National Panasonic SL-18

Hey everybody! I just joined. Need some advice for this turntable i bought. National Panasonic SL-18. The problem is, it's playing too slow. The pitch of the music is half a step lower (half a tone) than it should be. It's not my only turntable, i grabbed it cheap so i could play vinyl in both rooms. Apparently this turntable was unused when i bought it and it looks it. But yeh, i have a speed problem with it. So, is this model adjustable at all? I know of some local turntable specialists which i am going to visit soon but i thought in the meantime, i would ask for some advice online.

July 17, 2006 - 4:38am

Jeff Wong

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Re: National Panasonic SL-18

Welcome to the forum. I'm unfamiliar with this turntable and may be of little help. I did a quick search of Google and didn't find it. This may be an obvious question, but, does it have a pitch control? Do you have pictures of it?

July 17, 2006 - 6:14pm

Morg

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Re: National Panasonic SL-18

Nah, there's no pitch control. I think it's a seventies turntable. I did find a pic of one, but in black. Or, it's just how the photo came out:
http://www.abc-annons.se/viewad.php?idnr...rt=&soktxt=

I just found a shop from the south of England that apparently has a manual for this model of turntable. I just emailed them asking them for price. It might help if it's not really expensive.

July 17, 2006 - 8:23pm

Monty

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Re: National Panasonic SL-18

Maybe it just needs a good cleaning and relube.

July 17, 2006 - 8:27pm

Jeff Wong

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Re: National Panasonic SL-18

I took a look at the link. The mention of a servo controller suggests this may be a direct drive turntable... I wonder if your motor is dying or if the lubrication has thickened from being inactive for so long. Maybe it just needs to heat up or be relubricated?

July 17, 2006 - 8:29pm

Morg

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Re: National Panasonic SL-18

I was told it was unused from the seller. Also came with an amp also in mint condition. Both the turntable and amp are National Panasonic. And it's got a belt but it does say on the turntable: F.G. Servo Player.

July 17, 2006 - 8:45pm

Jeff Wong

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Re: National Panasonic SL-18

I wonder if there's a potentiometer on the motor that would allow you to adjust the speed. It might be something as simple as a set screw on the motor itself.

July 18, 2006 - 7:34pm

Lamont Sanford

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Re: National Panasonic SL-18

National Panasonic is actually Matsushita Electric. http://national.jp/

Name change later to Panasonic as well as Technics.

Also, may be a belt drive

http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/vinyl/messages/249165.html

It's probably well made. Just needs lube and so forth as already suggested. Pull the platter off and see if it is belt or direct drive. ca. 1976

July 18, 2006 - 9:22pm

Jeff Wong

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Re: National Panasonic SL-18

Morg has already stated it has a belt.

July 19, 2006 - 6:46am

#10

Lamont Sanford

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Re: National Panasonic SL-18

I don't have an edit button for that post.

April 3, 2007 - 1:30am

#11

Morg

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Re: National Panasonic SL-18

Well it's been over 6 months and this SL-18 is still fucked. Some guy even saw my thread on here and emailed me asking me about the turntable, and that they would mail me photocopies of the manual, but i haven't heard from him again, ah well.
Anyway, my friend thinks the variable resistors we have been adjusting on one of the boards are something to do with the servos. The rotations are even slower now than before and not even on 45 rpm can i get an lp to spin at the correct speed. It's still way slow! And it's horrendous on 33 rpm.
I've been searching on google for things like 'National Panasonic SL-18' as usual and 'turntable servos' and 'repairing turntable servos' all with no luck. I feel i should give up on this one cos i probably need a whole new servo board.
I won't really be able to buy a new turntable until September either. What do you all think?

April 3, 2007 - 3:54am

#12

CECE

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Joined: Sep 17 2005 - 8:16am

Re: National Panasonic SL-18

Place in N.J. sells and might fix your's. www.kabusa.com He can't clean up your use of the F terminology though. That is a technical term, I gather? Even with his many processors.

April 3, 2007 - 6:12pm

#13

Morg

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New Developments...

So i've been talking to a friend about this turntable, and he suggested cleaning the belt. And to my surprise, i cleaned the belt, dried it, and when i put it back on, the speed changed drastically! Both 33 and 45 rpm were rotating visually at speeds i'd expect. But there was still a problem...the 33 speed was now TOO FAST. Half a tone HIGHER than the music should be. I've been testing it with War Pigs by Black Sabbath, so instead of the opening sequence being in the key of E, it was playing in F. I've had this problem before, but only from adjusting these variable resistors i have mentioned. It's always too slow or too fast, i can't get it CORRECT. But i'm still amazed just cleaning the belt changed the speed a great deal. Any thoughts anyone?

April 4, 2007 - 3:37am

#14

CECE

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Re: New Developments...

Yeah, put better music on it, it will work better. Does it matter how off speed anything from Black Sabbath is anyway?

April 7, 2007 - 8:50am

#15

Lamont Sanford

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Joined: Mar 31 2006 - 8:32pm

Re: New Developments...

Quote:
So i've been talking to a friend about this turntable, and he suggested cleaning the belt. And to my surprise, i cleaned the belt, dried it, and when i put it back on, the speed changed drastically! Both 33 and 45 rpm were rotating visually at speeds i'd expect. But there was still a problem...the 33 speed was now TOO FAST. Half a tone HIGHER than the music should be. I've been testing it with War Pigs by Black Sabbath, so instead of the opening sequence being in the key of E, it was playing in F. I've had this problem before, but only from adjusting these variable resistors i have mentioned. It's always too slow or too fast, i can't get it CORRECT. But i'm still amazed just cleaning the belt changed the speed a great deal. Any thoughts anyone?

Replace the belt with a new one.

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