BBC 4 prog tonight (UK)

[Phil Allison]

Jeff Layman wrote:

On 30/11/2014 02:35,

http://www.hubinet.com/images/BINSON1.JPG

What is the thing on the top on the left (directly behind the "B" of
"Binson") that looks like a bottle of Loctite in a battery holder?

** That is bottle of light oil.

The steel band needs a smear of oil clean it and so the heads do not make actual contact.

http://www.effectrode.com/magnetic-delay/binson-echorec-manual/

FYI

the steel band is very thin and quite seamless - it appears to be shrink fited onto the alloy drum. Nice bit of machining to make that from a steel tube.

Regular 1/4 inch tape heads are used with a normal HF bias oscillator for record but a permanent magnet for erase. So there is more background noise than tape recorder of the same vintage.

But running at 20ips does help.


.... Phil

 

[Phil Allison]

Phil Allison wrote:

the steel band is very thin and quite seamless - it appears to be shrink fited onto the alloy drum. Nice bit of machining to make that from a steel tube.

** Forget that.

Info recently posted on the web (not there when I have me example on the bench) suggests the "band" is made from very fine wire, probably a Iron / Nickel alloy, wound onto the drum and then machined smooth.

http://www.effectrode.com/magnetic-delay/binson-echorec-memory-system/

BTW:

The wire cannot be "Constantan" cos like most resistance wire it is non magnetic.


.... Phil

 

[Phil Allison]

Jeff Layman wrote:
Phil Allison wrote:

the steel band is very thin and quite seamless - it appears to be shrink fited onto the alloy drum. Nice bit of machining to make that from a steel tube.


** Forget that.

Info recently posted on the web (not there when I have me example on the bench) suggests the "band" is made from very fine wire, probably a Iron / Nickel alloy, wound onto the drum and then machined smooth.

http://www.effectrode.com/magnetic-delay/binson-echorec-memory-system/

BTW:

The wire cannot be "Constantan" cos like most resistance wire it is non magnetic.

Good catch!

I wonder if the original wire was, or was based on, the wire originally
used in magnetic wire recorders.

** That is my conclusion too.

It was readily available at the time, the diameter was a tad under 0.1mm and it was made from a magnetic grade of stainless steel.

AFAIK, Binson were to only maker to use this idea.


..... Phil

 

[Jeff Layman]

On 02/12/2014 01:17, Phil Allison wrote:

Phil Allison wrote:


the steel band is very thin and quite seamless - it appears to be shrink fited onto the alloy drum. Nice bit of machining to make that from a steel tube.


** Forget that.

Info recently posted on the web (not there when I have me example on the bench) suggests the "band" is made from very fine wire, probably a Iron / Nickel alloy, wound onto the drum and then machined smooth.

http://www.effectrode.com/magnetic-delay/binson-echorec-memory-system/

BTW:

The wire cannot be "Constantan" cos like most resistance wire it is non magnetic.

Good catch!

I wonder if the original wire was, or was based on, the wire originally
used in magnetic wire recorders. That was about the same diameter as a
human hair, and trying to machine it must have been a hell of a
challenge. Also having an iron content must have made it susceptible to
corrosion. There is a quite interesting webpage here which covers the
subject:
http://www.smecc.org/wire_recorder_care_&_repair.htm

That mentions cleaning and lubricating the wire with our old friend - WD-40!

--

Jeff