Introduction: Analog Record Player Amp
This Instructable is an amplifier that can be used for any record. I recommend 78s though because those have the deepest grooves.
I ASSUME NO LIABILITY OF ANY AND ALL DAMAGE TO RECORD TURNTABLE OR NEEDLE
This is an experimental project so please fool around with different cup sizes, materials, and numbers.
Step 1: Materials
These are the materials you will need.
1. a nail
2. pliers (optional)
3. a plastic cup
4. duct tape
5. thin gauge copper wire(about 3 inches long)
Step 2: Make the Hole
Step 3: Put the Wire In
Step 4: Seal in the Wire
Step 5: Tape the Two Cups Together
Step 6: Using Your Amp
Using the amp is simple. Put the wire on the record so that the wire is in the groove. Or just watch the movie.
Step 7: Song
The song in an AIFF format.
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13 Comments
9 years ago on Introduction
Hey guys... just wanted to remind you that THIS WILL RUIN YOUR RECORDS. Only do this with records which you don't care for at all. Especially with 45s and 33s, playing the groove with random sharp objects will irreversibly damage the groove, wearing away the plastic, re-shaping the groove and the like.
On that same note, it is essential to clean a record and only play it with a non-worn out stylus and the proper amount of tracking force.
That being said, I think acoustic playback of records is fascinating. It's cool to see this tiny groove turned into sound with a cup and needle.
Reply 9 years ago on Introduction
Which is why I only recommend doing this with 78s.
11 years ago on Introduction
I did this with a piece of paper, a safety pin and some scotch tape. I used it when my needle broke.
11 years ago on Introduction
I did this in my tech class last trimester, my teacher thought I was really weird... I used a piece of balsa wood with a needle through it, and then taped it to then end of a plastic tube. I also found some sort of spinning wheel that looked like a seismograph, and bolted the record to it, it actually worked pretty well. The only problem was that you had to turn the record by hand, so the speed wasn't constant, it sounded like a choir of chipmunks half the time, and the other half like deamons :P. What you've got here looks pretty good, the wire is less damaging than the needle I used.
11 years ago on Introduction
I've done this with a paper horn and a sewing needle. Kinda like the old phonographs. Also, I like your record player, it looks like the first one I had.
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
Hmmm, Mine Is a record changer, It is made by G.E. and is in the diamond stylus series.
12 years ago on Introduction
You need to show how to use the "amp", and maybe include a recording or video of it in use.
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
Sorry but I was planning of putting in an embedded video but I can't. I will post a downloadable version
Reply 12 years ago on Introduction
Haha - you out to post an mp3 of just the music!
That is so bizarre.
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
How do you do that, I can't post files/
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
Use the image library - go through the steps as if you are uploading a photo, but select the file you want instead. I have uploaded BMPs, PDFs, Word, and Corel files.
Reply 11 years ago on Introduction
Thank you.
12 years ago on Introduction
I think you're trying to do something like I did years ago: pushing a steel (sewing-type) pin through a thin strip of Balsa wood, and gently resting it on the LP. It can work but it knackered at least one track on Adam & The Ants' Kings of the Wild Frontier... L