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TonyDuell · 19th Jul 2018, 5:06 am

There is no fast forward on the Agaphone. Just normal forward and faster rewind (the pulleys on the bottom of the drive spindles are different sizes, as seen in my photos). I guess a ratio of about 3 or 4 times. So turning the magazine round would be a way to get fast(er) forward.

The wire is indeed about 3.6 thou diameter. I'd assumed it was a nominal 0.1mm (3.9 thou) being a Swedish machine, but perhaps not.

On the Agaphone there doesn't seem to be any freqeuncy correction/preemphasis in the amplifier on record or play. It does use HF bias, using one of the triodes in the ECC33 as a hartley oscillator (also used for erase in the normal way). The other half of the ECC33 is the output stage of the amplifier. Of course being a dictating machine, audio quality and constant speed are not that important. Provided that the message that has been recorded can be understood later (e.g. to have it typed) then the machine has done its job.

Still trying to untangle the reel of wire I have...

19th Jul 2018, 5:06 am	#56
TonyDuell Dekatron Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Biggin Hill, London, UK. Posts: 5,208	Re: Agaphone Wire Recorder There is no fast forward on the Agaphone. Just normal forward and faster rewind (the pulleys on the bottom of the drive spindles are different sizes, as seen in my photos). I guess a ratio of about 3 or 4 times. So turning the magazine round would be a way to get fast(er) forward. The wire is indeed about 3.6 thou diameter. I'd assumed it was a nominal 0.1mm (3.9 thou) being a Swedish machine, but perhaps not. On the Agaphone there doesn't seem to be any freqeuncy correction/preemphasis in the amplifier on record or play. It does use HF bias, using one of the triodes in the ECC33 as a hartley oscillator (also used for erase in the normal way). The other half of the ECC33 is the output stage of the amplifier. Of course being a dictating machine, audio quality and constant speed are not that important. Provided that the message that has been recorded can be understood later (e.g. to have it typed) then the machine has done its job. Still trying to untangle the reel of wire I have...