ENIGMA 2000 Newsletter - Issue 12

September 2002
Articles, newsreports and Items of interest : e2k_news@hotmail.com

Enigma 2000 article

An article with a practical bent this time as DofKent shares the knowledge of his system for extending recording times:

To Extend Standard Cassette Recorder Time to Double Cassette Time or Longer using More Machines

By DofKent.

In order to extend recording time, on auto stop recorders, I built a small device to effectively double cassette time [or whatever] using a second recorder. This can be done with very little outlay after a search through your junk box. The diagram below may help the non-technical reader with construction.

Dimensions are peculiar to particular recorders and have not been included here.

(1)Position the switch over the record button, Set the height so that the end of the switch * is slightly below the rest position of the record switch. When the auto-stop engages the record button will rise to the rest position and will push up the switch sufficiently to close the normally open contacts.

I managed to strip the contacts from a relay but a suitable switch can be purchased from Maplins in the form of a micro-switch. [FP42U or FP4SW at £1.49].

Using the device.

Connect the AF signal input to both recorders. Set the Rx freq you wish to monitor/record and postion the switch on the first unit. Plug in the 2.5mm jack [usual size] to the remote socket of the second recorder.

Set both recorders to 'record'. On the completion of of the first tape the record button rises as the auto-stop operates, switching on the second recorder.

Not totally state of the art in our technological age, but a method that will work efficiently and costs little to manufacture.