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View Full Version : The haul from them-thar-hills came in

jbeckva
11-22-2008, 01:18 PM
Well, finally hooked up with the old man while he was passing through on the way for his annual fishing/drunkfest in SC. He brought his reel to reel and my old Pioneer CT-S88R down with him, plus a few tapes (well.. seems like his entire stash plus what I left up there after joining the Nav).

Check 'em out...

First here's the AKAI GX-1820D. Needs some serious work, but just got the scheezers (that's schematics for those uninclined, there) and will start with a thorough shot of deoxit when I get a chance to get some. The manual states some pretty good specs on it (I think 30-22K at 7.5 ips), so I'm looking forward to getting it running. The head is actually in great shape, although I had though it wasn't earlier. Yep.. you're right.. those GX heads are indestructible.

http://www.compautomation.com/images/artr.jpg

Then there's the CT-S88R. I originally got that back in around 85 or 86 as a reconditioned unit from a local hi-fi shop. B+C and DBX (yeah!). It doesn't sound half bad after 20 years, either!

http://www.compautomation.com/images/ps88r.jpg

Then there's the blanks. I didn't get my TDK MA-R back, but I do have a few interesting ones. Some old XLII-S's, a few Scotch XS-II's, an old TDK AD, a Sony Metal-SR, and an interesting old TDK HX-S. Still checking those out. Teasingly enough tho - some of them came in (yep) cases from old Maxell MX-S's (grrrr.. wish he could've found those too!).

Ah well, more than enough to play with for now. The AKAI's going to be fun. It moves fine.. all directions, etc. But... no sound at all. Time to get to work.. *reelspin**reelspin*
MacGyver
11-22-2008, 01:34 PM
good by you, J!! the CT-S88R looks dandy!*thumbsup* i sure wish PIONEER would've stuck with blue/red FLDs instead of shifting to amber/orange like they did from 1988/1999!!*crying* the blue/red just looks SO much more high-tech, IMO...
Scorpion8
11-22-2008, 03:20 PM
Two nice decks. That should keep you busy for awhile!
jbeckva
11-22-2008, 04:21 PM
Well, after finding a bad bridge rectifier and robbing it out of the D1S hunk, happy to say "I hear Simon and Garfunkel" *reelspin*

The Akai still needs some MAJOR work, but at least now it puts out some tunes. Very very weak signal level, but that could be too due to the tape not being played for going on 30 years.
stuwee
11-22-2008, 06:56 PM
Well, after finding a bad bridge rectifier and robbing it out of the D1S hunk, happy to say "I hear Simon and Garfunkel" *reelspin*

The Akai still needs some MAJOR work, but at least now it puts out some tunes. Very very weak signal level, but that could be too due to the tape not being played for going on 30 years.

I was gonna say 'at least those old Pioneer A/V receivers are worth something' *naughty* J/K, J/K! still, good on ya. I really like the look of the meter's on that Akai.
jbeckva
11-23-2008, 08:50 PM
Well looks like the Akai needs a relay driver. The transistor that switches the reverse relay on the reel side was blown. Tried a re-used one but it started smoking. Since the application is a simple switching circuit I'm heading for the rat shack at lunch tomorrow to pick up a few 2N2222A's.

Still ... a bit of concern since the 24v circuit feeding not only that but the main pre-amp too needed work (that was the blown rectifier bridge). I wonder what else got whacked along that line?

Also - has anyone out there ever tried actually aligning the heads on these old Akai's?? I'm a little puzzled right now, but it could be because the reverse play/record solenoid isn't functioning right now due to the (so far) relay driver problem above. If you take the view of looking at the tape with the head above, is it true that the upper part of the tape should align exactly with the top part of the head? (or... in other words... any tricks and tips would be appreciated here with head alignment.. *eyepop*). I think I have to fix the fwd/reverse solenoid/relay issue first tho..
jbeckva
11-23-2008, 08:57 PM
good by you, J!! the CT-S88R looks dandy!*thumbsup* i sure wish PIONEER would've stuck with blue/red FLDs instead of shifting to amber/orange like they did from 1988/1999!!*crying* the blue/red just looks SO much more high-tech, IMO...

Yeah, it also has the ability to "program" it if you wanted to. You tell it what tracks in what order and on what side of the tape to play, and it'll use the AMS trick to search and play it all in that order. Kind of a neat feature there.. I don't recall seeing it in too many other decks.

Hmmm... I'm checking out my local Craigslist and I see something interesting... it's a Kenwood KX-W8070S dual with (get this).. Dolby S! I wonder if it's any good... seller is asking 45 for it. Always wanted to see what good Dolby S does..
MacGyver
11-24-2008, 08:38 AM
I was gonna say 'at least those old Pioneer A/V receivers are worth something' *naughty* J/K, J/K! still, good on ya. I really like the look of the meter's on that Akai.


don't be too harsh upon the VSX-D1S, stu. it is an INCREDIBLE sounding receiver given a solid source and a full-range speaker system. it can even wrest a decent sound out of lesser components! i should know; i've had the gamut of speakers and source components attached to this baby, from low-end MAGNAVOX to high-end DENON and PIONEER...