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<DIV>Hi Dave:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Just a guess, but especially with the NASA connection, the
machine might have been a transverse scan instrumentation
recorder. We've had discussions here previously about the many variations
of these in the past. Perhaps the most famous in recent times are the
FR-900's that have been resurrected for the LOIRP. They were later models
that were in regular production, but early machines began to show up almost
immediately after the transverse scan video decks. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>RCA made lots of variations of these. In the mid 70's, I bought
a highly modified TR-5 that came from a government agency. It had an
overhead bridge like a miniature TR-22, but the only monitoring in the bridge
was a Tek scope (not waveform monitor), and the rest was filled with delay line
modules...lots of them! The machine ran at low speed and had
a special version headwheel. Somewhere, I have some (not very good)
pictures.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Don</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="FONT: 10pt arial; BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=dave@zfx.com href="mailto:dave@zfx.com">Dave Sieg</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=quadlist@quadvideotapegroup.com
href="mailto:quadlist@quadvideotapegroup.com">Quad List</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, December 08, 2011 6:56
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [QuadList] prototyping
question</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>I've been breadboarding a prototype for a client and it brings
to mind a prototyped quad machine I saw years ago.
<DIV>
<DIV>Thought someone here might be able to shed some light on it. Lets set the
WayBack machine to about 1977...</DIV>
<DIV>When I was CE at the University of Mississippi media center, we got some
surplus NASA equipment from</DIV>
<DIV>Huntsville, AL. One of the most interesting items was the transport
to an old Ampex VR1000 that had</DIV>
<DIV>been extensively modified. My guess is that it was a prototype for
using a quad-type transport to record</DIV>
<DIV>higher data rates. There were four J-shaped copper boxes inside of
which was intricate, extremely well constructed </DIV>
<DIV>hand-built head preamps/record amps that sat stacked just above the
head extending back between the reels.</DIV>
<DIV>Mounted under the transport below were several of the standard Ampex 19"
card cages (like the servos use)</DIV>
<DIV>mounted beneath with hand-wired boards and a standard Ampex power supply.
Blue-ribbon edge connectors.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>It occurs to me that Ampex personnel would probably have been involved in
developing the prototype, and since</DIV>
<DIV>I know there are some old Ampex alums on here, I thought maybe someone
here might know the story behind this machine.</DIV>
<DIV>Unfortunately, with no documentation, there was no chance of ever getting
it to do anything, and I have no idea what</DIV>
<DIV>ever happened to it, but I did spend a lot of time admiring
the exceptionally well-designed and executed prototype </DIV>
<DIV>workmanship, and I think of the techniques as a shining example
whenever I get out my breadboards and soldering iron.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Unfortunately I have no pictures of it.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Anyone here have any clues about what this machine might have been for
and who might have been the</DIV>
<DIV>craftsmen behind the circuitry?</DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>-- <BR>Dave Sieg<BR><A
href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/davesieg"
target=_blank>www.linkedin.com/in/davesieg</A><BR><A
href="http://www.davesieg.com" target=_blank>www.davesieg.com</A><BR><A
href="http://www.scanimate.net"
target=_blank>www.scanimate.</A>com<BR><BR></DIV></DIV>
<P>
<HR>
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