Creating a "FOSTEX" Reel to Reel Q8 player

[JonUrban]

I think Tab was the first (maybe not), but having a player that can play Q8 tapes without the cartridge is kinda interesting.

Aside from getting the player, what exactly must be done to these machines to make them usable.

I assume the head must be changed, but what about issues like speed, bias, etc? What about head mounting?

Has anyone done this yet? How did it go? What model did you start with. What Q8 player did you get the heads from.

INFO!! WE NEED INFO!!!

 

[winopener]

I think Tab was the first (maybe not), but having a player that can play Q8 tapes without the cartridge is kinda interesting.

For sure it is the *only* way to get a precise transfer. I've tried ton of other things and... no way a cart can beat a R2R deck.

 

[Cai Campbell]

For sure it is the *only* way to get a precise transfer. I've tried ton of other things and... no way a cart can beat a R2R deck.

I agree 100%. As far as Q8 goes, nothing comes close to Tab's transfers on his modified deck. I'm not sure exactly what he had done, but I do know that he had to have a custom pully wheel made to play the tapes at the proper speed.

 

[BananaSlug]

You could change the speed after recording on the computer - as long as the sampling rate is high enough there shouldn't be too much of a problem with loss of high frequencies. Of course, it might be easier to have a custom pully made and not have to worry about it.

Now that I think a little more you would have to make sure that the electronics were up to the increased frequencies of high speed playback too (I'm assuming 2x the standard 8-track speed).

 

[themacawman]

I took the head out of a Akai CR-80 D-SS 8 track deck and mounted it to the headblock of an old Sony TC-654-4 Quad reel to reel. The deck runs at 3 3/4 speed so there's no problem with speed or bias. I locate the splice on an 8 track, cut it, and roll the tape onto a 5" reel, attatch leader, and presto! When i play the tape, the head picks up four tracks at once, (program one), then i shim the head with paper to pick up the other tracks (program 2). It's not the greatest engineering, but it works! I used an Enoch Light 8 track with the channel identification to figure out how to hook up the head wires. It's alot easier playing Q8 tapes on a reel because you can rewind and fast forward, and no problems with warped plastic cartridges.

 

[Quadwreck]

I found the perfect deck for such a project, the Sony TC 854-4. It runs at 3.75 ips and has pitch control. I have about a dozen Q8 player heads in my parts storage, so I'll be expirimenting. A fire at my place a year ago put the brakes on the project, but I hope to be getting back into it by summer. The unit was practically unused, maybe completely unused, so it seems a shame to alter it, but the goal is more important.

 

[zabble]

Sounds like good ideas for making good digital conversions. I just shutter to think of the hassle of eventually having to put the tapes back in their cartridges correctly after I've converted them @: .

 

[Dylan Berichon]

Of course the perfect conversion deck would have a head with 8 tracks on it, so no head realignment would ever be needed.

Alternatively, one could stack a pair of regular Q8 heads for each program, which would be the second best solution, and switch between the two, depending on which selection you wished to listen to.

 

[winopener]

Sounds like good ideas for making good digital conversions. I just shutter to think of the hassle of eventually having to put the tapes back in their cartridges correctly after I've converted them @: .

It depends on the hub.
A&M USA carts are consistent and use a hub which is easy to wind up with a normal reel deck; two minutes max and you're done.
Columbia USA may vary from a 3-holes hub, as a ordinary reel, and a 4-holes hub, which is a PITN to work with.
RCA are always a no-holes hub
Other brands may vary a lot.

For RCA and not-3 holes hub, the fastest way is to use the reel deck to unwound at 7.5 the tape and wind up the hub manually. 4 minutes for a cart.

 

[winopener]

PS: when you have a thermally-closed cart, such as late RCA or Ford red shells, DON'T repeat DON'T again DON'T pull of the tape from the start tail; do it from the end, and slowly.
The reason is very simple: RCA carts have inside a round thin plastic foil to help the tape not to mess in the center of the hub but if the center becomes too loose it may interfere with the tape and do serious damages.
Going from the end tail instead works perfectly.

 

[Dylan Berichon]

PS: when you have a thermally-closed cart, such as late RCA or Ford red shells, DON'T repeat DON'T again DON'T pull of the tape from the start tail; do it from the end, and slowly.
The reason is very simple: RCA carts have inside a round thin plastic foil to help the tape not to mess in the center of the hub but if the center becomes too loose it may interfere with the tape and do serious damages.
Going from the end tail instead works perfectly.

For the other tricky 8-TRACK casings, I've had some luck opening the riveted carts by heating the rivet with a soldering iron (set to low, if the iron allows), while slowly prying the casing apart.

 

[Quadwreck]

In regard to my Sony TC 854-4 project:
I'm looking for Sony quad reel machines that have the detachable head array like this model does, with the four-channel wiring (that means no stereo decks). That way I can have two sets of heads to play the two programs on the Q8 tapes without having to rig up a switch and head shifter, one array for program 1 and the other for program 2.
If anyone can advise me on what other units had the detachable head array feature, it will be most helpful. Junkers are fine, even preferable, as all I want is the head array.

 

[winopener]

I wouldn't advise for that, for two reason:
- since the head swapping isn't supposed to be done at every half play, the contact are not supposed to do such a heavy work, and may broke quickly
- heads are not equals: if there is something more than a slight difference between the two heads you will have a hard time to make it sounds equals, especially when you need to combine songs splitted between the two programs of a Q8 (been there, done that...).

Mounting a study ramp is a viable option, that's where i ended up for my toshiba r2r deck after having tried many other ways. BTW, you can get a ramp from any 8track player, just mount the quad head and you're set.

 

[Quadwreck]

At the very least, I would like at least one head array for converting Q8s, and keep the original head array for QRs.

 

[rowando]

what is a Fostex? Im new help!

 

[JonUrban]

what is a Fostex? Im new help!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fostex-A8-R...pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item3cc02e7992

 

[rowando]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fostex-A8-R...pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item3cc02e7992

ohhhhhhhh so pretty!!! that play 7 1/2 discrete ips ?

 

[jdmack]

Were the plans for converting a Fostex A-8 to play quad 8-tracks tapes ever made public? I'd like to get my hands on them.

J. D.

 

[ChristopherLees]

There's been a fair bit written in this group.

suffice to say
as it comes it is set to 15ips with 15ips eq..only..

so you need to alter the speed and the eq. in all 8 tracks.

and the head alignment needs to be tweaked a little or a q8 head (or 2) need to be installed.

 

[dr8track]

Were the plans for converting a Fostex A-8 to play quad 8-tracks tapes ever made public? I'd like to get my hands on them.

J. D.

Armyofquad owns one. You might want to contact him directly for info.