echoplex with rewind tape speed?

[Surfman]

How do i get my echoplex to have rewind or fast forward tape speeds?

[T.RayBullard]

Originally Posted by Surfman

How do i get my echoplex to have rewind or fast forward tape speeds?

go away walters.

[Klaus]

I had a a machine shop manufacture me a larger aluminum drive pulley.

It's easy: the pulley is attached by a hex nut/allen screw to the capstan drive. So it can be removed and taken to the shop as sample regarding the original dimensions except the larger diameter you want.

You can calculate the desired drive speed by inputting the diameter/circumference and rpm.

Then you can re-level, re-bias and re-eq the machine, as it is now capable of significantly better fidelity and s/n, due to more magnetic particles passing by the heads per second (let alone, better wow and flutter specs!)

Then you can replace the low-quality tape that is used in the cartridges with professional tape (I recall I used Scotch 206 or an equivalent head room tape) which you insert into the old cartridge, unspooling the old tape. (I recall I used quite a bit more tape as loop length, to counteract the rather rapid deterioration of the short tape length flying by the heads and guides)

The main benefit of faster tape speed for me is that I can get very short delays, which can thicken an electric guitar nicely, when I place the playback head close to the record head.

Best of luck,
Klaus Heyne

[Surfman]

Thanks alot Klaus for your information

Do u think i could change the echoplex motor for higher RPM's so it can spin faster speeds?

[Led]

I've got a revox b77 that I use for faster delays. It has varispeed.
Cheers

[Surfman]

yea i would like to hook up a varispeed to my echoplex but it still won't got faster than the regular motor speed thats stock i need faster speeds

[Klaus]

Originally Posted by Surfman

Thanks alot Klaus for your information

Do u think i could change the echoplex motor for higher RPM's so it can spin faster speeds?

Only at the price of a new motor, associated with new circuitry and, likely, more heat.

As far as I remember, the AC motor is hooked up directly to the 120VAC coming in, so no easy mods are possible here. I also would not advise using this anemic motor for heavier duty than it was designed. The pully change I described above I found to be the most elegant way to increase motor speed without generating more stess. Mine runs at about 14ips, slighly below studio standard.

[Surfman]

the AC motor is hooked up directly to the 120VAC coming in

So i can't change the AC motor with another one thats higher RPM's and faster speeds thats a AC motor

Klaus do i know how to make the echoplex into a Varispeed?

I'm trying to put a AC Line frequency input jack on my echoplex so i can hook up a function generator up to output a sinewave at a different frequencys how can i put a AC line frequency input jack for the motor please?

Do u know what power supplies for studio's have a variable frequency line output also with the power supply?

It would have to be a AC to AC power supply with variable frequency for the echoplex motor sinces its AC it will keep the 120VAC constant but im able to change the line frequency be really cool to have

[Klaus]

In addition to the motor's thermal stability and the effort and possible complications of putting a vari-speed control module into the box, there is the real problem of the anemic motor's lack of torque:

It is close to impossible to accelerate the motor/capstan beyond even its regular speed without literally giving it a hand- I sometimes have to push-start the motor, because it's simply not designed to accelerate. But I don't have vari-speed, so the speed at least stays, until I turn the box off and try to start it again...

As you will most likely not use much slower speeds than the current motor speed (lousy s/n, lots of tape overload), I see no sense in installing varis speed, unless you could somehow accelerate beyond the stock speed. But that is going to be close to impossible (see above.)