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Card 5 and RCFs

S

Studio1

I'm on the hunt for a couple of factory card 5s for the 8100A. Must be some around gathering dust on shelves!

Secondly, what are the effects of running the 8100A with an RCF (1 or 2) installed, but WITHOUT the Prisms in front?
[I'm sure this was covered in a previous thread but I've searched and can't find it].
 
The 8100 with the retrofit card 5 acts as a final limiter but its compression functions are more or less disabled. The replacement card 5 was designed to let the multiband processing do the compression without interference from the Optimod's own broadband compressor. There were actually several replacement card 5s made by different companies over the years. Some were better than others. The most common card 5 replacement was one that could be bought from Texar/Gentner along with the audio prisms. This type of 8100 will still effectively prevent overmodulation but the audio must be kept in a narrow range for effective operation, so you need something else to be the compressor stage. I've seen 8100s driven by audio prisms, by CRL SEP 400s and 800s, even some $250 Behringer multiband compressors. The individual sounds are different for each combo, but they all work surprisingly well if properly adjusted. You can probably even get away with a single band compressor in a pinch. Be sure to only use compression on the preprocessor. Generally, you don't want to limit in preprocessing then have the 8100 do it again.
 
I've been forced to run the 8100a with texar card 5 without prisms due to some defective used stuff I got from a local engineer. To my ear, very harsh. Also, as Texar book says, controls on 8100 not the same, and it will be very time consuming to try to get a good sound. I also would not mind finding a card 5.
 
If you have some other form of level control in front of it, it can be done. Multiband is best, whatever flavor floats your boat. There will be a big change in sonic signature from different multiband units.

Worst case, you can put a Compellor in front of it, but you'll find it's kind of dull sounding. A little EQ between the Compellor and the Optimod will help it out. You can do the same with an old Orban Co-operator too.
 
Some models of Orban TV stereo generators use a card that is very similar to the original 8100A Card 5. The TV version has an extra switch, which is easily removed and bypassed.

Don't remember the model number--pull up the manuals off the Orban web site. These boxes show up on E-Bay from time to time--they're not much good for anything else with TV going digital.
 
Yes, thanks indeed to everyone who has posted in reply to my question. These are 'vintage' processors now but still a lot
of fun to play around with and for some stations it's a significant step up from what they've been using in the past.
 
The 8182 card 5 is simiar to the 8100 card 5 except the master timing module is quite different so giving a different sound, also the bass threshold is different and will need 2 resistor changes.
 
Because they're hoping suckers will buy them thinking that it's the same as an 8100. "Oh boy, the 8182! That must be better than an 8100!!"

Good luck if you don't have a stereo generator.
 
The 8100 usually commands a substantially higher eBay price tag than the 8182 does, so most buyers must understand that there's a difference. I'd assume anything with the Orban brand on it sells for a premium, even on the surplus market. That's a testiment to the design and quality of the products over the decades that followed the original Optimods.
 
A once in a lifetime opportunity, two 8100A Optimods just sold here for $408 and $485 respectively. That's about US$330 and US$395.

Cheap or what?

The one that sold for $408 had an RCF-2 card installed. I was tempted, very tempted.

The one that sold for $485 was stock, with a factory card 5 in it.
 
Yea--$800 for an 8182 is ridiculous as they are virtually useless except for parts...they also have a 3 & 4 card if I remember right--which are useful in ST chassis, since most of the ones for sale don't have any cards.

I have a card 5 from an 8182 in an ST chassis--didn't notice much difference but I'm only using it on telephone audio to even out levels.
 
Cards 3/4/6/8/9 are the same as the 8100.
The hillbert clipper cards (0/1) can be defeated and/or removed, also remove card 2 (loudness controller).

I have a converted 8182a to 8100a, i replaced card 5, removed cards 0/1 and fitted card 7 (stereo gen), and fitted a bnc socket on the back, and added some wiring to allow the function switch to work all the stereo gen functions.

I did this conversion mainly due to spare cards that i already had.
 
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