Now you can make your own records at home!
This page is going to have a very minimum of information for the time being but hopefully will have a couple additions in the future or as I learn more. Basicly, my goal is to include some content about record cutters: how to use them, how to connect them or build an amp to drive them, and any sources for information, media, etc. I currently have a couple cutters, a couple chassis that were designed to drive them, a few used "blanks", and very little documentation. Basicly there are crystal cutting heads, and magnetic. Magnetic ones are used in place of a speaker in a circuit, and this seems to be what was used with the chassis I own. I'll add what information I have when I can.
I have an Airline chassis with a simple single ended output, the schematic for it is here. Recently I got to thinking that fidelity might be a nice thing to have when making your own recordings. A push-pull amp might be a good way to go, or adding feedback. With the Airline circuit, feedback couldn't be easier (or so I say without having tried it yet). Take a look here if you haven't yet seen how feedback can be added to an AA5 style radio. Using a signal from the secondary of the output transformer fed back into the 1st audio 12SQ7 should be easy, one side of the output transformer (hopefully the right side!) is already grounded, and other 12SQ7 can be used for a detector. This set has two of them, the second is used as a microphone pre-amp. The diodes on this tube are unused, as long as it doesn't generate noise durring microphone operation, it should be easy to move the detector to the other tube, allowing the 1st audio tube to get feedback.
More recently I became the owner of a Packard Bell "Phon-O-Cord" model 1054, which came with a plain 3 speed changer installed in the cabinet. After a little closer inspection, I discovered that the changer installed was not origional, and I was happy to find that there was origionally a cutter installed. Strangly, one of the cutters I had bought before is infact the correct one for this console, or at least very close. A picture of one I found on the 'net is included above. According to Riders, this set came with a Packard Bell changer, mine has a Generial Industries tag under the turn table, I suspect Packard Bell just rebadged the Generial Industries changer, or had them make a variation specificly for them. My current plan is to refinish the cabinet, get the changer working/tested, and start working on the chassis. If I can get this Packard Bell going, I will give up my plans to build a cabinet for the Airline chassis. Until then, it looks like the cutter can be plugged into either without too many issues. BTW, the Packard Bell uses a single ended 6V6 output without feedback, so that might be something I want to look into for it as well. The schematic for the Packard Bell is here (pdf), and the documentation on the cutter is here (pdf),
If you're interested in home recorded records, I suggest taking a look at Weird Acetate Records, acetate being the material used by earily recorders. People have also experimented using different types of plastics, even CDs! Could those old AOL CDs might be useful after all?
A Wilcox-Gay Recordio:
