Techno-Archeology: TimeLine Product Documentation and Upkeep

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[MENTION=89697]ecc83[/MENTION] -
there exists at least one working example of every machine ever made?
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I'm hoping so, and further, that for our cases we can get enough contributions of the irreplaceable items, like the firmware (hopefully the last revisions, when the products were at their most developed point) that we can keep these machines going for as long as possible. I would say there are thousands, if not tens of thousands of different machines which are now obsolete that required this very rare (not "out there" generally) software that had to be custom coded on a per-product basis. Some of it very difficult to code, written in such obscure formats (much uglier than "C" or higher-order languages) as Assembly Language or worse- raw machine code. Very difficult times in our tech evolution, even for the best and brightest.
[MENTION=31942]jpmorris[/MENTION] - Thanks again for the offerings, and please don't worry about clouding the thread too much. They're basically on target toward the greater good. Disc space is cheap, I'll gladly download whatever you can give, and hopefully pass it on to someone in need if I can't use it myself.

As for your sync troubles over the years- I feel for you, and hopefully with some of the wisdom you're passing along I can avoid some of the pitfalls. Sync is apparently a tricky subject, as many who've been there with their careers riding on the outcome were ever so grateful for sync issues to be over historically with the (then) approaching digital wave. For myself, I'm sure I'll be facing them as well, but this thread I think will help me. We'll see....
What didn't work with your Lynx setup, problems with the decks not resolving? Or were you forced to use the wrong machine profiles and hope that the deck ballistics were close enough to work?

As you mentioned in some of your posts I've read (about the ATS-500 thread miroslav kindly linked, for example)- if you've got bad information from the manufacturer it leaves you "swimming in a sea of pudding", so to speak. Likewise the wisdom you imparted about cabling being very specific, even down to having to do special shielding for the critical lines, such as Capstan Servo, for example, is not lost on me.

By reading some of the TimeLine Service Bulletins as I have today, even the guys designing these things forgot a few lessons- allowing ground loops to be built-in to certain cables because of unpredictable ways the different deck manufactures were terminating them internally, for instance. Or having to do post-production fixes on PCB's because they forgot to separate Analog and Digital grounds in certain places (the I/O daughterboard of the Microlynx comes to mind). Mixing Analog and Digital is extremely difficult, as these lads can attest, especially when you can't use your sense of hearing to help suss out problems with the results, instead having to depend only on knowledge, logic, intuition and lab equipment.....oh, and luck.
 
I have had a thought, and this might be complete and utter BOLLOX! Try to email the British Science Museum?

I saw a programme a year or so ago where they have a hanger somewhere out in the wilds of England stuffed with old tech' much of it hulking computers. They were painstakingly restoring it cosmetically but I would guess there are some VERY clever people there know a lot about early code? They have I know built the second Babbidge Engine.

Thing is, the guys that designed and coded this stuff have got to be in their 50s or older? If the data is not saved soon I think it will be gone for good and that's just AUDIO and related systems!

Dave.
 
[MENTION=89697]ecc83[/MENTION] - Ya' know, I agree with the sentiment I think you're expressing here. Preservation of knowledge is in the public's interest, as it helps to trim societal waste by supporting the Reduce, Re-use, and Recycle philosophy. The problem is that this philosophy is often at odds with the current underlying business strategy of Covet, Consume, and Compete.

In a perfect world, perhaps a balance of the two philosophies could be developed whereby upon cessation of development or support of products, the companies involved could/would/should release their intellectual "interests" (the product documentation, and development information, at least) to the public at large, via something like a Library System. The tough part about implementing this idea would be the closing of the profit-incentive loop. Perhaps a tax credit for these donations to the public (if the business is continuing on), or a resolution of debt (if the business is ceasing), or something similar could be developed.

Until then, the best we can do as post-market users of these products, is to support "Techno-Archeology" the best way we can- by the sharing of what information we have, and helping each other discover workarounds to absolute obsolescence.
 
Documentation: Cable Schematics - Lynx 1

Next up- the Cable Schematics (a.k.a Schemos). This post is mainly a placeholder until we can figure out if there were any cables that the Lynx 1 used that were not used by the Lynx 2. Because almost all the cables that hook up a Lynx-1 are specific to a given ATR/VTR/DTR Transport, it was prudent for TimeLine to engineer them as custom, as there weren't any generic cables available that would even come close to the required specifications.

1. The following document was derived from tables or lists found in the User Manual. Knowledge of its contents is crucial for the successful manufacture (or repair) of cables for the Lynx 1 - the Transport Port Connector Pinout:
View attachment 01 - Lynx-1 Transport Connector Pinout.pdf

2. Now for the Cable Schemos themselves: [temp placeholder]
 
Apple under investigation for alleged ‘planned obsolescence’ | E&ampT Magazine

^Seems moot? I did not know 'planned obsolescence was illegal in France? Also seems it will eventually be so EU wide but I guess UK will now miss that boat?

"Competition" has its good sides it is just that it becomes SO wasteful when it is a political mantra. Take Audio Interfaces? At any given price point they are all much the same and really good enough for 'real world' signals. In fact many of the 'better' AIs are as a result of better drivers and they do not cost material resources.

Then there is the huge mountain of 'orphaned' gear? Just in the audio industry, a change of OS (or even just a W10 update!) can leave you with a pile of useless junk it seems.

Dave.
 
Documentation: Cable Schematics - Lynx 2

Next up- the Cable Schematics (a.k.a Schemos) for the Lynx-2. As explained in the last post all the cables that hook up a Lynx-2 are specific to a given ATR/VTR/DTR Transport, and are custom-made. The situation that eventually developed was that the manufacturers looked seriously at the subject, and began to design and install Serial Communications Ports (such as RS-422 and RS-232) into their gear, specifically so that they could be synchronized in a studio environment more easily, using quasi-generic cables.

1. The following document was derived from tables or lists found in the User Manual. Knowledge of its contents is crucial for the successful manufacture (or repair) of cables for the Lynx 2 - the Transport Port Connector Pinout:
View attachment 01 - Lynx-2 Transport Connector Pinout.pdf

Stock TimeLine Catalog Cable Schemos -
2. Now for the Cable Schemos themselves. The new file naming system I utilize helps me find duplicates more easily, and includes the most important details for file management- Simple Verbal Description, TimeLine Document Number and revision, and Document Date (or possibly the date of released printing):

1. View attachment Fostex E Series (70D018-20C)(12-19-1989).pdf
2. View attachment Mitsubishi 850 (70D024-20B)(01-03-1990).pdf
3. View attachment Otari MTR-10, MTR-12 (70D025-20B)(01-03-1990).pdf
4. View attachment Otari MTR-90-1 (70D026-20B)(01-03-1990).pdf
5. View attachment Otari MTR-90-1 Finished Cable (70D026-10B)(01-03-1990).pdf
6. View attachment Otari MTR-90-2 (70D043-20B)(01-09-1990).pdf
7. View attachment Otari Type A (70D042-20E)(06-17-1991).pdf
8. View attachment RS-422 Serial Cable (70D041-20C)(01-05-1990).pdf
9. View attachment Sony 7030-FM (71389-20A)(03-11-1994).pdf
10. View attachment Sony PCM-3324 (70D034-20E)(06-10-1992).pdf
11. View attachment Sony Type A (70D030-20D)(01-04-1990).pdf
12. View attachment Sony-MCI JH-24 (70D032-20C)(01-08-1990).pdf
13. View attachment Sony-MCI JH-24 Finished Cable (70D032-10C)(01-08-1990).pdf
14. View attachment Sony-MCI JH-110 (70D033-20B)(01-04-1990).pdf
15. View attachment Sony-MCI JH-110 Finished Cable (70D033-10B)(01-04-1990).pdf
16. View attachment Studer A-80 (70D037-20D)(03-31-1992).pdf
17. View attachment Studer A-800 (70D038-20C)(01-05-1990).pdf
18. View attachment Studer A-820 & A-827 (Zeltec R&D- LST820-INT-A)(10-01-2004).pdf
19. View attachment Studer Type B (70D050-20B)(09-11-1991).pdf
20. View attachment Tascam 50 (70D040-20B)(01-10-1990).pdf
21. View attachment Tascam Type A (70D039-20F)(04-22-1991).pdf


Modified TimeLine Catalog Cables -
3. The following collection are documented through TimeLine Service Bulletins and associated Installation Guides, and require end-user (or their support tech) modification to achieve the desired results:
1. View attachment 3M M79 With Selectake Interface (M79-000)(08-12-1985).pdf
2. View attachment Fostex D20 Cabling - Installation Guide (73629A)(09-28-1994).pdf
3. View attachment JVC Type B Cable Mod - Installation Guide (73644B)(10-10-1994).pdf
4. View attachment JVC Type C Cable Mod - Service Bulletin (SB-94-008)(09-20-1994).pdf
5. View attachment Quadrature Decoder Cable Sub Assembly (70D048-10B)(12-19-1989).pdf
6. View attachment RS-422 Cable Mod - Service Bulletin SB-92-003 (02-06-1992).pdf
7. View attachment Sony APR-24 Type A Cable Mod - Installation Guide (07-13-1993).pdf
8. View attachment Sony VO-5850 Hardware Interface - Installation Guide (10-26-1992).pdf
9. View attachment Sony-MCI JH-24 & JH-110 Remote Mod - Service Bulletin (SB-92-013)(06-12-1997).pdf
10. View attachment Studer A-800 Cable Mod - Service Bulletin SB-95-004 (08-31-1995).pdf
11. View attachment Studer A-800 Series Serial Interface - Installation Guide (02-05-1993).pdf

Re-created Cable Schematics -
4. The following items are re-creations of TimeLine Cable Schematics that have gone missing from the TimeLine Archives, and have been generated by means of direct observation/measurement of existing physical specimens of original TimeLine cables:

1A. The Observation Report I generated from a Lynx-2 to Alesis AI-2 cable (71384). Although a rather wordy document (at 13 pages), it covers in exhaustive detail the cable's construction, with added speculations regarding signal descriptions vs. twisted conductor pairings, and includes the (first and only) available schemo of the cable wiring:
View attachment Lynx-2 To Alesis AI-2 Cable Observations (Bainbridge - 71384)(01-23-2018).pdf

1B. The Lynx-2 to Alesis AI-2 Cable Schemo (71384), by itself. Note that the Twisted Conductor Pairings are included by color scheme of the Pin Identities, i.e. those ID's with the same color belong to a Twisted Pair of physical conductors:
View attachment Lynx-2 To Alesis AI-2 - Twisted Pair (Bainbridge 71384-20B)(01-24-2018).pdf

Errata / Sindata
Note: The following Service Bulletin files (listed above) are missing vital images (Figures or Illustrations) to make them complete documents. Either the original files were incomplete, or were assembled into printable form in an "ala cart" method, whereby the image files were stored elsewhere on the original TimeLine server, and were "soft-linked" to the document on a "print-case" basis:

1. RS-422 Cable Mod - Service Bulletin SB-92-003 (02-06-1992).pdf
Problem: Missing - "Illustration 1. Ground Shield Termination"

2. Sony-MCI JH-24 & JH100 Remote Mod - Service Bulletin (SB-92-013)(06-12-1997).pdf
Problems:
Errata - The "Date" data cell of the original document is not obviously "!//#". The original document was a .DOC file that had an "Autofill Date" option turned on, which corrupted the file to display the hash referred to above. Only an exploration of the original .DOC file Metadata ("Properties" - in a Windows environment) revealed that the original Print Date/Time was "06/12/1997 14:53 (hrs.)", and that the document was last edited by a Peggy Kennedy, and saved to the TimeLine servers after 4 minutes of editing time.
Missing - "Figure 1. Wire Modification, Version 1"
Missing - "Figure 2. Wire Modification, Version 2"
Missing - "Figure 3. Corrected Wiring Diagram"

Any updates/submissions to help correct these problems that the readers of this post can offer, would be greatly appreciated by myself, and the community as a whole!
 

Attachments

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[MENTION=89697]ecc83[/MENTION] - I didn't know that either, about France (or any country) having laws against "planned obsolescence". Maybe they'll start a world-wide trend.

As for computers, and their "incremental decrepitude" (when it comes to DAWs, especially), I'm in favor of the "toasterize" approach. Get the DAW working the way you like it, then UNPLUG the thing from upgrades of any kind, if at all possible. Turn it into an audio "toaster"- an appliance dedicated to doing one thing and one thing only- audio recording with a very fixed scope of possibilities. Otherwise, the game of "pin the tail on the consumer" is yours to play, and pay, and pay and.....
 
brainditch said:
[MENTION=89697]ecc83[/MENTION] - I didn't know that either, about France (or any country) having laws against "planned obsolescence". Maybe they'll start a world-wide trend.

As for computers, and their "incremental decrepitude" (when it comes to DAWs, especially), I'm in favor of the "toasterize" approach. Get the DAW working the way you like it, then UNPLUG the thing from upgrades of any kind, if at all possible. Turn it into an audio "toaster"- an appliance dedicated to doing one thing and one thing only- audio recording with a very fixed scope of possibilities. Otherwise, the game of "pin the tail on the consumer" is yours to play, and pay, and pay and.....
Click to expand...

Agreed, a good policy for professionals who get tax breaks and wealthy amateurs, bit a bit impractical for many home recordists.

I have just bought the stonkingly well priced Samplitude Pr0X 3 Suite but that has had about 4 updates since Christmas, some very big. How does one know what one might be missing?

Dave.
 
New Schemo Additions

Just a bump-announcement: See Post #46 (above), available for the first time on the web (AFAIK) - Lynx-2 to Alesis AI-2 Cable Schematic, with accompanying Observation Document. Valuable additional info in the Observation Document regarding the actual original cable specs (10 Twisted Pair, 22 AWG as 7 X 30 AWG configuration, etc.), for anyone building/re-creating many of the TimeLine cables.
 
I'm looking for the document for MM1200 to Lynx II.
Anyone ?
 
Welcome glava.
So, there is hope for development of a cable schematic to connect a Lynx 2 and an Ampex MM1200, but sadly our collected archive does not currently contain one, however our archives contain a schemo for the Ampex 1200 and a different TimeLine product- the Microlynx; in fact there are two such schemos in the collection.
The stock TimeLine cable assembly is listed in the Lynx 2 Cable Catalog (Cable Reference Guide, Lynx 2 User Manual 73A020-H, Appendix, pg.13) as 71C003. This implies that there is a Machine Profile for the MM1200 programmed into the later versions of the Lynx 2 Firmware, and that chances are good that the firmware version of your Lynx 2 also will support the MM1200 (I don't currently own a Lynx 2, but it may be fairly easy for you to check).

I am currently working on a translation schemo for the cable I dissected above (cable for Lynx 2 to Alesis AI-2) that will hopefully adapt that information to the product I own (a Microlynx). This is requiring a little detective work, as the Lynx 2 and Microlynx are slightly different products (with subtly different Pinout Descriptions), but there is an excellent chance that this translation will work. It's kind of like using the available schemo for the other product as a "Rosetta Stone" (which historically allowed translation between the written language of Greece, and ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics).

What I'm saying is that this same technique might work in your case as well.

Does your version of the MM1200 have a 26-pin Burndy connector on it? Is there an additional port that has a 5-pin connector labeled "Ref Out", "Ref In", and "+15V"? Do you have a copy of the manual for the MM1200 that might have a Pinout Description listed in it? The 2nd Revision of the Microlynx to Ampex MM1200 cable schemo lists a few other required items to fulfill, including a relay and diode system to switch a Capstan Frequency Control signal between the deck and synchronizer- these may or may not be required in the case of proper control of your deck; it's too early to tell without some further data from you.

Your answers will yield a direction for further inquiry/exploration.
 
Excellent news Steenamaroo! If this was somehow your doing, we thank you greatly, and offer much appreciation as it will facilitate the archiving of our vital (and exceptionally rare) data locally. If you are graciously passing the news along thank you so much for doing so!

jpmorris and miroslav, please take note! With your kind permission jpmorris, I'd like to post up your excellent PROM images for the Lynx 1 when I have the chance.
 
Look who's back. :D

We were wondering what happened to you...must have been a long vacation. ;)
 
brainditch said:
Excellent news Steenamaroo! If this was somehow your doing, we thank you greatly, and offer much appreciation as it will facilitate the archiving of our vital (and exceptionally rare) data locally.
Click to expand...

Glad to help. If you run into any more snags, I'm only a PM away. :)
 
brainditch said:
Excellent news Steenamaroo! If this was somehow your doing, we thank you greatly, and offer much appreciation as it will facilitate the archiving of our vital (and exceptionally rare) data locally. If you are graciously passing the news along thank you so much for doing so!
jpmorris and miroslav, please take note! With your kind permission jpmorris, I'd like to post up your excellent PROM images for the Lynx 1 when I have the chance.
Click to expand...

Go for it!
 
brainditch said:
Welcome glava.
So, there is hope for development of a cable schematic to connect a Lynx 2 and an Ampex MM1200, but sadly our collected archive does not currently contain one, however our archives contain a schemo for the Ampex 1200 and a different TimeLine product- the Microlynx; in fact there are two such schemos in the collection.
The stock TimeLine cable assembly is listed in the Lynx 2 Cable Catalog (Cable Reference Guide, Lynx 2 User Manual 73A020-H, Appendix, pg.13) as 71C003. This implies that there is a Machine Profile for the MM1200 programmed into the later versions of the Lynx 2 Firmware, and that chances are good that the firmware version of your Lynx 2 also will support the MM1200 (I don't currently own a Lynx 2, but it may be fairly easy for you to check).

I am currently working on a translation schemo for the cable I dissected above (cable for Lynx 2 to Alesis AI-2) that will hopefully adapt that information to the product I own (a Microlynx). This is requiring a little detective work, as the Lynx 2 and Microlynx are slightly different products (with subtly different Pinout Descriptions), but there is an excellent chance that this translation will work. It's kind of like using the available schemo for the other product as a "Rosetta Stone" (which historically allowed translation between the written language of Greece, and ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics).

What I'm saying is that this same technique might work in your case as well.

Does your version of the MM1200 have a 26-pin Burndy connector on it? Is there an additional port that has a 5-pin connector labeled "Ref Out", "Ref In", and "+15V"? Do you have a copy of the manual for the MM1200 that might have a Pinout Description listed in it? The 2nd Revision of the Microlynx to Ampex MM1200 cable schemo lists a few other required items to fulfill, including a relay and diode system to switch a Capstan Frequency Control signal between the deck and synchronizer- these may or may not be required in the case of proper control of your deck; it's too early to tell without some further data from you.

Your answers will yield a direction for further inquiry/exploration.
Click to expand...



Thanks!

Yes it's matter of fact that I'm using my MM1200 right now with a Microlynx
and yes connecting thru Burndy 26pin and the cinch-jones for selecting external or internal capstan control.

It been working great for years I even bought several ML spares as the quality its not the best
but mostly the PSU that goes.

But now I bought an SSL 4k with a MotionWorker and LYNX II seems to be the best way to go.

Regarding the cable/pinout it should not be too hard to do a LYNX II cable with the Microlynx/MM1200 cable info
but a whole lot easier with a dedicated schemo of course.
Only thing that makes me confuse are the ML pin 8(PULLUP COM) that LYNX II doesn't have
but only one of the ML/MM1200 schemo are using that port so I don't think its necessary...

Instead of doing a complete new cable for the MM1200/LYNX I think it would be easier to do a converter cable between 40 pin female(ML) to 50 pin DSUB(LYNX II) instead of a totally new cable

Also found this document comparing the LYNX II to ML ports... Haha saw now that it's yours!

Best/
 
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