[QuadList] QuadList Digest, Vol 20, Issue 35

[Trevor Brown]

Bob you are correct on the 10 second rule, for TCR100 carts

 

First in the brake as the second deck is already loaded and last because you
did not need to load the other deck

We had a mod that arrested the sliders half way so they could get to the
cart quicker to help speed it up.

If they failed or the logic did not recognize them the sliders hit them, and
broke them into several pieces

 

The big tractor on the front driven by a mains operated motor which was
quite meaty had a solid state relay to turn the power on and off

But very small mechanical relay to switch between reverse and forward, the
logic being it only operated  when the solid state relay removed the power

Again the solid state relays used to fail and the small reversing relay used
to vaporize.

 

We also had an editor built into ours so you could thumb wheel in an edit,
but the pre role was always from SOM so you could get a three minuet pre
role if you were working near the end of tape

Then you would adjust the thumbwheels and revise the edit and wait another
three mins, as you can gather this was un useable, anyone else stump up for
this addition 

 

 

It was an interesting machine and some of it needed a re-design and RCA
never went down that route

 

The only update I can remember on any RCA kit was new transistorize record
amps for the TR70 B's, but there was a rumor the chief engineer never paid
for the TR70's because there were arguments on spec, something like diff
phase on interchange. The new amps really did improve diff phase, so perhaps
it was an attempt by RCA to fix a problem and get paid.

 

 

Happy Days

 

Trevor

UK Member

 

 

 

 

From: quadlist-bounces at quadvideotapegroup.com
[mailto:quadlist-bounces at quadvideotapegroup.com] On Behalf Of
rabruner at aol.com
Sent: 04 February 2010 04:37
To: quadlist at quadvideotapegroup.com
Subject: Re: [QuadList] QuadList Digest, Vol 20, Issue 35

 

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.


 

 

Attached Message


From:

Gary Adams <adam7889 at bellsouth.net>


To:

'Quad List' <quadlist at quadvideotapegroup.com>


Subject:

Re: [QuadList] TCR-100


Date:

Wed, 3 Feb 2010 09:45:26 -0500

EPIS. Electronic Program Identification System.  Short burst of data after
the start of message tone SOM.  Was not automated but very useful as you
could easily see the next two carts loaded on a monitor just before a break.
Saved us many times for loading the wrong cart.  The automation system had a
bar code reader on the magazine transport which required a full scan of the
magazine to know what was where.  It was random access but not quite so
fast.  30 second spots were not a problem.  Could not cycle 10 second spots
like the ACR (which could actually cycle 7.5 second spots continuously). 
 
Gary
 
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