10in on 7in deck?

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safeashouses

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i might be dreaming here, but, here goes.. i have a 1/4in 8-track that uses 7in (or 3in) reels (it's a fostex model 80). is there any such adaptor that will allow me to use 10in NAB reels on this type of machine? or, does anyone know a good clean way to transfer tape for a 10 to 7in reel without using another, larger machine? thanks.
 
I have the same unit here... Have you tried fitting a 10" reel onto it? I think it won't fit at all. A way out of it would be cutting the tape and, again, using the 7" reels. Sorry, can't think of anything else.
 
yeah, the 10's are too big. i doubt there's any easy solution out there. oh well.
 
There is no current non dream-state solution for your particular machine.

Pleasant dreams.

Cheers! :)
 
Most home cine projectors have the reel holders on stalks and belt-driven. I'm sure you could arrange something similar.

Come to that, what about the Nagra 10.5" extender for the Nagra IV? Yes, it costs about 200 pounds and is rare as blazes and might not work anyway, but..

The other option is to buy a Fostex E-8 if you can find one..
 
thanks for the tip, the movie projector idea might work out. i've been sitting on a few brand new 10" reels that i'd love to put to good use.
 
it's not gonna work man. Even if you could get the reels to work you'd still have problems with the brakes and the tension.
But you can't possibly get the larger reels to work anyway ..... the tape has to be in line with the heads so using some sort of stalk wouldn't work. You have to engineer some sort of extension of the chassis and then use longer belts to drive them ..... it'd be near impossible to get the speeds right.

If you have a fully equipped machine shop you could do it I suppose, but otherwise it's such a undoable thing that I'm guessing you're just playing around here to see if anyone takes it seriously.


Buy some empty 7" reels and a pair of scissors.
 
Lt. Bob said:
I'm guessing you're just playing around here to see if anyone takes it seriously.
Click to expand...

yeah, that's what i'm doing..
seriously though, it seems like a valid question to me, not about some ass-backwards way to do it, but if there is a device designed to solve such a problem. i'm sure i'm not the first person who wished for an alternative to chopping up his tape and winding it onto smaller reels.
 
I've pondered it myself. I've seen a vintage reel-to-reel deck with optional extension arms – just can’t remember the model. It wasn’t the Nagra that JP mentioned. It involves affixing a pulley onto each reel table and extension arms to the corners of the machine. At the other end of the extension arm is another reel table with a NAB adaptor for the larger reel. A rubber belt connects the two pulleys.

Unfortunately, the time and cost of such a DIY project would make it impractical. Even if you could pull it off I’m sure your machine’s tape handling performance would take a hit.

It would be less costly in the long run to buy new 7-inch, or roll some 10-inch onto spare 7-inch reels. That’s easy enough… and no crime. ;)

I have a TASCAM 22-2 and I rather like the smaller reels. At 22+ minutes per reel, I find it easier to catalog and manage the shorter tapes. My home hi-fi deck (Akai GX-77) also takes the smaller reels, so I have no need for the 10-inch for ¼ tape.

It's good to see someone thinking though... it's a good idea.

~Τιμόθεος
:)
 
Okay, here's a picture of the Nagra QGB adaptor:
http://www.theanalogdept.com/serge.htm

It actually seems to be powered and controlled by the Nagra, so there is no way on God's earth it's ever going to work with the Fostex, and as the others point out, if you did add stalks cine-style, there will be NO braking! I still say it could be done, e.g. by taking the machine's guts and building a new chassis. But it would be easier to score an E8 if you're dead set on 10.5" 1/4 8-track.
 
thanks everyone for all the feedback! i'm most likely going to end up just winding the tape on some 7" reels, since i dont have the time or money for any more ambitious experiments. now that tape is readily available again, it's not such a big deal if i toss these reels back on the shelf for a few more years!
 
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