HELP! the needle doesn't want to stay on the record

[perplexed]

I seem to of done everything right...
My point to getting this system is to transfer LPs onto CDs via the computer.

But when I pick up the arm and set the needle on the record the song will play and be recorded....

for about 5-7 seconds then the needle picks itself up off the record and sets itself back on the arm rest.

I guess it's not interested in playing records.

What am I missing here?

I can stop and play back the recording and it sounds great. But all of only 5-7 seconds of it.

HELP!!!

[kozikowski]

My sister's turntable does that, but it does it at the end of the record, when it's done playing.

Do you still have the instructions for your turntable? Is it your turntable and when was the last time you used it?

There are turntable systems out there that will not play a record unless you let them start it by themselves. If you try to manually place the needle, it will reject the playback and fail. I remember I had a changer that did that.

Changer!!! [gasp].

Please tell me you're not using an auto-changer.

Koz

[perplexed]

It's a USB turntable and it's the first time I've ever used it. Or...tried to.

It's a VinylWriter USB Recordable Turntable

It's got a play, stop and pause buttons but they don't work. I press em and nothing happens.

The instructions say to place the needle on the song you want, so that's what I do and in 5 seconds, the needle says no and puts itself back on the handle.

Any ideas?

[kozikowski]

<<<VinylWriter USB Recordable Turntable>>>

Words that have been struggling to pass my lips: what happened when you called them? Audacity seems to be doing exactly what it's supposed to do.

What happens if you put a record on, turn the turntable on and press Play?

Koz

[perplexed]

They sent me to the audacity website when I contacted em about it.

When I put a record on and turn the turntable on and press play = nothing happens. The Play button doesn't do anything. That's why I am actually lifting the needle by hand and placing it on the record. That's what I'm stuck on. Why the dang thing doesn't play on its own when I press PLAY. I don't get why there's a PLAY button if it doesn't work.
And I don't get why the needle keeps picking itself up and stopping play.
Frankly, if I hadn't of accidentily tossed the box, at this point, I'd just return the stupid thing.
But I must persevere....

Thanks for sticking around by the way. Any info you might have, I'll gladly take it.

[kozikowski]

Your assignment is to find the user instructions on-line--usually a PDF file.

Koz

[hellosailor]

I'll bet a dollar on the problem being one of two things:

Either there is a "packing lock" that has to be removed before the turntable can be used, or

The damned thing is DOA broken.

Check the docs for any packing locks, and if there are none, it is probably DOA, the widget that tells the tone arm "end of record, lift and reset" may be out of place.

[Argh]

Old record players were designed to sense when the tone arm reached the end of the record. When they came near the center, the sensor caused the mechanism to engage that lifted the tone arm and return it to its parked position. This mechanical process took a few seconds to engage.

There is a possibility that when you're moving the tone arm to the place you want it on the record you're swinging it too close to the center of the record. If this is the case, then exercising more precision in placing the tonearm will solve the problem.

Good luck!