Paul, Just to be clear, the A80 multitrack electronics are compatible wth the 2-track A80
VU. Not compatible with the A80RC.
Studer also has a long history of 'sharing' stereo electronics with multitrack machines: even the A827 had two-channels-per-card, twelve stereo cards per 24-track, and one A827 card was used as the audio card for the ReVox C270, as I recall...
I've a sneaky feeling that the A80RC electronics may be a lot more like the A800 electronics: The A800 had banks of eight, but each bank of eight was somposed of four side-by-side metal 'boxes' of two sets of electronics, and all the connectorisation was in pairs...
-Now that I think about it, I remember that the A80RC looked very similar... -I should ask Steve Smith (of Studer Nashville) about it. -Certainly, a lot of people told me that they prefer the A800 multitrack electronics to the A800, and I've also heard of a preference for the A80RC version, though I've heard different reasons as to why they may be better. -The RC is much clearer in terms of 'overhang' whem loading tape, and looks 'cleaner' too, though the A80VU version is nice and convenient to align/calibrate without sitting down... However, I think I remember hearing also that the A800 had a much easier time driving the tape at elevated calibration levels than the earlier A80s...
The counter on a VU should be under the transport dress-plate. -Bend down and peep upwards underneath it, (as though you were trying to look under its skirt to tell what sex it was!
) and you should see the counter over to your left. -There was a (usually left off) darker metal dres-plate which sits below the brushed-silver front skirt, which may or may not obscure your view a little... usually I see these left off though. -On an RC, this location is hidden behind the audio card racks I sem to remember, so it may have been relocated to the back of the machine.
Please post and tell us whether it's an RC or a VU, because this affects a few of these matters. -They shared transport but no audio stuff, and even a few of the shared things were moved around to make space.
Keith