440c

[wado1942]

Hi all, I was just given an Ampex 440C. I assembled it, cleaned it, lubed it etc and it seems mostly to be in good shape. However, the only transport function that seems to work is "Edit". When I hit any transport buttons, it does nothing. If I hit Edit, the breaks let go and the capstan motor starts like it should. When I hit an other button, like "Play", the pinch roller momentarily snaps into place like it knows what it's supposed to do and the machine stops. Or if I'm in Edit mode and hit "Rewind", the supply motor spins for a split second and stops. Yes, the remote dummy plug is in place. I also have the remote for it and tried putting it in place of the dummy plug but it's the same story.

I was also thinking of converting it to IEC/AES. So if any of you guys know where to find the cards for that, I'm all ears.

Any ideas on fixes would be much appreciated.

[Thomas W. Bethe]

Originally Posted by wado1942

Hi all, I was just given an Ampex 440C. I assembled it, cleaned it, lubed it etc and it seems mostly to be in good shape. However, the only transport function that seems to work is "Edit". When I hit any transport buttons, it does nothing. If I hit Edit, the breaks let go and the capstan motor starts like it should. When I hit an other button, like "Play", the pinch roller momentarily snaps into place like it knows what it's supposed to do and the machine stops. Or if I'm in Edit mode and hit "Rewind", the supply motor spins for a split second and stops. Yes, the remote dummy plug is in place. I also have the remote for it and tried putting it in place of the dummy plug but it's the same story.

I was also thinking of converting it to IEC/AES. So if any of you guys know where to find the cards for that, I'm all ears.

Any ideas on fixes would be much appreciated.

There could be lots of reasons for the Ampex's strange behavior. These could include problems with the relays, blown electronics or fuses, bad motors etc.

Suggest posting this question over at the Ampex List Server. There are quite a few former Ampex employees and others that know a lot about Ampexs. Here is the email address ampex@recordist.com and web address Ampex Virtual Museum and Ampex Mailing List. Hope this helps.

[wado1942]

Thanks, I subscribed yesterday. I guess I'm a bit over excited about getting this machine running.

I found the rocker arm switch had a broken wire so that's probably my fix. I'll still need different EQ cards to get any use out of the 30 I/S speed.