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

December 5, 2003
Catalog glitches...

Grrr... Time to start handing out the 1000 lashes with a wet noodle. There's a few pricing errors in the new catalog 6: The RM2 motor is not 2 for $10.75/ea CDN - it's 1 for $3.40 or 2 for $2.85/ea CDN The SC2422 solar cell is not 2 for 2.55/ea USD - it's 2 […]

December 16, 2005
Solarbotics Christmas Hours

Ho Ho Ho! The 25th is fast approaching and we thought what better way to celebrate the season then with our families! (No, not the robotic ones, our real-living-breathing-warm- blooded ones!) Solarbotics will officially be closed from December 23 to December 27, 2005. We will be back in the office for December 28 when we […]

June 9, 2006
Looking for something special to do this...

We thought what better to do then build a robot? So we have picked three of our kits that you can build with Dad (or a Son/Daughter). And, not only can you assemble these kits in an afternoon, they will look great showing them off at work on Monday! Never built a robot before? No […]

August 1, 2008
Solarbotics Closed for Heritage Day

We are so historical here, that we are going to be closed for Heritage Day - Monday August 4th.  Never fear we'll be back on Tuesday 5th!  No orders will be processed or sent out on that day, but we will be shipping on Tuesday. Cheers, Solarbotics Team!

Solarbotics Ltd Logo
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.

cart