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Phono Preamp Kit Install Guide

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Phono Preamp Kit Installation Guide for the Numark PT01 Scratch

Parts needed:
-phono preamp kit
-wire of your choice (not included)
-soldering iron
-pliers
-small screwdriver

notes:
-requires the m44-7 tonearm mod
-works with the PT01 Scratch using it’s standard wall power supply, or with the rechargeable battery mod
-works with PT01USB with the rechargeable battery mod (the standard wall supply is not good enough)
-designed for use with the Shure M44-7, but also works with other moving magnet cartridges
-the non-USB version of the PT01 and Vestax Handytrax have not yet been tested
-the front controls of the PT01 will still work after this mod
-the bass kill switch install is not required for operation. Bass kill is disabled by default.
-keep an eye on the wiring, when closing the turntable after install. Don’t let the wires get smashed.

-Prepare Tonearm wires
1. Peel away the glue from the tonearm wires (see pic_1_remove_glue)
pic_1_remove_glue
2. Unsolder the tonearm wires from the main PCB (see pic_2_unsolder_tonearm)
pic_2_unsolder_tonearm

-Remove Capacitors
3. Remove PCB screws (see pic_3_remove_PCB_screws)
pic_3_remove_pcb_screws
4. Remove capacitors C8 and C18 from the main Numark PCB (see pic_4_remove_C8_C18). See pic_5_C8_C18_bottom for a bottom view of the PCB, when the capacitors are removed
pic_4_remove_c8_c18

-Add Line Audio Wires
5. Strip about 3mm of insulation from two short wires (about 2 inches long each).
6. Drop the stripped wire into the existing capacitor hole (see pic_6_add_line_audio_wires)
-note that the guide uses white wire for Left channel audio, and red wire for Right channel audio
pic_6_add_line_audio_wires
7. Solder the wires on the bottom side of the PCB

-Remount the main PCB
8. Remount the main PCB by replacing the 4 previously removed PCB screws (see pic_7_replace_PCB_screws)
pic_7_replace_pcb_screws

-Mount Phono Preamp
9. Remove one of the wide head start/stop switch mounting screws (see pic_8_remove_switch_screw)
pic_8_remove_switch_screw
10. Remove the pan head GND mounting screw (see pic_9_remove_GND_screw)
pic_9_remove_gnd_screw
11. Bend Numark capacitors C7 and C17 into a horizontal position, so they do not touch the bottom of the new preamp. Note that The Numark circuit below the new preamp will no longer be used, so those capacitors can be unsoldered or cut out with cutters, if required. Typically, they can be easily bent into a horizontal position. The horizontal position of those 2 capacitors can be seen in pic_2_unsolder_tonearm.

12. Use the pan head GND mounting screw to mount the phono preamp on the start/stop switch mounting hole (see pic_10_mount_preamp)

pic_10_mount_preamp
13. Use the wide head start/stop switch mounting screw to re-secure the GND terminal (see pic_11_replace_GND_screw)
-note: we are just swapping screws here, so the smaller head screw mounts the phono preamp
pic_11_replace_gnd_screw

-Connect Audio Wires
14. Loosen the screws of the green terminal blocks (all of them), so that the jaws of the terminal blocks are open.
15. Place the tonearm wires into the AUDIO_IN phono preamp terminal block and tighten the terminal block screws (see pic_12_connect_tonearm_wires)
pic_12_connect_tonearm_wires
16. Place the Line audio wires into the AUDIO_OUT phono preamp terminal block and tighten the terminal block screws (see pic_13_connect_line_wires)
pic_13_connect_line_wires

-Connect Power Wires
17. Solder wires to the PT01 power PCB regulator as shown in pic_14_solder_power_wires. These wires are long to allow the turntable case to flip open for future mods.
pic_14_solder_power_wires
18. Place the power wires into the phono preamp power terminal block, and tighten the terminal block screws (see pic_15_connect_power_wires).
pic_15_connect_power_wires
19. Position the new wires, so they don’t get pinched by the turntable mounting screws.
20. Reassemble the turntable

33 thoughts on “Phono Preamp Kit Install Guide

  1. Flesh one….I have the OG PT01. I upgraded the tone arm, did the battery upgrade and the Pyle PP444 pre amp. I noticed when wiring the output from the PT01 to the input of the PP444 the circuit board of the PT01is different than the photo. So I used three different solder points and confirmed it is the same input. As instructed (On the PT01 PCB, solder 3 new wires to the 3 locations shown in pic_4_PT01_input) I couldn’t. Its different.

    Will this mod work with a original PT01 or do I need to a PT01 USB?

    Thanks for the help.

    Jefe

    1. Yes, my daily practice setup is an OG PT01 with this mod.

      The audio header in the tutorial connects the audio to the PT01USB’s USB output. The OG PT01 doesn’t have that header. Just connect to the left/right to the pads of the removed capacitors. Connect to the side of the capacitor that is away from the original preamp. The GND can connect to the GND bar, which was previously used for the tonearm wires. GND is the same throughout that circuit.

      Note that the OG PT01 audio circuit (after the preamp) clips earlier than on the PT01USB. You have to keep the PT01 volume knob far below half volume. Otherwise, the audio will clip. It’s still very loud, though.

      1. Got it Thanks…….up and running.

        1. Thanks for the update!

      2. Just ordered a Phono Preamp kit and i have an OG PT-01. I’m guessing i would need the battery mod as well right? Just want to make sure since the OG hasnt been tested yet and dont want to make any mistakes on my end! Ill let you know how it goes

        1. I haven’t tried it with the older PT01, but yes, you’d want the battery mod.

          1. Hi,
            So i ordered the straight tone arm, start/stop button and the Pyle PP444 pre amp.

            Battery mod is absolutely necesarry with the pre amp? Cos it seems like a whole lotta extra work…

          2. Necessary is relative.

            You can try it and see how it sounds. You may hear a lot of noises like motor noise, louder start/stop clicks, and audio distortion as the D-cell batteries drop in charge.

  2. Is there a tutorial available on how to properly connect bass kill switch on pt01 scratch preamp kit ?

    1. Thanks for reminding me. Just added here

  3. Hey Fleshone,

    Just wanted to check with you……

    When you have carried out the above install and also the rechargeable battery mod, there will be 2x red & 2x black wires soldered to LM7809 on the power board?
    Item 15 pic didn’t show 2 sets

    Making sure I have everything covered before I carry out both mods.

    Peace

    1. Correct. This guide only shows the preamp kit mod wires, with no other mods installed.

  4. Hey fleshone,

    Why does the pto1 need An a.c. adaptor but your rechargeable mod uses dc? Does the rechargeable battery connect to the same points on the pcb as the d cells?

    Thanks

    1. The power supply inside the Numark converts from AC wall plug power to DC.

      Not the same points. See the rechargable mod

  5. Yo Flesh, dope mods man. Thanks for the tutorials. I got a question about the preamp and rechargeable battery mods. I see that the red and white power wires get soldered to the LM7809 regulator on a pt01 scratch for both mods.

    I guess that’s where I’m lost. How do I install both if they’re both being soldered to the regulator?

    1. I just read the comment above. I guess they go on top of each other. So two sets as Paul mentioned. 2 reds and 2 blacks right?

      1. Correct. You can connect one set to the regulator on the bottom side of the PCB, if that’s easier. Same pins, though.

  6. Does that mean it will only work with the phono input on my mixer or will it still work with line in?

    1. It will only work with the line level input of your mixer.
      The preamp’s job is to boost the m44-7 from phono to line level.

  7. Can someone plz help me with this. I’m not good at soldering, etc. I might end up getting a vestax handy due to the platter issues with this. I’m waiting to get my butter rugs and 7 inch scratch vinyl. Anyone in socal that can plz help me out, let me know. Thanks.

    1. A PT01 with platter bars performs better than the handytrax.

      Where are you located? Maybe there’s someone nearby that can solder…

  8. Two questions:
    1. After following the steps, I put everything back together, plugged in power pack to turntable and I get no power. My turntable is the PT01-USB. I then un-soldered the power (red/black) from the LM7809 regular to the new pre-amp and still no power. Is there way I can test with a multi meter if I blew the power supply? I check all soldered joints & wires and cannot see I have created a short circuit.
    2. I have not installed the batter mod yet was thinking of using a 12v 2amp power pack instead. (direct to the pre-amp or should I link it to the LM7809 regulator, then to pre-amp1?) Would that work?

  9. I connected a pre amp to my pto-1scratch along with a new tone arm and cartridge. I bought both through Bihari. The vinyl sounds great,but when I connect my phone. The volume is very low on the speaker.i checked all my connections and everything looks right does anyone have any advice on why the volume is low?

    1. He copied my designs and tutorials. I don’t support Bihari products.

      1. Hmm I wish I saw your comment about his products being stolen from you. I have his arm and amp and trying to find instructions other than video is impossible. I want to know what exactly is supposed to be removed from the original PCB and the video just cuts parts out with no description. Is it necessary to cut the parts out with the ‘solderless’ install version? Solderless I usually think of being a non affecting original PCB thing. Is it necessary to remove the parts and does it affect the USB output port?

        1. I haven’t looked at the solderless kit. Maybe, take a look at Jesse Dean’s tonearm install instructions. His install is solder-free, as well.

  10. Hey Fleshone,

    I installed your preamp in my pt01 usb and did the battery mod. Everything seemed to work fine except I noticed that the “line in” input wasn’t working. The battery mod that I installed was connected to the battery terminals positive and negative wires. I checked these forums and found the part about the battery mod’s wires needing to be soldered to the LM7809 regulator, so I soldered them along with the preamps power wires. The line in still doesn’t work. Any help would be appreciated.

    Thanks,

    Ben

    1. The preamp doesn’t affect the line-in port in any way. It’s a separate audio system.
      You may be confusing the pt01USB line-in functionality with the pt01 scratch line-in functionality.
      The pt01USB stereo input does not route the the speaker or headphones. It’s audio only goes to the USB port to record to a computer.
      The pt01 scratch is different. The stereo input gets mixed with the fader and routes to the speaker and headphone.

      from the p01USB manual:
      Note: The 1/8″ audio input is not routed to the turntable’s RCA output jacks, only to your computer via USB.

      1. Thanks Flesh! I followed Rasteri’s guide in hijacking the pt01 usb aux in ports.

  11. Does this preamp have riaa equalization by any chance? Thanks

    1. Yes. It’s a modified RIAA curve, which is modified to optimize the M44-7 and Numark back end audio circuit.

  12. Yo! A newbie here.. using stock tonearm is this mod possible sir? If not… how bout not installing it internally. Only just plugging the preamp unit to the pt01 xternally

    1. Sure, if you find a way to mount the m44-7 on the stock tonearm…

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