[QuadList] QuadList Digest, Vol 33, Issue 8

[Trevor Brown]

The problems we had in the UK were information from RCA re TCR 100’s 

The capstan motors had problems, easy to trouble shoot move the motor to another deck and see if the fault moves

We had two machines ie 4 decks

 

RCA insisted the motors did not have problems and would not ship a new parts

They sent and Engineer over who not only rejected the capstan motor  I was unhappy with, but the other three

and rejected several of the new motors supplied by RCA

 

I don’t know who were dealing with at RCA but support like that you don’t need

 

We also had two master mod kits one in service and one TR70B moded as a spare

Neither worked well it spoilt the TBC window on both TR70B and we had to buy a second SPU

Unfortunately it was full of TR600 modules nowhere near as good as the original SPU (TR70 modules)

 

Don’t get me wrong I am an RCA lover but in the later days there were problems from within the company

I wish I could name the people who gave out the poor advice and the excellent RCA engineers that came out to help us

 

The last engineer was a Radio Ham called I think Bill was looking for somewhere to live in Mexico when he retired

I hope he made it, he was a big help in troubled times

 

TrevorB 

UK Member 

 

 

From: quadlist-bounces at quadvideotapegroup.com [mailto:quadlist-bounces at quadvideotapegroup.com] On Behalf Of rabruner at aol.com
Sent: 02 March 2011 05:32
To: quadlist at quadvideotapegroup.com
Subject: Re: [QuadList] QuadList Digest, Vol 33, Issue 8

 

You could have a ten second event first in a break on a TCR, as long as there was 20 seconds or so after the previous break to allow time for the second tape to finish cueing.  You can have two ten second events as long as they are first and last.  

    It's popular to put down the TCR compared to the ACR because the ACR had some obvious advantages, longer tapes, instant picture, short clips back to back, random access etc.  But I have operated and maintained both of them and  there was some downside to the ACR too.  Column lamps failing, plastic hooks breaking, reels in the cassettes welding themselves to the case and jamming the transport, blower motors were not immortal either.  

    Early on the the TCRs suffered from lamp problems; before they went to LEDs, the shaking of the machine would blow them out.  All the micro switches that had to be satisfied were a source of failures.  They later designed a lot of those out of the machine.  If you ran the belt only half full so it was not balanced, the roll pin that held the big bevel gear on the motor would shear off.  Another early problem was the susceptibility of the filter bowls on the input air to oil in the air supply.  The bowls would weaken and then give way explosively under the influence of 100 psi air -- usually on Saturday morning when you don't need that kind of thing -- a tremendous bang and air and water all over the place.  Most of these problem were cleared up with field updates and in the later machines so that they became about as reliable as the ACRs in terms of mean time between failures.
Bob Bruner

W9TAJ

>>I remember having to explain to a director in 1985 why the 10 second ID had to be at the end of a multi-spot break when played on an RCA TCR-100.  This wouldn’t have been an issue with the Ampex ACR.

.

 

STEVE THOMAS

SENIOR EDITOR and TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

248.351.7905

e-mail:  sdthomas at cbs.com

 

"If your grammar is incorrect, then you’re in need of help"

 

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