Wednesday naturally turns into Thursday, so the links seamlessly migrated from Wednesday to Thursday too... They are not allowed to Friday though, otherwise they will turn into pumpkins. Er, I mean Friday-not-so-cool links. Which will be just unacceptable! Hello World. A sign built from 5,000 rocker switches. An enormous grid made of 5,000 orange rocker […]
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
Bye Becky - Welcome Robin!
We're sorry to see Becky go off to work with her husband on their own endevours, but that's ok; we have Robin now - a most worthy replacement. Bye Becky - we'll miss you! Come back sometime and say hi to Robin, ok?
Robot Building for Beginners back in sto...
Just in time for Christmas! This is truly one of the better beginner books about robots. It's a great gift idea... Read More...
New Product: Metric Hardware
M3x10mm Allen Hex Socket Head Cap Black Steel Screw, 10 pcs 1.90 M3x10mm Allen Hex Socket Head Cap Black Steel Screw, 10 pcs M1.7x4mm 304 Stainless Steel Cross countersunk head Machine Screw $1.95 M1.7x4mm 304 Stainless Steel Philips head countersunk machine screws, qty 10 M3x3mm Hex Socket Head Set Screws Cup Point (grub) $1.95 Don't […]
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.