Messages

31

Reel to Reel Tape Machines / Re: RS1506 odd problem in play mode

« on: March 09, 2010, 09:31:05 AM »

  Problem is gone; whatever it was just took some time to work out. I'd like to dig a bit deeper into the cause but that seems pointless unless the situation comes back in the future. This was the first time I've ever had an issue with either of my Technics decks.

TJ

32

Reel to Reel Tape Machines / Re: RS1506 odd problem in play mode

« on: March 04, 2010, 09:56:40 PM »

  Oddly enough, I removed the rear panel at Steve's suggestion but upon trying it the deck went into play mode just fine. The problem remained intermittent for the first few tries but seems to have worked itself out. I hate when things fix themselves...

 I was incorrect in my previous post regarding what happened when the play button was pressed...I said the reel motors were spinning, but they weren't; nothing at all was happening when you pressed play. For the moment the deck seems to be operating fine, but I'll leave it on the workbench for a few days-I'm somewhat happy that it now works but bothered by what it might have been.

 This was the first time I saw a Technics deck from the inside out. Compared to my Ampex 350 and 440 transports which are simple electro-mechanical creatures, the Technics is crammed full of stuff.

Thanks for your suggestions,
Tj

33

Reel to Reel Tape Machines / Re: RS1506 odd problem in play mode

« on: March 03, 2010, 06:59:32 PM »

  That's a great start Steve, thank you. Up until now, neither of my two 1506s have given me any trouble, so I've never had the need to open one up. The deck with the problem makes no noise when the play button is pressed, other than the reel motors starting, so it sounds as if the solenoid that operates that function is doing nothing at all.

  I will tear into it and report back.

Tj

34

Reel to Reel Tape Machines / RS1506 odd problem in play mode

« on: March 03, 2010, 09:46:59 AM »

   My spare deck, a well used but generally good-condition 1506, has been packed away for a few years. After taking it out again, it developed a problem where the pinch rollers do not drop onto the capstan while in the play mode. All of the other functions associated with tape handling seem to work, but neither the pinch rollers (and I am going to assume the tape lifters) operate.

 Any ideas where to start looking? Normally the 1500 series decks wont drop the rollers if at least one of the tension arms is not down, and although the arms move freely and 'click', I dont know what this translates to mechanical-wise.

Tj

35

General Discussion / Re: This Borders on the Ridiculous!!!

« on: February 14, 2010, 03:18:52 PM »

  If that was a master, shouldn't it be on a larger-width tape? It's hard to guess the size from that photo, but it looks 1/4" to me.

But then again, lets assume he does get $350 for that 2" length. If the original tape was 2500 feet on a 10.5 NAB reel, that would mean he has 14,999 more pieces to sell, with a profit potential of $5,249,650.

Silly........

Tj

36

Tape Project Machines / Re: ATR-102 with Tube Repro

« on: February 14, 2010, 08:24:09 AM »

 That setup looks great; I've never seen a 100-series machine in anything but the roll-around cart.

Can you elaborate on how switching is handled between the 1/2 track and 1/4 track playback?  Is there a factory switch on the headblock (like on older Ampex's) or was it added somewhere else in the system?

Tj

37

General Discussion / Re: CES Report for R2R Enthusiasts :)

« on: February 08, 2010, 09:40:30 PM »

  This replaced your Rockport, or is it just in for demo?

Tj

38

General Discussion / Re: Choosing which RTR?

« on: February 07, 2010, 02:42:06 PM »

  Like Tom I find my 1506 a bit difficult to thread, especially so on the take-up side getting the tape properly wound on the hub of that reel. Most of my tapes get 5~6 feet of leader added, which seems like quite a bit, but the Technics tape path eats up most of that.

 How about some videos of tape threading? If anyone is particularly good at it, I'd like to see how its *properly* done.

Tj

39

Suggestion Box / Re: The Planets

« on: February 05, 2010, 04:24:07 PM »

  Odd that this came up...just this morning Jeff Spurgeon (WQXR NYC) played a short clip of "Mars" and compared it to the war score from the movie Avatar, and noted the parallels. This was followed by a full session of Jupiter; I did not hear the label from which it was sourced. Made for an enjoyable drive.

Tj

40

Tape Tech / Re: Advanced modification of Studer A80RC

« on: December 25, 2009, 11:26:29 AM »

  Ki-  Thanks for the link; just joined. Cant wait to get some time in on the new machine later this week.

Tj

 

41

Tape Tech / Re: Advanced modification of Studer A80RC

« on: December 24, 2009, 01:53:43 PM »

 Is the Studer list still active? I've tried to sign up quite a few times and have not been approved.

Tj

42

Tape Tech / Re: Advanced modification of Studer A80RC

« on: December 24, 2009, 11:59:27 AM »

 Hmmmm, seems like quite a bit of work for a project which may not result in any more/better performance. Replacing caps in the PS is probably worth the effort, but playing with the rest of the passive components may not be.

  Perhaps the Studer gurus on the forum will have a different opinion; I own an 80VU but it just arrived a few days ago, no mods planned except for heads and tube playback electronics.

Tj

43

General Discussion / Re: Any Freight / Shipping company recommendations?

« on: December 11, 2009, 10:48:27 AM »

  I have an account with FreightQuote.Com and have used them to ship some large items, including expensive electronics. They are only a point to point shipper; the prep and packing would have to be already taken care of.
  Price varies depending on what type of service you need at each end, such as lift gate, etc, but their rates are considerably lower than other shippers I've used in the past and so far service has been excellent. Shipped two studio decks with them this year.

Tj

44

Prerecorded Tapes / Re: How and where does everyone store their tapes?

« on: December 08, 2009, 09:41:28 PM »

  Thanks for the advice, Steve. I've actually been losing some sleep over the tape storage issue.

Tj

45

Prerecorded Tapes / Re: How and where does everyone store their tapes?

« on: December 08, 2009, 04:47:32 PM »

  As the majority of my tape collection, 7" reels, is archived in nice cardboard cartons, how would you feel about wrapping each carton in new plastic sheeting or some sort of similar plastic for storage?  I like the slip covers; thanks for the link, but I have a few thousand tapes and would likely spend the rest of the winter bagging them up.

  When the new room is finished, the slip cover idea sounds like a plan before they go back on the shelves.

Tj