Mark’s CT-F850 arrived- some questions…

[MarkWComer]

It doesn't even tell you the time. I just sends out a pulse every so often, but ridiculously consistent.
All that for $50,000.00

Another $15 for a nice gas discharge display could fix that!

 

[MarkWComer]

it was pure luck, believe me.

you don't even know how much you risked a ugly reply for not using the emojis, my dear friend.

(Oops…) I do take risks… But there are endless variables in any quantitative process, that was my point.

I don’t take much at face value, especially of late. There is benefit to be found in the use of hallucinogenic substances- alternate points of view lead to investigation of what can be perceived.

 

[mlucitt]

Another $15 for a nice gas discharge display could fix that!

There is enough discharge of gas around here already...
Unless you are talking about a Nixie tube display from our Russian friends, they build great Nixie tubes.

 

[vince666]

Oops…

but, no worries.... now that i got it clear, you'll end to hate me for my humour.

indeed, i had developed the bad habit of not doing any of it at that other place, where it wouldn't have worked as it should.

PS: i also like to write some apparently serious thing while, really, it's all about humour, btw.... like that thing of mine yiu just quoted.

 

[MarkWComer]

There is enough discharge of gas around here already...
Unless you are talking about a Nixie tube display from our Russian friends, they build great Nixie tubes.

I meant one of those blue alphanumeric displays from a microwave oven, but nixies are cool, too!

 

[MarkWComer]

but, no worries.... now that i got it clear, you'll end to hate me for my humour.

indeed, i had developed the bad habit of not doing any of it at that other place, where it wouldn't have worked as it should.

Wry and dry, sarcasm sprinkled on top!

 

[vince666]

It doesn't even tell you the time. I just sends out a pulse every so often, but ridiculously consistent.
All that for $50,000.00

I'd badly need one to check and realign my cuckoo clock.

 

[MarkWComer]

There was also an azimuth alignment tape for sale- white noise with the channels recorded 180° out of phase. Playback with amp in mono mode, adjust the azimuth screw until minimum output is achieved.

I hesitate to fiddle with azimuth, steering clear of that one.

 

[vince666]

I hesitate to fiddle with azimuth

good choice... if nobody had fun with the head's screws and they still have the factory sealing paint intact, I'd leave it alone, unless there is clear evidence that head alignment might be off.

and there is another reason, too...
if the heads happen to just have some wear groove, the wear groove is, most likely, well aligned/parallel with the actual head's alignment you just have there... so, moving the azimuth would have the side effect of putting the borders of the wear groove misaligned with the running tape... not really a desiderable thing.
In fact, If I happen to be in need of realigning the azimuth on a head which just developed some wear groove, I first relap the head (so I can remove the wear groove and make the whole surface even) and then I can realign it without worrying.

 

[Vynuladikt]

Another $15 for a nice gas discharge display could fix that!

But Mark, which radio station would you set the time to?

 

[MarkWComer]

But Mark, which radio station would you set the time to?

No Earthly idea…
This is far above my pedigree…

 

[MarkWComer]

good choice... if nobody had fun with the head's screws and they still have the factory sealing paint intact, I'd leave it alone, unless there is clear evidence that head alignment might be off.

and there is another reason, too...
if the heads happen to just have some wear groove, the wear groove is, most likely, well aligned/parallel with the actual head's alignment you just have there... so, moving the azimuth would have the side effect of putting the borders of the wear groove misaligned with the running tape... not really a desiderable thing.
In fact, If I happen to be in need of realigning the azimuth on a head which just developed some wear groove, I first relap the head (so I can remove the wear groove and make the whole surface even) and then I can realign it without worrying.

And a third consideration: you better have those head gaps inline to where the tracks are intended to be on the tape! Otherwise, you’d hear some faint backward music in the right channel, correct? Granted, you may have to be off to a significant degree, but it is a possibility.

Curious: what are the track width and position specifications for cassette tapes?

 

[J!m]

Berry narrow.

 

[vince666]

And a third consideration: you better have those head gaps inline to where the tracks are intended to be on the tape! Otherwise, you’d hear some faint backward music in the right channel, correct? Granted, you may have to be off to a significant degree, but it is a possibility.

Curious: what are the track width and position specifications for cassette tapes?

Absolutely correct!
A very small track alignment error will translate to some level loss (i.e. when playing a tape recorded on another deck with correct track alignment, while if recording and playing on the same deck you won't see a level loss but you'd be simply recording an off-standard tape) but if the error gets larger then the backwards music from the other side would chime in (again, when playing a tape recorded on another deck with correct track alignment, otherwise while recording on the same deck you'd be simply partially overwriting the "overlapping" portion of R channel of the side you just recorded while you go and record the other side).

Anyways, if the heads have inbuilt guides (and the vast majority of them have inbuilt guides), if the guides are well aligned to the heads gaps/tracks the track alignment is OK, unless you aren't creasing the tape edges because the whole head (together with the inbuilt guide) is off... but if the guide wasn't put on the heads at the correct place (and sometimes it happens, believe me!) then the above problem will happen as described.

Each of the tracks on stereo cassette are 0.6 mm large (they are just thin!) , and the blank space between the L and R channels of the same side is 0.3 mm , so the whole width of the two tracks of the same side including the blank space between the L and R channels is 1.5 mm... which is , btw, the width of a mono track on cassette (so that there is some compatibility between mono and stereo).
The position of the tracks is substancially starting from the edge of the tape surface, with Left channel as the external one at the edge of the tape.
The same goes at the other side of the tape for Side B, of course.
All the rest, at the center zone of the tape surface, is the blank space between the two sides.

WOW... this time it would have been much easier (both for myself and for those who read it) to directly find a drawing showing the tracks, than describing them with words!
But, you know, I am not that fond of the easy ways of describing things... why making it easier when you can make it more difficult?

 

[MarkWComer]

Absolutely correct!
A very small track alignment error will translate to some level loss (i.e. when playing a tape recorded on another deck with correct track alignment, while if recording and playing on the same deck you won't see a level loss but you'd be simply recording an off-standard tape) but if the error gets larger then the backwards music from the other side would chime in (again, when playing a tape recorded on another deck with correct track alignment, otherwise while recording on the same deck you'd be simply partially erasing/overwriting the "overlapping" portion of R channel of the side you just recorded while you go and record the other side).

Anyways, if the heads have inbuilt guides (and the vast majority of them have inbuilt guides), if the guides are well aligned to the heads gaps/tracks the track alignment is OK, unless you aren't creasing the tape edges because the whole head (together with the inbuilt guide) is off... but if the guide wasn't put on the heads at the correct place (and sometimes it happens, believe me!) then the above problem will happen as described.

Each of the tracks on stereo cassette are 0.6 mm large (they are just thin!) , and the blank space between the L and R channels of the same side is 0.3 mm , so the whole width of the two tracks of the same side including the blank space between the L and R channels is 1.5 mm... which is , btw, the width of a mono track on cassette (so that there is some compatibility between mono and stereo).
The position of the tracks is substancially starting from the edge of the tape surface, with Left channel as the external one at the edge of the tape.
The same goes at the other side of the tape for Side B, of course.
All the rest, at the center zone of the tape surface, is the blank space between the two sides.

WOW... this time it would have been much easier (both for myself and for those who read it) to directly find a drawing showing the tracks, than describing them with words!
But, you know, I am not that fond of the easy ways of describing things... why making it easier when you can make it more difficult?

I can dig it, man!

Calibration tape came today:
Ostensibly recorded 3kHz sine wave recorded at 1.875 ips.

Result:
2.97 kHz, steady with no fluctuation. 99% of target speed (1.85625 ips.)

I think I can live with that (the back of my mind screams, NO! NO!).

 

[Elite-ist]

Had to be different - most times, tape speed is noted in fractions - at least, amongst the hard-core tape enthusiasts. (Insert smiley face here)

Nando.

 

[MarkWComer]

Had to be different - most times, tape speed is noted in fractions - at least, amongst the hard-core tape enthusiasts. (Insert smiley face here)

Nando.

I restrained myself, didn’t use cm/sec. Inches suck, and decimals (imo) suggest higher precision…
(My iPad emoji’s don’t seem to work here…)
Anyway, I’m comfortable enough with this to commit a few “frequent flyer” LPs to cassette now to reduce handling. My trove of TDKs came today, selecting some favorites.

 

[Elite-ist]

Looks like you can start recording fairly soon. Are you going to wait until the TDK SA tapes arrive? Perhaps, record full albums to tape to start?

Nando.

 

[MarkWComer]

@vince666 :
I’m a fact collector, a knowledge geek. The more I know, the more there is to know. Thanks for adding to my “collection.”

 

[MarkWComer]

Looks like you can start recording fairly soon. Are you going to wait until the TDK SA tapes arrive? Perhaps, record full albums to tape to start?

Nando.

Yup- the SA tapes are here, starting with Simple Minds “Sons and Fascination / Sister Feelings Call” with some remix tracks to fill the excess tape at the end. Polyrock… Joy Division… Wire… MORE TAPES…