40-track 2" machine?

For a minute there...I thought you bought some more gear to mess with. :D

That's a Stephens tape deck. Kinda rare, but Stephens decks are considered pretty high-end quality.
Not sure if the 40 track is a common format for them...I've not ever seen that before.
Even with 2"...it's cramming a lot, with narrow track widths.
 
Who were 'Stephens'....US build?

No I'm not planning on buying anything else. I've just got an engineer servicing the two G24S I now own. I managed to find new heads for both machines so as well as replacing all the caps on the second machine (I had the first one done before Xmas), he's fitting new heads to them and setting them up. That's why I wanted to bottom things on the mixer front. I think I'll keep my eye out for a 'parts' machine on the M3500 front as cosmetically the one I've got is pretty good and to buy one in better condition than this I think I'd have to spend some serious money.

Al
 
altruistica said:
Who were 'Stephens'....US build?

No I'm not planning on buying anything else. I've just got an engineer servicing the two G24S I now own. I managed to find new heads for both machines so as well as replacing all the caps on the second machine (I had the first one done before Xmas), he's fitting new heads to them and setting them up. That's why I wanted to bottom things on the mixer front. I think I'll keep my eye out for a 'parts' machine on the M3500 front as cosmetically the one I've got is pretty good and to buy one in better condition than this I think I'd have to spend some serious money.

Al
Click to expand...


For more info on John Stephens and some pictures of his machines, see here: Stephens - Reel to Reel Tape Recorder Manufacturers - Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording

His first machines were based on 3M decks, which he did up and resold. 3M got pissy about that and stopped supplying him the transports. After that, he built his own machines which were capstanless, using a servo system and the just the reel motors to work. Apparently they could be a little finicky with regard to tape tension, and they can't play a tape loop, but otherwise it was a pretty good idea and would likely work really well today with microcontrollers and tape tension sensors like on the A807.
 
Yeah...that's right...he originally used the 3M platform and then their transport.

I do know some folks feel the Stephens decks had a very high-end sonic quality, even though they were finicky with their tape transport.

The Otari MTR 90 and 100 decks are also both capstenless, if I recall...with dual/symmetrical rollers/guides, and the whole thing is processor controlled and pulled by the reel motors.
I think once the computer technology was refined in later years, it made sense to go that way instead of pinch roller and capstan.
 
miroslav said:
The Otari MTR 90 and 100 decks are also both capstenless, if I recall...with dual/symmetrical rollers/guides, and the whole thing is processor controlled and pulled by the reel motors.
I think once the computer technology was refined in later years, it made sense to go that way instead of pinch roller and capstan.
Click to expand...

The MTRs have a capstan, but like the ATR-100, but they don't have a pinch roller. AFAIK they use the reel servos to keep the tape tensioned against the capstan.
 
I'm sure you are right. I honestly never took a close-up look at either the 90 or the 100 or looked through their manuals/specs, but it's obvious they have a different kind of transport. It just looked like capstan-less to me, from the pics I've seen.

They were always out of my price range, which is why I never read up on them, and so I went with the 80, which I'm actually quite fond of, and lots of folks think that AFA a "workhorse", it's the best of the three, some even prefer the sound of the 80...but obviously, the 90 and 100 are the more refined and have the upscale features.

It's kinda of odd though...with no pinch roller to press the tape against the capstan...what would it actually do, if the reel motors are doing all the work...?
The pressure from the reel motors is enough to give the capstan some "bite" on the tape...???

When I saw these kind of pics...it just didn't appear like there was a capstan...to me it always looked like the inner rolers were just guides.

Interesting........


otari-mtr-90-764147.jpgotari-mtr-90-764147.jpg
 
miroslav said:
I'm sure you are right. I honestly never took a close-up look at either the 90 or the 100 or looked through their manuals/specs, but it's obvious they have a different kind of transport. It just looked like capstan-less to me, from the pics I've seen.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I think it's the right-hand roller with the rubber coating. I assumed they were capstanless too until I read up on them last year. Exactly how it works I couldn't tell you.

Last year I was in a position where I could possibly have stretched to an MTR90 and was considering it, but the MX80 was smaller and at the time I thought it was fanless. As it happens I don't think the MTR90 would have gone up the stairs so I guess I dodged a bullet there :3
 
My MX80 is fanless (well, it was....read on).

The later models they added the fan, and changed the back of the housing end to accommodate the fan right behind the reel motors.
I rigged a couple of external, large CPU fans, which are whisper quiet at the back where there are two slots/plates for optional parallel connectors. I then encased the fans by making an enclosure around them and the deck with some gaffer's tape... so the the fans pull all the hot air from the deck through those two plate openings.
It came out better than expected, not super pretty, but it's at the back, which you can't even see...and the dual CPU fans keep the deck completely cool.
My older MX80 has the screened slots at the top, between the motors (the later ones don't)...so when the fans are on, the pull cool air in through those slots, past the reel motors, and out the back...perfect.

I actually have the Otari motor that is supposed to go in the later models...but there is no place to mount it in my MX80, due to the shorter and more compact back, where the motors are.

Yeah...I have nothing but love for my MX80. :)
 
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