plinth, I might purchase a 6 liter unit this weekend so I can start (manually turning for now) cleaning some LPs.

ben62670

I am still waiting on the tanks. You can get a 2rpm 1/4" shaft 12v motor from ebay pretty cheap. Keep in mind that only 1/4 of the surface area is in the solution at a time. Also reading studies from some studies done by some MIT students you don't want top stir/disturb the solution while the US cleaner is running. That is one of the reasons why I doubt the cleaning cycle time of the washer shown above. I have also looked into the 6ltr US cleaner as an option. I just wanted the moon shaped tanks to keep the volume of the solution down. I am sure that it will work just fine. I have read some guys have dried the albums in a dish washer rack with a regular fan blowing on them.
Keep me posted.
Ben

jm1

Yes, I am aware you don't want to disturb the fluid while cleaning. I will dry the surface on a VPI RCM using an ultra pure water rinse.

FYI: the "Vinyl Cleaner" also uses internal brushes during the cleaning process. Actual users confirm the five minute cycle results so I am not sure why you continue to be concerned about the unit's effectiveness.

ben62670

If the record is wet on both sides then you may be getting the VPI surface wet???
As for the 5 minute cycle I ask myself some basic questions.

A: If the record area is only 1/4 subemerged at a time you need to have the record basically go through a little more than 4 times the amount of cleaning time for just that small section of thorough record cleaning.
B: How long does it take for the fan drying cycle time to get the album completely dry to the point of being able to put the record back in the sleeve?

Also I am not going to be using brushes. I am also going to do more than one album at a time. I would rather be able to clean a bunch of albums with a longer cleaning cycle than have to keep swapping records. Set it and forget it and 10-12 records will be clean. No you won't have to clean that many at a time. Yes my 45minute total clean cycle is definetly on the high side. I also stated that I would rather have it work faster than work slower than my goal.

jm1

ben62670 wrote: »

If the record is wet on both sides then you may be getting the VPI surface wet???

I have a removable mat I use for the dirty side of a LP. You start with this in place while doing your business on the first side, then remove it and place the clean LP side on the permanent mat so you can complete your business on the second side.

jm1

As the TT is operational again, I ordered a 6 liter unit from Amazon for cleaning LPs and other stuff around the house. Results of others who have tried cleaning LPs using this method look promising.

ben62670

I'm still waiting on the custom tanks.