Big news! We've put in an order to bring in a schwack-load (a scientific unit of measurement) of the new n' shiny Arduino Leonardo. We can't quite say when they're set to arrive, though, but we're hoping it'll only be a few weeks...ish. Looks like this will be a really popular board, due to the impressive […]
Vintage AMPEX VR1200B 2" Quadruplex VTR ...
Solar botics
January 8, 2016
I occupy a studio space in a building that is a former movie shooting facility turned into an artist hovel. The building itself is wonderfully old but the hallways are also full of ancient audio and video equipment from the movie days. One of the things that got the attention of our RnD and tech geek was the AMPEX VR1200B Quadruplex videotape recorder from 1966. The machine stands about 5' tall, about the same in width, and weighs 'under 1000 pounds' as the spec sheet puts it. This was one of the first machines to use magnetic tape technology for recording video in the form of 2" quad tape for video, as opposed to film that was used previously.
A couple interesting points about this machine:
- 60PSI Air was needed for air bearings and a Venturi system for holding the 2" tape in alignment;
- These machines were the workhorses in TV Stations throughout the 60's and 70's. Running these machines required a full time technician!
Here's the beast in action:
A photoset of AMPEX VR1200B
An Overview of Ampex History:
MORE POSTS
'Twas the night before Christmas...
'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the shop Not a creation was stirring (except the Turbot!). All robots had been packed and shipped with care, With hope, to their destination, they soon would be there. The bosses and staff were heading home straight To settle down to gift wrapping, probably 'til late. When out […]
Robot Costume Hack
Since Halloween is just around the corner we've built and published a few projects in order to give some ideas to the DIY costume-inclined folks. One is DIY Halloween RGB LED Kitty Ears and two is Halloween LED Witch Hat. So for this third hack we started with an online-bought robot costume, but being a […]
New Product: Microcontrollers & Ras...
SparkFun Electric Imp Breakout $17.48 The SparkFun Electric Imp breakout board makes it easy to experiment with your Electric Imp IoT project. ESP-12F AP+STA Remote Serial Port WIFI Controller / Module $9.38 The ESP8266 (ESP-12F AP+STA) is a nice "Internet of Things" microcontroller with Wifi (or as a Wifi bridge for your project) Adafruit Metro […]
Solarbotics has been operating for more than 25 years, bringing electronics know-how and supplies to both the electronics professional and hobbyist. We'll be happy to help you too!
Solarbotics, Ltd. is not responsible for misprints or errors on product prices or information. For more information, please see our Terms and Conditions.
Warning: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
Please visit www.P65Warnings.ca.gov for more information. This item was manufactured prior to August 31, 2018.