Need Help Identifying Auditronics Cards

[bmack]

Hello There, I came across these cards in a parts bin I picked up. I've searched every combination of parts number and dug through catalogs, but I'm coming up with nothing and don't know where to look next. They are all auditronic boards and have P/N printed on them but I'm still blind. From the other items in the bin, I'm guessing it was a broadcast console, but that's all I've got.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[bmack]

It's obvious that the top card on the left is a mic preamp- since it's written on the pc board. There are connectors on either end for three wires so I assume these are for the signal path then there is another connector with two ports so I assume that's power. I'm guessing these area a mic preamp and a line amp.
The card ont he top right is using an SSM2017 which is usually used in preamps. It also has a 3 wire connector and a couple outputs. I'm unclear on what the bottom card with IN Out and Dist pots would do.

I'm asking for help on these because I have multiples of the cards on the left and some cinemag input transformers and Jensen ouputs. If these are worth the trouble I'd love to make a usable preamp with them- possibly 500 series.
I know there are a lot of auditronics fans out there but I have no idea which console or era these are from.

 

[NOON]

The date codes on the chips are 94 - 95 which suits the general style. The mic pre cards have MAT cans which are matched transistors, and there are 5532/4 audio opamps, so it looks like a very typical 80s/90s transformerless mic pre design. I'd expect them to be on the clean and flavourless side, but not quite as much as a current day preamp. Trace out the power connections, easily done from the chip pinouts, input and output should be equally easy to find. Feed it +/- 15v and record a few things through it and see if you think they're interesting enough to warrant the effort of racking them up. Personally I find this era of technology quite boring but some seem to like it.

 

[NOON]

The bottom card with in, out and dist has a chip I don't recognise and a SIP that I can only see the top of. I'd guess it's a DBX or THAT chip because dist is most likely distortion trim for a VCA. The board doesn't seem to have enough going on to be a full blown compressor, I'd guess a VCA module involved in fader or routing.

 

[bmack]

Thanks for your input Noon! I knew these cards looked more modern than some of the cool older cards I see on here. I'm guessing they were from a broadcast facility and your description of how these may sound would make sense. Since I have a few I'll try them out and see how I like them but wont be expecting a golden vintage sound from them. If I find outherwise I'll report back.

 

[gar381]

I got a bunch of 900 series Auditronics modules from a decommissioned TV broadcast
production console.
They have lots of DBX/THAT 2150A
chips for gain control. (NOON is correct)

The 900 stuff is rare and probably Wheatstone era.. NO ONE
has any docs on them that I have found after extensive searches. I'll
post some pics when I get in the shop.

Gary

 

[gar381]

I got a bunch of 900 series Auditronics modules from a decommissioned TV Broadcast console.

They have lots of DBX/THAT
chips for gain control. (NOON is correct)
The 900 stuff is rare and probably Wheatstone era.. NO ONE
has any docs on them that I have found after extensive searches. I'll
post some pics when I get in the shop.

Gary

I can tell you for sure that the lower right pcb is the line level input card used on the
line level input modules of my 900 stuff. More to come later.

Gary

 

[bmack]

Thanks for the info Gary! I'll start digging into 900 series info I can find.

 

[gar381]

Jeff Mountain ....

[email protected]

Told me that when they took over Auditronics from Wheatstone
They got most all Docs for everything except the 900 series of
which they got nothing. I did have one module that was very
similar to the 300 series but thats the only one. If you ever
get any docs let me know as I have almost a complete 24 X 8
desk worth of modules and would love to find pinouts mostly.
(No Frame or PSU unfortunally)

Gary

 

[gar381]

This is the 900VCN. module. Its a comp/gate combo
The 300VCN skitz is 99% the same. Note that the 300VCN is a 1987 design
and uses Ne5517s for gain control and not DBX chips.
Would love to find a pinout for this guy.

Gary

 

[gar381]

More 900 Modules. Note that besides the LED master VUs
the Meter Bridge, whice I did get is full of AL39 meters

 

[gar381]

Note that all logic is CMOS, level pots/faders are ALL linear taper controlling
DBX/THAT 2150A chips. This is certainlly a very late design for Auditronics
I suspect it's a Wheatstone design.

emack I'll dig these modules out of the store room and see if I can ID any
of those other pcbs in your pics.

Gary

 

[13engrsapper]

I've got an Auditronics/Wheatstone 2600 laying around here - The printed manual on that says 2001.

 

[gar381]

In your right pic IMG 4430 The upper card with the pig tail is part of the mic pre.
The pig tail plugs into the gain switch pcb.

Shown in this pic is the top of the 900 MIE mic/line input module. I got the front
panel lined up to the pcb so you can see whats what. note the the line in card
plugs in with a pair of AMP connectors.

The second pic is the 900 SLE stereo line in pcb. which uses a pair of the
line in cards that plug in with the AMP connectors

 

[gar381]

Thats all I got. Can't help with your IMG4429 cards other than they are not
from the 900 series. 900 series did not use MAT02 chips and the pcb
connectors are different.

Hope that 13engrapper's 2600 manual is similar.

Gary

 

[MidnightArrakis]

Hello There, I came across these cards in a parts bin I picked up. I've searched every combination of parts number and dug through catalogs, but I'm coming up with nothing and don't know where to look next. They are all auditronic boards and have P/N printed on them but I'm still blind. From the other items in the bin, I'm guessing it was a broadcast console, but that's all I've got.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I have an "Auditronics" Broadcast "On-Air" mixing console that I bought from an FM station in Kansas back in 1996 and I have never even plugged it in or turned it on!!! I don't even know what the model number is!!! But, it did come with a 3U rack-mount power supply, a manual and a small box of miscellaneous parts and stuff. Interested??? I even still have the wooden shipping crate!!! At the time, I was interested in building a "radio station-type" of production studio down in my basement, but when the "Auditronics" console showed up by truck one day and I lugged it down into my basement, it proved to be too large for the space that I had available!!! So, instead.....I bought an "ARRAKIS Systems" 1200-Series 15-stereo-channel "On-Air" broadcast console that is MUCH smaller than the "Auditronics" and it looks really nice down there in my basement radio studio!!!

As far as what you currently now have.....should you ever need and/or want any assistance in "racking" anything up and/or needing any "new/old" PCB's.....I can assist you both with any mechanical designs of anything ("rack gear" being my specialty) and also with performing any "Reverse-Engineering" of these old circuit boards. I have worked on "Reverse-Engineering" of PCB's for an API mixing console and a large aerospace corporation once had me "Reverse-Engineer" a hand-taped circuit board that was designed back in 1979 for a U.S. fighter jet and they wanted me to -- update -- the circuit board to be a "new" CAD-designed PCB, along with converting all of the "Thru-Hole" components over to newer "Surface-Mount" components. So, I am willing to help you if you need any mechanical and/or PCB-design assistance. Just "HOLLER", OK???

/

 

[bmack]

Wow Gary, thank you so much for all the pics and info.
I've held onto these boards for years now without knowing where they came from but I could tell they were well made and used good components. Mystery solved, thanks for sharing all you knowledge.

I'm starting to think that these may not be the project I was looking for. I want to make 8 preamps for a 500 series format. I mentioned earlier that I have Cinemag 7341 input transformers and Jensen output transformers. There are plenty of projects on this site that would be appropriate for this and I don't have a lot of time for engineering something from the ground up.

If anyone who contributed here could use these modules I'd be glad to send them to you for the postage. If consoles are still working out there I'd rather these go back into somebody's supply closet than me hacking them into some enclosure.

Thanks everyone for sharing.

 

[13engrsapper]

Hold on - I have a bunch of these odd Auditronics Boards. I would kind of like to know where they came from/what they came out of. They are simple output cards similar to the ones used in the 110. They have the Jensen 123 transformer in them. I have the correct 110 output cards here too - they are a slightly different layout with basically the same components.

 

[13engrsapper]

Nobody??