so i went back over to the deck and measured the arm cable continuity, stuck the meter probes in the outputs of the phono stage for a few minutes on ac to see if there were and strange spikes or anything untoward. there was nothing.
checked the alignment, the tracking weight, everything i could think of. eventually i noticed that the terminal block on the back was wobbly for some reason and that the cart seemed to be riding lower than it did before.
it seems that id inadvertently buggered it by where i stored it.
the glue holding the body to the mounting plate and generator seems to have perished and the suspension has collapsed. ive realised that the cupboard where it was stored has heating pipes running through the back of it, and when the fire is in (coal fire) the pipes in there carry the hot water from the boiler to the hot water tank (our house is odd, the hot water tank is downstairs). opening the door to it you can feel the heat from the pipes.
shit.
do cartridges have a disclaimer on the box that says 'store in a cool dry place like breakfast cereal? i never even thought about it
