Optical Reading and Playing of Sound Signals from Vinyl Records

While advanced digital music systems such as compact disk players and MP3 have become the standard in sound reproduction technology, critics claim that conversion to digital often results in a loss of sound quality and richness. For this reason, vinyl records remain the medium of choice for many audiophiles involved in specialist areas. The waveform cut into a vinyl record is an exact replica of the analogue version from the original source. However, while some perceive this media as reproducing a more authentic quality then its digital counterpart, there is an absence a safe playback system. Contact with the stylus provided by a standard turntable causes significant wear on the record (or phonograph) over time, eventually rendering it useless. Couple this with the historic value and an abundance of such vinyl media, and the need for a non-contact playback system becomes evident. This paper describes a non-contact method of playback for vinyl records which uses reconstruction of microscopic images of the grooves rather than physical contact with the stylus