Miniot Black Wheel Striking Upside Down Turntable Gets User Manual
- June 13, 2024
- Miniot
Table of Contents
Miniot Black Wheel Striking Upside Down Turntable Gets User Manual
Product Using Instruction
Congratulations
on your Black Wheel!
Each Black Wheel is hand built in Schengen, Noord-Holland.
All parts are of our own design, and nearly all of these parts are hand made
in our lab in Schagen,
Noord-Holland.
The Miniot team
Black Wheel Handmade in Holland
Black Wheel is a turntable upside down. All precision technology is below the
record, shielded from dust or mishaps.
Unlike other turntables, Black Wheel rotates counter clockwise, and plays the
opposite side (the side facing down) of your record. Because of its unique
construction, Black Wheel can be used horizontally and vertically. Black Wheel
is operated by the exceptional slide track system.
We’ve gone to great lengths to build Black Wheel to the best of our ability, using the finest materials and components, to give you many years of enjoyment.
Black Wheel is precisely calibrated during assembly. No adjustments are needed.
Please read this manual carefully to ensure you understand all the features and functions of Black Wheel . Enjoy!
Precautions
- Turntables, tonearms and cartridges are delicate, so please take extreme care when moving, setting-up and using them.
- Do not use Black Wheel near sources of heat, or liquids. Don’t expose Black Wheel to moisture. Ensure ventilation around Wheel, at least 10 cm in all directions.
- Do not open Black Wheel’s enclosure or force objects into its openings. Never drop small parts into Black Wheel’s openings.
- Place Black Wheel on a fixed level surface where it will not fall or trip. Don’t place Black Wheel on surfaces like carpet or fabric.
- Black Wheel should only be used in mild climates between 5 °C (41 °F) and 35 °C (95 °F). Avoid direct sunlight to keep your records and Black Wheel healthy.
- Keep packaging material and small pieces out of reach of small children.
- Unplug the power supply if Black Wheel is not used for extended periods of time.
- Only clean Black Wheel with a microfibre cloth (lightly damp if necessary). If the wooden parts of Black Wheel lose their luster over time, a drop of furniture oil makes it look like new.
- If Black Wheel performs erratically or emits smoke or odour, disconnect from the power supply and contact us at service@miniot.com.
- Black Wheel and it’s cartridge (excluding stylus) are warranted against all manufacturing defects. This warranty does not cover wear, tear and shipping costs.
- Any modifications or failure to follow recommended guidelines may void the warranty.
- If Black Wheel needs to be returned for repair or inspection, the original packaging must be used to preserve your warranty.
Unpacking
Black Wheel is shipped in a square brown protective box. This box encloses a smaller white box. This box contains:
-
* Black Wheel’s trademark transparent record- Black magnetic puck/single adapter
- Wooden stylus cleaning brush
- 2 meter power cable
- 5V DC usb power supply
- User’s manual
- Black Wheel
- Two legged stand and screwdriver
Black Wheel is securely enclosed by foam. A red clip at the bottom locks the arm in position during transport. After removal of the red clip, Black Wheel is ready to use.
NOTE: PLEASE GIVE YOUR BLACK WHEEL A FEW HOURS TO ACCOMMODATE TO YOUR ENVIRONMENT BEFORE YOU START USING IT.
After unpacking, store the box for future use and safe transport if needed.
Black Wheel placement
By nature, turntables are designed to make sound from even the smallest vibrations. This means that they are also very good at picking up vibrations you don’t want to hear.
To minimize this, Black Wheel is built with a carefully tuned combination of mass, stiffness, magnets and isolation. All of this helps, but it’s still important that Black Wheel is placed or mounted on a rigid, sturdy surface, away from loudspeakers or amplifiers.
Do not leave Black Wheel exposed to heat and direct sunlight, this may affect the cosmetic finish over time, and could cause warping of records on Wheel. Because of its construction and built-in sensor, Black Wheel can be used in three orientations: on a table, on the wall, and on a stand.
- If you use Black Wheel horizontally, or flat, place it on a sturdy, vibration free table.
- Black Wheel can be mounted on a stand or hung on a wall. Concrete or brick walls are are better than box walls.
Mounting the stand
First, remove the short screws from Black
Wheels rear (4) with the supplied screwdriver (1). Attach the plate (5) to
Black
Wheel: Slide the tubes (2) into the openings at the bottom of Black
Wheel’s plinth. Hold the plate with the rubber towards you and align the
countersunk holes (6) over the tubes. Use the long screws (3) to mount the
plate to the base.
Wall mount
Black Wheel can be hung directly on a wall with a single screw. The two
keyholes in the bottom plate are spaced at 80 mm. The plate (5) can be used as
a wall adapter by placing screws (4) into holes (7).
Vinyl rules
Vinyl records can be vulnerable by todays standards. A few basic rules keep your records in perfect shape.
- Always handle the record by its edges, touching only the label. Never touch grooves of the records.
- Buckle the record jacket when removing or replacing the record by pressing the jacket against you. This will help prevent scratches.
- Before playing the record, wipe it slightly with a designated record cleaning brush. This helps to remove the static dust which collects on the record.
- Always place a record back into its sleeve after you’re done playing. Don’t drop your record into its sleeve, always slide it in gently.
- Vinyl records need to be stored in an upright position to keep them in good condition. Stacked or slanted records can warp over time.
Black Wheel connections
- USB Type C 5 V connector
- 3,5 mm Mini-Jack
To connect Black Wheel to an amplifier, use an RCA/Mini-Jack cable
Ports
Black Wheel has a simplified port setup mounted in the base.
If used horizontally, the connectors point away from you, if used upright, the
connectors point downward.
Power
Black Wheel comes with its own 5V DC
power supply. It adapts to the AC voltage in your country (EU, UK, US and AU)
and connects between your wall plug and the Power port on Black Wheel’s rear
panel.
Ground
Because Black Wheel has a high end phono stage built right into the tonearm,
it delivers a RIAA corrected linear preamplified signal to its 3,5 mm port.
A separate ground wire is not needed.
3,5 mm Mini-Jack port
Black Wheel has a single 3,5 mm MiniJack audio port and can be connected
directly to an amplifier with ‘aux’ or ‘line’ input, to wired headphones, and
to wired active loudspeakers.
Most amplifiers use RCA or cinch inputs. To connect Black Wheel, use a 3,5 mm Mini-Jack to RCA cable.
Wireless
To use Black Wheel with wireless equipment, a wireless transmitter can be
connected to the 3,5 mm port.
IF BLACK WHEEL IS CONNECTED TO AN AMPLIFIER, ALWAYS USE ITS AUX OR LINE
INPUTS. CONNECTING BLACK WHEEL TO AN AMPLIFIER’S PHONO INPUT MAY RESULT IN
DISTORTED SOUND OR DAMAGE TO YOUR EQUIPMENT.
start button : action, display
short press : play ï / pause ï ï
long press : stops record, arm to home position
press & hold : repeat mode ï ï ï
double press : purist mode ï ï ï
forward button
short press next track
long press jogs forward
backward button
short press : previous track
long press : jogs backwards
settings button (without record)
short press toggle : auto rpm ïïï
33 rpm ïïï ïïï ïïï
45 rpm ïïï ïïï ïïï ïïï
press & hold (5 sec) : stylus cleaning mode
slide track volume slider
in pause mode ****jog
in stylus mode stylus pressure setting
each block ïïï of leds is 0,5 gram
IMPORTANT:
BLACK WHEEL’S TONEARM SITS BELOW THE RECORD.
IT PLAYS THE SIDE FACING DOWN.
BLACK WHEEL ALWAYS TURNS COUNTERCLOCKWISE.
Using Black Wheel
Starting Black Wheel
Black Wheel doesn’t have a power switch. After connecting the power supply,
the display briefly lights up. If the display is off, Black Wheel is ready to
use. If Black Wheel is idle for 30 seconds, it automatically switches off. Any
action turns it on again.
Speed – By default, Black Wheel automatically selects 33,3 rpm for 12 and 10 inch records, and 45 rpm for 7 inch records. You can manually select 33,3 or 45 rpm by toggling the settings button. If one block of leds is diplayed, automatic speed is selected. Three blocks is 33,3 rpm and four blocks is 45 rpm.
Placing a record on Black Wheel
Just put a record on Black Wheel and press play or swing the record to play.
IF BLACK WHEEL IS USED UPRIGHT ON THE STAND, OR ON THE WALL, USE THE MAGNETIC PUCK TO PREVENT THE RECORD FROM FALLING OFF.
Operation
Black Wheel is operated with the slide track and three buttons underneath it.
All actions are confirmed by the led display.
Here’s an overview of the functions.
Start – Just put on a record and press the start button to start playing. Pressing the button again pauses the record.
Stop – When a record is playing, a long press lifts and moves the arm to its home position. The record stops spinning.
Swing to play – Black Wheel also starts playing if you swing the record counterclockwise.
**Pause and resume –** Pressing the start button when a record is playing pauses Black Wheel. The stylus is taken off the record but stays in position. The record keeps spinning and the the display shows a pause sign (two leds). Another short press resumes playing.
Next or previous track – When a record is playing, pressing the forward or backward button once moves the arm to the next or previous track. Pressing the buttons more times let you skip a track.
Jogging with the slide track When a record is playing, press the start button to pause the record. Moving the slide track let you easily navigate the entire side of the record. The dispay shows precisely where you are. By pressing the start button again, you can land the stylus and start playing where you want it.
NOTE: TRACK SELECTION MIGHT NOT BE ACCURATE ON COLOURED OR TRANSPARENT RECORDS, OR RECORDS WITH VERY NARROW TRACKS. YOU CAN ALWAYS USE THE SLIDE TRACK FOR ACCURATE POSITIONING.
Repeat mode – Press and hold the start button ****sets Black Wheel in repeat mode. It end lessy plays one side of the record until you stop it. In repeat mode, the stylus position is displayed as three leds.
Output volume – The slide track can be used as volume control by sliding to the right (louder) or to the left (quieter).
Service mode – Over time, the stylus picks up dust from the record grooves. This affects audio quality. To clean the stylus, remove the record, press ****for 5 seconds until the tonearm comes out. Carefully clean the stylus with the included brush. After cleaning, any button action parks the arm in it’s home position.
Stylus pressure – Black Wheel’s automatic tracking system controls groove contact with much more precision than conventional balanced systems do.
Almost all records will play flawlessly with the factory stylus pressure of
2,1 gram. Moving the slide track in service mode **(arm out) allows you to
set stylus pressure between 0,5 and 4 gram. Each displayed led block
represents 0,5 gram.
If Wheel has been idle for 30 seconds, stylus pressure is reset to default.
Purist Mode –** In rare occasions, if a record is severely out of balance or
alignment, or if the lead-in groove is too short, processing isn’t finished
when the music starts playing. In Purist Mode, Black Wheel first plays a few
seconds of your record silently. When all relevant data is processed, the
stylus is moved to the lead-in groove again and audio starts. Depending on the
severity of misalignment and imbalance, this takes up to 10-15 seconds. Purist
mode is activated per record by double clicking the start ♦ button. The stylus
position is displayed as two blinking leds. button.
PLEASE NOTE: PURIST MODE IS ONLY MEANT FOR RECORDS WITH AUDIBLE DEFICIENCIES. NORMALLY, YOU CAN LEAVE PURIST MODE OFF.
Constant Groove Speed
Constant Groove Speed is what sets Black Wheel apart. All variables of the
drive systems are analyzed: alignment, weight, balance, position, etc. These
values are used to calculate a constant 33,3 or 45 rpm only where the stylus
tip touches the groove. Motor speeds are recalculated every millisecond. Once
the record starts spinning, a compensation profile is being made, and a self
learning algorithm continuously optimizes speed on the fly.
Black Wheel specifications *
Black Wheel dimensions
Wheel base Ø x H : 330 x 42,7 mm
Center stick Ø x H : 7,2 x 24,5 mm
Total Weight : 3300 gram
Audio Technical AT-VM95 Nude Shibata
Type : Moving magnet, dual magnet cartridge
Frequency Response : 20 – 25,000 Hz
Channel Separation : 23 dB (1 kHz)
Vertical tracking angle : 23°
Tracking force : 1.8 to 2.2gram horizontal/vertical setup
Stylus : 2.7 x 0.26 mil Shibata
Stylus Construction : Nude Square Shank
Cartridge is factory fitted to the tonearm : Not user replaceable
Replacement Stylus : AT-VMN95SH/User replaceable
Phono preamplifier Built into tonearm
RIAA accuracy : +/-0.18dB @20Hz – 20kHz
Audio output
3,5 mm stereo jack
for Headphones, or Hi-Fi amplifier’s line input,
not suitable for Phono inputs
Minimum Load Impedance
12.8 Ω
Output Power
138 mW per channel,
drives every modern headphone
Harmonic Distortion
0.0045% @1kHz (Typical)
Miniot Linear tonearm
Electromagnetic stylus pressure
Closed loop position control
Tangential tracking
Servo controlled stylus tracking
Drive system
Self learning closed-loop speed control,
speed 33,3 and 45 rpm
Power
Power supply 100-240V AC – 5V 2A
Plug type is based on country or user preference
- All product specifications and data are subject to changes without notice.
Black Wheel Instruction video
Black Wheel by Miniot
Handmade in Holland
Miniot bv – Laan 22 – 1741 EB Schagen – the Netherlands
www.miniot.com – wheel@miniot.com
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Read User Manual Online (PDF format) >>