DCAudioDIY.com

As you may have noticed in the shootout thread, I'm restoring an Otari MX5050 (no bloody "B") reel to reel deck. It's been sitting in my garage form more than a decade, and the belt had turned to complete goo, to the point you couldn't have identified it as a belt. Got a new belt put in after hours of cleaning all the goo out of where it shouldn't be, and it's now capable of playing music. Pots are a bit scratchy as you might expect, and I've got a new poly pinch roller I've yet to install to replace the dried out rubber one. Speed seems perfectly stable with the old one, but what the heck, I ordered it before I had the deck running. Now on to doing a thorough cleaning of the tape path and an alignment. Did manage to find the service manual (but not the instruction manual) on-line, so at least I have the info I need for the alignment... Here's a pic before I started (but, it doesn't really look any different from the outside yet). Not sure if the missing knob is out in the garage or not, when it warms up a bit I'll spend some time looking for it.

Need more tapes, only one I have is one that came on an old Akai deck I picked up a few years ago at a hamfest. May restore that one at some point as well, can't play 3-3/4ips tapes on the Otari.

Roscoe

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I can explain it to you, but I can’t understand it for you.

No Bloody B making her first music (for me anyway;) ). All she really needed was a good cleaning and a new drive belt. I've now got almost $50 invested in this deck Need to find a knob to replace the missing one, but the sound is amazing... Heads on this deck look brand new. Otari decks have the XLRs wired with pin 3 hot rather than the industry standard pin 2 hot, so I had to rewire the output jacks to get sound with my XLR-RCA adapters. No Bloody B doesn't have true balanced outputs even though she's got XLRs... Didn't have that problem with her sister..

Notice that she's got a sister now, meet BII-2. BII-2 needs little help, the tape counter doesn't work, and the motor sometimes starts, and sometime needs a little twist to get going. Notice the spare motor/servo board on top waiting for me to have time to get it replaced. Took BII-2 over to Dave P's yesterday, had a great time listing to both BII-2 & Dave's twin deck. Dave's deck has a huge advantage in sound with the outboard tape pre-amp, but BII-2 still sounded pretty good. I want to publicly thank Dave for hooking me up with my first few tapes!

Now, time to go broke buying tapes

Roscoe

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I can explain it to you, but I can’t understand it for you.

Next time we have a meet at Roscoe's we expect to see a rack full of tapes to go along with all those LPs.

David

I'm thinking about a meet 12/15, but that soon it'd have to be a BYOT meetup

Roscoe

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I can explain it to you, but I can’t understand it for you.

Did anyone have any success with the Crown tape decks I gave away?

You should have bought some tape and reels from the ATR lady.

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I reject your music, and substitute my own.

I have a bunch of prerecorded tapes (mostly classical and folk) and several blank 10 inch reels. If you want it come and get it at no cost.

A most generous offer (says the guy with 5 tapes ). You going to be around this weekend?

Roscoe

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I can explain it to you, but I can’t understand it for you.

Pick up my turntable for me. He was going to give me a cheap turntable.

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I reject your music, and substitute my own.

I will be around this weekend but call ahead. You have been to my place before (Altec horns and drivers). I was not "giving away" the turntable. It was for sale. Also there are records if you want any (again mainly classical and folk).