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Vintage Tape (Audio), Cassette, Wire and Magnetic Disc Recorders and Players Open-reel tape recorders, cassette recorders, 8-track players etc.

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Old 10th Apr 2012, 10:27 am   #1
brissle
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Default Wyndsor Viscount Reel to Reel recorder

I've had my old Wyndsor Viscount reel to reel recorder sitting in the loft since the mid / late 1960s. It has always been kept dry and ventilated. I can't remember exactly when I bought it, but am guessing mid to late 1950s when it cost 49 guineas!

The serial number is 1396D and it was manufactured by the Magnetic Recording Co. London.
It has a Collaro Mk IV tape deck and I have the original Wyndsor Recording Company leaflet and operating instructions and the Collaro leaflet and full service instructions.

I would appreciate some advice about whether it is safe for me to plug in and switch on this machine, or whether I need to have it checked by a specialist first. I have no wish to keep this machine, but would like to be sure of its condition before deciding how to dispose of it.

I have a stock of quarter inch tape also, some of which may be unused - no idea whether that is still any use.

I have happy memories of using this machine and recall that it has/had the ability to record and playback in both directions.

Any information gratefully received - a Google search didn't come up with any info about this piece of equipment, or about the manufacturers (the company has been dissolved, it seems).

Thanks.
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Old 10th Apr 2012, 12:03 pm   #2
lesmw0sec
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Default Re: Wyndsor Viscount Reel to Reel recorder

Hey - I remember those, not bad recorders. Regarding disposal, if you are giving it to someone who feels happy to do any necessary work, just repeat what you have posted here. I would not recommend just handing it to the general public at all - getting it completely checked would probably cost more than the m/c is worth. Certainly would not just plug it in without a number of tests first.
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Old 10th Apr 2012, 12:09 pm   #3
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Default Re: Wyndsor Viscount Reel to Reel recorder

As has been said, this would definitely find a new home with an "enthusiast" such as you might find via this forum, but be aware that in monetary terms, it's worth very little, probably £10 at most.

If your priority is to find a good home for it, your best bet would be to advertise it in the Sets Offered section here, free of charge.

Nick.
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Old 10th Apr 2012, 5:16 pm   #4
brenellic2000
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Default Re: Wyndsor Viscount Reel to Reel recorder

I'm not at all surprised 'Googling' came up with nothing on Wyndsor - the internet can be useless at best (prone to inaccurate plagiarism and misinformation!) and hopeless at worse for bone fide research which only comes through hard graft from books, periodicals (full of errors!) and dusty archives! Tomorrow's generation is in for a shock!!

Their history is of course recorded in my book, 'Guide to British tape recorders'. One of our early post war British makers, as a sideline to their core business, 'Wyndsor' became their domestic audio arm. They used Collaro, BSR and latterly Magnavox 363 decks with their own amps, but while good honest machines they were 'nothing special', although their Vanguard was a valiant attempt at an enthusiast's tape recorder. After Magnavox stopped making the 363 and BSR pulled out, Wyndsor ceased manufacture to do contract assembly. Their parent Magnetic Recording business, who were doing electronic work, went into voluntary liquidation in the 1980s to re-emerge in an entirely different field in security, under its founder Bob Creek, whose other son had left earlier to set up Creek Audio.

Starting up any machine not used for some time (even modern!) is always prone to disaster and needs a good look-see first for any potential shorts/problems. A Variac is useful to warm it up but it is often more beneficial to get a radio/audio engineer to check it over. Then you'll be torn between keeping it or selling it! Good luck!

Barry
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Old 10th Apr 2012, 6:14 pm   #5
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Smile Re: Wyndsor Viscount Reel to Reel recorder

Hi & welcome,
More than likely the drive belts will have deteriorated, snapped or turned to a gooey mush (Philips decks were famous for this). Also, the lubricating grease will have dried out and become very waxy & sticky. If any of the rubber wheels have been in contact during that time there will, most probably, be flat spots on them.
Electrically, the capacitors in the amplifier will need replacing as they will be electrically leaky (passing DC current instead of blocking it), and the controls & switches will need cleaning. The mains lead will also need checking to make sure it's safe. The tape path will also need to be cleaned. (Phew!)
Other than that, it should be OK
Cheers, Pete
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Old 10th Apr 2012, 6:24 pm   #6
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Default Re: Wyndsor Viscount Reel to Reel recorder

I think the only drive belt in a Mk 4 is for the tape counter. There are, however, rubber rimmed idlers between the motors and the massive flywheel.

I got one a few months ago and the 2 principal issues with the mechanism were dried up oil in the motors (there are 2) and stiffness in the tension arms which also transmit spool drive via rubber rim idlers. The motor oil is held in felt pads (I think) but easy to get more in anyway. I tiny drop of oil at the pivot point for the tension arms frees those up.

Apart from that - the stuff Pete mentions!
Graham
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Old 11th Apr 2012, 8:53 am   #7
brissle
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Default Re: Wyndsor Viscount Reel to Reel recorder

Thank you everyone for these helpful and interesting posts.
The background info is good - thank you brenellic2000.
Although I have no intention to keep this machine long term, I have such good memories of using it, that I would sort of like to try it out again before I sell it, or pass it on or whatever. I take the point about it not having any great value, but these days every little helps, so I might research the options.
Meanwhile the suggestions from Tractorfan and llama are very useful and I will have a good look around the machine and see what I can do before trying it out.
That'll keep me quiet for a few hours over next few evenings!
Thanks again, everyone.
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Old 13th Jun 2012, 8:22 pm   #8
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Default Re: Wyndsor Viscount Reel to Reel recorder

Hi,

I was also an owner of one of these machines. There were a few problems but generally easy to solve:

1) The felt pressure pads on the heads tended to dry out and harden. This prevented them from doing their job. Probably you need to replace them.

2) The positioning of the mu-metal cans on the heads was not always optimal. Break the wax seal and rotate them (a little) until hum is minimised.

3) If the machine was used for long periods the spindle in the "pulling" side would separate from the carriage due to heat expansion. A few blobs of Araldite solved this one.

4) The heads and the pinch roller are likely to be pretty dirty. Clean with meths or ethylene and Q-tips to get steady speed and high frequencies back.

5) When using the Collaro deck in both directions the heavy flywheel has to be brought to a stop before changing direction. Thee is a rubber bung under the Stop button which presses on the flywheel. If it has vanished or is badly worn you could end up snapping tapes.

I hope the above works for you. Although not a technical marvel it did have a good sized loudspeaker and sounded very good too. The main technical problem that I had was that it would not properly erase old recordings so you never got totally silent backgrounds on reused tapes.
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Old 14th Jun 2012, 5:47 am   #9
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Default Re: Wyndsor Viscount Reel to Reel recorder

Doing a number of checks on an old machine such as this one before powering on is definitely sound advice. However, as an enthusiast, I must admit that I routinely power up old machines without doing much checking beforehand, and I must add, with few if any adverse effects. The most important thing I think is be prepared to switch off at the first sign of trouble, such as smoke, excessive noise or vibration, the small of something getting too hot, etc.

There are likely components that may need to be replaced, or mechanical parts that need to be greased, but without an initial checking out it is hard to ascertain the machine's total condition. Also, it is not unusual to find a machine where very little if anything needs to be done (just as one can find a machine which appears to be a sea of problems).

From an enthusiast's point of view I would power it up, being ready to switch off if something seems amiss, to try and determine how much work it would be to get the machine running. If for instance the motor has seized with no apparent way of dismantling it for lubrication, it would be pointless to have performed a thorough check and replacement of amplifier components, unless a suitable replacement motor were at hand.

That said, I would agree to advise against anyone not familiar with old machines to try it out, if nothing else for the risk of personal injury should something go wrong.
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Old 26th Dec 2012, 6:55 pm   #10
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Default Re: Wyndsor Viscount Reel to Reel recorder

Hi Brissle,
I came across this forum whilst searching for info on this machine as I rescued my late father's from the loft yesterday.
My son and I have had it running - without checking - bad I know, but Dad was a TV/radio engineer and always looked after it and I only had to change a fuse in the plug.
What I don't have is the original instruction leaflet and wondered if it would be possible to scan yours, or is it a large document? I'm hoping to digitise my dad's tapes when I've bought a sound card gizmo and managed to find some jacks that fit!
Hope you've had your machine going and had some enjoyment from it, the sound quality is wonderful.
Cheers
Jennifer
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Old 16th Oct 2013, 12:33 pm   #11
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Default Re: Wyndsor Viscount Reel to Reel recorder

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