[QuadList] TCR v ACR 25

[rabruner at aol.com]

Both machines were intricate mechanical devices made of ordinary materials designed by ordinary mortal men and both had their blessings and their faults.  Having worked at two stations with TCR 100s and Two with ACR 25s and one with an ACR 225 -- and another with a BetaCart, I can testify that none of them were perfect. and I can't really say that the MTBF was much different for the two 2-inch machines.  Many of the differences between the two were caused by different design objectives -- and probably a burden to use and protect existing patents.  The TCR was conceived of as an interstitial playback device and so the inability to play program length material was not a fault, but a design criterion.  In fact, the Ampex machine could not play program length tapes in one pass either, being limited to about 20 minute loads, so the difference is just a quibble.  Installations of both machines benefited from having a second machine sitting next to the first. . . .:-)

Bob Bruner W9TAJ
Engineer In Charge
Maintenance and Design
WTTW/Chicago
 
773.509.5468
bbruner at wttwl.com.



Attached Message


From:
W4wj at aol.com

To:
quadlist at quadvideotapegroup.com

Subject:
Re: [QuadList] QuadList Digest, Vol 20, Issue 35

Date:
Wed, 3 Feb 2010 23:46:34 EST



Another design feature of the the ACR-25:
 
No metal to metal contact...
Let a plastic claw break or weld up some spools but 
nothing that would cause real mechanical damage...
 
73,
 
Don Murray, W4WJ
Fredericksburg, Texas
 
Retired from 40 years in Miami TV
35+ years at NBC O&O WTVJ
 
 
 

In a message dated 2/3/2010 10:38:09 P.M. Central Standard Time, rabruner at aol.com writes:

You could play 10 second spots back to back in the TCR as long as they were the only two spots on the break.   The rule of thumb we lived by was you could play two ten seconds events on a break as long as they were first and last, like a :10 promo going into a break and a :10 ID coming out of it or, the only two things on the break. The midbreak in Hee Haw used to be an interesting challenge for the TCR a :30 local avail, a bumper off the reel to reel a :10 local HFC CM, a :30 second spot a :10 ID and back to the show, often into a rollover in the next position on the tape. Always a little bit of nail biting, but the machine would do it.  We would play the show on the TR-60, which was the SPU for the TCR and it would automate back and forth between the R-R and the carts very cleanly.  You had to reject out of the ID to get back to the show on time, because the position only allowed :02 for ID, but we did it every week with no problems.  
    I was told RCA tried a number of tricks to speed up the cycle time, like dumping the tapes unrewound, and speeding up the belt, but none of them proved practical. 
    The TCR had its eccentricities, but it we shouldn't forget some of the pitfalls of the ACR like welding the reel to the inside of the cart, breaking the little plastic hook that pulls the cart into position, and oh, the column lamps failing just before a spot cluster. Also in the machine we had here, the 5 HP blower was not above failing, usually late on Sunday afternoon . . .
 
Bob Bruner W9TAJ
Engineer In Charge
Maintenance and Design
WTTW/Chicago
 
773.509.5468
bbruner at wttwl.com.


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