Instruction manual KUZMA AIR LINE AIR BEARING TONEARM (on Stabi XL turntable) With silver filters 2010-4 Serial Number: ……….
KUZMA LTD INSTRUCTION MANUAL FOR AIR LINE tonearm The Air line tonearm is a very precisely engineered piece of equipment. However the construction is robust and requires minimal maintenance for optimal performance. Small ring CONTENTS: 1.0. General description 2.0. Unpacking 3.0. Setup description 4.0. Air supply Setup 5.0. Tonearm Setup 5.1. Basic Setup 5.3. Adjustment of tracking force 5.4. Adjustment of tangential geometry 5.5. Fine horizontal levelling 5.6. Adjustment of VTA 5.7.
1.0. General description: Main outer box contains two inner boxes. One box contains the compressor with oil, PVC double drain bottles and the second box contains the tonearm with all spare parts: Allen keys, armbase, geometry protractor and PVC tubing. Oil lubricated electric compressors, which are the quietest on the market supply the air. The compressor has a cylinder (head) where air is compressed and then is stored in a reservoir.
2.0. Unpacking: Compressor with “double drain bottle system.” 2.1. Compressor box: Open the box and lift up the compressor by the handle. It is a heavy item. Remove the plastic bag. Inside the box is the instruction manual for the compressor, a bottle with oil, and a plastic drainage bottle. In a small bag inside the compressor housing are the air filter and black PVC nozzle for pouring oil into the compressor. Remove the two pieces of cardboard wedged between compressor head and housing for transport.
3.0. Setup description: Do not slide the tonearm bearing unnecessarily without compressed air! Do not tilt the compressor while it contains oil! For transport check page 15! Do not rotate VTA knob when the lever is in the lock position! Check working cycle of the compressor! 3.1. Tonearm: Mount the armbase onto armboard. The dimension and position is the same as for Stogi tonearms but the main cutout hole is bigger. It is called the Kuzma cutout- that means that central hole has 40 mm in diameter.
If necessary the PVC tube can be cut to length with a sharp knife. Position the tube on a hard surface and cut down at 90 degrees. 4.0. Air supply Setup: 4.1. Compressor: Note: The working cycle of the compressor takes around 2 minutes building up pressure from 6 to 8 bars and then cooling down for 2 minutes (not working). It is necessary to monitor this cycle occasionally! Everything is set and checked by Kuzma Ltd.
At the front of the compressor is a pressure regulator with filters and pressure gauges and at the other end of compressor is the main cable and input air filter (oil refill). In the plastic bag inside the compressor’s housing is an air intake filter and nozzle for filling the oil. Remove the small plastic cap from the metal input tube at the head of compressor, which is on the same side as the mains cable.
Note: Every week or so this should be open for a few hours when the compressor is running! 4.2. Air tubes: Connect the PVC tubes in blue 'Quick fit' fittings. Keep the valve lever closed at the tone arm. There are two pieces of PVC air supply tubing. The shorter connects the air supply from the red filters to the tonearm and the longer connects the compressor to the red filters. On one end of the longer tube is a valve. This end should be connected to the input of red filters.
4.4. Air pressure Setup: Note: keep valves on air tube supply and tonearm in the closed position. All tubes must be connected. 4.4.1. Compressor ON: Plug the compressor into the mains and leave it permanently turned ON. The main switch is under the cover on the top. It has two positions. Be careful inside not to hurt your fingers, although there is no danger of electrical shock.
5.0. Tonearm Setup: Note: See also 4.4.3. On the tonearm remove the protective shaft cover and the security wire which has restricted movement of the arm bearing during transport. The tonearm is not balanced, as there is no extra weight on the headshell. When the air bearing is functioning, the counterweight will rotate the tube so that the headshell will go up. To avoid this, mount the cartridge in the headshell with stylus guard on. Open the valve.
In the unlocked position rotation of the counterweight is easy. To begin with, the tonearm should be balanced to zero tracking force. This is not easy to achieve due to the very low friction in the bearing. Heavy cartridges (above 15g): use a small counterweight which should be firmly screwed by hand at the end of the threaded rod for counterweight. Light cartridges (below 3 g): as an option a lighter counterweight is available.
Protractor – position from top Move the cartridge along the headshell to such a distance, that the tip of the diamond (needle) is on the line on the protractor, which goes from centre of record towards edge of record. This is the line where the tip of the diamond will be 'tangential' to all grooves on an LP. Using the cueing device, just lift the needle above the protractor for an mm or so. Move the tube along to see if the needle is travelling along this line.
Now you can start playing LPs. On a spinning record gently lower the needle into the first groove. When the needle touches the record it will move in and out a little before settling into the first groove. If it moves inside, skipping a few grooves or drops from the record, that means that the horizontality of the tonearm is not correct. If it jumps out towards the edge of the record, then the tonearm is tilted too much downwards towards the edge of the LP. You must raise that part of the turntable.
To make VTA adjustment easier, you can rotate the ring while holding the main knob to adjust the zero starting point on the knob. This knob can rotate a little even when the lever is in the lock position (the lever locks the support mechanism and not the knob itself). The lever, gently pushed into the lock position, gives rigidity to the VTA system due to its special construction. Fine adjustments, of only few 0.1mm, will make a big difference in sound on the same LP.
7.0. Damping: A damping system, consisting of a paddle, damping trough and silicone oil, can also be retrofitted on all Air Line tonearms. The paddle is fixed on to the threaded rod and the trough is fixed on to the blocking plate. With oil levels, paddle height, damping can be changed from zero to max. This is suitable for cartridges with high compliance. Note: Do not use the damping facility while levelling the tone arm! The tonearm will not move freely.
8.0. Zero Switching kit (optional): The function of the “zero switching kit” is to eliminate the noise of the compressor switching ON and OFF being heard through the speakers. Kit is available from us, consisting of switching box, which can be fitted in the compressor ONLY by a qualified electrician. 9.0. Maintenance: NOTE: Check our web site for frequently asked questions (FAQ) for some more answers.
Air bearing assembly and bearing shaft with cueing device-blocking plate removed. Protect the cartridge. Do not slide the bearing without compressed air. Allen key 4 mm will release the top screw of the blocking plate, which is at the end of the shaft. Slide it off. Then gently pull off the whole assembly (tube with blue bearing). Be careful as the wires are short, and put the assembly down on the platter.
10.0. Troubleshooting: NOTE: Check our web site for frequently asked questions (FAQ) for some more answers. See also appendix of this manual. 10.1.
10.5. Compressor does not start: Check the mains electricity. Compressor was overheated and overheating protection switches it off. Overheating protection needs replacing. 10.6. Compressor switching noise through the speakers: The compressor has the same effect as household refrigerators which generate noise when switching on or off. Some systems are more sensitive than others. If possible the compressor should be connected to a secondary electrical circuit then the audio system.
