Dual 1218 - Cartridge and Stylus Setup; Cartridge Installation; Stylus Care and Replacement; Tonearm Balancing and Stylus Force Adjustment

Technical notes
Cartridge (pick-up)
The following instructions apply only if your
automatic turntable was purchased without a
cartridge installed,
Fitment of the cartridge should be done by an
authorized Dual service dealer, with the excep-
tion of cartridges with Dual snap-in holder.
When fitting the cartridge, use the built-in
cartridge holder or another cartridge holder
(Dual TK 14, article No, 215 430).
Fig. 11
This model will accept any cartridge weighing
from 1 to 12 grams and having 1/2" spaced
mounting holes.
1. To install a cartridge, remove the car-
tridge holder from the tonearm by pres-
sing the grip toward the rear. Hold the
cartridge holder or it will fall out once
unlocked,
left channel L
Lieft ground
L right ground
right channel
Fig. 13
10
2. Fasten the cartridge with the help of the
fitting accessory supplied with the cartridge,
Be sure it is located correctly (Fig. 12).
3. The connections on the cartridge holder
and cartridge are marked (Fig. 13). Connect
the leads with the appropriate terminal pins
on the cartridge,
4, Re-insert the cartridge holder in the tone
arm head from underneath, and secure it
by moving the tonearm grip forward,
Stylus
The stylus is subject to wear during use.
We recommend that the diamond stylus should
be checked after playing about 300 hours,
Your authorized dealer will be glad to check
your stylus free of charge,
A worn out or damaged stylus chisels the mo
dulations in the grooves and damages the
record, Replace the worn out stylus with one
that exactly meets the cartridge’s specifica-
tions, Imitations will result in a loss in sound
quality and will increase the damage to your
records,
Please notice that the needle carrier with a
diamond stylus, due to size, is very sensitive
to shocks, vibrations or sudden impacts. In
order to have your stylus changed take the
complete cartridge (with stylus) and have it
done by your nearest authorized dealer.
Balancing the tonearm
The tonearm is balanced, first by sliding the
counterbalance, and then by rotating the
weight.
1. Set the stylus force dial to zero.
2. Unlock the tonearm, and lift it off the
rest.
Fig. 14
3. If the tonearm does not come to rest
perfectly horizontal, loosen set-screw (F)
and slide the counterbalance (with its shaft)
until you achieve an approximate balance.
Then tighten the set-screw again,
4. You can now get an exact balance by
turning the counterbalance,
The tonearm is precisely balanced when
edge “A” of the tonearm head and edge
"B" of the tonearm rest are at equal height
(Fig. 15) or when the tonearm returns by
itself to a horizontal position after the
chassis is tapped.
Precise balance is especially important with
cartridges that require a low stylus force.
The balancing operation need be done only
once, unless you install a different cartridge.
During the balancing of the tonearm the
operating switch must be in its neutral
position, so that the tonearm is disengaged
from the automatic mechanism, To be sure,
lóck the tonearm on the rest post, then
rotate the turntable by hand, clockwise, until
the operating lever returns to its neutral
position.
Setting stylus force
Once the tonearm is balanced, set the stylus
force by turning the stylus force dial, The
force is continuously adjustable from zero
to 5.5 grams with an accuracy of +0,1 gram.
The unit will function properly with as little
as 0.5 gram stylus force.
Fig. 16
Every cartridge has an optimum tracking
force, which provides the best reproduction.
For the best figure for your cartridge, consult
the information provided with it.
For factory-installed cartridges, you will find
all necessary details in a leaflet that accom:
panies these instructions,
Too low a stylus force produces distortion
in loud recorded passages. Too high a stylus
force can damage the stylus and record.
Anti-skating
To compensate for this skating force and
eliminate its effects, a very accurate coun-
terforce — accurate in both magnitude and
direction — must be applied to the tonearm,
The anit-skating system of your unit ful-
fills this requirement.