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Graham Thirkell at Rola PtII – Magnetic Drum devices

More photos from Graham Thirkell’s albums.

This set concentrates on Magnetic Drum Recording/Playback Devices from  the Rola and Plessey/Rola period.

 

 

Rola AVAE Exchange Interceptor 24 lines Front View

AVAE Rear View

 

 

Auto Announcer

Auto Announcer – Front View – cover removed

Auto Announcer – Rear View

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Graham Thirkell – Rola photos

Graham Thirkell’s Photos – the Rola era

Page One of Two – Tape-based eqpt & general shots

At one point in his long & illustrious career, Graham Thirkell was at Rola. These photos are from Graham’s personal collection, courtesy of Katherine Thirkell who passed them to the AES Melb Section for safe-keeping. They have been scanned (at 300dpi) and form part of the Graham Thirkell tribute on aesmelbourne.org.au.

Comments and contributions are welcome.
If you know anyone who worked with Graham or at Rola at that time, and who can contribute captions (and context) to these photos please put them in touch with us.

Premises:

Rola head office in Richmond

– recollections from Graham’s colleague at the time Ian Jackson:
“The head office in the Yarra Boulevard, Richmond, just south of Bridge Road (Mel 2H H8). It contained the office of Rola’s owner (Mr Webb), personnel, the office, the canteen, assembly floor for loudspeakers, transformers and TV yokes, a large home-designed machine to produce loudspeaker cones, the anechoic chamber for testing speakers, the small area where Graham, I and Alan Rowlands designed the products, and the assembly and test area for all the magnetic recording products, and an encapsulation facility.”

Source Ian Jackson email 25 July 2014

 

 

Rola manufacturing plant.

Again from Ian Jackson:
“… located in Browns Road, Harrisfield (Mel 80 G10). It contained the manufacturing plant for magnet winding wires, and I believe plant for manufacturing magnetic tape. Apparently the latter was not a successful exercise.

At the back there can be seen the sawtooth roof of a building. This used to contain the areas that manufactured ceramic permanent magnets (we used them in our speakers, and I understood that at that time they manufactured 90% of such magnets that were used in Australia. I believe that Plessey sold it off as it did not fit into their business model.) It was also where we manufactured all our sheet metal parts, including speaker frames.”

 

Equipment designed and manufactured here:

The 66 Mark II – a basic recorder. Though it had 3 heads, the one set of electronics was switched from replay to record – making it impossible to “confidence-monitor” during recording. At 45 pounds (20kgs) it is called transportable.

The 33B – I don’t know it but it looks to be an early replay-only unit with 10.5″ reels.

 

The 77 Mark III – it replaced the 77 Mark II as the radio station workhorse. Still called “transportable” – but it weighed 55 pounds (25kgs).

 

The Rola 777 (“Three Sevens”) – a console recorder.

777 deck

777 electronics

 

This photo show interior view and demonstrates maintenance access

 

777 again.

Melbourne City Council – Proceedings Recording System – Chambers Recording Console.
Note stereo Byer 77MKII recorders.

 

High Speed dubbing equipment.

77MKIII in test.

 

The Rola Auto-Q. From memory this was a 25Hz pulse encoder/decoder to permit auto-cueing multiple tracks on a tape sequentially.

 

The caption describes as  “Auto-Station Equipment” rudimentary radio station automation perhaps??
Here’s a Rola brochure (PDF) describing a case study of a radio station using this for programme automation.
Courtesy: Ian Jackson

These three photos are from a trade display somewhere. IREE Convention perhaps?? The Plessey name is prominent. It had become Plessey/Rola.

This is an apparently earlier trade display booth (pre-Plessey). Caption says “Menzies Sydney – AFCB Convention Oct 1964” I think it was the FACB Convention (Federation of Commercial Broadcasters). The 777 and the 77MKIII are prominent.

 

High Speed Duplicator manufactured for ABC Melbourne.

 

Rola P12 12″ Transcription Turntable. 4-speed. Whatever happened to 16 2/3rpm?

 

Tape head and internal components. For 77 Mark III?

MarkIII Capstan Motor

MarkIII Capstan Motor – disassembled view.

 

 

Time announce equipment.

The second page at  http://www.aesmelbourne.org.au/thirkell2/ concentrates on the magnetic drum equipment (auto-announcer, variable message repeater etc).

The Quiet Achievers

Throughout the history of audio there have been many talented and skilled people working quietly to advance the art and science of audio engineering.
Away from the spotlight, these people have made significant contributions to the industry.

This section will feature some of these more low-profile achievers.

Content is currently pending for …
Graeme Huon – Huon Labs
Michail Barabasz – Plessey/Rola Loudspeakers & Lorantz Audio

Each of these people has experienced the development of an industry as it has evolved. Their observations offer a model for what to expect as a novice begins a career the industry, and a description of what it takes to succeed.

Each of these stories is unique, but there are similarities and significant differences. Taken together, they begin to build a picture of an industry as it has evolved from the 1950s until now.

Graeme Huon (Huon Labs)

Graeme describes in his own words growing up in post Second World War Melbourne and Sydney, his early disjointed education, professional training at university, and his journey into work.

His life journey covered several disciplines and career segments. These career changes included: teaching in what became TAFE; working as an engineer in telecommunications; and later in his own consulting and manufacturing businesses in the broad fields of audio and acoustics. He worked with many who influenced his career, including Cherry, Campbrell, Lampard, and Thiel

Graeme describes the process of product and business development. He worked with valves to the latest digital technology, in industries related to audio and acoustics throughout a very long career.

Graeme’s story offers a unique perspective of the audio industry as it changed over more than fifty years.


Michail Barabasz (Plessey/Rola Loudspeakers & Lorantz Audio)

Michail begins by describing his family’s arrival in Australia as migrants after the Second World War, and his experience of growing up in a foreign country.

An ability to adapt to meet new challenges is characteristic of Michail’s experience, studying first Electrical Engineering and then his preferred Electronics Engineering before beginning work at Plessey at a time of rapid electronic development. From early experience building data terminal consoles and amplifiers, he took a position as the “loudspeaker engineer” at Plessey. This experience covered all aspects from design to large-scale production of loudspeakes in the largest manufacturer in Australia of loudspeakers for use in cars.

When Plessey closed their loudspeaker division, Michail started his own loudspeaker manufacturing business, which continues to today. This business is the only business in Australia to manufacture loudspeaker drivers from voice coils, magnets, and cones, to complete speaker systems. Michail describes in some detail the problems involved in design, manufacture and marketing his loudspeaker products, and the solutions that he has found for these problems.

Michail offers a unique window into how the loudspeaker manufacturing in Australia has changed over fifty years, what it takes to manufacture loudspeaker components, and to survive in this part of the audio industry.

Meeting Report: December 2021 – Loudspeaker Power Ratings – Michail Barabasz

On Monday December 13th the AES Melbourne Section mounted yet another Zoom online meeting.

Over thirty members and guests joined the meeting to hear Michail Barabasz of Lorantz Audio Services present on the topic of Loudspeaker Power Ratings

Title slide

After welcoming everyone, Section Chair Graeme Huon introduced Michail who started his presentation with a brief history of his career at Plessey Rola (pre-1975), including and his involvement with the 1977 Australian Standard for Sound System Equipment (AS1127, Part 5 – Loudspeakers), before establishing Lorantz Audio Services in 1976.

Continue reading “Meeting Report: December 2021 – Loudspeaker Power Ratings – Michail Barabasz”