E-16 heads

E

elmerfunk

To Infinity..and Beyond!!
I am in the market for a analog 16 track. I have two prospects right now. A Tascam MSR-16 and a Fostex E-16. I had an E-16 about 6 years ago and sold it in lieu of a VS-1880. Needless to say I miss analog. Anyway I posted pictures of the Tascam heads in the Tascam forum (the pics suck) and I am posting the E-16 head pic here for you to look at and see what you think. I tried to tell the guy about the little gauge inside the deck itself that gives head life. He can see the gauge but can't read it. The deck looks really clean all the segments work in the meters which is surprising these things are noted for missing segments. Anyway any input I can get on these heads (pun not intended) would be appreciated I want to get my studio back in order. ANALOG ORDER.
Thanks
 

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It's pretty hard to gauge the tape path condition from this photo. At the very least it'd be nice to see a nice clear (and bright) shot of the tape lifters/heads. Btw, didn't know that the E-16 had a "life counter". Too cool.

Oh yeah, you really should post on the "Analog Only" forum as you'd get a lot more replies there. ;)
 
Yeah I didn't know that there was one either. Somebody told me about it. I found it. I was shining a flashlight through the vents and it looks almost like a little thermometer from I can remember. It reads from 0 to 10. 10 being lots of life left. Thanks for all your help.
 
Dave, how are you able to tell the cond of the tape path by a very poor and unclear pict ? I'm running a higher end 19" LCD and having troubles. I can see no obvious flat spots on the lifters but it is still not the best photo to be 100% certain.

On second, and much closer look, I DO see a bit of a flat spot on the lifters .... but with the camera being so far away, with shadows and slightly unfocused pict, it's really hard to tell if it looks like that to the naked eye in good lighting.
 
Wouldn't happen to have a manual with the E-16 schematic, would you?

Elmerfunk, cjacek, and A Reel Person,

Sorry, I can't tell you much about the heads. I was wondering, though, if any of you have the manual containing the schematic for the E-16? I have one that rewinds/fast-forwards but doesnt' move for play or record. A friend of mine can fix it if I can find the schematic. I'd happily pay for copying costs and postage if anyone has it.

Thanks, and good luck. I hear you can get some sweet sounds when you record on an E-16.
 
It's not the best picture, for sure, but it seems less worn than the Tascam pics.

The Fostex lifter doesn't appear to have a pronounced flat spot, and the image of the Fostex head looks round-ish. The pics of the Tascam showed more definite wear on the lifters, and the crown of the head appeared to have a wide flat spot.

Of course, that opinion's based on 3 photos with poor clarity.;)
 
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expatguy said:
Elmerfunk, cjacek, and A Reel Person,

Sorry, I can't tell you much about the heads. I was wondering, though, if any of you have the manual containing the schematic for the E-16? I have one that rewinds/fast-forwards but doesnt' move for play or record. A friend of mine can fix it if I can find the schematic. I'd happily pay for copying costs and postage if anyone has it.

Thanks, and good luck. I hear you can get some sweet sounds when you record on an E-16.
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No I don't have the manual for the E-16 because I don't have the E-16 yet. I had one about 8 years ago. I am looking one that I am thinking about purchasing. It does have the manual. I will e-mail the guy and see if it has schematics in it. If I remember right Fostex didn't put a lot of info in there manuals like Tascam does. If I find out I'll let you know.
 
elmerfunk said:
No I don't have the manual for the E-16 because I don't have the E-16 yet. I had one about 8 years ago. I am looking one that I am thinking about purchasing. It does have the manual. I will e-mail the guy and see if it has schematics in it. If I remember right Fostex didn't put a lot of info in there manuals like Tascam does. If I find out I'll let you know.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I really appreciate it.
 
A Reel Person said:
The Fostex lifter doesn't appear to have a pronounced flat spot, and the image of the Fostex head looks round-ish. The pics of the Tascam showed more definite wear on the lifters, and the crown of the head appeared to have a wide flat spot.

Of course, that opinion's based on 3 photos with poor clarity.;)
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Agreed :)
 
Btw, didn't know that the E-16 had a "life counter". Too cool.
Click to expand...

Does anybody else know about this gauge. It's about the size of a fuse with 0-10 scale and marks in the middle. It's mounted on the back circuit board facing the front of the machine. It supposedly tells the life left in the heads......... :confused:
 
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