[QuadList] AMPEX VR-5100 WILL IT PLAY OTHER MACHNES TYPE A TAPE...

[Ted Langdell]

On May 16, 2014, at 7:06 AM, Chill315 at aol.com wrote:

> Lastly the moveable guides never held interchange.  Be prepared to adjust the guides on almost any old tapes.  Also the top edge guide on these arms would get cuts in them that will do edge damage to the tape.  It is wish you luck on good interchange.
>  


Don Norwood can offer some comments on recovering Type A tapes using his VR-7900.

Interchange on Type A machines was the motivation for Ampex to develop "Automatic Scan Tracking" (AST) using piezoelectric elements to support the head and enable it to move and follow the track, as outlined on a number of occasions by one of the developers, Jim Wheeler.  Ray Ravizza was his engineering colleague on the project.

Their method is outlined here:
https://www.google.com/patents/US4151570

The first first production machine to use the new AST was the Ampex VPR-1 (Type A) which morphed into the VPR-2 when  the SMPTE Type C standard was adopted.  

Ampex made retrofit kits for the VPR-1 to make them Type C machines. Some unconverted Type A VPR-1s exist, and are sought after.

Ted

Ted Langdell
Secretary
Skype: 	TedLangdell
e-mail:	ted at quadvideotapegroup.com

Seventh Annual Quad Videotape Group Dinner at AMIA:  7pm, Tuesday, October 7. 2014, Savannah, Georgia
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