Optaphon 2
Instructions for Installing and Operating the OPTAPHON 54 K
I. Unpacking and Installing the Optaphon:
1 Unpacking the apparatua:
Remove the cover and the bottom board of the wooden transport frame. The apparatus mounted in this frame is laid down on its front side on a cushion of soft material.
The Optaphone is secured in the wooden packing frame by 4 bolts with nuts and lock nuts. Remove only the lock nuts. Use a wrench of 3/8 width. The frame can then be taken off without any difficulty. The lock nüts v/ith washers and rubber discs must be kept for the later Installation of the apparatus, Remore the paste Strips seuring the tube plate to the chasaia.
Attention Do not throw away the packing material before having checked all the unpacked component parts and accessories (Including a bettle of Special lubrication oil)
2. Installation of the apparatus:
Four connecting cables are brought out of the Chassis:
a) the power cable (two-strand) without plug,
b) the reproducer cable (three-core) v/ith three-pin plug having a flat middle pin and a white point,
c) the recorder cable (three-core) with three-pin plug haying 3 round pins.
d) the set of leads for the disconnection of the loud-Speaker with plug and coupling.
Re. a) The power cable is used to connect the apparatus to an A.C. mains supply of 220 Volt 50 c/s.
Re. b) The plug of this cable having a flat middle pin is connected to the piek-up input plug socket of a radio receiver. The pin-marked with a white point must be connected to the earthed plug socket.
Re. c) The recorder cable is used for connection to the high impedance Output of the last stage of the receiver, If such an Output has not been provided on the set, it must be brought out. When connecting this cable to the output stage of a radio receiver, take care that the pin marked with a white point must be connected to the plug socket on the plate tension side of the RC-. LC- or transformer-output cireuit of the receiver. The other pin must be in direct connection with the plate of the power tube of the receiver.
Re, d) The leads for the disconnection of the loudspeaker are marked with diffsrent colours (black - red -yellow) and ending in a plug, By means of the coupling supplied with this cable, these leads are connected to the terminal points marked with the same colours (see Pig» 1a),
II. Operation of the apparatuss
When all connections have been made according to the above instructions, the Optaphone can be prepared for operation,, Proceed as follows:
Draw the slide 43 vigorously. Put the casette (the word "Optaphon" situated on the right side) onto the 4 reel holder pins and press it down cautiously. Then the locking lever is pushed over the casette until it locks.
or, alternatively:
The tape holder is placed on the top plate. The' two reels are then dropped onto the two reel holder mandrils in such a manner that the mandrils grip into the corresponding guiding slits of the reels and that the tape is running smoothly (without snarling) over the two guide rollers (41). Then take hold of the tape with two fingers, pull it forwards and put the loop formed in this way over the black sound roller below the slide 43 of the casette* Push the slide of the casette inwards and stretch the tape by turning the reels slowly by hand..
Take care that the slide of the casette (the Optaphon being in stand-by position) is in the locked position (pushed inwards.), even if no casette or tape reels are on the apparatus ! This is important as a safety measure to protect the stretching springs, which are in connection with the locking lever.
c) Recording (see Fig. 1):
The apparatus is switched on by means of the power switch S 1.
The casette is loaded with a fresh tape reel or an open reel with fresh tape is laid on. Then the Reeording/Playbaek-Switeh 47 is set to ".Recording", at thesametime the recorder push-button 49 is pressed, and the Main control switch 47 on the left side is set to "Normal" by turning its knob either to the right or to the left.
Instead of a fresh tape reel, a reel with no longer required recordings may be used, as the unwanted recording can be erased automatically with high frequency current in the erasing head 45. This procedure may be repeated any number of times without a reduction in the quality of the reproduction.
If the receiving set used in conjunction with the Optaphon has a bass boost, this boost should be made ineffective when making recordings as described in the following. The treble boost should always be used. Otherwise, it might happen that, when playing back, the lower frequencies are emphasised in an exagerated degree, as the bass boost would be put on the speaker with its double value.
When recording a radio program,press the selector key of the desired wave band and tune in the desired station. Turn the volume on so far that the glow lamp 49 used for the control of tho recording level will just flash on at the loudest passages. This will bo the case with an audio frequency input tension of about 50 V, When recording a program broadcast on the medium wave band, a disturbing whistle may be suppressed by rotating the knob 82.
Never turn on too much volume, as otherwise an undesirable premagnetisation of the combined recorder/ playback head might occur. Avoid switching surges and acoustic shocks. Turn off the volume control of the set when operating tha Main control switch of the Optaphon, and turn it on only as far as necessaryf all the time observing the glow lamp 50 to check the recording level. This instruction must also be observed for the other recording procedures described below. If the recorder head should become premagnetised, in spite of these precautions, which fact would become evident by a disturbing noise, when playing back the recording, the magnetophone head must be demagnetised, This is done, moving a demagnetising choke connected to the 220 V A.C.mains supply, with tho point of its iron core slowly several times along both sides of the head. The guide rollers are demagnetised in tho same manner. Such demagnetising chokes are available on the radio market.
For mirophone recordings, the plug with bayonet-lock fitted on the connecting cable of the crystal microphone supplied with the Optaphon is plugged into the microphone input plug sockets 78.
To avoid acoustic feedback from the loudspeaker of the radio receiver to the microphone, the loudspeaker of the set must be disconnected for such recordings (see the wiring diagram 1a), The loudspeaker switch S 6 is turned to the off-position. For microphone recordings the Recording/Playback switch and the Main control switci are operated as described above and the radio receiver is switched to the pick-up position. The recording level is controlled by means of the glow lamp 50,
d) Playing back.
A casette with record reel or an open reel with recordings is laid on. Then proceed as follows:
Press the pick-up key of the receiver; Switch on the Optaphon by means of the Power switch S 1;
Turn tho Main control switch 47 situated on tho left side in counter-clockwise or clockwise direction to "normal" or "Automat".
When setting.the Main control knob to "normal" or "Automat" in clockwise direction, the upper track will be played, and when turning it in counter-clockwise direction, the lower track of the recording is played.
Use the control and the tone control of the radio receiver. The difference between the two positions "Normal" and "Automat" of The Main control switch it that the tape will stop at the end of the track with the switch in position "Normal" while the direction of the playback run will be reversed automatically with the switch in position "Automat". This ie realized laying the tape by means of the two guide Rollers 41 either on one or the other side of the combination Reproduction/Playback head 44. If the transport of the tape should not work satisfactorily, the main control switch 47 is switched abruptly in the opposite direction and then back into the former position, Normally, this will result in a better fit of the driving mandrils in the slits of the tape reels. Each recording may be played back any number of times without a reduction in the quality of the reproduction
e) Past two-way run of the tape (see Fig, 1)
The main control switch. 47, when set to the position marked with the word "schnell" (fast) on the right or on the left side, permits a fast run of the Tape, The speed is increased tenfold. This is of advantage to move the tape quickly to any desired passage of the recording, f. i. to the beginning of any of the recordings. The actual position of the tape is indicated in the window on the left side Of the casette on a scale calibrated in tape-minutes. Always make a note of the figure indicated in this window, when starting a new recording, The record obtained in this manner may then be inscribed on the card in the frame of the label of the casette. This procedure permits a rapid selection and replay of any part of recording. When making use of the fast run of the tape, take care to turn the main control switch 47 situated on the left back to position "Automat" or "Normal" just before the end of the tape is reached, as, otherwise, the end of the tape which is fastened to the core of the reel might be torn off, the tape running with high speed.
The noise produced in the loudspeaker during the fast run of the tape may be eliminated by pressing down the recording push-button 49.,all the while. This results in short-Circuiting the fiecording/Playback head.
f) Remote control (see Fig, 10);
The Optaphon may be provided with a supplementary remote control. The installation of this device requires some rewiring in the apparatus and must therefore be exoouted by a technician experienced in the use of a soldering iron. A stand-by switch (such as a foot-switch for dictations) may be connected to the terminals for remote control 5 and 4 (see Fig. 10) on the back of the apparatus. The drive. of the recorder may then be switched on by opening this switch while the main control switch is in the position "Automat", and it may be interrupted in a similar manner.
If desirable, the remote control switch may also be used to switch the drive so as to run either in the clockwise or in the counter-clockwise direction, For remote control three switches (see Fig. 2a) are connected to the terminals 1 to 4 and the soldered connection between terminals 1 and 2 in the wiring of the apparatus must be interrupted.
Diese Bandbühne wurde benutzt um lose Bandspulen ohne Kassetten.abspielen zu können..
III. Loading the casette with a tape reel (see Fig, 3a and 3b):
The easiest way to open the casette is to grip it with both hands and to press with both thumbs vigorously against the frame of the label, pushing it an amount of about 1/2" in the direction of the arrow. In this manner the frame is removed, and the lid of the casette can be taken off. Check whether the tape is correctly guided between the two reels. The tape must be slightly stretched and be in contact with the reel brakes, i.e. the bends of the tape must be as shown in Fig. 3b. When putting on the lid of the casette, the latter must be in the position shown in Fig. 3b. the window with the scale being on the left.
IV. Maintenance of the Optaphon;
All bearings in the drive of the Optaphon, are ballbearings or self-lubricating bearings so that they practically do not need any care. The magnet tape dust collecting on the two heads must from time to time be removed using a soft brush or a non-fluffy cloth for this purpose. This cleaning is essential to prevent a loss of the higher frequencies. Never use a hard or shairpobject for this cleaning, as this might cause damage on the ground and polished surfaces of the slit in the head. The taps dust : collecting on the sound roller should also be removed occasionally, using a cloth moistened in pure benzine.
After completion of about 20 service hours, the three felt; discs below the three-armed reel holder plate 40 shown in Fig. 1 must be inspected for sufficient lubrication. The lubrication is satisfactory, if the Felt disc sheds a small quantity of oil when it is sqeezed slightly. This check is, later on, made less frequently. To clean these felt discs, use a cloth moistened in benzine. The felts should only be impregnated with the special oil (Shell JY 1) supplied with the apparatus. For this purpose remove the three-armed reel cover 40 and the hair-pin springs from the reel mandrils. At this occasion, the motor bearings should also be lubricated with a few drops of good sewing-machine oil. This oil must not get into contact with the rubber-covered parts of the drive, especially with the sound roller, as this would cause a swelling of the rubber and thereby deteriorate the smooth running of the drive. It io recomxnende to submit the entire equipment every 6 to 12 months to an inspection by an exporienced serviceman. If the apparatus should cease to work satisfactorily; it must also be checked and set to right by a serviceman.
V. Cutting and rejoining the magne t tape
When cutting the tape for editing purposes or after a rupture of the tape, never use another cement, but the
quality recommended by the manufacturer of the tape used (LGH of the BASF or FS of the AGFA or GENOTON Z of the AKORGAHA). These cements are available on the market. Never use a so-called universal cement 1 For rejoining,cut the tape straight and at right angles, cover the overlapping sides of the two ends with (not too much) ; cement and press them for some seconds "between thumb and index finger together. They must not overlap more than about 2/8" to 3/8". A larger overlap might become audible when replaying the recording with normal speed. The FS-magnet tape must not overlap at all, but the ends; must be butt-jointed and the tape is covered on the back with a short, strip of about 3/4" AGFA-adhesive film.
Note:
When using the OPTAPHON for recordings, the regulations of the copy-right-laws must be observed, especially the regulations regarding the reproduction and distribution of copyrighted works of literature or music generally requiring the agreement of the author or of the owner of the copyright.
VI, Technical Specifications of OPTAPHON 54 K
Power supply Alternating current of 220 V, 50 c/s,
Normal tape speeds 19.05 cm/sec (3/4 in./sec).
Playing time: of 350 m ( 380 yd.) real = 2 x 30 min
Dual trackt: Tape running from left to right = lower track; Tape running from right to left = upper track:
Power .consumption; Total 75 W : Motor 50 W : Amplifier 25 W ;
Tube line-up; EF 12, EF 12 k, EL 11, 2 dry rectifiers.
Fast two-way run: about 3 min. in case of a 350 m (380 yd.) reel.
Alternative operation either with temporary stop at the end of the recording tape or with automatic reversion to the other track for continuous playback.
Recording level control: By means of a glow lamp. Facilities for connection to a receiver output of high impadauce
Input tension: 30 - 50 7 at a frequency of 1.000 c/s into an impedance of 100.000 ohms or at least 10,000 ohms.
Output tensions 1.5 V into 500,000 ohms for connection to the pick-up input of a radio receiver.
Fuse: 1 A. size 5mm Ø4 X 20 mm length.
Hold controls: better than 0.3 %.
Frequency responses: 60 - 10.000 c/s ( ± 3 db).
Harmonic distorsions less than 2 %
Noise level; 50 db down in relation to the maximum recording level.
Sound volume range: more than 60 db.