Cold affecting TT belt?

Apparently rubber gets softer when its cold so yes, it seems that the weather could theoretically be affecting the speed of the turntable: http://www.physlink.com/education/askexperts/ae573.cfm

You would think that rubber stretches out when hot but its actually the opposite.

 

Prashant, what you need is tubes to heat the room

 

Not quite true per se... but I'm just going to link to the wiki article for the sake of brevity (*ahem* laziness): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_elasticity

 

If you're interested, we could do a bit of an experiment to see if there's a measurable difference. You could borrow my calibration record and see if there is a speed shift with the feickert platterspeed app depending on temp.

I think I've seen Harry from VPI say that records found best in the 70 degree range, maybe there's actually some truth to it.

 

Many, many things shrink in the cold.

 

Hot or cold, hard or soft, moist or....

How would it change the speed?

The problem with a belt would be slipping. I'm not an engineer, but my theory is that if you have a turntable belt that slips because of belt problems, the speed is most unlikely to be consistent, and the results would, therefore, be much nastier than a slight change of speed.

@sphinxvc, do you have one of those speed checking disks that with marks that appear to stand still under electric light (made for 60/50Hz depending on country)? I'm not saying that you don't have a fantastic sense of pitch and can't tell by listening, but something else is required to test/set the correct speed of a turntable.

Having digitised myself, it's years since I paid much attention to that stuff, but I have a feeling that, unless you are also blessed with a special purpose-made strobe, those pattern disks need to be used with an old-fashioned incandescent light bulb, as flourescent/cfl/led lighting pulses according to its own electronics, rather than the mains supply.

Comments on whatever I have got wrong are welcome

 

I'm puzzled by the temperature change - speed fluctuation stuff. I have played records prior to having air conditioning and in a place with a very poor heating system. Every time I had speed issues was due to a worn out belt (or needing talcum powder on the VPI belt).

Maybe it will turn out to be something that I just never experienced.

Edit: Nearly simultaneous posts with Thad.

 

I'm a bit doubtful of the temperature affecting the belt that much. In the grand scheme of things, "room temperature" is pretty well controlled in the industrialized world (where turntables are presumably more likely to be used). If you were using your turntable outside at -40 C, then I'd say the temperature definitely could be a cause, but inside in 15-30 C, not likely.
What I bet is happening is that the belt has become stiff over time so it's slipping a bit. Time for a new one. Another culprit could be a failing bearing. An older B&O turntable I had many moons ago had a dried out motor bearing that caused added friction as it heated up (from the friction of the rotor axle). I never found a good solution for that.

Tom

 

If anything is changing because of really cold temps it's the grease on the bearing and spindle shaft, which could cause resistance which could make the belt slip a bit. I guess...

 

I thought that was a good idea. Then I began to think about putting the stylus down wearing my really-really-really-cold weather gloves. Would anyone even use a turntable at grease-thickening temperatures? (Or are they higher than I think?)

 

Well, I live in Ohio where it gets to single digit temps and for about 7 years I never turned on my heat. I had ice form in a pot I had in the sink once. And headphones make good ear warmers.