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Old 25th Apr 2017, 9:02 am   #21
Stevie342000
Hexode
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 373
Default Re: Brenell STB-1 Restoration & Help Needed

Thanks Ted & Barry, especially like the "more advanced we become" comment, with the millenials especially, anything born post 1980 has no living concept of what industry is or was in this country. Funny that was talking about that a day or two back, as I am old enough to have caught the tail end of the industrial revolution as its tail was cut off.

Yes I agree on the heads no problem winding the coils but it the head gaps that are the issue especially uniformity of gap width.

The coil winding other than the fineness of the copper wire is not an issue, although women were often employed in this part of the industry.

Would you care to explain Barry? (Lest we should get a feminist backlash.)

It is the setting the two halves together and setting that head gap that is the issue.

Any ideas where I could get laminations(that would be the right shape not really wishing to cut those into shape, as well) in small quantities from?

I do not think I have seen a Brenell Mk510M come up for sale at auction, I would imagine they are fairly rare? Was that series 3 only, Barry? That must have been the ultimate mono half track machine?

Pity Ted you did not still have that staggered head Brenell - if it had Brenell heads then they must have made the stacked stereo heads( I seem to recall price lists or sales brochures that mention this too) for a brief period before they moved to Bogen. Is that right Barry? If they didn't, why didn't Brenell make their own stacked stereo tape heads?

Yes I thought that would be an issue with the Stacked tape amplifiers in the Daphne Oram machines, I wonder if she fixed it herself or was not aware that the bias oscillators were not syncronised? I seem to recall comments or mentions of hers doing the same.

The other option is not to use 2 bias oscillators but a booster amp if needed in the second record/replay amplifer and link them, so it then becomes a master oscillator. Brenell may have been aware of the issue and that is why they moved to developing a proper stereo machine.

I like the blue-gray hammertone finish that those machines came in or the option that you mention you rarely see one of those colour machines come up for auction.

The Black of the control knobs complements it as well which reminds me what is the current source for those knobs? I am specifically interest in the little round star head knob (but all of them really)?
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