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Topics - reelnut

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Reel to Reel Tape Machines / PLL Capstan Light on A810
« on: February 20, 2014, 09:08:53 PM »
Hello all,

Yesterday the PLL capstan light on my A810 would blink occasionally after I turned it on. Prior to about 5 days ago the machine had not even been plugged in about a year. (I know, shame on me. ...for not using it, and also for not exercising it during long periods of non-use). By the time I got ready to record it had quit doing it. I've had this machine for 6 years and put 700 hours on it. This has never happened before. In fact, it has always been 100% reliable.

Today I noticed it blinking during a record process. When the light blinks it means the capstan is not up to speed, and of course, this ruins the recording. I normally give the machine time to warm up before recording, but today it only had a few minutes of warm-up time. After the machine had been recording for about 15 minutes it quit doing it completely. It has been on all day, setting next to my computer desk, and it has not blinked at all after it got up to operating temperature.

So...

Does anyone have an idea of what it is that is trying to fail here? Hopefully, it could be something as simple as the capstan motor needs to be lubricated. Any thoughts?

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Tape Tech / How 'Bout Sticky Shed!
« on: December 12, 2008, 02:08:30 PM »
I have several tapes which:
   A- Do not squeak
   B- Do not deposit goo or excessive oxide
   C- Fall off of the reel in a perfect tangent (if you were to unwind the reel by hand)
   D- Are older tapes and have been cleaned with Pelon as a precaution

Yet these tapes won't rewind like new tapes. When rewinding before playback they slow down the reel motors, especially near the end, as though something were dragging.

Does anyone know what's goin' on here?

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Tape Tech / How Balanced Audio Systems Work!
« on: November 27, 2008, 05:36:21 AM »
Really great, simple, quick, easy to understand tutorial here: click me

4
Tape Project Albums - general / TP Tapes And Heat
« on: November 24, 2008, 10:53:14 PM »
Hello readers-

One thing preventing me from becoming a TP subscriber is not knowing precisely what amount of heat it takes to degrade a tape, in this case the TP tapes I'd be buying!

I was writing another novel here, then went back and deleted it and decided to go right to the specifics:

I need to know what the effects of exposure to 80degF heat for one week every year would be, assuming the humidity is at the correct level of 55-60%. The tapes are to be stored on shelves behind closed doors, which should prevent any sudden extreme  changes in temp, but won't prevent the temp from getting up to 80deg.

And what are the ailments of a tape which has seen too much heat? Oxide shedding? Noisy tapes? Thanks!

Oh, I almost forgot: The rest of the year would see the media at about 55-60% humidity and 66-72degF!

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Tape Tech / What are the effects of bias current?
« on: November 19, 2008, 12:19:16 AM »
Hello readers! The reason I have this question stems from the fact I am using an A810, which has a digital interface to calibration, and that I am not an expert. This kind of hardware makes it extremely easy to set all recording parameters for every single tape you might record. Thus, if you are a tweak freak (I am one), there is no reason not to check and set your bias, level and freq. response for every single tape you record. The manual shows a table listing different types of tape and lists an "over-bias" amount for each one. So how does an expert bias a tape that's not in the table, and what are the effects of an incorrect bias setting? I know some will say just put it wherever you think would be best, but I need to know specifically what to listen for in order to do this. My understanding (meaning I may easily be wrong) is that as bias current is decreased treble sensitivity increases, but IM distortion also increases, and vice versa. What is IM distortion? Does it translate into muddiness or distortion on the low end of the freq. spectrum? Thanks for any help on this matter!

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Reel to Reel Tape Machines / Studer A810 reel tables
« on: November 18, 2008, 06:00:05 PM »
Does anyone know how to change the height of the reel tables on a Studer A810? I recently purchased some NAB hub adapters from Darklab. They look EXACTLY like the Studer originals I have (except that the slaves are bonded directly to the hub, rather than being a screw-on affair). But when using them they cause the tape pack in the reels to be way off-center. The tape packs about 1/16th inch, or less, from the front flange of the reel, so it's actually acceptable, but it sort of drives me reelnutty that I can't figure this out. I have disassembled the tables down to the motor itself and can't see how to correctly adjust anything. Placing a CD disc on the table before putting on the NAB hub provides the added height that I need, but this is an unacceptable solution. The original Studer hubs provide a perfectly centered tape pack.

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