I'm looking to order a test tape for an old Otari mx5050 mk2. The
manual indicates that it could be either NAB or IEC - but I don't know
which. There is no indication on the outside and I opened the
electronics up to see if there was a label on the boards, but no luck.
Is there any kind of test I could run to determine which it's meant to
use?

In article ,
apa wrote:
I'm looking to order a test tape for an old Otari mx5050 mk2. The
manual indicates that it could be either NAB or IEC - but I don't know
which. There is no indication on the outside and I opened the
electronics up to see if there was a label on the boards, but no luck.
Is there any kind of test I could run to determine which it's meant to
use?

The part numbers on the boards should cross-reference in the manual with
either the NAB or IEC versions. I don't know the numbers offhand, but I
bet if you call MRL they'll know.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

(Scott Dorsey) wrote in message ...
In article ,
apa wrote:
I'm looking to order a test tape for an old Otari mx5050 mk2. The
manual indicates that it could be either NAB or IEC - but I don't know
which. There is no indication on the outside and I opened the
electronics up to see if there was a label on the boards, but no luck.
Is there any kind of test I could run to determine which it's meant to
use?

The part numbers on the boards should cross-reference in the manual with
either the NAB or IEC versions. I don't know the numbers offhand, but I
bet if you call MRL they'll know.
--scott

The manual only lists one part (PA-372) for the reproduce electronics
card. The only place it mentions IEC or NAB is in the parts list for
Maintainence and repair, where it gives two different part numbers for
1/2 inch 15ips test tape - one for NAB and one for IEC. Jay at MRL
said there should have been an indication on the boards and that most
of the Otaris they sent out were IEC. I have an old NAB 1/2 MRL tape
(which doesn't go w/ this machine) that's real sticky. I could bake it
and run it. Jay said that then I should be able to tell pretty easily
if it's meant for NAB (if it's meant for IEC the highs and lows would
be off by around 3 dB and I wouldn't be able to flatten the respone w/
the reproduce EQ).

apa wrote:

The manual only lists one part (PA-372) for the reproduce electronics
card. The only place it mentions IEC or NAB is in the parts list for
Maintainence and repair, where it gives two different part numbers for
1/2 inch 15ips test tape - one for NAB and one for IEC. Jay at MRL
said there should have been an indication on the boards and that most
of the Otaris they sent out were IEC. I have an old NAB 1/2 MRL tape
(which doesn't go w/ this machine) that's real sticky. I could bake it
and run it. Jay said that then I should be able to tell pretty easily
if it's meant for NAB (if it's meant for IEC the highs and lows would
be off by around 3 dB and I wouldn't be able to flatten the respone w/
the reproduce EQ).

That sounds about right. If you get the 1 KC tone and the 16 KC tone
right on the MRL tape, when you play the ladder on the MRL tape back,
they'll be all over the place if the time constants aren't right.

The boards will be identical for NAB and IEC eq, but the resistors
and capacitors for the time constants will be different values. You
can probably check that against the manual too but it'll be a major pain
compared with just running the tape.
--scott


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

In article writes:

The manual only lists one part (PA-372) for the reproduce electronics
card. The only place it mentions IEC or NAB is in the parts list for
Maintainence and repair, where it gives two different part numbers for
1/2 inch 15ips test tape - one for NAB and one for IEC.

It may be that the equalization is fixed - if it's a European machine,
it will be set up for IEC, if it's an American machine, it'll be NAB.
You may need to look at the schematic and see if there's a note about
different parts or jumpers. I'm pretty sure there's an NAB/IEC switch
on my Otari MX-55, but that doesn't mean there's one on the 5050.


--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

"Mike Rivers" wrote in message
news:znr1097620378k@trad...

In article
writes:

The manual only lists one part (PA-372) for the reproduce electronics
card. The only place it mentions IEC or NAB is in the parts list for
Maintainence and repair, where it gives two different part numbers for
1/2 inch 15ips test tape - one for NAB and one for IEC.

It may be that the equalization is fixed - if it's a European machine,
it will be set up for IEC, if it's an American machine, it'll be NAB.
You may need to look at the schematic and see if there's a note about
different parts or jumpers. I'm pretty sure there's an NAB/IEC switch
on my Otari MX-55, but that doesn't mean there's one on the 5050.


--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

Mike: I have an Otari MX5050 BII 1/4" 2 track and it does have a switch on
the back apron
to switch between IEC and NAB.

George

In article rs.com writes:

Mike: I have an Otari MX5050 BII 1/4" 2 track and it does have a switch on
the back apron to switch between IEC and NAB.

Giving the original poster the benefit of the doubt, they did make
several variations of the 5050 as well as three "marks" so it's
possible that his doesn't have the switch.

On the other hand, he may not have seen the tree while looking for the
forest.


--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

"Geoley" wrote in message servers.com...
"Mike Rivers" wrote in message
news:znr1097620378k@trad...

In article
writes:

The manual only lists one part (PA-372) for the reproduce electronics
card. The only place it mentions IEC or NAB is in the parts list for
Maintainence and repair, where it gives two different part numbers for
1/2 inch 15ips test tape - one for NAB and one for IEC.

It may be that the equalization is fixed - if it's a European machine,
it will be set up for IEC, if it's an American machine, it'll be NAB.
You may need to look at the schematic and see if there's a note about
different parts or jumpers. I'm pretty sure there's an NAB/IEC switch
on my Otari MX-55, but that doesn't mean there's one on the 5050.


--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

Mike: I have an Otari MX5050 BII 1/4" 2 track and it does have a switch on
the back apron
to switch between IEC and NAB.

George

I have a mx5050 1/4" 2 track as well. That's got the switch. The 1/2"
8 track doesn't though.