Don't expect too much productivity out of Solarbotics in the next 11 days as the Calgary Stampede commences tomorrow morning with the annual parade. The boss (me, Dave) is giving the morning off to the staff to see the festivities, so we'll be open at 1pm Friday July 8. As for the better part of […]
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:
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Glorious MIDI unicorn It looks good and it sounds good - a challenging project by musician Andrew Huang. (Via LaughingSquid) Color changing hair dye Thermochromic hair color, apparently safe and non-permanent, soon as a commercial product. (Via ZMEScience) Dazzling canopy of interactive moving lights Teamlab's stunning light and sound show creates an illusion of ethereal […]
SunSwinger Documentation online
We just got the PDF documentation up for the SunSwinger, so you'll see it listed as a resource under the SunSwinger product info page. Hope you all enjoyed April Fool's. The Spazovore was only a partial joke - anybody who ordered one will be receiving one!
Madness, Madness, and Product announceme...
Just yesterday, Calgary reached the 2nd coldest place on earth, just behind an outpost in Antarctica. Yes, we are cold. Even the dog doesn't want to go out and play... In other madness, one of our favourite distributors/suppliers, Sparkfun has announced their 2nd annual "Free Day". Circle January 13, and if they get blown out […]
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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.