Update: Additional information from the Loveland Reporter Herald We've been big fans of Aleph Objects' 3D printers. They fit that sorta "Prosumer" niche. A bit better than kit-builds, not quite as expensive as the big professional units. We were disappointed we got the call a few months ago relating that Aleph was looking to shut […]
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
Wednesday Confusion Post: Outages, Star ...
Some quick heads-up: Apparently the road to recovery in New York is still fairly rough, and as a result our datacenter company is facing some intermittent outages. We appreciate your patience while our site fights off the hiccups. Random piece of information: did you know the collective nouns for a group of weasels include boogle, […]
Bread(boarding) is fun!
Mmm, bread. Sandwiches, french toast, garlic bread... Around here, many of us are partial towards sourdough. But being an electronics company, we also have a soft spot for breadboards, of the prototyping/circuit variety. Don't get us wrong - normal breadboards are great too (the inability to cut our bread would surely lead to the collapse […]
Farewell, Mr. McKee!
After 5 years of employment with Solarbotics Ltd., Grant McKee has submitted his letter of resignation to Solarbotics, effective August 16th 2005. Mr. McKee has been an invaluable resource at Solarbotics, but is off to hunker down and gather resources before making the leap to further advance his education. Although he will be greatly missed, […]
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.