Ultrasonic Technical Discussion

Discussion in 'Vinyl Nutjob World: Turntable and Related Gear' started by Zampotech, Feb 16, 2022.

  1. Zampotech

    Zampotech Friend

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    Ultrasonic cleaning was discussed at the Russian forum. The conclusion is as follows: During cavitation, dirt and scratches are the same factor in the appearance of bubbles. Cavitation removes dirt equally well and destroys vinyl. The electrostatic method was recognized as the best non-destructive cleaning method.
     
  2. supertransformingdhruv

    supertransformingdhruv Almost "Made"

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    I've been super curious about ultrasonic cleaning, but the factors that have really kept me out are:
    1. Cost
    2. Inconvenience & general machine bulk
    3. Questions about destructiveness
    Humminguru seems to address 1 & 2 pretty well, and I'm glad to see it being discussed here. I've been curious about it since I saw it on Techmoan's youtube channel a few weeks ago but I think it was already sold out at that time.

    One thing that's really different about the Degritter is that it cleans at 120 kHz. The humminguru (and most other conventional ultrasonic cleaners) use 40 kHz transducers, while the Isosonic (according to the card their rep at CAF handed me) uses 35 kHz transducers. I was under the impression that higher frequencies were correlated with less material loss (see below), but I've also heard people say material loss at 40 kHz is comparable to material loss from a brushing or microfiber cleaning method.

    Material loss vs. transducer freq (for a different material, but the trend might apply?):
    [​IMG]
    (Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1350417710000854)

    What do you mean by the electrostatic method? Is this spray & microfiber and/or a zerostat gun? Or is there a different method you're referring to? Sorry if this is an obvious question.
     
  3. Zampotech

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    To determine the magnitude of the destruction, you probably need to do an experiment. Take unnecessary dirty vinyl, drill two small holes at a small distance from each other. Take a picture with a USB microscope of the vinyl section between the holes in three cases, before cleaning, after the first cleaning and, for example, after the third cleaning. Then compare the photos

    Above the vinyl disc there is a needle with a high voltage connected to it. The disk rotates, the needle slowly approached the disk. It is necessary to achieve such a distance that there is no electrical breakdown between the disk and the needle. Electrostatic forces will pull all the dirt out of the vinyl grooves.

    PS: On the Russian forum, I read the history of caries treatment with ultrasound. In the 70s, carious cavities in the teeth began to be cleaned by cavitation. The cavities were cleaned painlessly and very clean. Everything was fine until the cured teeth began to crack and collapse in patients a few years later.
     
    Last edited: Feb 17, 2022
  4. mitochondrium

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    Being a cheap bastard I got a kit from Poland which includes a motor, axle, spacers and brackets to fit a standardised ultrasonic cleaner (Chinese make) and it works a treat. Did I already mention I am a cheap bastard? I filter the cleaning liquid at least once or twice in order to reuse it. I use a white filter. Most of the stuff found in the filter is dust and dirt. There is some small black particles (PVC). Given the amount of those black particles (more with new vinyl) I suppose my LPs will outlast me by some margin. If I had any doubt about this, I would not spend money on improving my record cleaning facility but rather buy more liquor which would also help rebalance the lifetime expectancy of myself and the vinyl I own.

    Cheers
     

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