Ivc ~ ivc-871p ~ 1" video recorder service manual

[ppppenguin]

All cassette formats must be omega wrap. It would take a very warped mind to design a lacing mechanism to do alpha wrap. I think all cassette formats used a 180 degree wrap, certainly U-Matic, Betamax, VHS and their derivatives such as Betacam and M format.

The VPR80 was a very late C format VTR. It may be omega wrap but I can't see how you can get the same track layout as other C format machines which were alpha wrap.

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by ppppenguin

All cassette formats must be omega wrap. It would take a very warped mind to design a lacing mechanism to do alpha wrap. I think all cassette formats used a 180 degree wrap, certainly U-Matic, Betamax, VHS and their derivatives such as Betacam and M format.

The VPR80 was a very late C format VTR. It may be omega wrap but I can't see how you can get the same track layout as other C format machines which were alpha wrap.

I may be wrong, but I think the Quasar Great Time Machine may have been an alpha wrap...It definitely was the product of a sick mind. IIRC the 2 reel spools were coaxial and the head drum protruded into the cassette instead of the tape being removed from the cassette and threaded onto the drum.

[ppppenguin]

This normally reliable reference says the Great Time Machine was alpha: http://www.labguysworld.com/Quasar_VR-1000.htm

Philips 1500 (first domestic cassette VTR) and 1700 were also coaxial spools in a cassette. The wrap was ordinary 180 degree omega.

[kf4rca]

Have you ever heard of Cartrivision? (see atached)
Ask me anything you want about VPR80. Our station had 6.
All type C tapes are interchangeable. Besides Ampex, Sony, RCA, Hitachi also made a type C machine. The Hitachi needed external compressed air (like quads).
When I got back from Ampex school, two other stations in the market were having problems with theirs.
WPBA TV30 (PBS station) had an open 10K resistor in the drum servo, keeping it from spinning up.
The Weather Channel's machine had a blown TL084 op amp in the reel servo.
WPBA was a disaster of a TV station. One of the tasks of the engineering dept. was to put out plastic trash cans in the control room whenever it rained.(I am not making this up!)
The lady GM wanted to pay me for the repair job but I told her to put it toward the roof! The station was known as the Dirty 30 because of the dust bunnies located in the bottom of the racks!
I got a really nice Weather Channel mug for their repair job.
Both of those stations had engineering depts. but I don't think they were component level.