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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 21st Aug 2021, 11:12 pm   #41
stevie23
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Default Re: Vortexion WVB smoking component..

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Originally Posted by Analogue man View Post
Get the whole lot carriers and all as I think that your carriers are missing, Ferrograph ones will fit the Vortexion as they are one and the same deck. The only thing to be aware of is that the earlier Ferrograph decks were only two speed so be sure you are getting three idlers and not two although two would be a start.
Yeah thanks. I have a Ferrograph 2AN and a 3AN both 2 speed machines. I dont want to go pulling these to pieces though. Maybe I should put a notice in the "Wanted" section of the forum. There is an ebay entry for 2 idlers with levers but they look to be the same size so IDK... ugh .
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Old 22nd Aug 2021, 12:43 am   #42
Ted Kendall
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Default Re: Vortexion WVB smoking component..

The idler levers are different on the 7, but the idlers are the same. You need the idlers and levers from a Series 6 - the levers are what your dangling springs should connect to.

Incidentally, the Bowden cable driven tape counter shown in the pictures of the 7 usually failed and the factory replaced it with a belt driven counter and a new, grooved, take up hub.
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Old 22nd Aug 2021, 7:54 am   #43
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Default Re: Vortexion WVB smoking component..

That is a shame, I have a set of 3 spare idler levers on my spares Ferrograph 7 that Steve could have had FOC.

David
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Old 22nd Aug 2021, 8:51 am   #44
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Default Re: Vortexion WVB smoking component..

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That is a shame, I have a set of 3 spare idler levers on my spares Ferrograph 7 that Steve could have had FOC.

David
Hi David. Thanks for the offer. Thats really thoughtful. I've sent emails to 3 different people asking for help/advice/levers - Stuart at Vintagerecorders, Terry at Ferrographworld and Classic Radio shop - a supplier of parts etc. I need to find more possible suppliers. Maybe put a request in "WANTED"

Can you take pictures of the levers/idlers so I know what they look like/I have a reference.?
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Old 22nd Aug 2021, 9:12 am   #45
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Default Re: Vortexion WVB smoking component..

Steve, you can see them (the levers at least) quite well in my Post # 40.

I tried to remove one but seems impossible without also removing the mounting brackets, although when I originally replaced the idler wheels on my 2 good Ferrograph 7's, which involved mounting the idler wheels to the levers I do not remember having to remove the brackets ?

The 2 idler levers on eBay with the 2 idler wheels certainly look very different from mine.

Will have another look later today.

David
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Old 22nd Aug 2021, 9:51 am   #46
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Default Re: Vortexion WVB smoking component..

Yeah I see the series 7 levers. Theyre definitely different from the 6. Thanks. ITM I've had an email from Terry (Ferrographworld). There may be hope!
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Old 22nd Aug 2021, 12:32 pm   #47
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Default Re: Vortexion WVB smoking component..

YES YES YES!!! Terry Yates of Ferrograph world has saved the day! He wins!! 3 levers and idler wheels for, as he pointed out, my deck which is a series 6 (not 7 as I thought). Fantastico. Thanks for all of your help so far. (I havent finished yet...) Marvellous!!!
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Old 22nd Aug 2021, 1:40 pm   #48
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Default Re: Vortexion WVB smoking component..

That is great news.

You said your machine is a Series 5 in earlier posts.

David
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Old 22nd Aug 2021, 2:11 pm   #49
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Default Re: Vortexion WVB smoking component..

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That is great news.

You said your machine is a Series 5 in earlier posts.

David
Yeah, it's evolved since then... Deffo a later Vortexion Wvb with a series 6 deck.
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Old 25th Aug 2021, 11:17 pm   #50
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Default Re: Vortexion WVB smoking component..

Just for comparison purposes attached are photos of one of the Series 7 idler levers.

I think all 3 levers are the same apart from the positioning of the shaft that the idler fits onto. The pictured one is the front one with the idler mounting shaft
at the bottom position. The middle lever has the shaft fitted in the centre of the lever and the rear lever has the shaft fitted at the top of the lever.

David
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Old 26th Aug 2021, 12:11 pm   #51
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Default Re: Vortexion WVB smoking component..

Thanks David. The levers and idlers arrived safely yesterday. ( Thanks to Terry at Ferrograph world - Very good service and thanks for all the help! ) Good news is I have installed them all and the play mechanism and all 3 speeds are working nicely! . So I have the machine playing tapes and the amplifier sounds good. i have not tried recording yet as I still need to replace a ripple/reservoir cap.
A few things I need to work out are:
1. Why do I have to adjust the "Record level" chicken head knob as well as the "volume" knob in order to get the loudest volume. Is the "volume" knob more of a "gain" control ?
2a. How do I make full use of the monitoring and 3 head arrangement if I want to play around with echo/delay effects.
2b. Why the flip isnt there a manual for this machine ANYWHERE - hard copy or digital ??!!
3. (and this is the most important). There are 3 large hunts capacitors, 2 of them are double 32uF 350v caps. (I have replaced those with 32uF 500v double caps) and the final, 3rd one is a 32uF 350V single cap. Is it OK to replace it with a 33uF 350V single?

Thanks again again.
Steve.
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Old 26th Aug 2021, 12:31 pm   #52
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Default Re: Vortexion WVB smoking component..

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Originally Posted by stevie23 View Post
Thanks David. The levers and idlers arrived safely yesterday. ( Thanks to Terry at Ferrograph world - Very good service and thanks for all the help! ) Good news is I have installed them all and the play mechanism and all 3 speeds are working nicely! . So I have the machine playing tapes and the amplifier sounds good. i have not tried recording yet as I still need to replace a ripple/reservoir cap.
A few things I need to work out are:
3. (and this is the most important). There are 3 large hunts capacitors, 2 of them are double 32uF 350v caps. (I have replaced those with 32uF 500v double caps) and the final, 3rd one is a 32uF 350V single cap. Is it OK to replace it with a 33uF 350V single?

Steve.
Yes OK, capacitor values generally are not critical (apart from some tuning circuits) and academic really for electrolytics as they normally have a wide capacitance tolerance.

David
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Old 27th Aug 2021, 2:00 pm   #53
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Default Re: Vortexion WVB smoking component..

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Does this help?
Oh! Its a MK III.Thanks. Not seen this schematic before. Mine is a MkVI I believe, it could be a mk V. The III is useful although its valves are different and the circuit differs from the MK VI. I see you have a manual as well ??
Would you have a digital copy?
Do you still need a schematic? A bit late to the party again, or you can do what I did right click or download, save as a copy of the file I uploaded. No idea where I found it either. I do see you have made some progress.

All very useful for when I get around to sorting out my Series 7 Ferrograph and my two Vortexion RTR machines a CBL5 and a CBL6H all need a thorough overhaul.
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Old 27th Aug 2021, 8:30 pm   #54
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Default Re: Vortexion WVB smoking component..

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2b. Why the flip isnt there a manual for this machine ANYWHERE - hard copy or digital ??!!
Steve.
Yes very frustrating, I have several recorders where I cannot even find a schematic let alone a service manual.

You would have thought there would be a manual. Is not the WVA Series 5 manual helpful ? there must be similarities.

David
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Old 27th Aug 2021, 9:24 pm   #55
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Default Re: Vortexion WVB smoking component..

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Originally Posted by stevie23 View Post
1. Why do I have to adjust the "Record level" chicken head knob as well as the "volume" knob in order to get the loudest volume. Is the "volume" knob more of a "gain" control ?
Steve.
Looking at the WVB Mk. II schematic (the only WVB schematic I can see) this functionality appears "as designed". The Record level control is always connected to the control grid of the second EF86 so will always affect the playback volume as well as the Playback volume control when the Record switch is set to PB (The Monitor switch has to be set to Aft Rec). I do not really understand why it operates this way.

It would certainly help if a manual could be located to understand better the intended operation.

David
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Old 27th Aug 2021, 11:15 pm   #56
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Default Re: Vortexion WVB smoking component..

Mk. III schematic appears same arrangement.

David
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Old 28th Aug 2021, 12:01 pm   #57
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Default Re: Vortexion WVB smoking component..

Hi guys. Yeah I have found a PDF of the WVA and read it. The circuit and operation of the WVB is different in that you have separate record and play heads. Joe Meek used a WVB extensively in his recording using effects like echo, delay and overdubbing. I'm not sure you can do that with a WVA unless you add on a 3rd head perhaps.
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Old 28th Aug 2021, 4:32 pm   #58
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Default Re: Vortexion WVB smoking component..

Just found a WVA schematic and can see now that is different/simpler than the WVB, no monitoring and looks like the volume control is shared both for Playback volume and Record level.

David
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Old 28th Aug 2021, 7:49 pm   #59
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Default Re: Vortexion WVB smoking component..

A brief mention of the Vortexion WVB in this Joe Meek link.

http://www.joemeekpage.info/essay_03_E.htm

David
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Old 29th Aug 2021, 2:27 pm   #60
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Default Re: Vortexion WVB smoking component..

Thanks David. Yes he certainly got the most out of the WVB. Must have found it suited his ideas very well! In the past I've linked 3 or 4 tape machines together with a long loop of tape. One recording and 2 playing, or vice versa... Disabling the erase head with that insanely complicated modification : A piece of card over the erase head. The WVB though, has a switch and you can disable the erase head via the link... nice.
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