Suggestions for a 1" 16 Track?

I think that qualifies as a good ending! Dont rush!!! search and search. There have been a couple of those machines on ebay at around a thousand dollars (actual sales, not buy it now rubbish). Try craigs list. All of my big tape machines came from there, hell even the 1/4" machines did come to think of it. They are out there for reasonable prices. Im saying this from experience. Rushing is the worst thing you can do.

Keep us posted and good luck!!!
 
Hooray!! :D

And +1 to all mdainsd just said.

The right machine will come along. I'm so relieved you were able to come out whole with some new wisdom and experience that will give you a huge leg up when the next opportunity comes along. Craigslist is great for tape machines...just hunker down and scan and wait for the right one.
 
Hey again everybody. I have a meet up scheduled this weekend to check out an MX-70. I've been researching to see what I need to look out for, and the overwhelming problems are the relays and output drivers/amplifiers on the audio cards. Could someone tell exactly where the output driver is located on an MX-70 audio card (I believe it is labeled "IC6" on the PCB, but I could be wrong)? I attached the only clear picture of one of the channel cards I could find online. Also, are there two or three relays on each card? I figured out where those are, and I know what to look for... I just want to make sure I know where the output driver is when I see take a look at this machine.
 
Just a comment...good to find out and know where those components are on the amp card but looking at them at this point will tell you nothing...unless they are physically fried and I guarantee you'd smell it before you saw it and be out the door.
 
Sorry, I should have been clearer. There were three generations of output drivers used in the MX-70. And you can read the part number on the part on the card.This statement, from an Electrical Audio thread regarding the MX-70, seems to be accurate:

" the old "bad" relays have a clear case, and are made by matsushita. the new "good" relays are black, and are gas sealed - manufactured by omron. the output drivers have model numbers on them I-0178-B is the most recent "best" version, I-0125 is the second generation, and I-0050 is the original, most prone to failure option."

Okay, so I know what the relays look like. I just can't figure out where to look for the output driver (is that even what it's called?). Any ideas?
 
I can see only two things in that picture which look like relays. Both are on the bottom, by the edge connector. One is on the left, immediately above the 'A' in the circle. The other is to the right of it, halfway along the brown wire.
Without seeing it more closely (preferably with a side view as well) it's hard to say for certain, but they look a lot like transparent relays to me.

EDIT: Ah, wait - you're looking for the output amplifiers? Sorry. They might be op-amps, but it would also be worth investigating the transistors or whatever with the big black heat-sinks. Intuitively, if anything solid-state is likely to go funny it's the devices which are dumping huge amounts of heat.
 
Just to give you guys an update... I went and checked out that MX-70 this weekend. No dice. It was super clean, and the heads were in great shape, but the capstan wouldn't engage - there was something wrong with the power supply I think. Also, it had the first generation relays (which would eventually need to be replaced), and the first generation output drivers (which are really easy to spot when you look at the card from the side). So, I had to pass on that one... I have one more option that I'm going to check out in a couple of days. Back to the MS-16! I mentioned this one earlier in this thread, but it's got a bunch of parts and comes with everything. I'll keep you guys posted.
 
Ignatius- said:
Just to give you guys an update... I went and checked out that MX-70 this weekend. No dice. It was super clean, and the heads were in great shape, but the capstan wouldn't engage - there was something wrong with the power supply I think. Also, it had the first generation relays (which would eventually need to be replaced), and the first generation output drivers (which are really easy to spot when you look at the card from the side). So, I had to pass on that one... I have one more option that I'm going to check out in a couple of days. Back to the MS-16! I mentioned this one earlier in this thread, but it's got a bunch of parts and comes with everything. I'll keep you guys posted.
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Hmm. Maybe you and the seller can negotiate a deal where you get the thing checked out by a tech and up to snuff, shaving off the cost for the servicing. If you're not wanting to do all that work yourself, that might make the most sense.
 
Hmm. Maybe you and the seller can negotiate a deal where you get the thing checked out by a tech and up to snuff, shaving off the cost for the servicing. If you're not wanting to do all that work yourself, that might make the most sense.
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Yeah, I thought about that, but unfortunately I took a weekend to drive and see it. Again, I have learned to never take someone's word on a machine. He told me it was in amazing condition, emailed a head report over (with 75% remaining on the sync/repro heads), and I took his word that it was working... Anyway, I won't ever do that again (at least I only lost the gas money and didn't end up buying the machine).
 
Okay, so I took the plunge (again), on another MS-16 that was in my area! I think this is going to be the machine for me! I've attached pictures so you guys can see it (because who doesn't like pictures!). It was a bit of a drive (I was able to do it on a weeknight, so that was nice), but the dude was super awesome and very forthright. He had an almost complete service history on the machine (the capstan motor was rebuilt, the capstan PCB was replaced, etc). The heads were relapped and have about 40-50 hours of use on them after the relap (the head report was included and the repro and sync head have 60% life left on each).

So, along with the machine (which came in the second generation rack, I guess, and looks really nice), I got 3 rolls of one-pass Quantegy 456 with 2002 serial numbers, 1 roll of Ampex 456 with a 1997 serial number, 2 empty reels, the remote, and a bunch of spare parts... Among them, a complete headstack with what appear to be very worn heads, 3 audio cards, a couple of giant PCBs, 2 reel tables, the calibration extender card, and several other miscellaneous PCBs and parts. On top of that I got an MRL tape from 2002 and the service manual. We'll have to see how useful all of the other stuff is!

I dropped it off at the tech who works on my stuff yesterday, and I'm fairly confidant it's going to work out for me. I printed 1k tones on every track and they all played back at pitch, at volume, with no wow/flutter/wobble. There were a couple of track here and there that needed some work (scratchy, a little volume fluxuation), but overall it was in great condition when I tested it. I'm hoping I get some good news when he calls me back... Unlike, a lot of you guys I haven't quite got around to learning how to service my own stuff yet. I will get there though.
 

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No dbx units? Remote?
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No dbx, and the remote is the RC-65 (not the auto-locator). I'm not too bummed about the dbx, I have a TSR-8 which I am planning on syncing with the MS-16 when I get a chance. Anything that needs dbx can just be recorded on the TSR-8...
 
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