It's alive..

[Tapewolf]

After about two weeks, I've managed to get Unit #2 operational.  Strictly speaking it was working last weekend, but had a nasty tendency to bite me, there being 125 volts live on the chassis.  That has now been cured.  If I can get it to synchronise with Unit #1, that should give me 14 tracks to play with instead of seven.


http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k216/tapewolf/tape/unit2.jpg

In part I am writing this because the addition of Unit #2 and its sick brother which I will probably keep for parts, now brings my total compliment of tape recorders to seven, or eight if you include the tape echo unit as well.

Although not actually intentional, it seems I am doing my best to live up to my username.  Well, except for the wolf part.


http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k216/tapewolf/tape/7decks.jpg

That is all.

[TheGreyRonin]

Congratulations! Nothing more frustrating than balky equipment.

Nice setup, too.

[James StarRunner]

Heh heh... I think I see the SAIA librarian!

[Zedd]

Heh heh... I think I see the SAIA librarian!

Sush! I think she knows i got overdue books!

[TheGreyRonin]

"Librarians are the secret masters of the world. They control information. Don't ever piss one of them off."

[Aridas]

Heh... I have a few tape machines... but one requires manual spinning since something's dying inside, and the other ultimately doesn't want to read off a tape.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Damn. That's a lot of tape.

... and having the mains live on the case is Not Good (tm).

Especially if the unit is using 3-phase :-)

[Tapewolf]

Damn. That's a lot of tape.

There was a guy selling 60 of them (and 130 cassette decks) on ebay last year.  It's like Hunter's drug collection in Fear and Loathing - once you get locked into it, the tendency is to push it as far as you can.  (Talking of which, the little grey UHER on the shelf is the same model Johnny Depp has in the film version...)

... and having the mains live on the case is Not Good (tm).
Especially if the unit is using 3-phase :-)

Ampex Quad video machines as used by the BBC from about 1958-1985 (on which classic Dr. Who, The Young Ones and pretty much everything else was made) do need 3-phase and also an external vacuum pump to hold the 2" tape to the guides.  Much as I'd love to have one of those, it wouldn't be very practical 

It actually turns out that the TSR-8 seems to be designed to take earth from the signal ground (having only a 2-pin mains lead like all the other machines pictures).  If you leave it isolated, it will act very strangely and you'll get half-mains potential on the case.  I'm still not sure if this is correct, but all three of them do it and I'm not in a hurry to test it on the 2-track machines.

Aridas, I'm faintly curious now.  What machines are yours?

**EDIT**
Just in case anyone's wondering, this was a case of 'get them all in the same room for the photo' - not my actual work environment.  And yes, James, I worked hard to keep The Librarian in shot.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

It actually turns out that the TSR-8 seems to be designed to take earth from the signal ground (having only a 2-pin mains lead like all the other machines pictures).  If you leave it isolated, it will act very strangely and you'll get half-mains potential on the case.  I'm still not sure if this is correct, but all three of them do it and I'm not in a hurry to test it on the 2-track machines.

... Odd. So you need to supply a 3-pin cord, to a 2-pin socket? Or does it have the cable wired directly in, in which case it's just a matter of adding a slightly different cable and plug to it... ?

[Zedd]

How come I got one those bad tape come alive moments when I see those tapes

[Tapewolf]

... Odd. So you need to supply a 3-pin cord, to a 2-pin socket? Or does it have the cable wired directly in, in which case it's just a matter of adding a slightly different cable and plug to it... ?

It's a 2-pin mains lead, the earth pin is disconnected since there's nothing to connect it to.  The chassis is (indirectly) grounded to neutral.

But it seems that you must have it connected to a mixing desk or something via the 8 inputs and 8 outputs on the back.  Admittedly, it's not much use unless you do, unless you only want it to look pretty or to rewind tapes on.  If it's just plugged into the mains and nothing else, it will go peculiar and have 120v on the chassis, including the screws which I was replacing when my arm brushed one of the other decks.  At first I wasn't sure if it was a shock or a rough edge until I put the meter across it..

Apparently this is to help prevent ground loops.

[Shadrok]

Is it just me or does anyone else see a face in the first pic?

"Librarians are the secret masters of the world. They control information. Don't ever piss one of them off."

Or ever call one a monkey.

*Shadrok get hit from above by an orangutan*

Did you get the number of that donkey cart?

*Colapses*

[Alondro]

*smiles from in his genetics lab*  Tapewolf, I may be able to help you live up to the 'wolf' part of your name... *gathers several syringes of glowing ooze* 

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Ah, I see Shadrok has played Discworld 1... :-)

[LionHeart]

"Librarians are the secret masters of the world. They control information. Don't ever piss one of them off."

Or ever call one a monkey.

*Shadrok get hit from above by an orangutan*

Did you get the number of that donkey cart?

*Colapses*

Spider Robinson - and Terry Pratchett - FTW.

[Vidar]

Ah, I see Shadrok has played Discworld 1... :-)

Or he has read the novels. The Librarian is mentioned in quite a number of them.

"Ook."

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

... And I can see you haven't, otherwise you'd know all about the "donkey-cart" moment. :-)

(not that that's an issue, mind. :-)