Today we are going to be taking a look at one of our favorite go-to materials for easy molding and quick repair, Caprolactone Thermoplastic! This plastic, more commonly known as ShapeLock, Friendly Plastic, Instamorph or Polymorph, is a biodegradable polyester with a low melting point. When solid, it has physical properties of a very tough, […]
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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Closed for St. X-Men Day
Solarbotics will be closed between 11:00 AM and 3:30 PM MST on Friday, May 26th to celebrate the III some-what annual St. X-Men Day. We will respond to calls as soon as we get back.
Christmas Holiday Schedule
With the holidays fast approaching we would like to announce our holiday schedule which is outlined below: At Solarbotics: Monday, December 24th to Wednesday, December 26th - Offices Closed December 27th, 28th, 31st - Open, regular hours Tuesday, January 1 - Offices Closed Wednesday, January 2 - Open, back to regular hours At ActiveTech Calgary:
New Website Migration update
We've finally migrated our new site from the internal development platform to the host's development platform! What's that mean to you? After we reconfigure some settings and run a gauntlet of tests, we should be live in days/weeks, not weeks/months! Thank you for your patience. We'll make it worthwhile.
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!
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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.