The Needle Wiggler

Its size and shape is like a vinyl record, but has three adjustable “feet” so it stands ever so slightly above your rotating turntable. This “record” doesn’t spin, but it plays through the needle like a record would. And here’s how:

There’s a special “cup” on the Needle Wiggler into which the phonograph needle rests. This tiny cup vibrates by the movement of electromagnets, similar to the way a recording lathe cuts a groove in a record. The Needle Wiggler disk has circuitry to simulate a record groove's motion and an input jack. Plug your ordinary portable CD player, computer, or mp3 player into this device, and start your phonograph. The platter turns, the tonearm moves and the needle settles into the cup which wiggles the phono cartridge’s needle in response to the music. Listen to CDs on your familiar old vacuum tube amp record player.

The reason it’s designed much like a real record is so that most turntables will play it without modifications. The hb member [Freefall] suggested playing a CD directly, and this may be possible with a special “laser reader” head (and other changes, a bunch come to mind). But this idea is to allow you to hear digital sounds played by your own phonograph needle.

I would dearly like to spin it, like a real record, and have versions with various levels of authentic "pop" and "hiss" available. But it's not possible to wiggle the whole thing properly ...or it is it?...