[QuadList] Ball Brothers

Fri Mar 25 12:34:22 CDT 2011

Now that I'm remembering, KVRL-TV 26 Crest Broadcasting, Houston, had Ball Brother Miritel waveform monitors as part of the original RCA turnkey package for the film chains and perhaps the TK-44s instead of Tektronix. Why? $$$$$.

They were total junk and within 2 years all were piled in the corner, No parts, no drawings, no fix.

I think CE Dan Bohn finally put them into the RCA Reps car one day just to get rid of them saying "you speced these, you can have them"!

----- Original Message -----
From: quadlist-request at quadvideotapegroup.com
To: quadlist at quadvideotapegroup.com
Sent: Friday, March 25, 2011 10:01:29 AM
Subject: QuadList Digest, Vol 33, Issue 136

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Today's Topics:

   1. Re: Ball Brothers (David Crosthwait)
   2. Re: Ball Brothers (COURYHOUSE at aol.com)
   3. Re: Ball Brothers (Dennis Ray Wingo)
   4. Re: Ball Brothers (David Crosthwait)
   5. Re: Ball Brothers (COURYHOUSE at aol.com)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2011 09:00:29 -0700
From: David Crosthwait <david at dcvideo.com>
To: pat mcgowan <pmcgowan at ncpvideo.com>,	Quad List
	<quadlist at quadvideotapegroup.com>
Subject: Re: [QuadList] Ball Brothers
Message-ID: <61E0EF5A-98C1-4D7F-BAB8-0C557D7C27C5 at dcvideo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed

Pat,

Yes to the Ball Brothers observation. They usually were just a step  
above a light bulb displaying a fuzzy color image. Used to see them a  
lot on stage in the TV studio where it didn't make a difference. Was  
there just so that the talent could see if they were on the air or not.
And they did make the Conrac RHA's and RHB's look fantastic.

David
www.dcvideo.com

On Mar 25, 2011, at 8:41 AM, Pat McGowan wrote:

> Whenever I see the name Ball Brothers (thankfully not often) all I  
> think about is the absolutely horrid large color monitors that  
> always looked like crap no matter how hard you tried. Made you  
> really appreciate Conrac! (how's that for another name from the past?)
>
> pat
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: quadlist-request at quadvideotapegroup.com
> To: quadlist at quadvideotapegroup.com
> Sent: Friday, March 25, 2011 7:17:27 AM
> Subject: QuadList Digest, Vol 33, Issue 134
>
> Send QuadList mailing list submissions to
> 	quadlist at quadvideotapegroup.com
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> 	http://mail.quadvideotapegroup.com/mailman/listinfo/ 
> quadlist_quadvideotapegroup.com
>
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> 	quadlist-request at quadvideotapegroup.com
>
> You can reach the person managing the list at
> 	quadlist-owner at quadvideotapegroup.com
>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of QuadList digest..."
>
>
> This is the Digest of the QuadList.  Please highlight the part you  
> want to reply to before hitting reply.
>
> That will keep the entire digest and a bunch of headers with  
> gobblydgook from being re-sent to the list.  Thanks.
>
> Today's Topics:
>
>    1. Re: Another Switcher Picture Puzzle (Don Norwood)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2011 10:17:15 -0400
> From: "Don Norwood" <dwnorwood at embarqmail.com>
> To: "Quad List" <quadlist at quadvideotapegroup.com>
> Subject: Re: [QuadList] Another Switcher Picture Puzzle
> Message-ID: <E9519498E9BF461D8DDA9F04AF053E33 at dcidell2v2>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Chris covered everything!  Excellent answer.
>
> I actually thought 2 things were unusual.  The non-composite that  
> he mentioned, and the fact that RCA used a Ball Brothers SEG in the  
> switcher.  How often did they incorporate something from another  
> manufacturer in their products?
>
> Here's the first page of the catalog.
>
>
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: Chill315 at aol.com
>   To: quadlist at quadvideotapegroup.com
>   Sent: Friday, March 25, 2011 8:20 AM
>   Subject: Re: [QuadList] Another Switcher Picture Puzzle
>
>
>   What gave it away is the style of the mix handle.  RCA all the way.
>
>   It is a RCA PTS-1 Switcher model 8/6D
>
>   RCA sold this in the educational market.  They called it  
> Professional equipment.
>
>   It is a Ball effects panel at the top right.
>
>   What is unusual is that the switcher is a non-composite  
> switcher.  The top A B buss were the mix effects that fed the wipe  
> and key generator.  The upper right panel did the control of that  
> buss.
>
>   The output was fed to the MIX only buss in the center.  The delay  
> was matched so that you could dissolve in a key or wipe.
>
>   Lastly, the busses fed the COMPOSITE switches at the lower  
> right.  Here would be the early quad machine or helical that was  
> not locked to house or the network feed.
>
>   RCA built this from little modules that were jumped together with  
> little cables that had phono connectors at each end.  These would  
> fit on a 1 RU tray with three modules per tray.
>
>   Chris Hill
>   WA8IGN
>
>   In a message dated 3/24/2011 11:57:18 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
> dwnorwood at embarqmail.com writes:
>     David's pic of the TE-60 reminded me of a system that I thought  
> was interesting because of an uncharacteristic design feature for  
> the manufacturer, and maybe a bit more difficult to identify.  It  
> was definitely quad era, and I've seen one feeding a VR-1100.
>
>     1) Who made this switcher
>     2) What was the model number
>     3) What's unusual about it
>
>
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>
> -- 
>
>
>
> Patrick McGowan
> NCP 3 New Century Productions
>
> pmcgowan at ncpvideo.com
> 602-690-4410 cell
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Please trim posts to relevant info when replying!
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------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2011 12:33:48 EDT
From: COURYHOUSE at aol.com
To: quadlist at quadvideotapegroup.com
Subject: Re: [QuadList] Ball Brothers
Message-ID: <11a7d.43283f7e.3abe1dec at aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Ball Brothers 

I knew them from a different angle.....  green screen OEM computer  
monitors.
They did fine with those!

Speaking of Conrac....  Nuclear Reactor  control rooms also  used  them 
along with Ayden Controls Keyboards ( really a video display  system graphics 
terminal)

I was fortunate to  obtain a truck loads of these  ( for a song!)  in the 
80's from a manufacturer of process control computers in the 80's just  about 
the time  the IBM PC came out...   had  2  sizes   one  that would fit in a 
19 inch rack and them LARGE  ones!  20 something inch  screens. we sold 
them to computer people, we  sold them to video people... and in the end  ended 
up selling some back  into the  control room environment as well. 

Of course at the  time  my major miff  with them was   they were JUST RGB  
and I wanted to plug in the composite video to  it!

Ed Sharpe CEO  Computer Exchange Inc  --    Retired
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Message: 3
Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2011 09:38:36 -0700
From: Dennis Ray Wingo <wingod at earthlink.net>
To: Quad List <quadlist at quadvideotapegroup.com>
Subject: Re: [QuadList] Ball Brothers
Message-ID: <0179E5AA-0D4A-455A-A3E6-0806A0779768 at earthlink.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Ball Brothers computer monitors had really poor reliability.  We had to replace them often at Vector Graphic Inc when we used them.

On Mar 25, 2011, at 9:33 AM, COURYHOUSE at aol.com wrote:

>  
> Ball Brothers
>  
> I knew them from a different angle.....  green screen OEM computer monitors.
> They did fine with those!
>  
> Speaking of Conrac....  Nuclear Reactor  control rooms also used  them along with Ayden Controls Keyboards ( really a video display system graphics terminal)
>  
> I was fortunate to  obtain a truck loads of these  ( for a song!) in the 80's from a manufacturer of process control computers in the 80's just about the time  the IBM PC came out...   had  2 sizes   one  that would fit in a 19 inch rack and them LARGE ones!  20 something inch  screens. we sold them to computer people, we sold them to video people... and in the end  ended up selling some back into the  control room environment as well.
>  
> Of course at the  time  my major miff  with them was  they were JUST RGB  and I wanted to plug in the composite video to it!
>  
> Ed Sharpe CEO  Computer Exchange Inc  --   Retired
> _______________________________________________
> Please trim posts to relevant info when replying!
> Send QuadList list posts to QuadList at quadvideotapegroup.com
> Your subscribe, unsubscribe and digest options are here:
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Message: 4
Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2011 09:41:54 -0700
From: David Crosthwait <david at dcvideo.com>
To: Quad List <quadlist at quadvideotapegroup.com>
Subject: Re: [QuadList] Ball Brothers
Message-ID: <24D99788-B449-4008-AA29-D85E051219F6 at dcvideo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; Format="flowed";
	DelSp="yes"

Does anyone remember Miratel (spelling?) color monitors in the blue  
enclosures? Another winner.

David

On Mar 25, 2011, at 9:38 AM, Dennis Ray Wingo wrote:

> Ball Brothers computer monitors had really poor reliability.  We  
> had to replace them often at Vector Graphic Inc when we used them.
>
>
> On Mar 25, 2011, at 9:33 AM, COURYHOUSE at aol.com wrote:
>
>>
>> Ball Brothers
>>
>> I knew them from a different angle.....  green screen OEM computer  
>> monitors.
>> They did fine with those!
>>
>> Speaking of Conrac....  Nuclear Reactor  control rooms also used   
>> them along with Ayden Controls Keyboards ( really a video display  
>> system graphics terminal)
>>
>> I was fortunate to  obtain a truck loads of these  ( for a song!)  
>> in the 80's from a manufacturer of process control computers in  
>> the 80's just about the time  the IBM PC came out...   had  2  
>> sizes   one  that would fit in a 19 inch rack and them LARGE  
>> ones!  20 something inch  screens. we sold them to computer  
>> people, we sold them to video people... and in the end  ended up  
>> selling some back into the  control room environment as well.
>>
>> Of course at the  time  my major miff  with them was  they were  
>> JUST RGB  and I wanted to plug in the composite video to it!
>>
>> Ed Sharpe CEO  Computer Exchange Inc  --   Retired
>> _______________________________________________
>> Please trim posts to relevant info when replying!
>> Send QuadList list posts to QuadList at quadvideotapegroup.com
>> Your subscribe, unsubscribe and digest options are here:
>> http://mail.quadvideotapegroup.com/mailman/listinfo/ 
>> quadlist_quadvideotapegroup.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> Please trim posts to relevant info when replying!
> Send QuadList list posts to QuadList at quadvideotapegroup.com
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Message: 5
Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2011 13:01:06 EDT
From: COURYHOUSE at aol.com
To: quadlist at quadvideotapegroup.com
Subject: Re: [QuadList] Ball Brothers
Message-ID: <13235.2f77cee9.3abe2452 at aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Never had  much problem  but  we were in the desert here.  intdt them 
incessantly.... Humidly difference?  

They used them over at the daily breeze in typesetting systems and   one  
tech I know complained about them incessently 

Maybe we were lucky and just  got a good batch...

Thanks,

Ed Sharpe, Archivist for SMECC  

See the Museum's Web Site at _www.smecc.org_ (http://www.smecc.org/) 

We are always looking for  items to add to the museum's display and ref. 
library - please advise if you  have anything we can use.

Coury House / SMECC
5802 W. Palmaire Ave.  Phone 623-435-1522
Glendale Az 85301 USA

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In a message dated 3/25/2011 9:39:07 A.M. US Mountain Standard Time,  
wingod at earthlink.net writes:

Ball  Brothers computer monitors had really poor reliability.  We had to  
replace them often at Vector Graphic Inc when we used  them.
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*****************************************

-- 

Patrick McGowan 
NCP 3 New Century Productions 

pmcgowan at ncpvideo.com 
602-690-4410 cell 