Studer A80 transport remote ... DIY ?

[thomasdf]

Hello

My mix room will soon feature a beautifully maintained 2 track Studer A80 VU which I intend to use for mix printing, archiving duties and so on.

The dedicated remotes are pretty rare, and very expensive... so I was thinking maybe I could build one from the ground up.
Since it's a stereo unit, I am thinking a transport remote would be sufficient for my needs ( being : not wanting to take my a** off my chair, lazy engineer) so it would basically be a duplicate of the tape recorder's transport. I do not need any locator feature, tape counter or being able to switch a track rec ready status etc.
Just a basic stop play rec fr ff

AFAIK (still figuring it out) my unit does not provide a input / repro switching so I would have to take care of this by building a relay switching box allowing me to completely bypass the tape recorder, as well as switch the output between an input copy or the tape output.

Anyone around here tried that ? I would like to stay analog, wired so I am not interested in a recent digital solution easily found online, which seems pretty expensive on top of that.

I will post my findings and experiments ...

This is an interesting read : https://elektrotanya.com/studer_a80vu_audio-remote_sm.pdf/download.html for starters.

Cheers

Thomas

Edit : I found the pinout and schematics of the remote control. Is it that easy ? Just grounding a certain pin for a certain type of operation ? If yes, I suppose it's just a matter of non latching pushbutton and / or bistable relays depending of the functions needed.
I'd need 7 leads + ground, which means I could use a RJ45 cable for instance.

 

[Walrus]

For transport functions, yes, it is that easy.
It's been a long time since I last built a remote for an A80, but are there sockets on the back of the amp modules to do sync playback switching,
or is that just for Record ready?

 

[thomasdf]

My unit is a stereo master recorder, so I do not need to use the sync output. It will be record ready and that's about it. And sometimes in safe, but that's better if I have to get off my chair to switch this

I will probably add a relay box so I can compare input and repro on the fly, but that's not related to the transport.

Thanks for chiming in

 

[ruffrecords]

They really are that easy. We often used to build them into consoles at Neve back in the day.

I thought most Studers should default to line in except when playing so you should not need a separate switch for this.

Cheers

Ian

 

[guy_4]

Bonjour Thomas,

You'll need more wires if you want to have bulbs ( or better Led's ) in your switches.
B-INDIC is the common @ +24V for the Tallies.

For the Audio In / Out monitoring switching you'll need a 2 positions / 4 circuits switch.
It can be a more or less sophisticated solution.

You don't need the Edit switch ( S-CUT ) on the Remote.

Best,
Guy

 

[zamproject]

Hi Thomas

Don't know what mechanical integration you want, but few years ago I repurpose a A8xx transport remote from studer, those 40mm modules you find on 900 series.
Button feeling, size and light bulb are great, and by that time it was cheap to catch.
I remove the digital logic PCB and keep button pcb and mechanical panel/module which I integrate in my 289 modules frame type.
In my use case I interconnect the button/bulb to DI/DO shift register of my automation system and the remote act as DAW remote.
It should be as easy to repurpose this for A80 remote.

Cheers
Zam

 

[thomasdf]

Hi guys

Thanks for the help. I'll keep an eye open for the console remote, but from what I've seen they are around 150e so that's a bit steep because in the end I'd only keep the switches. I think I'll build a remote from scratch with a control for a relay box allowing me to compare input and repro, as well as a varispeed control.

I was thinking on using these switches : https://shop.frontpanels.de/NRG-illuminated-Push-Switch-like-SSL-Solid-State-Logic_1 they are very sturdy, backlit and can be made non latching ...

To be followed ! Cheers !

Ps: non related, I am looking for a trident adapter for a A80, i've posted in the blackmarket ... You never know !

 

[porkyc]

For transport functions, yes, it is that easy.
It's been a long time since I last built a remote for an A80, but are there sockets on the back of the amp modules to do sync playback switching,
or is that just for Record ready?

The DIN plug remote on each channel is record ready and another mode for sync/cue overdubbing. It might do input as well.
Long time ago at CBS London, we built an MCI style system remote for A80 16 tracks (albeit without the autolocator bit), utilising the 3 or 4 modes available into the connector from the 2 logic signals.

Transport cable.
You can't use Cat5/6 if you want the tally lamps. You could use 2 cat 5/6s, one for commands, one for lamps/tallies. Remember you need transport common and tally supply from the remote socket.

I used 20/25 core cable (transport remote cable!) for all of the installations I ever did.
PC