Kodak Carousel S-AV 2010 - Presentation Unit

notarobot · Oct 6, 2021

hi
i was recently able to acquire a Kodak Carousel S-AV 2010 Presentation Unit in excellent condition. i had no idea those existed before i stumbled upon the listing. beautiful machine!
but does anyone happen to have a manual for it? i am at a bit of a loss what (sync-) functionalities the tape-section offers.
thanks in advance!
not my images:

AgX · Oct 6, 2021

First time too I see this. But basically not that uncommon, as I myself acquired locally some sales-men combos myself.

I assume the player to be of the stereo type, with one channel for the spoken text, the other for the pilot signal, controlling the projector.
As the record-key is still there or not blackened it seems you even can prepare presentations yourself. I guess there is a button you press for putting the slide-switch signal on tape. Or it is coming from the projector and you have to operate the projector.
Have not had time to look into mine...

Projection already is a niche topic amongst us, more so these sales-men things.

notarobot · Oct 6, 2021

thank you for this quick reply.

AgX said:
I assume the player to be of the stereo type, with one channel for the spoken text, the other for the pilot signal, controlling the projector.
As the record-key is still there or not blackened it seems you even can prepare presentations yourself.

yes, my hope is that it will be possible to make my own presentations, that was the idea behind getting one. but i think i got ahead of myself & posted this prematurely, b/c i dont have any cassettes here yet to try this out. not sure how to create a pilot signal for the projector (or how it would work), but looking at the buttons i guess the pulse record could maybe be a clue?
sorry for asking questions before actually being able to try anything. just excited atm.

in any case here is an image of the tape unit

AgX · Oct 6, 2021

Yes, that "Pulse Record" button.

Write your text. Arrange the slides, best on a light box, in the sequence of the text. Read out the text and record it, the same time pressing for a moment that butten each time you want a slide change.
Put the slides into the tray in sequence as sorted. Spool back that tape and you should be able to start your automated presentation.
Or something like this...

AgX · Oct 6, 2021

What I do not understand yet are these:

-) Record Mode (should not just pressing the Pulse Record button be sufficient?)
-) Sync Controls (Seperate likely means recording/playing only the signal track, no idea on Superimposed)
-) Sync In/Out (is that a broken button or a indicator?)

notarobot · Oct 6, 2021

cheers
yes. i will have to try just what i can do once i get some tapes (also wondering if i could record a pulse over an existing recording on a cassette, like music, without erasing it. i will just have to try)

& yes, i am also mystified by 'record mode' & 'sync controls'. i am wondering whether sync control could have to do with setting up a second unit for projection.

the sync in/out is a jack plug connection. i have also no idea what one would do with a p.a. or what ALC could possibly stand for. next to the mic inlets on the far right of the picture are also two connections for aux & headphones as well as a pin connection for the remote - those at least seem straighforward.

edit: ALC is probably "automatic level control"

AgX · Oct 6, 2021

P.A. maybe means using the recorder as amplifier for an external audio source.
ALC likely means automated loudness control.

notarobot · Oct 6, 2021

good idea.
then maybe 'record mode' forwards the external audio onto the recording deck (like pulse record would forward the pulse signal).
i have to buy tapes tomorrow.

AgX · Oct 6, 2021

I think this level control does control the dynamic at recording, especially at speaking to avoid top level distortion.

Bill Burk · Oct 6, 2021

It looks to me as if you need to prerecord the audio and then play/record pulses using the tape you made earlier

AgX · Oct 6, 2021

I guess Seperate Track refers to using this recorder for recording and playing that tape.
And Superimposed refers to a tape from an external source where the signal may be on both tracks.

notarobot · Oct 7, 2021

not as easy to find tapes in the real world these days, i have to wait on the internet to send me some.
i did hook up my stereo to the unit, and it seems the mic input is the only one where external sound sources register. i let the radio play through it (with the tape deck playing empty. recording empty is not possible), and on the superimposed setting random radio sounds seemed to send an advance signal to the projector (as does the pulse record button).

i dont understand how these advance / pilot signals work, are they audio based?
would it theoretically be possible to record pulse signals on a tape via this recorder, digitise the recording, and then use a tape adapter

to playback the recording inside the tapedeck and successfully send the advance signals to the projector?
the idea being to be able to playback an audio loop (as the tape deck obviously has no auto reverse functionality)

but i'll wait on my vintage audio tapes to arrive and see what i can figure once i am able to actually record things.
thanks for your input!

AgX · Oct 7, 2021

notarobot said:
i dont understand how these advance / pilot signals work, are they audio based?

They are as much or as little audio based as any other signal brought onto the magnetic tape.

The question in general is whether such signal is differrent from a common audio signal.

In case such pilot signal is recorded on its own track, than any signal sufficient above noise may act as trigger signal. (To my knowledge in more modrn devices though such signal typically is 1kHz and also limite in duration.)
In a stand-alone recorder dedicatd for slide-shows this signal on its own track is used to switch a solenoid This is by cable connected to the respective connector at the projector where then it switches two contacts. The same as the handheld remote control of that projector would do.
Before there were tape recorders dedicated for this task there were special units to be connected to a standard recorder and which contained such solenoid.

Basically one could record such signal also together with the spoken audio signal. It then must be outside of that bandwidth, but still within the bandwith of the recorder. At play it must recognized as pilot signal (maybe after goin though a high-pass) and the spoken part must go via a low pass filter to make the pilot signal not audible.

perkeleellinen · Oct 8, 2021

The cue signals used by Kodak from 1980 onwards are the Arion Mate-Trac standard.

That machine opens up exciting possibilities for synchronising a slide show to music with your cues falling every beat.

Chan Tran · Oct 8, 2021

AgX said:
They are as much or as little audio based as any other signal brought onto the magnetic tape.

The question in general is whether such signal is differrent from a common audio signal.

In case such pilot signal is recorded on its own track, than any signal sufficient above noise may act as trigger signal. (To my knowledge in more modrn devices though such signal typically is 1kHz and also limite in duration.)
In a stand-alone recorder dedicatd for slide-shows this signal on its own track is used to switch a solenoid This is by cable connected to the respective connector at the projector where then it switches two contacts. The same as the handheld remote control of that projector would do.
Before there were tape recorders dedicated for this task there were special units to be connected to a standard recorder and which contained such solenoid.

Basically one could record such signal also together with the spoken audio signal. It then must be outside of that bandwidth, but still within the bandwith of the recorder. At play it must recognized as pilot signal (maybe after goin though a high-pass) and the spoken part must go via a low pass filter to make the pilot signal not audible.

It is common audio signal recorded on one of the channel. It's rather simple system really.

ianbutton1 · Feb 1, 2023

Hi, I was very pleased to find this thread, as I acquired an identical unit last week - actually half of it, as the small mirror, the big screen, and all the optics & bottom casing of the SA-V 2010, were missing. Without the label on the front, I didn't know what it was called, so it has taken a few days Googling to discover this thread (and two units for sale). I had to dismantle it and get inside the cassette recorder (model Audiotronics 152S according to a label) to replace the drive-belt and free the stuck mechanism. I also had to put my own SA-V 2000 into the case, to see how it all fits together. I was puzzled initially about how the cassette machine was powered (it normally uses USA 110v, no battery option), but there is no mains transformer fitted here, and power at the right voltage (20v AC) comes via the sync cable. Like the OP, a manual would be useful, but I guess a salesman who used this just plugged it in and started the tape that the tech guy had given him, so he didn't need a manual. Now I just want a small mirror (what dimensions for mirror & backing board, please?) and I can construct the big screen from frosted perspex. Incidentally, what specification is the main lens? Probably a wide-angle model because of the short distances involved.
Hope to hear about progress with your unit - and yes, it does weigh a ton, doesn't it!!

Kodak Carousel S-AV 2010 - Presentation Unit

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