Sony TC-200 reel to reel - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

george1960 · 30th Nov 2016, 1:31 pm

hi guys i have a sony tc 200 and i have a panasonic amp with a 5 din pb socket and i have connected the reel to reel to the amp but only seem to be able to get mono output via 1 speaker,

Can i get stereo and how do i go about it what leads do i need ,

the reel has 3.5 jack outputs as well do i need to connect these to the amp

thanks guys for any help

TonyDuell · 30th Nov 2016, 1:55 pm

What sockets are there on the TC200 (there seem to be several versions at a quick glance). What socket(s) have you connected to the amplifier, and with what sort of cable?

george1960 · 30th Nov 2016, 2:47 pm

it is a 3.5 jack on the sony and a phono on the amp

julie_m · 30th Nov 2016, 3:14 pm

You will need to get an adaptor with 1 phono socket and 2 phono plugs, so you can feed the mono output from the recorder into both inputs of the amplifier.

george1960 · 30th Nov 2016, 3:18 pm

I had a feeling thats what i needed but wanted to check thanks for that

TonyDuell · 30th Nov 2016, 3:25 pm

The manual I have says that the TC200 is a stereo tape recorder. Early models have a DIN socket, but I guess yours doesn't have that.

There should be separate _mono_ jack socket outputs for each channel. If you have a phono socket to DIN plug adapter lead, then you need a pair of cables with a mono jack plug on one end and a phono plug on the other.

Croozer · 4th Dec 2016, 7:11 pm

Hi George1960,
Apologies if any of the following appears to cover what you already know, however one of these machines recently came into my hands and I thought it might be useful to share what I found.

1. DIN connection: this machine has both outpit and input wired in stereo on the din plug. From what I remember the plug is wired conventionally (one side is record, the other playback (ie. Looking at the plug, the pins on the LHS (1&4) are right and left input, the two on the RHS (3&5) are right anf left output, the centre pin (2) is common signal earth.

Provided that your amplifier is similarly wired, you should only need a 5 pin din to 5pin din connection for both record and playback (perhaps someone else can confirm that this is the common wiring convention? ).

2. Loud speaker outputs. There are two mini-jack plug outputs on the same panel. These are mono for connection to the two 8 ohm external speakers supplied with the machine. If you have the speakers it would be worth connecting them and trying playback of a known stereo tape. My machine had a low output fault on one channel. After much searching it turned out to be a fault in the switching mechanism for record/playback. The switching is fairly complex because the machine only has two heads, so it has to switch the electonics to work 'backwards' . There had been a previous repair here ,suggesting this might be a weakness. So it may be worth checking your machine is in standalone working order before chasing nonexistent interconnect faults.

3. If you are testing playback with a prerecorded tape, remember that it's likely that a mono recording will use only one of the two tracks, perhaps giving the impression of a fault on the other track.

4. If you take it apart, Be aware that although the machine has a mains transformer, the heater supply is a 90v series string, contrary to the circuit diagram, its taken off the primary side of the mains transformer. The machine is connected to mains via a reversible plug, meaning that you either have 90v or 240V mains on the tortuously routed heater string,which includes the PCB. The chassis (which is exposed during normal use) isn't earthed and there are several points where a chafe on the wires could put mains voltage on the chassis without it being realised.

After fixing the electronic fault in my machine, I found that after 400ft of tape, speed had dropped, the springs and rubbers used in the driving mechanism had expired, so I raided the best bits (transformers and valves);for parts. However,I still have the carcass. if there are any bits you need let me know, you can have them for postage.

Hope this helps
Rob.

george1960 · 5th Dec 2016, 12:58 pm

thanks for the info rob

i have amp with a 5 pin din socket and playback is fine , but mono BUT if i increase the volume of the other channel i get a mixed up sound from that channel so i have 2 seperate channels playing at once.i think both tracks of the tape are being played when i do this.

i have the speakers with it as well and have tried this and get the same results so i guess the recordings are in mono.

julie_m · 5th Dec 2016, 3:36 pm

Barring a faulty recorder or miswiring, the DIN output on your recorder should be stereo. Pins 3 and 5 should carry the output signals from tracks 1 (LH) and 3 (RH), respectively; pin 2 is common earth; and pins 1 and 4 should carry the microphone inputs to tracks 1 and 3, respectively.

It is quite possible that your tapes could have four separate mono programmes, rather than two stereo programmes using two tracks each. In this case you would get different sounds on the left- and right -and channels, because they were not meant to be listened together. You may even find tapes which appear to have the right-hand channel backwards! These are just 2-track mono tapes, with each track occupying half the width of the tape; the "track 3" part of the record / playback head is picking up part of the B-side recording. (For digital archiving purposes, you can play both tracks of a 2-track mono tape into a computer at once using a 4-track stereo recorder; then reverse side B in software.)

If you do have recordings like this, you will need to use an adaptor as described above (or build a version of the switch box described in one of the "sticky" threads in this section), to feed one of the recorder's outputs into both the amplifier's inputs.

Croozer · 5th Dec 2016, 4:10 pm

If you are hearing two separate tracks (and one of them is backwards);then chances are you are listening to a four track mono recording. To listen to all four tracks just turn the volume for one channel right down, listen to both sides and then turn the other channel right down and listen to both sides. It was a common method of tape economy, mono recorders used to have switching between tracks 12 and 34 (or was it 14 23?)

This machine has two separate amplifier circuits so is capable of recording or playing back both tracks at once.

30th Nov 2016, 1:31 pm	#1
george1960 Pentode Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Southampton, Hampshire, UK. Posts: 103	Sony TC-200 reel to reel hi guys i have a sony tc 200 and i have a panasonic amp with a 5 din pb socket and i have connected the reel to reel to the amp but only seem to be able to get mono output via 1 speaker, Can i get stereo and how do i go about it what leads do i need , the reel has 3.5 jack outputs as well do i need to connect these to the amp thanks guys for any help

30th Nov 2016, 1:55 pm	#2
TonyDuell Dekatron Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Biggin Hill, London, UK. Posts: 5,208	Re: sony tc 200 reel to reel What sockets are there on the TC200 (there seem to be several versions at a quick glance). What socket(s) have you connected to the amplifier, and with what sort of cable?

30th Nov 2016, 2:47 pm	#3
george1960 Pentode Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Southampton, Hampshire, UK. Posts: 103	Re: sony tc 200 reel to reel it is a 3.5 jack on the sony and a phono on the amp

30th Nov 2016, 3:14 pm	#4
julie_m Dekatron Join Date: May 2008 Location: Derby, UK. Posts: 7,735	Re: sony tc 200 reel to reel You will need to get an adaptor with 1 phono socket and 2 phono plugs, so you can feed the mono output from the recorder into both inputs of the amplifier. __________________ If I have seen further than others, it is because I was standing on a pile of failed experiments.

30th Nov 2016, 3:18 pm	#5
george1960 Pentode Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Southampton, Hampshire, UK. Posts: 103	Re: sony tc 200 reel to reel I had a feeling thats what i needed but wanted to check thanks for that

30th Nov 2016, 3:25 pm	#6
TonyDuell Dekatron Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Biggin Hill, London, UK. Posts: 5,208	Re: sony tc 200 reel to reel The manual I have says that the TC200 is a stereo tape recorder. Early models have a DIN socket, but I guess yours doesn't have that. There should be separate _mono_ jack socket outputs for each channel. If you have a phono socket to DIN plug adapter lead, then you need a pair of cables with a mono jack plug on one end and a phono plug on the other.

4th Dec 2016, 7:11 pm	#7
Croozer Pentode Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. Posts: 110	Re: Sony TC-200 reel to reel Hi George1960, Apologies if any of the following appears to cover what you already know, however one of these machines recently came into my hands and I thought it might be useful to share what I found. 1. DIN connection: this machine has both outpit and input wired in stereo on the din plug. From what I remember the plug is wired conventionally (one side is record, the other playback (ie. Looking at the plug, the pins on the LHS (1&4) are right and left input, the two on the RHS (3&5) are right anf left output, the centre pin (2) is common signal earth. Provided that your amplifier is similarly wired, you should only need a 5 pin din to 5pin din connection for both record and playback (perhaps someone else can confirm that this is the common wiring convention? ). 2. Loud speaker outputs. There are two mini-jack plug outputs on the same panel. These are mono for connection to the two 8 ohm external speakers supplied with the machine. If you have the speakers it would be worth connecting them and trying playback of a known stereo tape. My machine had a low output fault on one channel. After much searching it turned out to be a fault in the switching mechanism for record/playback. The switching is fairly complex because the machine only has two heads, so it has to switch the electonics to work 'backwards' . There had been a previous repair here ,suggesting this might be a weakness. So it may be worth checking your machine is in standalone working order before chasing nonexistent interconnect faults. 3. If you are testing playback with a prerecorded tape, remember that it's likely that a mono recording will use only one of the two tracks, perhaps giving the impression of a fault on the other track. 4. If you take it apart, Be aware that although the machine has a mains transformer, the heater supply is a 90v series string, contrary to the circuit diagram, its taken off the primary side of the mains transformer. The machine is connected to mains via a reversible plug, meaning that you either have 90v or 240V mains on the tortuously routed heater string,which includes the PCB. The chassis (which is exposed during normal use) isn't earthed and there are several points where a chafe on the wires could put mains voltage on the chassis without it being realised. After fixing the electronic fault in my machine, I found that after 400ft of tape, speed had dropped, the springs and rubbers used in the driving mechanism had expired, so I raided the best bits (transformers and valves);for parts. However,I still have the carcass. if there are any bits you need let me know, you can have them for postage. Hope this helps Rob.

5th Dec 2016, 12:58 pm	#8
george1960 Pentode Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Southampton, Hampshire, UK. Posts: 103	Re: Sony TC-200 reel to reel thanks for the info rob i have amp with a 5 pin din socket and playback is fine , but mono BUT if i increase the volume of the other channel i get a mixed up sound from that channel so i have 2 seperate channels playing at once.i think both tracks of the tape are being played when i do this. i have the speakers with it as well and have tried this and get the same results so i guess the recordings are in mono.

5th Dec 2016, 3:36 pm	#9
julie_m Dekatron Join Date: May 2008 Location: Derby, UK. Posts: 7,735	Re: Sony TC-200 reel to reel Barring a faulty recorder or miswiring, the DIN output on your recorder should be stereo. Pins 3 and 5 should carry the output signals from tracks 1 (LH) and 3 (RH), respectively; pin 2 is common earth; and pins 1 and 4 should carry the microphone inputs to tracks 1 and 3, respectively. It is quite possible that your tapes could have four separate mono programmes, rather than two stereo programmes using two tracks each. In this case you would get different sounds on the left- and right -and channels, because they were not meant to be listened together. You may even find tapes which appear to have the right-hand channel backwards! These are just 2-track mono tapes, with each track occupying half the width of the tape; the "track 3" part of the record / playback head is picking up part of the B-side recording. (For digital archiving purposes, you can play both tracks of a 2-track mono tape into a computer at once using a 4-track stereo recorder; then reverse side B in software.) If you do have recordings like this, you will need to use an adaptor as described above (or build a version of the switch box described in one of the "sticky" threads in this section), to feed one of the recorder's outputs into both the amplifier's inputs. __________________ If I have seen further than others, it is because I was standing on a pile of failed experiments.

5th Dec 2016, 4:10 pm	#10
Croozer Pentode Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. Posts: 110	Re: Sony TC-200 reel to reel If you are hearing two separate tracks (and one of them is backwards);then chances are you are listening to a four track mono recording. To listen to all four tracks just turn the volume for one channel right down, listen to both sides and then turn the other channel right down and listen to both sides. It was a common method of tape economy, mono recorders used to have switching between tracks 12 and 34 (or was it 14 23?) This machine has two separate amplifier circuits so is capable of recording or playing back both tracks at once.