Xref: utzoo misc.wanted:10416 sci.electronics:13062 rec.audio:23088 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!crdgw1!ge-dab!tarpit!bilver!bill From: bill@bilver.UUCP (Bill Vermillion) Newsgroups: misc.wanted,sci.electronics,rec.audio Subject: Re: Magnetic Wire Recorders Message-ID: <828@bilver.UUCP> Date: 23 Jul 90 14:02:03 GMT References: <1990Jul14.044030.6001@swbatl.sbc.com> <3849@kitty.UUCP> <1990Jul18.170150.29014@ariel.unm.edu> Reply-To: bill@bilver.UUCP (Bill Vermillion) Organization: W. J. Vermillion, Winter Park, FL Lines: 24 In article <1990Jul18.170150.29014@ariel.unm.edu> ee5391aa@hydra.unm.edu (Duke McMullan n5gax) writes: >In article kimf@arrester.caltech.edu (Kim Dorian >Flowers) writes: >>What were the main disadvantages of wire recorders as compared >>cassette tape-types? > >The one problem of which I'm certain was that the wire tended to wear a DEEP >grove in the head. The head STARTED with a deep groove to carry the wire. It did not seem to accelerate wear after that point. The stainless wire is MUCH smoother than the ferric oxide for tape heads. There were some older models of wire recorders in which you threaded the recording wire through a hole. No wear to speak of in those. Wear was a problem even in tape in those days. Head material was very soft. We kept spare pole pieces for a Magencord PT6's around for quick replacement. The poles were only about $15, and looked almost like a bunch of staples soldered together sideways. You just undid the screws that held the top of the head case on, lifted the pole pieces out, and put a new set in. Probably good for about 500 hours, but we never timed them. When you could see the gap easily, you just changed the pole pieces. >Here'a a thought: You've probably spliced recording tape. Now, try it with a >ferromagnetic wire.... You just tie it in a square knot, and clip the ends. You can splice, you can assemble, but you just can't edit. I did it a lot when in high-school. Of course if you had one of the hole type heads mentioned above, this wouldn't work, as the knot wouldn't pass throught the hole. And speaking of splicing, I used to help make dubs in the Radio-TV department at college. We would send out tapes to all the stations in the state each week, and then redub the next week. We saw tapes spliced together with everything you could imagine. One of the strangest was the one that was "spliced" with a 3-cent postage stamp. bill -- Bill Vermillion - UUCP: uunet!tarpit!bilver!bill : bill@bilver.UUCP