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LabGuy's World:
What's New, LabGuy?
More service manuals have been added to my [SERVICE MANUALS FOR SALE PAGE]. There are AT&T Mod II Picturephone schematics and installation doc's. Very rare. Only twenty five dollars. Try to find them anywhere else.
There are also five new Panasonic service manuals added to the list. The PK-200 & PK-300 color camera manual is now available. This is exactly the same as the RCA CC-001 or CC-002 color video cameras. These are early color cameras for use with the late 1970s VHS portable units.
One last ineresting Panasonic item is the model NV-3020C color VTR. Like the Sony AV-5000, this deck is EIAJ standard when used for BW video. But, in color mode, it is not EIAJ compatible.
Most manuals are ten US dollars. A few specialty, or truly rare, volumes are more. But, all prices are the best you will find for this information.
Just finished scanning some very rare Diamond Power and Craig video tape recorder service manuals dating to the late 1960s. Thes old manuals were made of a combination of printed, mimeographed, and blue line materials. Some of the fold out pages were as large as 36 inches wide when unfolded. Had to have these professionally scanned due to their size. The resulting full color tiff files were as larges as one hundred eighty megabytes! After resizing to dimensions that are digestible by the average web browser, the large pages were compressed to approximately two percent of their original file size. All with no visible compression artifacts.
The blue lines were very faded along the folds where they were exposed to light. The inner portions of the folded documents are still in great shape. The overall result resembles a spotted dog when unfolded. Background color switches from light blue to orange and back on the fold boundaries.
The mimeographed pages were in worse shape than the blue lines. On these pages, the mimeo ink had faded almost to invisble. Using the scanners gamma corrections, it was possible to create a scan of readable contrast ratio.
Other documents added were, a Motorola Teleplayer manual as well as a vidicon surveillence camera manual. The NV-3020 manual added to the Panasonic lot. Their are now eighty one vintage video equipment service manuals available from this site. I can now offer to deliver the service manuals via free large file transfer service. No postage necessary in that case. Then you burn the files to CDR yourself. Priced to sell! Now, with no postage necessary! I take Paypal.
[SERVICE MANUALS FOR SALE PAGE]
My service manuals are in the form of an HTML body that is "wrapped around" the scanned service manul page files. These pages are scanned as high quality JPG files and approximately 100DPI. They are equivelant to photgraphs when viewed on your computer. The scans are very clear pictures of the pages. Compared to some PDF service manuals I have purchased that looked like low resolution fax pages. For best viewing, I recommend loading the manual files to your laptop or to your iPad, you can then browse the page images quickly and zoom in on areas of interest. All without spreading out huge schematics in your shop. Also, since the pages are separate files, it is possible to print only the pages you need and save a tree or two.
Here at Labguy's World Central, I use a twenty four inch high definition digital TFT monitor running at 1920 x 1200 resolution. If your computer is running at a lower resolution than this, it may be advisable to upgrade to something with at leaset a 1200 pixel horizontal resolution, connected by DVI or HDMI, not VGA, for proper viewing of my service manuals. I know it is inconvenient. But, once you see the difference, you will appreciate the advice.
It never stops! I just obtained a beautiful Diamond Power DP-2 one inch helical scan VTR. Topping the scales at one hundred sixty pounds, this is the second heaviest VTR in my collection. The little Merlin Quadruples duplicating recorder is the only one that beats the DP-2. It is in fair condition, all things considered. The rubber is rotten, no surprise there. Am now searching for the service manuals for this wonderful toy. It is exactly the same as the Craig 6403 and the JVC/Nivico DP-2. Any of those manuals will aplly to this machine.
How about some lovely photos for your enjoyment? Enjoy!
The four Sony prototype Videocorders have been documented and posted on LGW this evening. Twelve hours total time invested today. Had to first unpack the equipment and inspect for shipping damage. (None!) Then bring each one into the lab and photograph it from various angles. Process the photos for posting to the web. Cleaned the CV-2000 pre-production prototype Videocorder and glued back the separated facia pieces. Then took a mid-day break and hauled the additional equipment to storage. Came home to write the text describing each Videocorder in fine print. Took even more photographs of the bits I missed or messed up in the first round. And, finally, uploaded the whole lot of photos and HTML to my hosting server. Whew! What a long day!
Thanks to Howard Katz for making these marvelous machines available to the world, so we don't forget where our current technology came from such a short time ago. Thanks also to John Turner for his invaluable assistance with packing and shipping. So, are you ready? Then click here and enjoy: [Extremely Rare Early Sony Prototype Videocorders]
Excellent news to report at this time! I have just returned from a hobby / vacation to New York State, where I was delighted to meet with one of the long term contributors to LGW, Howard Katz. Howard worked for Sony in the 1960s and was involved with all of Sony's early home video products. He also had the foresight to collect and preserve much of this wonderful technology.
Among the items preserved, was the earliest example of a Sony half inch VTR, the CV-2000 prototype Videocorder, constructed upon the chassis of an audio recorder. It looks like perhaps a TC-100. There was also a pre-production prototype CV-2000 in metalic color scheme. Also preserved, the CV-5100 color videocorder that was never marketed and its prototype predecessor. And, as a bonus, three prototype picture telephones called, "Tele-V-Phones". Photos and articles of all of this material will be posted when they are delivered here in California later this week. Don't miss this!
On the second day, I was delighted to meet with Bill Seery of The Standby Program. Standby is in the middle of moving from NYC to Long Island, allowing me to tour the new facilities and to learn of their mission to preserve the work of artists and socially significant contributors of the early days of mass media for the people. Also sometimes known as Guerilla Television.
On day three, I was given the honor of meeting an important figure in my career and video technology author Gerrold P. McGinty. He is the author of an article in Electronics World, May 1966, that inspired my choice of video engineering. He, along with the other article by Joe Roizen of Ampex, set the direction of my life and established my passion for this field of technology. Mr. McGinty was vice president of engineering at Sony (New York) at the time that the aforementioned magazine article was published. Thank you especially, and again, to Howard Katz for the introduction.
On day four, I paid a visit to Turner Engineering, from where the shipping of the long lost treasure was staged. John Turner and I are old friends, having been in touch for years and meeting on many occasions at NAB and at Turner Engineering in New Jersey. It is always good to meet up with old friends and to very enthusiastically carry on about the early history of home video. I offer my thanks here in public to John and company for all of their support and encouragement over the past decade (plus) that LGW had been on line.
Got a great VR-1000 low band qaudruplex head assembly. Listed this on Ebay and use it to gauge how bad the economy has gotten. Lots of watchers, no bids. Auction number: 180528677425. Check it out before July 10, noon.
Not listed on Ebay, is a nice quadruplex tip projection gauge that works with Ampex heads. Mark 3 and Mark 10 for sure. Possibly others. I've also got a Smith two inch videotape splicer in great shape, a couple of loose quad headwheels, some network "meatballs", that clip onto microphones. One CBS and two ABC network logos. These are those tacky adverts you see on all the mic's at a news conference. I bought this lot of krap (except Smith splicer) because there was one loose Ampex helical scan video head in the box. I really must learn to curb my impulses.
If anything I've described catches your fancy, feel free to drop me a line and/or make an offer. Photos available upon request. I am not cheap or easy. But, I am reasonable.
Back in March, I went nuts and worked out the details of operating those really cool one point five inch color viewfinders that went with the RCA consumer cameras (CKC021) of the late 1980s. These are working examples of Philco's Apple tube, or beam indexed CRT. I have several of these for sale. $25 plus shipping. Of course, I will inlcude full directions to make them work. You will need a source of clean 12 volts DC at approximately a quarter of an Amp and, of course, a source of NTSC video. That's it! Can you say Maker Faire?
[Viewfinder in Operation], [Viewfinder Screen Shot], [Viewfinder Naked], [Viewfinder Partially Naked], [Write to Labguy!]
The [MVR-65] one inch video tape recorder posting is here! Check out this handsome machine from the mid 1960s. I am expecting a copy of the service manual for this guy soon. More info then.
Just obtained a super rare [MVR-65] one inch video tape recorder. UPS managed to smash up one end of the darn thing as usual. I can fix it. But, I shouldn't have to. No time to post a lot of photos tonight. But, I did want to put out the word. I got it and you didn't! Na na na na na naaaa! Photos and more info to be posted tomorrow evening. Rumor has it, the service manual will be at hand very soon too. Gosh. I am a very lucky boy! The BIG EVENT: Later this month, I will be the handling agent for a stash of IVC VTRs, documentation and related test equipment. Will be posting a page for the disposal of these items as well. Stay tuned for that! The BIG BIG EVENT: Coming later this summer. Up to five Sony CV-5100 Videocorders, including the engineering prototype, two CV-2000 prototype Videocorders as well. Possibly, depending on my freight budget, a couple of Sony prototype color video cameras. Can you say, "Trinicon color camera prototype"? I knew you could. Only Hobb himself knows what other treasures are in that cellar!
Added a Sanyo VTR-1375 to the [Service Manuals For Sale Page ].
More updates to report on the [Early Television Foundation] convention news page. Added the WGSF modile van and the presentation by Dave Sica and John Tyminski. Good reading! Why are you still here? Click the link already!!!
I have just returned from the [Early Television Foundation] convention held in Hilliard, Ohio, just outside of Columbus. What an event! Holy cow!!!
[Read more about my experience here.]
Added three more video camera service manuals to my [Service Manuals For Sale Page]. The very rare Visual Electronics Zoom IO image orthicon camera, the Zenith KC-1000 color video camera and a GBC VF-302 small studio vidicon viewfinder camera.
I've finally added the long awaited Sony AV-3650 Service manual to my [Service Manuals For Sale Page]. In fact this one is a group of seven manuals. Two complete service manuals, the preliminary and primary, plus all five supplements! These were produced by Sony between 1969 and 1974. A more complete set of manuals for this videocorder model would be hard to find at this price! Only twenty clams and modest postage since these seven pounds of paper manuals easily fits on a single CD ROM disc.
Added one more service manual. The Sony PV-120. Be sure to check them out right here:
Added two more service manuals. The Sony AV-8600 and the Ampex VR-6000/6050/6075. Be sure to check them out right here: [Service Manuals For Sale Page].
Well, I survived the H1N1 virus and now its time to scan service manuals again! Hooray! Be sure to check them out right here: [Service Manuals For Sale Page].
Labguy's World now has a channel on YouTube. Check out
[Extinct Video Tape Recorders] Videolabguy's channel. Enjoy!
Coming soon, the ultra rare
[Craig 6401 1/2" video tape recorder].
Arrived recently, a mint condition
[Panasonic NV-3082] EIAJ portapac VTR with the NV-A610 color adapter. All of it fully functional! Here is a photo:
[Panasonic NV-A610 portable Color Adapter].Thank you Jeff!
Added yet another new page today. My new [Service Manuals For Sale Page] is open for business. Check it out! I have service manuals for all the old consumer and industrial video gear and will be adding more as time permits. Check back often as I should be adding a new manual every three or four days.
Added a new page. My new [For Sale Page] is open for business. Check it out!
Added two more vidicon cameras to the endlessly growing collection. A reasonably rare [Dumont Tel-Eye] and a very very rare [Squires Sanders SS-310] vidicon camera from 1966.
Added another color EIAJ VTR to the collection. A reasonably rare [Javelin VTR-300] (Sanyo VTR-2000C).
It has been almost a year since my last update. It was brought to my attention, by a contirbutor who had devoted great effort to scan acatalog for me seven years ago, that I had forgotten to post his hard work. Well, certainly fixed that. Apologies. See the Color [Shibaden catalog here].
Can you believe this? I have just added a working Ampex VR-6000 to my collection! I am very pleased. See it here: [Ampex VR-6000]. Don't forget, almost everything on this site is for sale. No reasonable offers will be refused.
Posted a few interesting items today. Check these things out: [Ampex and RCA Quadruplex tape cartridges], an [Ampex VR-1500 Remote Control] (scroll down the page a bit) and a very [1970 Cartrivision Prototype Video Cassette]. Also activated a page I've been working for a while now, the [Chester Newell prototype recorders] page.
Be patient, loyal fans. I just obtained a bunch of historical items. Howazabout an actual Cartrivision prototype cassette from when they were considering using quarter inch tape? This would be one of the earliest prototypes in the engineering process! The General Electric two inch VTR I recently purchased on Ebay has arrived. I made small error in anouncing its configuration. I thought is was a two inch quadruplex VTR. I was wrong. It turns out to be an octaplex VTR! That is to say, an eight head machine. According to Time Stoffel, these could record two parallel streams of video. Wow! That is cool. Read more about it here: [GE Two Inch Octaplex Mission Recorder]. Still need more facts about this machine to offset my speculating frenzy. If you know about or have documentation for an RO-429(V)/USH-17(V) military machine, please contact me and help out. Thanks in advance!
Will wonders never cease? Labguy's World now has two excellent examples of Newell principle magnetic tape transports. Not a lot of info available yet. One appears to be an audio recorder and the other was possibly a video recorder. See them here: [Chester Newell, Tape Recording Genius] here. More to come as a I learn more.
The very very rare Diamond Power model DP-1 Video tape recorder has arrived. Never heard back on the Diamond Power vidicon camera. This tape recorer is in awesome condition. 99%+ intact, even down to the keys for latch locks! Not to shabby! And all for only cost of shipping. Thank you very much!! See the incredible Diamond Power [DP-1 pre-EIAJ format VTR] here.
Coming soon! A rare Diamond Power model DP-1 Video tape recorder. Definately maybe going to get a Diamond Power vidicon camera as well. Not sure on that second one though. I am always looking for more information about Diamond Power / Diamoned Electronics equipment from the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
Posted a short page about the [Sony DXC-2000] and DXC-2000A video cameras this evening. I believe they are from 1962. Somehwere in my literature, I recall seeing the date and was totally amazed. If anyone knows better, feel free to correct me about the model year of these cameras. To see last year's What's New page, [CLICK HERE]. [HOME] Last updated: March 8, 2008 |
