Ampex MM-1000 Story...

Finally got those 8 Cannon connectors soldered up to the upper harness (in lieu of the 4-pin Cinch Jones connectors):

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And got the other two harnesses cleaned up and everything strapped in ready for the electronics to go back in:

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This whole time, I wasn't 100% sure if you were going with the Canon or Cinch Jones, but I was secretly assuming you were going with the Canon. I despise connectors that require pinching/squeezing and then pulling, and then maybe I'll bang my knuckles on the chassis over here when it finally lets loose, and maybe I won't.... give me something with threads that screw on and off any day.
 
The Cinch Jones connectors actually work quite well in terms of positive latching and easy release. But, yeah, circular mil-spec are *nice*.

Quick update: getting ready to recap and refurbish the electronics modules for channels 1~8 before I load them back in the overbridge. Waiting for parts because there's an inductor and cap that are supposed to be in series with the input but the parts aren't there on these modules. The two parts together make a filter to ensure bias signal doesn't leak into the input. So I'll install those, execute a couple other minor mods, do some selective recapping, and clean each chassis up all nice-like and service the pots and switches.

Finally recapped the PCB in the first sync relay box, and took care of a couple other minor issues while I was in there.

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image.jpgBeen awhile. Things have been a bit crazy this year. Recently moved Matilda into a new space. Here's how things look at the moment...still all crazy...this is what a packed up small studio looks like hahah. Electronics are still out of the MM-1000 chassis and located in a different place. As a side-note this is the first time Matilda has been pictured next to the rare Ampex rack I acquired at the same as Matilda. The rack is is the same type as used for the 8 additional electronics modules mounted outside the MM-1000 chassis on the 24-track model. I'll be mounting a halftrack, processing and power distribution equipment in there.
 
I've done nothing with Matilda for over a year except move...getting ready to move again, but the destination should be permanent.

I guess the only MM-1000 related activity would be the selling off of a few very spare bits, and acquiring a bunch of more pertinent spares. A friend of mine had the idea at one time of putting together a frankenpex MM-1000 and had most everything to do it, but other projects took priority and space was at a premium, so he just needed to get rid of the stuff, so he offered this stuff for the price of shipping and I said "sure"... :D

12 AG-440/MM-1000 electronics modules complete with amp cards, 5 of them "A" variety and 7 of the B type:

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A spare +24V transport power supply:

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A spare control relay box...I already have a couple of these, but THIS one has the very rare extra set of tension resistor contacts with switch to toggle between 1" 8-track and 2" 16-track tensions:

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6 +39V 4-channel electronics power supplies, 2 with the rack-mount panel:

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A small collection of MM-1000 manuals...I'm most interested in the two blue binders...those comprise the manual set for my version of the MM-1000; I have a high-quality digital version of this I scanned from a borrowed manual set, but until now I haven't owned my own manual set for my specific generation of MM-1000:

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There are some other MM-1000 bits in the boxes too I believe, but I seriously haven't even had time to open the boxes up...they've gone straight into storage. There are a couple non-MM-1000 goodies in the mix too...don't know WHAT I'm going to do with these...

A complete Ampex AG-440-8 1" 8-track head cable set with head connector box assembly...I have so much of these types of cable and connectors as a result of having several spare sections of MM-1000 harnessing...dozens and dozens of those 1, 2 and 3-pin circular mil-spec connectors...plus the mini Winchester connectors...anyway, what was I gonna say?

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And an Otari CB-110 autolocator and factory trolley...Again, what was I gonna say? I don't own another piece of Otari gear...:facepalm:

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Not gonna lie, this does make me feel a bit like I have to say things like "I'm not a hoarder...I *swear*." There will come a day when the MM-1000 project is "done"...fully refurbished and operational, and at that point I will finally know what all I really need of all the spares I have, and there will be some thinning. Until then I'm thinking it doesn't hurt to hang on to and/or acquire cheap spares if they come to me. Actually, I guess it does hurt...this stuff is HEAVY...and I have to MOVE IT ALL AGAIN! :laughings:
 
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So Matilda gets to move twice in the next two weeks. That's what happens when you can't quite get the closing date on a home sale to line up with the closing date on a home purchase. My beloved brother comes down this coming Sunday to help me move the big stuff into storage...I pay him in beer.

Anyway, Matilda gets shuffled around yet again without having had any more progress gained. I'm sure she's going to get tired of the promises at some point.

But I did buy some very cool PCBs that I'll use eventually...there is a "capacitor tray" assembly in the AG-440"A" and B and MM-1000 electronics modules that has three big can caps on it...one is a single section local filter cap, the other two are multi-section and deal mainly with circuit timing/delay...more rare than hen's teeth. The recommendation I've gotten over the year is to not mess with the multi-section caps unless you start having trouble with issues around source and mode switching...pops, clicks, etc. But replace the single section local filter. Well I'm pretty fine and good with that since the quality of the caps generally used by Ampex was quite good, and so many of them remain in-spec even today. But what IF...I thought...the thought of the quagmire in there were I to pull the multi-sectioned caps and replace each of the sections with individual caps...and then the other few components in there and the point-to-point wiring...then I saw there was a guy on the Ampex List who posted he had a couple PCBs left to replace the cap tray components. I thought "oh its got to be hokey...who would spend time to do that right." Then I looked at his thread on it in the GroupDIY forum...wow...I thought...looks nice. He even selected blue PCB material to match the Ampex blue stuff...then others much smarter than me commented "nice work", "good job" etc. So today I own 16 of those boards so I can eventually go through all my MM-1000 electronics and have them fully recapped.

Someday.

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altruistica said:
Hey Sweets......are you looking for another machine ;)

VINTAGE AMPEX MM 1000 2 INCH 16 TRACK MULTI TRACK RECORDER READ DESCRIPTION | eBay

Al :D
Click to expand...

Sick...you're sick, man. :D:D:D

That machine is WAYYYYYYY overpriced! :eek:

It is an early non-auto-input switching model that clearly has issues (only 13 channels record?!) and is missing buttons on the transport...looks like a high mileage machine. It DOES have the more desired "black-face" Ampex manufactured heads as opposed to Nortronics or IEM, but no head report, etc., etc., etc.

Ghost, yes I've never seen a transport control escutcheon like that...I would gander it is robbed from an Ampex quad machine maybe, but I've never seen one on any of those either. Looks like maybe a custom part...neat though.
 
Posting a couple pics here for when the listing is gone so future readers know what we're talking about! :D

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