Jump to content

For you vinyl fans out there...


B-Man

Recommended Posts

Was reading about the difference between vinyl and digital the other day and this highlights the point they were making about the amount of info that can be put on vinyl. The tracks get squiggly with higher volume and bass. 

Is that linear tracking you think? It looks like the inner part of the groove is driving it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Very cool, @B-Man!!!

 

@MMMH2O, I don't think that's a linear tracking unit - look at the angle the stylus is at - it's nowhere near in line with the grooves, which suggests it's a tonearm.  That said, given what it takes to get such an image, this may be more staged than an active, real turntable situation.  Even if it is, it sure puts things into perspective on how they work, and just how crazy a path (look at the 3rd and 4th grooves from the left) they have to be able to follow to create sound.  To my mind, it just makes it all the more impressive that we could get such amazing sound from such a mechanism.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's a great video.  It really lays out the facts, clearly.

 

The other thing most people seem to miss, is  the fact that you can put far more information towards the outer grooves, than the inner ones.  I'd like to see a closeup of outer and inner grooves shown side by side. 

 

I have a feeling it would catch many people off guard.  I think too many vinyl users focus on the RPMs being the same, and don't realize that consistent speed past the stylus would be better (though, historically unfeasible).

 

For me, I just love the mechanical precision that comes with turntables, especially the way it's all on display.  I love watching it work, and  the fact that you "can" get amazingly good quality sound from such a mechanism ... then out of convenience, since I hate cleaning and flipping records, I pop in a CD, and marvel at the sound.  ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When you really look at it, you have to wonder how either technology works so incredibly well.  But they do!

 

(And for the record, I am a computer geek, with a love for mechanical stuff, as well, so it should be pretty natural for me to accept such things.  ;))

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎2‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 5:15 PM, Brian_at_HHH said:

The other thing most people seem to miss, is  the fact that you can put far more information towards the outer grooves, than the inner ones.  I'd like to see a closeup of outer and inner grooves shown side by side. 

 

The exact same phenomenon exist in the hard disk drive world.  There are far more bits in the outermost tracks and far fewer bits in the innermost tracks which is why the data throughput of this ancient technology degrades as the drive fills up outer to inner tracks.  SSD's suffer no such degradation.

 

But I, like you, very much enjoy mechanical things and modifying them to go harder, faster...

 

... And I just love boost!!!  Such is the reason for my nickname! :D

 

Turbo

Edited by Turbo
Typo
  • That Rocks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

At least with audio, we don't have to worry about the latency (waiting while the part of the disk you need to read rotated to where it's under the head, and the head movement time).  :-)  Can you imagine trying to play an audio source with that sort of issue?  (And no, digital files don't count in this context).

 

13 minutes ago, Turbo said:

.. And I just love boost!!!  Such is the reason for my nickname! :D

 

Let's face it, @Turbo THAT is just plain addictive - even worse than OCCD!  :D

Edited by Brian_at_HHH
Typo - OOPS!
  • That Rocks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Brian_at_HHH said:

At least with audio, we don't have to worry about the latency (waiting while the part of the disk you need to read rotated to where it's under the head, and the head movement time).  :-)  Can you imagine trying to play an audio source with that sort of issue? 

You're so right, and no I can't, but boy would it be fun to watch an LP attempting to run the equivalent of a random access read test!

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

52 minutes ago, Turbo said:

You're so right, and no I can't, but boy would it be fun to watch an LP attempting to run the equivalent of a random access read test!

 

Ha, yes.  Thinking about some of the "smarter" linear-tracking TTs that could detect the track separation, it's almost conceivable.  We used to do that sort of movement with computer tape drives (it was god-awful slow, but it did work - kinda).  In an odd way, it reminds me of watching an old flatbed pen-plotter.  They were especially entertaining when trying to fill in a solid area by scribbling in a pattern.  :)  @#$%, I'm definitely dating myself, here, eh?  :-k

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Brian_at_HHH said:

Ha, yes.  Thinking about some of the "smarter" linear-tracking TTs that could detect the track separation, it's almost conceivable.  We used to do that sort of movement with computer tape drives (it was god-awful slow, but it did work - kinda).  In an odd way, it reminds me of watching an old flatbed pen-plotter.  They were especially entertaining when trying to fill in a solid area by scribbling in a pattern.  :)  @#$%, I'm definitely dating myself, here, eh?  :-k

Oh yes, dating myself here too.  But I had a blast repairing all of our HP1000 12" Hard Drives with removable cartridges a whopping 5MB per platter.  Whenever they crashed(Too often back then) I was the go to guy to repair them, lay down the format micro code to get them working again.  My favorite part was the Random Read/Write test that would shake the entire test station all four bays when that enormous actuator, with the new heads affixed, would move in and out.  It was great to watch that back in 1981.

The drive was called a Winchester removable cartridge as I recall.  Model 7900 for use on our HP1000 computers.  I still remember having to punch in 05202 in Octal to set the bootstrap code to start it up.

But I digress, back to the Vinyl addictions...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, Turbo said:

Oh yes, dating myself here too.  But I had a blast repairing all of our HP1000 12" Hard Drives with removable cartridges a whopping 5MB per platter.  Whenever they crashed(Too often back then) I was the go to guy to repair them, lay down the format micro code to get them working again.  My favorite part was the Random Read/Write test that would shake the entire test station all four bays when that enormous actuator, with the new heads affixed, would move in and out.  It was great to watch that back in 1981.

 

The F-15 avionics test station used to periodically perform a 'relay rattle'  to exercise/un-stick any errant relays; the thousands of relays inside the station bays were excited with a 400Hz signal for about 15 minytes; they made quite a bit of noise.

 

17 minutes ago, Brian_at_HHH said:

.....In an odd way, it reminds me of watching an old flatbed pen-plotter.  They were especially entertaining when trying to fill in a solid area by scribbling in a pattern.  :)  @#$%, I'm definitely dating myself, here, eh?  :-k

 

me too; I used to calibrate XY plotters; remember iron core memory?  fun times.....

  • That Rocks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, RichP714 said:

The F-15 avionics test station

OMG!!!  I was a 326x4C!! F-16 Integrated Avionics Computerized Test Station and Component Specialist.

I earned my 5 level before I separated in 1985 and was qualified to and ran the F-15 ATE while on assignment at Eglin AFB.

 

We all called it AIS (Avionics Intermediate Shop)

I also ran the F-111 ATE while on a Red Flag to Mountain Home Idaho.

 

My old AFSC was changed from 326x4C to 451x5

  • Thank You 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, Turbo said:

OMG!!!  I was a 326x4C!! F-16 Integrated Avionics Computerized Test Station and Component Specialist.

I earned my 5 level before I separated in 1985 and was qualified to and ran the F-15 ATE while on assignment at Eglin AFB.

 

We all called it AIS (Avionics Intermediate Shop)

 

Eglin was my last assignment as a 2P0 (Precision measurement equipment laboratory(PMEL)).  I was at a Type IV PMEL in Okinawa, also a type II, a type II at Altus, OK and type IV at Eglin.  Finished my degree and cross-trained to 1N1 (Satellite imagery analyst) and got to do all sorts of fun stuff because I was recruited by the DoD to work at Offutt in the underground.  My specialty was digital push broom sensors for the Satellites; very rewarding and fun 

Edited by RichP714
  • Thank You 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, RichP714 said:

Eglin was my last assignment as a 2P0 (Precision measurement equipment laboratory(PMEL)).  I was at a Type IV PEML in Okinawa, also a type II, a type II at Altus, OK and type IV at Eglin.

Know it very well.  Almost went into the Air Force for PMEL.  My Dad talked me into AIS.  He was Deputy Director of ASD-YP F-16 at Wright Patterson at the time, an O-6.

 

Now my life is Black Projects with L3 Technologies.

 

And oh yes, it is an incredible blast to do what I do now.  No one would believe me if I told them...

 

I loved Fort Walton Beach, Okaloosa Island and Destin while I was out there at Eglin.  Had a blast there.

Edited by Turbo
Too sensitive
  • Thank You 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...