Old Philips Reel to Reel - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

EyerexUK · 7th Dec 2016, 11:23 am

Hello just wondered if anyone has any info on this reel 2 reel which has been in the loft for a few years

HamishBoxer · 7th Dec 2016, 11:57 am

I will say that it probably wants belts and coupling cap to output valve changing plus any cap across the mains that must be AC rated X type.

Then run it up slowly on a variac or lamp limiter.

TonyDuell · 7th Dec 2016, 4:36 pm

I am pretty sure it's an EL3534. This was the top _domestic_ model from Philips at one point. It's transistorised. It is a 4 track machine (2 tracks in each direction, in the usual way) and can do stereo recording and playback. I think you can copy a mono signal from one track to the other, and mix in an a micrphone signal as you do so, but I would have to check on that.

There are 2 speakers. One in the case (left channel), one in the lid, which has a cable to plug into the right channel speaker sockets. The 2 speakers are not the same (not even the same impedance, although the output transformers are wound to cater for this) so you will probably get better stereo results if you use an identical pair of speakers, or if you use an amplifier connected to the 'diode' DIN socket (which is wired the normal way for a tape recorder DIN socket, and carries input and output signals).

You can ignore the odd flat 5 pin socket. It carries the same signals as the pickup DIN socket (designed for a ceramic cartridge).

The stereo balance control is the thumbwheel sticking out of the control cover behind the track selector spindle.

It's a 4 speed machine. It's one of the few machines to have 15/16 ips tape speed (good for speech only!) which is one reason I have one (Liking anything from Philips is another).

As others have said, it will need belts, and probably idlers skimming. But being transistorised there is no 'that capacitor' to worry about. There are coupling electrolytic capactors in the amplifier which could go leaky and cause problems, but that is not common.

HamishBoxer · 7th Dec 2016, 6:39 pm

Opps! I did not realise it was transistor. It looked as though it was valve!!

ricard · 8th Dec 2016, 8:13 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by TonyDuell

I am pretty sure it's an EL3534. This was the top _domestic_ model from Philips at one point. It's transistorised. It is a 4 track machine (2 tracks in each direction, in the usual way) and can do stereo recording and playback. I think you can copy a mono signal from one track to the other, and mix in an a micrphone signal as you do so, but I would have to check on that.

Yes, agreed, it's definitely an EL3534. And yes, you can copy the sound from one track to the other while adding to the recording, that's what the MULTIPLAY button in the middle of the button row is for. I'm not sure how the function works on the EL3534, on the EL3547 which is a smaller machine of slightly earlier vintage, pressing the button in mono recording (i.e. with the track selector switch in 1-4 or 2-3) simply brings in the sound from the track not being recorded at a fixed level.

This machine must have the same weird figure-8 rewind belt arrangment as the mono incarnation of the same machine, the EL3549, at least for some versions of the machine. Weird because the belt actually rubs against itself at the crossover point. I'm not sure if a special belt is required in order to the resulting rubbing of the belt spraying the insides with rubber dust.

TonyDuell · 8th Dec 2016, 8:19 pm

I think on the EL3534, you select the track you want to record onto (1-4 or 2-3 positions of the selector). The signal from the other track is replayed and fed into the radio/pickup input circuit. So the level control for that input affects the copied signal, and you cna feed in a microphone signal, contolled by its level control.

ricard · 9th Dec 2016, 12:33 am

Yes that sounds reasonable since the EL3534 has separate recording level controls for microphone and radio/phono, whereas the EL3547 only has a single recording level control.

julie_m · 9th Dec 2016, 1:41 am

That looks quite a sophisticated machine!

If the heads are still in reasonable condition (or some similar good heads can be found in a donor machine; one would expect there to be commonality among models, if only to simplify stock-keeping at the factory sites. I'll leave it to the Philips experts to suggest likely candidates) then it would be a definite keeper!

TonyDuell · 9th Dec 2016, 7:11 am

As I said, it was the top Philips domestic machine at one point. It is only one motor, 2 heads (combined record/playback and seperate erase head) though. There was a related 4 track mono machine (EL3549) which may well use the same heads, but those seem even rarer than the EL3534.

One thing I forgot to mention, The speed control (right-hand lever) should be set to one of the 'off' positions (as it is in the photo) when the machine is not in use. This thing has a stepped motor spindle and idler drive to the capstan flywheel, in the 'off' positions the idler is held away from the other parts preventing it from getting flats.

Electronics is germanium transistors. There's a TO3 packed thing (OC26 according to the circuit diagram I've just looked at, but I thought it was something more common in later machines) in each output stage. I think one of the manuals warns not to short the collector (case) of that to chassis.

It's been some time since I've worked on mine, but I seem to remember you can remove the plastic grilles from the bottom of the case (obvious screws) and get to the PCB with the chassis still in the case. It's easier to work on like that. Mechanical repairs generally involve removing the chassis.

ricard · 10th Dec 2016, 7:38 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by TonyDuell

There's a TO3 packed thing (OC26 according to the circuit diagram I've just looked at, but I thought it was something more common in later machines) in each output stage. I think one of the manuals warns not to short the collector (case) of that to chassis.

Unusually for transistorized machines, and possibly influenced by valve technology in use at the time, the output is class A, rather than the push-pull class B which is much more common in transistorized machines.

Quote:

It's been some time since I've worked on mine, but I seem to remember you can remove the plastic grilles from the bottom of the case (obvious screws) and get to the PCB with the chassis still in the case. It's easier to work on like that. Mechanical repairs generally involve removing the chassis.

You can do quite a lot just by removing the top cover if I recall my EL3549 properly though. Certainly replace the rewind belt that way anyway.

radiotechnician · 11th Dec 2016, 6:36 am

In Canada, we had the EL 3534A. I worked on them in the 60's. It was
the replacement for the tube model EL 3536 . (Continental 401)

The same transport was used on mono version known at the Continental 301.

Back then, of course, there was full parts support.
This manual has 3 pages of production changes.

7th Dec 2016, 11:23 am	#1
EyerexUK Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Croydon, London, UK. Posts: 5	Old Philips Reel to Reel Hello just wondered if anyone has any info on this reel 2 reel which has been in the loft for a few years Attached Thumbnails

7th Dec 2016, 11:57 am	#2
HamishBoxer Dekatron Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: W.Butterwick, near Doncaster UK. Posts: 8,932	Re: Old Philips Reel to Reel I will say that it probably wants belts and coupling cap to output valve changing plus any cap across the mains that must be AC rated X type. Then run it up slowly on a variac or lamp limiter. __________________ G8JET BVWS Archivist and Member V.M.A.R.S

7th Dec 2016, 4:36 pm	#3
TonyDuell Dekatron Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Biggin Hill, London, UK. Posts: 5,208	Re: Old Philips Reel to Reel I am pretty sure it's an EL3534. This was the top _domestic_ model from Philips at one point. It's transistorised. It is a 4 track machine (2 tracks in each direction, in the usual way) and can do stereo recording and playback. I think you can copy a mono signal from one track to the other, and mix in an a micrphone signal as you do so, but I would have to check on that. There are 2 speakers. One in the case (left channel), one in the lid, which has a cable to plug into the right channel speaker sockets. The 2 speakers are not the same (not even the same impedance, although the output transformers are wound to cater for this) so you will probably get better stereo results if you use an identical pair of speakers, or if you use an amplifier connected to the 'diode' DIN socket (which is wired the normal way for a tape recorder DIN socket, and carries input and output signals). You can ignore the odd flat 5 pin socket. It carries the same signals as the pickup DIN socket (designed for a ceramic cartridge). The stereo balance control is the thumbwheel sticking out of the control cover behind the track selector spindle. It's a 4 speed machine. It's one of the few machines to have 15/16 ips tape speed (good for speech only!) which is one reason I have one (Liking anything from Philips is another). As others have said, it will need belts, and probably idlers skimming. But being transistorised there is no 'that capacitor' to worry about. There are coupling electrolytic capactors in the amplifier which could go leaky and cause problems, but that is not common.

7th Dec 2016, 6:39 pm	#4
HamishBoxer Dekatron Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: W.Butterwick, near Doncaster UK. Posts: 8,932	Re: Old Philips Reel to Reel Opps! I did not realise it was transistor. It looked as though it was valve!! __________________ G8JET BVWS Archivist and Member V.M.A.R.S

8th Dec 2016, 8:19 pm	#6
TonyDuell Dekatron Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Biggin Hill, London, UK. Posts: 5,208	Re: Old Philips Reel to Reel I think on the EL3534, you select the track you want to record onto (1-4 or 2-3 positions of the selector). The signal from the other track is replayed and fed into the radio/pickup input circuit. So the level control for that input affects the copied signal, and you cna feed in a microphone signal, contolled by its level control.

9th Dec 2016, 12:33 am	#7
ricard Octode Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Lund, Sweden Posts: 1,632	Re: Old Philips Reel to Reel Yes that sounds reasonable since the EL3534 has separate recording level controls for microphone and radio/phono, whereas the EL3547 only has a single recording level control.

9th Dec 2016, 1:41 am	#8
julie_m Dekatron Join Date: May 2008 Location: Derby, UK. Posts: 7,735	Re: Old Philips Reel to Reel That looks quite a sophisticated machine! If the heads are still in reasonable condition (or some similar good heads can be found in a donor machine; one would expect there to be commonality among models, if only to simplify stock-keeping at the factory sites. I'll leave it to the Philips experts to suggest likely candidates) then it would be a definite keeper! __________________ If I have seen further than others, it is because I was standing on a pile of failed experiments.

9th Dec 2016, 7:11 am	#9
TonyDuell Dekatron Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Biggin Hill, London, UK. Posts: 5,208	Re: Old Philips Reel to Reel As I said, it was the top Philips domestic machine at one point. It is only one motor, 2 heads (combined record/playback and seperate erase head) though. There was a related 4 track mono machine (EL3549) which may well use the same heads, but those seem even rarer than the EL3534. One thing I forgot to mention, The speed control (right-hand lever) should be set to one of the 'off' positions (as it is in the photo) when the machine is not in use. This thing has a stepped motor spindle and idler drive to the capstan flywheel, in the 'off' positions the idler is held away from the other parts preventing it from getting flats. Electronics is germanium transistors. There's a TO3 packed thing (OC26 according to the circuit diagram I've just looked at, but I thought it was something more common in later machines) in each output stage. I think one of the manuals warns not to short the collector (case) of that to chassis. It's been some time since I've worked on mine, but I seem to remember you can remove the plastic grilles from the bottom of the case (obvious screws) and get to the PCB with the chassis still in the case. It's easier to work on like that. Mechanical repairs generally involve removing the chassis.

11th Dec 2016, 6:36 am	#11
radiotechnician Pentode Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Powell River, British Columbia, Canada. Posts: 217	Re: Old Philips Reel to Reel In Canada, we had the EL 3534A. I worked on them in the 60's. It was the replacement for the tube model EL 3536 . (Continental 401) The same transport was used on mono version known at the Continental 301. Back then, of course, there was full parts support. This manual has 3 pages of production changes. Attached Thumbnails __________________ Steve Dow VE7ASO