Improving the Beatmania IIDX turn table “slipness” using a felt-based vinyl turn table slip mat.

The turn tables on my IIDX machine were never in great shape when I received my cabinet. The parts that create the “slipness” wear off over the years of usage, and the turn table becomes harder to spin or even trigger in the game.

For reference, on a stock (old style cabinet) IIDX turn table, the parts in question are (8) and (9) shown in the following explosion view from a cabinet manual:

You can buy replacement parts online, e.g. from yahoo auctions, but these are often used/old as well because they might be coming from butchered cabinets. New and original parts are hard to come by if you are not an arcade distributor in Japan.

Using regular turntable/vinyl slip mats and cutting them to the appropriate size works as a great alternative. Made of felt, their actual purpose on a (real) turn table deck is to let the vinyl slip on the turn table when it is being held, e.g. for scratching.

Typically, you can buy these in music stores, on Ebay or Amazon. I bought the Technics Slipmat Simple T2 pair from thomann which were the cheapest ones available there. Since the mats will be covered by the turn table top disc on the IIDX, the design isn’t relevant.

After you cut it to the appropriate size, place it with the felt facing up. I used the old plastic ring as a mask to mark the cutting line on the slip mat. Make sure it is slightly smaller than the stainless steel turn table based so it does not get jammed when you screw the top disc back on.

Here is what mine looks like after cutting the slip mat and putting it on the stainless steel turn table base (with the top removed):

Note that this does NOT fix any friction issues related to bad lubrication of the turn table bearings or screwing down the top disc too tight.