Vestax QFO Turntable Voltage Conversion

So you've bought a QFO from another country and you want to use it on a different voltage? You've come to the right place. Here is a step by step guide to show you how to convert your QFO to a different voltage. 

Be warned, you must be capable of working with electronics before attempting this. If you're unsure please ask a professional, we do not accept any liability for personal injury or damage to electronic equipment.

Requirements:

  • Screwdriver
  • Fuses - needed to adjust for voltage difference to protect your circuit

Instructions:

  1. Turn off and unplug the QFO from the wall. Be careful not to touch any components as capacitors can retain a charge after the unit has been switched off (they take time to dissipate.) 

  2. You have two options when disassembling and working on the QFO:
    • Longer method, takes more time but prevents damage to the motor / tonearm.
    • Shorter method, flipping the QFO and placing it on a correctly sized pillow. If not done properly it can damage the motor / tonearm. 

Disassembly - Starting with the safer longer method

    1. Remove the two platter screws and place them in a bowl for safe keeping.
    2. Gently pull up and remove the platter
    3. You will now expose the pitch adjust mechanism


    4. Using a marker pen, draw a line on the belt and onto the connected cog. This way when you remove the belt you can still put the belt back exactly where it was on the cog and you retain the correlation between the larger cog and the smaller one.



    5. Remove the pitch lever by unscrewing 3 screws. 
    6. Slide the belt off the larger cog. 
    7. You can now place a small but deep bowl (cereal bowl) over the motor area to support the turntable whilst it's placed upside down. It's important that the bowl is higher than the tonearm to prevent damage. 



    8. Flip the unit over with the bowl supporting the QFO and keep it balanced.

Disassembly - Shorter method

    1. Place a pillow on the platter and flip the QFO over.
    2. Be careful not to apply pressure to the tonearm as you can easily break them, certain replacements are not easily found and can be very expensive.

Instructions Continued:

  1. With the QFO now upside down you can remove the 4 feet off the base of the turntable. 



  2. Using a screwdriver you can now remove the other screws, be careful when removing them not to over-torque as the plastic supports are easily broken, there are two types of screws used here, self tapping for the plastic support and machine screws to fit into the metal brackets, remember where they go. 
  3. Once all the screws are removed carefully prise off the lid by working from the RCA output side then moving around the circumference.
  4. With the lid now off and the screws safely away you can see the inner workings of the QFO.



  5. The mains voltage is configured using a removable jumper. Note it's current position (JJ03 - 230V) If you wish to alter to US voltage then move the jumper from JJ03 to JJ02. 


    6. Once you've changed the jumper position you may also need to change the fuses on F001 and F003. Only a change up or down from 230V will require a fuse change. If switching between 100v to 120v or vice versa no fuse change is required. See below for reference:

Mains Voltage Fuse F001 Fuse F003
100v + 120v 1A 500mA
230v 500mA T 315mA T

7. Once you've changed the jumper and if required the fuse value you can now change the plug to your countries format. You will not require a safety ground (third pin) as the device is double insulated.

8. For countries which use a polarised plug (i.e. can only be inserted one way)  ensure that when wiring you connect the live and neutral wires to the correct connectors on your plug and you're good to go. Brown is Live, blue is Neutral.

9. Check your work, make sure there's no loose wiring, no fraying of the wires and that the strain relief on the plug is working correctly. If in doubt take to an expert.

10. If all of the above has been done correctly you can now re-assemble the unit and turn it on.