A few days ago I had a discussion with Lathe Trolls member grooveguy. During the course of our exchanges I mentioned some "Vintage" Thorens Pick-Ups I had purchased, having read somwhere (Don't Ask Me Where, I Just Can't Remember!!) that essentially they are of the same Construction as A "Cutterhead" On one of the Covers of said Thorens Components they are described as "Graveur" meaning Engraver (Cutterhead) or "Lecteur" meaning Reader (Pick-Up) What I also mentioned to grooveguy is that I'd not to date, done anything with these items. Well today that changed, my Curiosity got the Better of Me, and I went and Dug One of Them Out. I've now had a Cursory Play-Around with one of them (The Thorens D200) though I've not as yet Removed the Cover to give the Internals a Visual Inspection. Sometime ago I bought a Poltz Freres Lathe which had a Pierre Clement Cutterhead with it. This Pierre Clement Cutterhead has an "Unusual" DC Resistance of 23 Ohms, making it neither a "Standard" 8 Ohms ish! Cutterhead, or of the 500++ Ohms High Impedance Variety. I subsequently Hand-Wound a Transformer to Drive the Pierre Clement Cutterhead, this one :- I made the Primary Winding 8 Ohms ish, and the Secondary Winding 23 Ohms ish figuring the "Turns Ratio" would take care of itself and end up about 3:1 and Just about Right to Drive the Pierre Clement Cutterhead from a "Standard" Amplifier. Now back to today, I measured the DC Resistance of the Thorens D200 and found it to be around 200 Ohms. With a Resistance that High, I felt there was no chance of getting a Meaningful Level of Audio Signal through it, from a "Standard Amplifier" for "Testing Purposes" but felt its Resistance was Too Low to Warrant Maybe Trying to "Drive" the Pick-Up with one of my 100 Volt Line Transformers either. What I did Try However, is Driving the Pick-Up as a Cutterhead, from the "Custom Made" Transformer I'd made for the Pierre Clement Head :- Well now, as the Old Saying Goes "What Can't Speak Can't Lie" I've done my usual "Trick" of Mounting a "Dummy Stylus" then Pressing the Stylus Onto the Resonant Chassis of My Gas Fire. Once Again Appologies for the "Dire Quality" of My Video's, when She's next home from Uni, I must get the Daughter to Show me How to use my "Touch-Screen" Camera Phone!! With a Small Flashlight Gripped between my Teeth, my Basic Camera Phone in One Hand, the Thorens "Cutterhead" in my Other Hand (Please Trolls Just Don't Ask what I Pressed the Pause/Play Button of my Stereo With Te He!!!
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Regards
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