Micro Lynx + Tape Deck + DAW

Thanks for the link miroslav, I appreciate you thinking of me.
Yes, it might indeed be the way to go. I've actually been eyeing that very listing with the purpose of using it and its verified pin to pin measurement (with a careful exam of both AI-2 and the Lynx 2 service manuals) to recreate one for the Microlynx. It's on the edge of my budget at the moment, so I'm debating it.

So the Ebay listing you mentioned is for TimeLine cable part #71384, specifically for the Lynx-2.
The actual cable for the Microlynx is listed as cable #71385; not surprising that there's a different part number since the Lynx-2 has a 50 pin D-sub connector, and the Microlynx has that 40 pin "Header Style" JAE connector.

Since our cable schemo collection doesn't include either the one for the Lynx 2 or the Microlynx, I'll be killing two birds with one stone once I've figured out what the pinouts are/should be.

Luckily, there aren't a full complement of pins to contend with, as I believe the AI-2 side only has RS-422 signal lines, timecode lines, and possibly a couple of others. I just got the schemo for the AI-2 yesterday, but haven't had a chance to get it scanned with high resolution to "PDF" it yet (these tired older eyes really need magnification to read schemos printed on 8-1/2"X11" paper). :(

I'm going through the manuals as I type this to create a pinout comparison document for the Lynx-2 and Microlynx, at least to the best of my ability. TimeLine changed the wording of some of their signal descriptions over the years, and I'd like to not have a "poof moment"- if you know what I mean!:D
 
$175? That’s nothing. One can easily pay over $500 for a remote cable for an Ampex MM-1x00 tape machine.
 
[MENTION=79692]sweetbeats[/MENTION], I think the moment when the person I read about balked was when he was allegedly speaking with Bill McMeekin about a cable cost after TimeLine went under- so an obsolete cable for an obsolete device from an out-of-business company. I don't think he was anything other than someone just getting into sync, otherwise the major players would have easily ponied up the dough, but by this time I think most of them were dumping their decks and sync units in favor of all digital. I'm "heard" all this "third-hand" at the very least from an archive from duc-dot-avid-dot-com or similar.
 
So speaking of obstacles to obtaining or "faking" the necessary cables to link the Microlynx to the Alesis AI-2, I think I just ran into one, or several, perhaps. If interested, I'm going to post some questions to the group over on the following thread for some advice, particularly given the fleabay link to a Lynx-2 to AI-2 cable miroslav pointed out to me earlier:
https://homerecording.com/bbs/gener...eline-micro-lynx-transport-cables-301364/new/
This will also help me get the thread back on-topic, as my EPROM conversations have steered it way OT.
 
On-topic or off-topic it is all Micro Lynx related and valuable. These threads are organic and they should be.

And I am just *fascinated* by all this EPROM and logic stuff...I can’t believe how much you guys (@brainditch and [MENTION=31942]jpmorris[/MENTION]) know about this whole alien world (to me)...really impressive.
 
Yeah...me too.
I'll get technical up to a point, but then my eyes start to glaze over. :D
For me it's always been more about going only as deep as what's necessary to get the job done...beyond that, there be dragons. :p

I'm just wondering if maybe the path is getting a bit long here...trying to get to NY from NJ....by way of AZ. ;)
 
Well folks, as much as I understand certain aspects of the technology, I'm really a "babe in the woods" regarding this whole sync arena. I try to study hard and be observant to details, particularly when my future goals and limited economic means are at stake. I'm really just a guitar/bass player at heart. Oh, and I guess I'm cursed with the blessing that my brain is faster than my fingers, and sometimes my mouth outpaces both of them!:D
 
sweetbeats said:
On-topic or off-topic it is all Micro Lynx related and valuable. These threads are organic and they should be.

And I am just *fascinated* by all this EPROM and logic stuff...I can’t believe how much you guys (@brainditch and [MENTION=31942]jpmorris[/MENTION]) know about this whole alien world (to me)...really impressive.
Click to expand...


Heh. Well there's far, far more I don't know about it. My career has always been computer-oriented and I know a lot about digital logic as a result. I was also using home computers in the 80s when expansions came on EPROM chips, and crucially my Dad was into it as well, and had tools like EPROM programmers to be able to copy and modify them. Clearly I absorbed a lot more from him than I realised at the time. What I never could get my head around properly was the analogue electronics, which is a shame because that's most of the tape deck.
 
brainditch said:
Well folks, as much as I understand certain aspects of the technology, I'm really a "babe in the woods" regarding this whole sync arena. I try to study hard and be observant to details, particularly when my future goals and limited economic means are at stake. I'm really just a guitar/bass player at heart. Oh, and I guess I'm cursed with the blessing that my brain is faster than my fingers, and sometimes my mouth outpaces both of them!:D
Click to expand...

If you enjoy getting way down into the details, that's good...though if you just want to get a working rig, it may be less "involved" to just focus on only what's needed. I mean....it's so easy to get in real deep, and it's all good...but like, if all you want is to solder some connections together, you don't need to analyze the metallurgy down to the atomic level to do so. :)


jpmorris said:
My career has always been computer-oriented and I know a lot about digital logic as a result.
Click to expand...

I also spent the last 15-20 years working in the computer world...and I even had the schooling that covered all the digital logic and some programming and stuff...but I tend to push aside the stuff that's just deeply theoretical and micro-detailed, and focus more on the basic "what do I need to get this done" kind of technology.
There's a whole other world when you go in real deep...but it tends to be more for the far left-side brainiacs who thrive on digesting the micro-details and theories. I always have the right side of my brain pulling me back...so my analytical side is only allowed to go as far as it needs to in order to feed my creative side. :D
 
[MENTION=94267]miroslav[/MENTION] - I can definitely see the value of the pragmatic side of this issue. I guess I'm getting as deep as I can into this thing because I know how easy it would be for it to become a dead end, and a waste of money and time. After all, as good as the TimeLine systems might be, they are definitely unsupported-with the exception of you folks of course. The next step up or forward, such as a Colin Broad system (as one of the few remaining examples) is far beyond my budget at the moment.
[MENTION=179050]jpm[/MENTION]oris - It's funny to compare our opposite experiences, in that my background is more from the analog side, while yours was more from the digital one. The company I worked for was really only just getting involved in the digital realm during my employment- having made their early success on things like analog dynamics processors (which curiously are often referred to as analog computers). I sort of saw the whole entry for them, from only analog, to digitally-controlled analog, to all digital (with early DSP, such as the Motorola 56000 series).

In a way it's ironic that even though these sync products are primarily digital, they are really interdependent with, and beholden to the bizarre, chaotic world of analog, with all its electro-mechanical eccentricities and uncertainties. The deterministic meets the stochastic, I suppose.

Speaking of uncertainties, some news from my end. I just got done testing the AI-2 out (merely powering the thing on), some blinking lights-which is good, and a nearly dead LCD screen.... not so much. After mulling it over, I decided to look at DIY LCD replacements rather than fight with the seller over a return. There's some hope for the unit however, in that I can just make out barely legible text if I hold the unit up at an extreme angle, and it responds to button pushes, so the microprocessor is at least alive and kicking.

I've ordered a drop-in style replacement online (thanks to the circuit bending community and an Alesis D4 enthusiasts forum for steering me by mentioning the same part numbers as the AI-2 has), but it won't be expected to arrive for about a week, so I'll have to punt, and shift focus to other areas of the sync system to come.

It will additionally need a fresh CR-2032 battery, and while I'm at it I'll order a PCB mount "snap-in" holder, as the original is soldered in place (not a good thing to preserve the life span of the rarer and essentially irreplaceable PCB). I'll be attempting to go get the AI-2 schematics enlarged and PDF'd tomorrow, and hopefully the Microlynx will have arrived by that point.
 
Yes I did miroslav, and it came earlier this week. I ended up getting the Mean Well #GP50A13D-R1B that I'd found, and placed the order through Mouser. It was the first item that arrived. Luckily I had picked up a used IEC 60320 female AC power cord while I was at Re-PC, as Mouser didn't include one in the shipment.

I looked at the possibility of fixing the broken supply I found at the PC salvage place, but it just seemed more practical to be sure that I was ready to do more serious testing when the Microlynx arrived, rather than having to wait for another week for parts. This choice was an example of cutting to a speedy and pragmatic conclusion that I think you'd approve of.;)
 
jpmorris said:
Heh. Well there's far, far more I don't know about it. My career has always been computer-oriented and I know a lot about digital logic as a result. I was also using home computers in the 80s when expansions came on EPROM chips, and crucially my Dad was into it as well, and had tools like EPROM programmers to be able to copy and modify them. Clearly I absorbed a lot more from him than I realised at the time. What I never could get my head around properly was the analogue electronics, which is a shame because that's most of the tape deck.
Click to expand...

Well I think that’s pretty cool. I had heavy exposure to the Apple II when it came out...but I was pretty young and anything about the guts was over my head...my brother on the other hand was deep into the guts and logic, etc.

We make a pretty food group here...diverse knowledge-base allowing us to help each other out. It’s nice.
 
Pork...the other white meat.

Hahahah!!!

That’s funny. Damn auto-correct...or maybe I fat-fingered it.

*GOOD* group. :D
 
Apogee Application Note

Here's another attempt to get this thread back on target. I came across this Application Note from Apogee a few days ago in my rush to absorb any info relating to TimeLine products, particularly the Lynx, Lynx-2, and Microlynx systems. It describes (and justifies) the idea of slaving decks to DAW as we are attempting to do with these units, but offers a another viewpoint on the slaving of DAW to deck. Time to share:
View attachment ad8ktapemachinesync.pdf
 
Microlynx Arrival!

Well folks, my Microlynx and keyboard arrived late yesterday, and I've had a chance to test things out in a preliminary fashion:
1.Replacement power supply = A-OK (has a blue LED for basic funcion verification),
2.System Unit = going from right to left on the front panel (in terms of grouped function LEDs), here are the post power switch "on" reactions:
Power LED = On steady
System Data LED = Off at first,
System Valid LED = Off at first, then On/Off/On cycle at the end of the power up
Keyboard Data LED = Flashes rapidly (5 or more times-approx. rate of 1/8th notes
at 120 B.P.M.), then On steady
Keyboard Valid LED = Off at first, then On steady as ACG comes On for the 2nd
time
Computer Data = Off, steady
Computer Valid = Off, steady
MIDI Data = Off, steady
MIDI Data = Off, steady
Options: ACG = On, then Off when Keyboard Data starts flashing , then back On
steady as Keyboard Data, Keyboard Valid, and System Data goes steady
Options: VITC = Off, steady
Options: M3 = On, steady, after short pause following the ACG LED on

Quite the light show. I'm being careful to document its behavior as accurately as I can for posterity and future troubleshooting for myself and any others who follow. The sequence in order of occurrence is:

1. Power Switch On (pushed in):
Power LED On immediately,
2. Approx. 1-beat pause (at 120 B.P.M.), then ACG LED On, then-
3. Approx. 1-beat pause, then M3 LED On, simultaneously Keyboard Data starts flashing
(1/8th notes), then-
4. Approx. 3-beat pause, then ACG Off, then-
5. Approx. 1-beat pause, then simultaneously: ACG On, Keyboard Data On steady,
Keyboard Valid On steady, System Data and System Valid "quiver" (flash On and Off
approx. 1/32nd notes), then-
6. Approx. 2-beats of "quivering", then System Data and System Valid On steady.

Just so I've got the timing thing right (didn't put a scope on anything to verify to the millisecond) let me state that- at 120 BPM: quarter notes are 2 per second, 1/8th notes are 4/sec., 1/16th notes are 8/sec., 1/32nd notes are 16/sec., 1/64th notes are 32/sec., or above the frame rate/distinguishing capability of the human "eye brain"; so yeah, I think I got the above beats/ LED relationship right, plus or minus two billimeters/demiquavers!:)

Alright, so the keyboard reactions were (not counted accurately as yet, more leisurely pace than the activity on the System Unit front panel:
1. Power Switch On, Bluish LCD Display Backlight on immediately, then-
2. Text appears: "Lamp test Holding memory" (their capitalization retained), then-
3. All 12 of the Transport Function Key LEDs Flash On, hold steady for a couple of beats, then Off
4. Text appears: "Micro Lynx Keyboard Control Unit
Version 1.33"

5. Then new text appears: "Tran: A AUTO Serial TRANSPORT
Tran: B AUTO Serial TRANSPORT"

6. Then new text appears: "Tran: C AUTO Serial TRANSPORT
Ref: ACG"

7. Now new text appears: "Hold the "GRP" key, and add
groups in order of priority." (their quote marks around GRP)

At this point, the system as a whole seems to be in a steady state, with some Keyboard LEDs on steady, while others are flashing in unison at approximately 1-beat intervals:

8. Device Select section:
ACG = On steady
#1 = On steady
#2 = On steady

9. Group Select section:
A = Flashing
B = Flashing
C = Flashing
TCG = Flashing
MIDI = Flashing
GRP = Flashing

10. Status section:
Ref Lock = Flashing
1470 = Flashing
1764 = Flashing
The 1470 and 1764 appear to be grouped to the 44k1 wordclock, so I'm not yet sure if they should be flashing together or not. It appears I'll have to read through a bunch of the manual chapters before I can make any further progress, and ideally I should get some Transport cables made before I do more testing.

It does appear to be working however, Yahoo!! Er.. Bing! Um...never mind.

Anyone have any further suggestions to test before I power down the units for a while and clear the workbench? Thanks for your input.

Edited For: Terribly Tired Bad Brain Music Math. Bad Brain! Now lie down and "play" dead.
 
Last edited:
After you add the Groups...they stop flashing, unless you have odd incoming code, etc...though without anything connected, no transports, not incoming sync signals, etc...they may keep flashing. It's a been a long time since I've powered up mine without anything hooked up to it.
Otherwise, the initial LED flashing is normal. With things hooked up, and Groups selected along with timing references...etc...they should all stop flashing...if not, then some setting is not right, or you have some kind of mismatch with your clocks...etc.
 
Thanks for the tips miroslav. It looks like I should clear the bench then, after I pop the hood to check out the chipset and see if I can check out the onboard Transport Library for signs that the Rev of Motherboard I have is compatible with/has the machine profile for the AI-2. I'd be fairly certain that they would have installed profiles for the Otari, possibly the MSR-16's "parallel" port, but I should check them out to be sure. Do you know off hand if the group selection process is retained in battery-backed memory? If not I might have to look at replacing those batteries fairly soon.
 
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