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I have a Numark PT-01USB turntable, which lately has been sounding strange.

When playing an LP on it, it sounds as if the LP rotates at uneven speed, so that the tone pitch varies with the rotation of the record.

A friend told me to check if the belt was worn or damaged, but I couldn't see anything wrong with it.

Is there anything I can do to correct this problem, or do I have to send it in for repair?

Vidar S. Ramdal
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    Unless you have a lot of experience with belt drives, you should just replace the belt. Possibly it has stretched or was damaged by high temps. Also make sure the belt is placed in the proper location on the motor spindle (this can be a problem since you are placing the belt under the platter). It is also possible the motor or motor drive is having problems. If you can find a stroboscopic disc you might be able to see a pattern to the speed change, which might help locate the problem. – user3169 May 09 '15 at 05:12

2 Answers2

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If it is the belt, the quick fix is to clean it in warm soapy water - washing up detergent, one without greasy 'kind to hands' additives is best.

Also make sure the drive & platter themselves are clean & free from dust & grease (not with water, though, unless they're removable, of course ;)

Check that the uneven speed is on all records. It's not unknown for the hole in a disk to actually be off-centre - you can see this in extreme cases by watching the tone arm actually moving in & out slightly as the record is playing.

Tetsujin
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This is likely the "bottom line" model, as it doesn't even have a calibration pad like the other models do. Repairs may end up costing more than the unit.

You can always try fixing the unit yourself. While this isn't for your model, you'll get the idea since it likely has similar parts.

Fixing Unstable Speed on Technics Turntable

Johnny Bones
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    The essential difference being that Technics turntables [inc this one] are almost always direct drive - so it wouldn't help for a slipping belt ;) – Tetsujin May 06 '15 at 14:10