INFO wanted: SABC Mark3 TT

[Steerpike]

I see no option to "edit" or amend my above post?
I wanted to add that I'm very excited that right now, a pre-amp/control unit for a Mark 3 is on it's way by courier from CT to JHB, a great gift to me from Shonver!

I'm still missing the motor, but the research I have been doing for the Technics SP10 drive control will be very useful in grafting in a substitute drive.

We should then let our Mark3's talk  - they can make beautiful modulated tones to each other, and compare their abuse.

[Steerpike]

More thoughts.. I see that some of the EMTs have recently been sold for over ten K Euro. I do wonder what a mad overseas buyer would be prepard to pay for one of these (after seeing  hearing it).

[jdza]

Steerpike

My spare motor expired in ahuge fireworks display so I cannot help you there but let me know if you need anything else.

Andre

What type of pics do you need. Let me know which of the 2 below is closer to what you want and I'll get a proper photo taking person to make some.






or

[ghostinthemachine]

Just last week I discovered that there was a tape machine manufacturer in Johannesburg (seems to have operated in the 70's). There is some of those machines at Honfleur studios in Honeydew. Heavy duty - built like a tank!

[mafioso]

Hello JDZA

Thanks Those pics you posted before today's are just fine. No need to go to extra trouble, please. Same format as you've done in your second last post.

Regards

mafioso/ajh

[Steerpike]

The control box arrived - THANK YOU Shaun!

It has THE PERFECT multi-tap transformer in it for the SP10 project! Since the Dok Viljoen only needs 0-24VAC, this transformer is wasted in it - the D.V. can have another single-winding trafo.

Pics of its control box
http://web.eject.co.za/s8nspawn/hifi/ak/mk3/dokvilj.htm

The quality control stickers are dated 1977. The hour counter, 32537.5 hours.

JDZA, are you doing anything with that burned motor? Maybe it's worth re-winding it?
Two other questions I wanted to ask:
(1) The original audio electronics, of which you posted a photo - are you using that pre-amp, and if NOT, do you want to sell me the Gardners plug-in transformer?
(2) All the sockets on the control box - some I can't figure out what  they are supposed to connect to, I'd like to ask you what your inter-connection scheme is - BUT first I'll make a diagram of the sockets with numbers, so we both can refer to the same things.

[mafioso]

Err...Nice The IEC socket is upside down and did they really have to grow bonzai in there

mafioso

[Steerpike]

Err...Nice The IEC socket is upside down and did they really have to grow bonzai in there

When the panel is in the 'home' position, it constitutes the top panel, so it doesn't really have an upside down or right-way-up. But the IEC is an add-on, not genuine 'dok viljoen'. The original is that odd 3-pin Canon with two sleeved tulips, which I've not seen before, similar to an XLR. Certainly I would not pick that for AC mains if I had the whole range of 1970s Bulgins available.

I put it out on the patio so all the resident deceased spiders would have have a nice new resting place - being Capetonian spiders, they are (were) tree-huggers.

[mafioso]

When the panel is in the 'home' position, it constitutes the top panel, so it doesn't really have an upside down or right-way-up. But the IEC is an add-on, not genuine 'dok viljoen'. The original is that odd 3-pin Canon with two sleeved tulips, which I've not seen before, similar to an XLR. Certainly I would not pick that for AC mains if I had the whole range of 1970s Bulgins available.

I put it out on the patio so all the resident deceased spiders would have have a nice new resting place - being Capetonian spiders, they are (were) tree-huggers.

I dig your treasure, all the same

I think I have a similar 3-pin cannon? on one of my Nagra rtor's.

Regards

mafioso

[Steerpike]

Here's the drawing of all the connectors:


and what I can make of them so far - without tracing out all the wiring (which is eixtremely neat, and tied with continuous looping thread, and not of easily distinguishable colour!)

TOP
A: Original AC 220V Canon 3-pin
B: Fuse
C: Motor power (+ solenoids energisation ??)
D: ??
E: Headphones (+ ??)
F: ?? - socket missing, wires cut
G: ?? 3-pin XLR Female
H: Cartridge in unbalanced, 5-pin Din Female
I: 'New' 220V input

BOTTOM
J: Line out, balanced XLR male
K: Line out, balanced XLR male
L: ?? , balanced XLR male

[jdza]

Steerpike

A is this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Neutrik-XLR-LNE-LNE-FC-AC-Power-Inline-Cable-Connector-/200500876875?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_Computing_CablesConnectors_RL&hash=item2eaec8964b

Nice plug,locks solidly(Kettle plug se gat!) but it is now illegal in Europe. Chassis is metal -Earth to chassis-so it bites!

C -to motor,solenoids(idler and lifter)

D to speed control panel

E to lright sided control panel

H  to arm

As for the rest Uhmm??? I never bothered to find out

Please let me know by e mail an address and I'll send the transformer and odds I can spare. I'd like to keep the control panels as spares but will send you the right sided one to play with if I can have it back at some stage please?

[Steerpike]

I might order one of those hot Neutrik's once I get the rest of it going! Mantech and RS don't seem to have them. But so much else to DO before I spend any more on a trinket that is going to sit in my box of 'allocated & to be used soon' parts.

The other multipole plugs are also new to my eyes - nothing like them in the RS catalogue. They are rather neat in that they are customizable - when you assemble each one you pick how many pins or tulips you want, and make up a plug/socket of any size and/or number of pins. Those I can make functional, though not perfect, mates for - using assorted Molex pins cast in resin.

I have emailed you at yahoo.

[jdza]

The SABC seems to have loved those Neutriks. All my Studers have them,seems Mafioso's Nagra has them and the TTs too. One thing's for sure they make a solid connection and make IECs feel like they are meant for kettles. I hate those @#$%^ IEC things.Even the fancy ones on my Nordost power cables has a habit of just falling out of the sockets.

Robert Young recently published his memoirs of his life as an Afrikaans Radio Service broadcaster.In it he talks in awe of one of the "Aanbieders" who would talk om air,cue a record with one hand ,sort out a problem TT/ record with the other  and hit the play button on the furthest RtoR machine with his toe,all simultaneously-now I know why the A 80s have such big buttons!

[Steerpike]

If one leisurely pages through the catalogues like RS, there are at least 10 socket types that would be great & nicer than the kettle plugs.

BUT the IEC kettle plugs have ONE point in their favour:
when you catch your foot in the mains cable (as so often happens in the dark or if you are half asleep) the IEC just pops out - no harm done.
With a locking Neutrik, either you rip the cable right out the plug, with a great bang & tripping of circuit breakers, OR you send a few thousand rands of tape recorder plummeting to the ground!

I wonder if Aanbieders who did all that you describe were something rare? From what I recall - though I was still young at the end of the glory days of the SAUK, most broadcasts had a presenter & an 'engineer'. So the announcer didn't have to do anything except announce. Maybe that luxury only existed in the very big studio complexes, or for highly egotistical 'radio personalities'.

Wouter Marais: "Get me maintenance!"
Technician: "I can't even get you a divorce."

Radio studios today are dull & boring.  The content seems to have gone that way too.

[jdza]

I wonder if Aanbieders who did all that you describe were something rare?

He does cover this issue. I would assume that due to the politics of the day the "Afrikaanse Diens van Radio Suid Afrika" would have been the flagship in the 70s esp before TV. Yet they had no DJ(?) in studio with presenters doing everything themselves. They all had to go to Jhb for a few weeks of tranining. If one consider that there must have been 20 managers for every creative person the building was probably not big enough for technical people.Later on things became to "complicated"and technical people were used in studio.

This system was much different from the frowned upon  lowly Springbok Radio who seem to have used separate studios and control rooms-well the image of Esme Euvrard kicking a Studer A80 into action with a toe is too much to bear( considering the contol buttons is on the top some 4 foot from the ground)!