[QuadList] Restoring an RCA TR-600

[C. Park Seward]

Exactly, Steve. The Ampex needs SC, Sync and H. I also send bars to  
the video in.

Best,
Park

C. Park Seward
Visit us: http://www.videopark.com



On May 27, 2009, at 2:34 PM, Steve Greene wrote:

> John,
> This jogs my memory.  You will need a sync generator that can supply  
> burst and subcarrier before the machine will fully lock.  Color bars  
> will serve in place of black burst in a pinch.
>
> Steve Greene
> Audiovisual Archivist
> Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
> (301) 837-1772
>>>> park at videopark.com 05/26/09 1:23 PM >>>
> Congratulations on your acquisition, John. While I know absolutely
> nothing about the RCA quads, I can share some experiences with
> restoring Ampex quads.
>
> As said before, check the power supplies. I have replaced most of my
> large caps. After repair, run the power supplies on a test bench under
> load for a few hours to see if it really is good.
>
> I remove every circuit board (called "etched boards" in Ampex lingo)
> and inspect for obvious damage and clean off any dirt and grime. I
> have seen caps that have exploded and resistors that have burned up. I
> measure every capacitor with an ESR meter and replace ones that are
> suspect. I have also been known the shotgun the board and replace all
> the electrolytics. The smaller mylar and tantalums seem to hold up.
>
> I then clean the contacts, first with a special gold eraser (similar
> to an ink eraser) and then wipe clean with an alcohol swab. Then, coat
> with DeoxIT Red, wipe off and then coat with DeoxIT Gold and wipe off.
> I use the 100% solution. Let it remain on the surface for some time
> and wipe off. Could leave it on overnight on really bad corrosion.
>
> DeoxIT® - Contact Cleaner & Rejuvenator - Brings Old Systems Back to
> Life!
> DeoxIT® GOLD (formerly ProGold) - Contact Conditioner & Protector -
> Maintains New System Performance!
>
> The biggest problems in equipment I have seen are power supply
> problems and connector problems.
>
> Following the schematics, I look at the circuit  and start at the
> beginning and follow it until I see a problem. Ampex has some
> excellent manuals that show exactly what the waveforms should look
> like at every step in the circuit.
>
> The 1200 I am working on now has had problems at every step. Nothing
> was working. Now, I have good air and full video and am starting to
> work on the mechanics. My machines were very dirty so a good cleaning
> of all parts is recommended.
>
> Another good tip is to find someone with knowledge of the VTR that you
> can bounce ideas off. Don Norwood has been very helpful to me. He has
> a wealth of knowledge on the 1200s.

>
>
You said you were feeding sync from a generator. The Ampex machines
require separate sync, burst and other drives. Make sure your VTR is
getting all the drives it needs.


>
> I've got 7700 hours on my oldest machine. It's almost broken in!
>
> Good luck!
>
> Best,
> Park
>
> C. Park Seward
> Visit us: http://www.videopark.com
>
>
>
> On May 26, 2009, at 6:57 AM, John Walko wrote:
>
>> Hello Group:
>>
>> Well…a bit of exciting news…at least for me.  We’ve acquired three
>> TR-600 Quad machines.  Unfortunately, one had to be reduced to parts
>> to move it, but at least we have the parts, including motors,
>> control boards, spare heads, etc.
>>
>> I need some help and advice from the group.
>>
>> We’ve identified the one machine that we feel has the best chance of
>> being operational again.  This past weekend, we ran power and air
>> and powered up the machine.  We check the test points in the power
>> supply and everything appears to meet proper voltage parameters and
>> the voltage appears stable.  There are no air or vacuum leaks that
>> we can tell…so this appears good.  However, we are not getting
>> stable video or any audio (see below).  I would appreciate some
>> advice.
>>
>> 1.       We are running the air at about 55 PSI (adjusted at the
>> machine…120 from the air compressor).  Vacuum is at 20 inches.
>> According to the manual, this should be a little higher, but 20 is
>> the highest we can get it to peak.  Adjusting the air pressure
>> didn’t affect the vacuum.  Vacuum being at 20 does not appear to be
>> causing any problems, but I am wondering if there is something we
>> are not seeing.
>> 2.       When we put the machine into thread mode, the capstan
>> releases and the tension arms move up and out of the way.  The arm
>> on the head drops to allow threading.  When we hit stop to take it
>> out of thread mode, the arm on the head does not automatically move
>> back to position the tape against the head…should this be automatic
>> or do you have to manually close this arm?
>> 3.       When the machine is threaded and the tape properly seated,
>> the vacuum goes off the dial.  I assume this is normal (sort of like
>> putting your hand over the suction end of a vacuum cleaner).  Is
>> this correct?
>> 4.       We get a video signal, but it is all broken apart.  We were
>> getting a “lock” error, but are able to correct this by adjusting
>> the capstan speed.  But the video is the wrong color (appears as if
>> Chroma is all off).  Any thoughts as to what to look for (perhaps a
>> board in the system).
>> 5.       We get no audio unless we step on the foot switch.  If we
>> manually turn the reels while depressing the foot switch, we get
>> audio (both in forward and reverse), however as soon as the foot
>> switch is released, audio immediately goes away.  We thought this
>> might be related to the capstan, but the audio goes away even before
>> the capstan is fully engaged.  Perhaps a relay is sticking or is
>> bad.  Any ideas?
>>
>> A couple of other items.
>> 1.       We were feeding synch from a synch generator
>> 2.       We re-seated all the boards (with the machine powered off)
>> 3.       We tried two different heads…both heads appear to have
>> slight burnishing, but are not in bad shape.  Neither made a
>> difference.
>> 4.       One of our Engineers used to operate one of these machines
>> years ago for a TV station he worked for…so he is somewhat familiar
>> with it…but it was a long time ago.
>> 5.       We have a second machine that is complete…but the air
>> fittings are cracked (they appear to be nylon with push in
>> connectors).  We also get no vacuum on that machine, so it would
>> need some work before being operational.  Not sure why no vacuum…it
>> could be related to the air leak or the vacuum pump…
>> 6.       We have at least one spare of everything…and are willing to
>> try some things to get this system operational.
>> 7.       Both machines were taken out of service at about the same
>> time…and haven’t been operated in years.  One machine (the one we
>> are working on) has 3200 hours on the machine…the other has about
>> 5000 hours (the one that has the air leak).
>>
>> Any TR-600 experts interested in coming here to help?  We could
>> discuss reimbursement for your time and travel.
>>
>> Please call me at 800-978-3445 or email me any thoughts that might
>> be helpful (I.e. things to check/test/look for, etc.).
>>
>> Thanks;
>>
>> John Walko
>> Media Archive Manager
>> Scene Savers
>> www.scenesavers.com
>> 800-978-3445
>> 513-708-1474 (cell)
>> 859-291-5100 (office)
>
>
>
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