If your tone arm is not raising or lowering when you lift or drop the cueing lever, there are several steps you can take:
Test the Cueing Lever
- The speed at which the bridge will drop may vary. Do not flip the lever back and forth quickly as you will not be able to see if it's working correctly and may cause the tonearm to bounce.
Confirm Correct Tracking Force Is Set
- If the tonearm floats, swings back over the rest, or does not drop to the record after lowering the cueing lever, you will need to set the tracking force again.
- Often this happens if the counterweight is not turned after the ring is set to "0". Set the ring back to "0"
- Turn the entire weight counter-clockwise until the the recommended tracking force lines up with the tonearm.
Inspect and Adjust the Tonearm Bridge
- Check the guide posts, ensuring they are not catching on the outside of their holes.
- Push the bridge down to check for resistance.
- Install the guard on the stylus if available.
- Move the tonearm off the rest. There is a cutout on the tonearm bridge that prevents it from lifting the tonearm while it's on the rest or locked. Do not allow the stylus to touch the platter unless the guard is installed.
- Feel for resistance when raising the cueing lever. If there is no resistance, the lever is not making contact with the lift mechanism.
- Watch the bridge when you raise and lower the cueing lever. It moves very slowly to prevent damage which can be difficult to see.
- Place the tonearm back in the rest and lock it in place.
- Raise the cueing lever to the up position.
- If there is space between the bridge and tonearm while in the rest, adjust the tonearm bridge by turning the screw counter-clockwise, this will raise the tonearm bridge, but lowers the mechanism inside.
- Raise the bridge until it makes contact with the tonearm in the rest. You will need to move the tonearm from the rest to access the screw.
