Ampex Transport Alignment

OK.... so now you've done the entire transport alignment.

Here are some things you should remember...

First that Light under the Tension Arm is the Heart of the tension Control 
Circuitry. If it burns out (and it WILL !) there is no way that the machine 
can respond to changes in reel tensions, and you run the risk of ruining 
any tape that's put on the machine when that lamp is not functioning. 
===> In a pinch you CAN take out one of the VU Meter lamps and 
 	use that for the sensor lamp.

SO>>>  Go to Radio Shack, and buy a small Red Lamp Cover, not too tall 
	and not too dark, and not too big. Drill carefully a hole just 
	large enough to fit the lamp cover bottom segment, just over 
	where the lamp is.  Be careful and do good work....   
       Now force (or screw in) the lamp cover in the hole, put in some 
	rubber cement to hold it, make sure that the bottom of the 
	lamp cover in no way impeeds the movement of the tension arm 
	under the Sensor Cover, and that the top of the lamp cover 
	doesn't impeed the movement of the Tesion Arm when the thing's 
	in place, and make SURE that no gaps exist where light might 
	shine INTO the sensor.  This is critical!!  
          Now you will have an indicator to show you the light's working...


Secondly learn to "Feel" the tape tensions by hand.  
	This way you'll quickly be able to sense a problem in tension 
	should something happen, and be able to quickly change the settings if
	they need changing to get through a session.  
	   Always try and set the tensions so the Tension Arm goes to the 
	2 inch mark, but if someone's gotten into the internal mechanical 
	adjustments, then your 'mark' might be elsewhere... that is, above 
	or below the Original Ampex Factory mark.



OK, so here are some problems and what to do about them...

if tensions always seem to drift, check the power supply for the correct voltage....

if the Tension Arm begins to feel 'weak' and your tensions are changing too often, then
 there's a good chance your Tension Spring inside the Tension Sensor is cracking.  
 They ALL eventually will crack, since the entire system is gently moving a small 
 metal arm, back  and forth... so sometime it's gonna have to crack and break.
   I have a few of these units around so you can buy one if this happens.
  Setting the Tension Arm spring is thing which I'm NOT going to go 
 into here...  the Ampex Manual gives a good description of what to do.


Also, it's important that the Tension Post be Square and True to the tape guides.  
	The easy way to test this is to feel the tension of the tape at the very 
	top of the tape and the bottom of the tape.  These tesnsions should closely 
	match each other...  another way is to look at the Tension Arm-Post and one 
	of the Tape Guides.... they shoud be square to each other.  
 If the Post is off, you'll need to go in and make the proper adjustment.