re-201 Space Echo very quiet repeats
re-201 Space Echo very quiet repeats
hey there everyone. I registered here a few years ago but i dont think i ever posted.
anyway
I have a friends re-201 in my possession currently with an issue. The volume of the delay repeats has become really quiet. Im not sure how quickly this came about but he got some info from shane at echofix.com which lead us to believe that it needed a recap.
so here is what i have done so far
-replaced all of the electrolytic and tantalum caps as per shanes suggestion.
-checked the internal level adjustment which is maxxed
-tried different tapes, new and old
-polished and aligned the heads
-demagnetized the heads
-bias voltage reads 50v rms so its in range according to the service manual
-there was another point listed in the manual on the echo board looking for less that 2.5v on a resistor and that matches spec too
I heard from a local tech that he experienced one that ended up being a bad record head.
im leading to that as the conclusion to this mystery but im not sure. its also a tricky hunch since they are hard to find and expensive.
any other ideas out there? does the head replacement sound reasonable?
thanks!
anyway
I have a friends re-201 in my possession currently with an issue. The volume of the delay repeats has become really quiet. Im not sure how quickly this came about but he got some info from shane at echofix.com which lead us to believe that it needed a recap.
so here is what i have done so far
-replaced all of the electrolytic and tantalum caps as per shanes suggestion.
-checked the internal level adjustment which is maxxed
-tried different tapes, new and old
-polished and aligned the heads
-demagnetized the heads
-bias voltage reads 50v rms so its in range according to the service manual
-there was another point listed in the manual on the echo board looking for less that 2.5v on a resistor and that matches spec too
I heard from a local tech that he experienced one that ended up being a bad record head.
im leading to that as the conclusion to this mystery but im not sure. its also a tricky hunch since they are hard to find and expensive.
any other ideas out there? does the head replacement sound reasonable?
thanks!
- Darlington Pair
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First I would clean the notoriously easy to get dirty rotary head select switch.
Then I would clean the eq pots.
Then I would look around Q8 to make sure everything is ok, possibly a bad or bad solder on C70, that would certainly quiet down the effected signal. Recently I actually bumped up the gain on mine so the swell settings had more oomph.
Heads are really the last place I would look.
Then I would clean the eq pots.
Then I would look around Q8 to make sure everything is ok, possibly a bad or bad solder on C70, that would certainly quiet down the effected signal. Recently I actually bumped up the gain on mine so the swell settings had more oomph.
Heads are really the last place I would look.
Sorry to run through the "Is it plugged in?"-variety questions.DEMOn1n3 wrote:The reverb is fine, its only the echo thats quiet.
What about the echo pot? I've checked the internal level pot and its cranked already. The external pot seems to function properly.
I cannot count how many times the solution to a studio problem was so obvious that it resulted in me wanting to curl up under the mixing console and not come out until the phone rang.
- Darlington Pair
- takin' a dinner break
- Posts: 197
- Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 12:27 pm
- Location: Staunton, VA
- Contact:
Happy to help.DEMOn1n3 wrote:ok cleaning the pots and the rotary switch seemed to help a lot. the eq is very responsive now. the transistor seemed to check out ok with the voltages across it and the solder joints on the caps are good.
thanks a lot.
also for future reference, how did you go about boosting the gain in your unit?
By changing Q8 with something like a 2N5089 (watch the pinout) or replacing R87 with a trim pot and dialing in more gain.
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