Ampex AG-440B-8 Story...

[sweetbeats]

You just have to search for switches with those specs on Mouser or Digikey or whatever. Don’t worry about exact cosmetic match or mounting nut thread pitch or whatever. Are there 4 contacts on it?

 

[stank]

Indeed, it had 4 contacts. I just want to make sure to get something that will have a long enough bushing that the top of the switch clears the escutcheon and neither mouser or digikey have anything that long. Dave Dintenfass suggested reaching out to Eaton (who now owns Arrow-Hart). I sent them an email but seeing that they're a multi billion dollar company with a vast and complicated website, I'm not holding my breath on a response. Fingers crossed though. I also emailed Carling as Ampex used switches from them as well.

He also sent me a ebay listing that's close, but there's a ball at the end of the switch that would prevent it from getting through the escutcheon.

 

[stank]

Welp no luck on the power switch. Carling never wrote back... BUT Eaton did to my suprise. A gentleman sent me a few options, but nothing long enough to make it all the way from the control box to the top of the panel of the transport. They had a switch in the same electrical rating, but it was about .35" too short. And unfortunately the switch in the ebay listing Dave sent me had too long of a bushing. This is an oddball part. I'll keep at ebay, reverb, CL, etc... Ampex Mailing List would be pretty nice rn.

If anyone has this part, or a workaround, let me know. I've been putting in new caps and cleaning pots and switches and have no idea if I'm doing a good job cuz I can't get any power into the machine. I'm debating just installing a smaller switch, and leaving it in the on position at all times, and using a power strip to power the machine on and off.

 

[sweetbeats]

What’s wrong with too long of a bushing? Just add another nut to adjust the back spacing. Or use a power strip to power it. That’s a perfectly functional option.

 

[stank]

I've made some headway with the 440. I got the transport up and running, just waiting on a new rewind switch. Lots of fresh components, new xlr inputs, cleaned the pots and switches, sorted out out some cold solder joints, currently in the process of installing leds, and also got the heads relapped. I can't wait till this is fully functional so I can start making records on this thing.

Once the led's are finished, I plan on doing some cosmetic work and one of the things I would really like to do is clean the vu windows and black plastic frame / bevel (?) that borders it. I can't figure out how to get the frame off though. It doesn't seem to be the center screw (which is the only screw on it). I really don't know what it is. It's weird because it appears that the vu meter comes out from the front, but the screws holding it in are behind said frame screwed in from the front. The screws on the back all look like they're dedicated to vu functionality so I don't wanna mess with those. @sweetbeats I read earlier in this thread about you making some glass windows for your 440. Any advice on how to get the frame off?

 

[sweetbeats]

I've made some headway with the 440. I got the transport up and running, just waiting on a new rewind switch. Lots of fresh components, new xlr inputs, cleaned the pots and switches, sorted out out some cold solder joints, currently in the process of installing leds, and also got the heads relapped. I can't wait till this is fully functional so I can start making records on this thing.

Once the led's are finished, I plan on doing some cosmetic work and one of the things I would really like to do is clean the vu windows and black plastic frame / bevel (?) that borders it. I can't figure out how to get the frame off though. It doesn't seem to be the center screw (which is the only screw on it). I really don't know what it is. It's weird because it appears that the vu meter comes out from the front, but the screws holding it in are behind said frame screwed in from the front. The screws on the back all look like they're dedicated to vu functionality so I don't wanna mess with those. @sweetbeats I read earlier in this thread about you making some glass windows for your 440. Any advice on how to get the frame off?

I’ll have to refresh my memory. I have a meter hanging loose on my MM-1000 in the studio. I’ll see if that can tell me enough how it goes together. But IIRC it’s all from the back.

 

[stank]

Yep, it turns out it is from the back indeed. Two back ends of screws with nuts holding down each side of the vu meter as well as the clamps for the lamps and terminal strips for the reproduce level pot and ready/record lamps. It's really crammed in there and I wasn't able to remove it without removing the reproduce level pot and the assembly with the 3 big cans. I was initially avoiding removing these as it seemed (from a design perspective) they would be removed from the front.