Number of Ball Bearings in a VV2-55 Arm Race?

[Lah Ca]

And you were able to get those back brackets separated from the tonearms without incident?

Yes.

[AmberolaAndy]

On the subject of 2-55 tonearm posts. Since I’m kinda in the same situation as OP is now, I noticed the 3D printed replacement doesn’t have holes where the rivets would have gone…

Do I just glue that part to the base or just leave
It alone?

BTW what size screws do I need to put the auto stop on the tonearm?

[Lah Ca]

On the subject of 2-55 tonearm posts. Since I’m kinda in the same situation as OP is now, I noticed the 3D printed replacement doesn’t have holes where the rivets would have gone…

Do I just glue that part to the base or just leave
It alone?

I would not glue anything.

My best guess here would be as follows ...

In one sense, those holes are probably not really necessary, or so I suspect. The two screws or rivets that hold the ball race cup and the arm support bracket together are probably only there to ease manufacturing assembly. With them in place, the arm can be assembled as a unit. That unit can then be installed quickly on the motor board. The rivets on one of my machines were not particularly robust. The screws on the other machine were quite a bit stronger.

So if you assemble the ball bearings, spacer, and grease in the ball race cup and align the cup with the mounting holes on the motor board, you can then fit the assembled arm and support bracket into the cup and then screw everything down to the motor board. The three screws that affix everything to the motor board are the strongest components holding everything together.

However, if the two smaller holes where the screws/rivets would have gone are threaded (or if you want to thread them), you could assemble the cup and bracket, aligning everything properly and then drill the holes up through the 3D printed bracket. You could them assemble everything (cup, spacer, bearings, grease, arm, bracket) which would make installation in the motor board somewhat easier.

BTW what size screws do I need to put the auto stop on the tonearm?

I do not know the size of mine. They are quite small. The threaded length of the screws is only about ⅜" long. They are self tapping metal screws. They are slot headed. They are gold plated. I think they are a bit too small to be used in the rivet holes on my other arm which had rivets.

My further guess ....

So any small, short, slot headed, self tapping screw that fits easily (not too big, not too small) would probably work. You can spray or Rub-n-Buff the heads before you put them in. You could also try phono cartridge headshell screws, plastic washers, and nuts. You could get needle nose pliers up into the arm to install the washers and nuts. A bit ot locktite or nail polish could help keep the nut secure.

[AmberolaAndy]

Well I successfully sanded off the rivet holding the auto stop mech on my parts tonearm, now all I gotta do is wait for the second 2-55 to show up and I can do some case/motor/hardware swapping with both to make a good working 2-55! (Hopefully the lid catch and record holder stay intact with this one)

This is the second machine ill be Frankensteining with the other VV 2-55 with.

Looking at the photos, the turntable and speed control will be swapped from the other machine to this one.

[AmberolaAndy]

Well I got the auto brake mechanism on... Not the neatest job and I'm not sure it's gonna hold. But I will find out.

[AmberolaAndy]

Ok, I got the second machine and I was able to transfer hardware from machine #1 to machine #2. Including the turntable, speed indicator, Tonearm rest, crank, which was in better condition on machine #1 than machine #2. Plus, I installed the tonearm and 3d printed support.

Now. I also wanted to transfer the motor and bottom from machine #1 to machine #2 BUT there are two stubborn screws holding on for dear life on the case. So until I get those out I’ll settle for the filthier motor.

The stop mechanism on the tonearm doesn’t completely auto stop on a record but it shuts off when I move the arm.

I need to get a better C-clip because sometimes when I stop the turntable the motor still wants to spin under the turntable so I hear THUMP THUMP THUMP!

And of course, I need to send out my orthophonic soundbox out for a rebuild because it needs it bad!

At least I now got the machine I SHOULD’VE GOT 7 YEARS AGO!

Here’s the before and after pics

[AmberolaAndy]

Ok here’s the video of it playing. I used a record in good condition.

[YouTube]https://youtu.be/5kY1UaRQRSU?si=C8kG6A8Eay5fQQnh[/YouTube]

[Lah Ca]

I'm not sure it's gonna hold.

Take the arm unit off again and get some nail polish or a small bottle of model painting enamel. Put a small drop of the polish or paint on the screws where they protrude inside the arm tube. It will help fix them in place so they won't easily work loose.

[Lah Ca]

Ok here’s the video of it playing. I used a record in good condition.

[YouTube]https://youtu.be/5kY1UaRQRSU?si=C8kG6A8Eay5fQQnh[/YouTube]

Nice!

[MarkELynch]

Well I got the auto brake mechanism on... Not the neatest job and I'm not sure it's gonna hold. But I will find out.

While the Phillips drive screws are functional and will certainly do the job, bear in mind that that Phillips screws did not come into general use until the 1940’s so they are a bit out of place on your 1928 machine.

Mark