DIY tape echo

[nightingale]

it would seem like there would be a decent place to buy these recording/erasing/playing heads from for cheap?

i found this site: http://www.electromag.com/


a solid state echoplex is a huge part of my sound.

even when the echo is turned off, the sound that the tape adds is killer!

i was thinking of building a little chanp for my bench at work, but you cats might have inspired me to try a tape echo now!

[zac102]

most walkmen have only a play head.  while you could use a play head to record, most tape decks use a combination record/play head, you'd still need to get an erase head from another source, or set up a third playhead to function as an erase head.  I think it would be easiest just to track down a three head unit, and modify from there.

[panasonic_youth]

yea zac, that seems like the best. how complicated is it to wire another play head up? could you just wire that + the other play heads to a mixing board you put inside the unit? or is it more complicated then that?

[panasonic_youth]

after doing some searching, the only 3 headed ones i could find were really expensive and huge! the only thing i need really is an eraser head and a recording head, i could wire in a play head easily enough im guessing, anyone know about the specs of common recoreders?  do most recorders have an erase head?

EDIT

when they say two heads, do they mean a record and play head, or an erase and record/play head?

[zac102]

when they say two heads, they mean one erase and one combination record/play.  I'm honestly not entierly sure of what wiring up a seond play head would entail.  I would imagine that you'd just have to run that out to a small amplifier, and then to whatever mixing circuit you plan to use.  I think taking a close look at a tape echo schematic might be in order.

but damn it, if les paul can build a tape echo out of a reel to reel in the 40's, then I can build one out of a cassette deck 60 years later.

[panasonic_youth]

yea, i think this will be doable w/ the 'my first' tape recorder, and i would be damn happy if someone knew anything about wiring up a play head or three....

[panasonic_youth]

alright, i got it, all you need to do is hook up a simple amplification circuit (one transistor, do i see a use for aron's beginner project?) to the playhead, not hard at all, this is beautifull.

[zac102]

here's simple mixer schematic I found.  

http://www.all-electric.com/schematic/simp_mix.htm

I'd say this project is more than doable.

[Maneco]

http://tomscarff.tripod.com/4track/four_track_casette1.htm

http://tomscarff.tripod.com/4track/4trkcct5.gif

http://www.belza.cz/players/tpcd.htm

http://www.alldatasheet.net/datasheet-pdf/pdf/NSC/LM1818N.html

[Maneco]

http://www.belza.cz/players/pcplay1.htm

[Maneco]

http://www.belza.cz/players/rec1.htm

[panasonic_youth]

yea, so you could just put a booster after the playheads, or just make a high gain mixer, this is downright simple sounding.  thanks maneco, those helped ALOT!!

[Maneco]

That page is incredible...everything you need for this project is there...i hope something cool is born here...  :wink:

[panasonic_youth]

it would be better if i could read it. any translation tools? i just used it to see what you need to do to the playback signal.

[panasonic_youth]

if i wanted to measure the signal coming out of the playhead of my walkman, i would put the + probe on the wire (or -, depening on what the power supply is) and the other to ground, right?