• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Looking for an Arrakis 500 SC console

R

Richinald

Hello,

I am looking to buy an Arrakis 500 SC console (this is the Arrakis console version with the rotary faders an has 4 VU meters)
The Arrakis 500 SC has the main power supply separate from the console.
Anyone that might have a used Arrakis 500 SC console with it's power supply that is in good operational conditon available for sale, please message me thru the Radio Classifieds message system.

Thank You very much.

Richinald
 
Nostalgia said:
PLEASE dont turn this thread into another bash Arrakis thread. :mad:
Click to expand...

I won't start the bashing, but I will offer a word of warning to Richinald:

The voltage control amplifiers using in that model console are most likely discontinued and you'll end up either paying dearly for them or losing the use of input channels as failures occur (highly probably if the console wasn't well grounded). You would be well advised to consider a newer console with parts that are available.
 
PLEASE dont turn this thread into another bash Arrakis thread
Click to expand...

It's kind of hard not to. Imagine if someone kept posting questions like, "My car is a 1976 Pinto with bald tires. What can I do to make it work?" Eventually, everyone will say "Damn, just get a different car. Even a used one from the same vintage. But not another Pinto!!"

Crap is crap. No matter what color you try to paint it or how many roses you lay on top of it, it's still a turd.
 
Thanks for the replies and advices regarding the Arrakis 500 SC !, I was looking into a console that has rotary faders and 4 VU meters for audition and program, I had in the past a lot of problems with a console that had linear faders of replacing them a lot of times, and I know that rotary faders does last much longer in comparison with linear faders. (for example on the well known Mc Martin B502, the rotary faders could go for about 20 years with no problems )
Maybe I should look into the LPB/Dynamax series (now manufactured by Sandies USA Inc.) for the rotary faders option and the 4 VU meters for audition and program ?
 
It depends on the faders. Many old rotary consoles used step-attenuators. These were very rugged, but when they finally do wear out, they are very expensive to replace. I'm not sure if they can still be bought new. Most modern rotary consoles use sealed ceramic pots which don't last especially well. A few of the better ones use rotary conductive plastic which holds up about as well as the linear versions, but far better than the ceramic ones. Do your homework. For linear pot boards, look for ones using Penny and Giles faders. Also look for boards with VCA controlled audio. Or go digital. When shopping rotary fader boards, find out about the faders before you buy or you might be in for a rude surprise. Also, be sure that the channels can simultaneously use program and audition. Many older designs use a switch that's one way or the other.
 
I'd get the Dynamax myself for the money. Much better designed. Sounds better, more reliable, and works in conditions which make Arrakis boards repair prone. If you can find an old LPB Signature, those are real tanks and up there with the better ones.
 
Richinald said:
Hello,

I am looking to buy an Arrakis 500 SC console (this is the Arrakis console version with the rotary faders an has 4 VU meters)
The Arrakis 500 SC has the main power supply separate from the console.
Anyone that might have a used Arrakis 500 SC console with it's power supply that is in good operational conditon available for sale, please message me thru the Radio Classifieds message system.

Thank You very much.

Richinald
Click to expand...

Hi Richinald-

I just (over Christmas break) pulled a 500SC out of service here at Muskingum University. Contrary to what some have to say,
it has been very reliable with very very few problems. It is fully functional and really clean.

I also have a 1500 SC of the same vintage that is missing some pieces but has tons of spare chips and parts- Enough to
keep a board in good shape for another decade.

I also have the power supplies.

If you're interested, drop me an email at [email protected]

All the Best!

Mark Bohach
 
If you want rotary pots, look for an LPB Signature II or III. They're practically indestructible, and use off the shelf cheap parts.

I know of one that's been going since 1982 in a talk/public affairs studio at a client station. Recapped it and replaced the op-amps. Cleaned the switches and volume pots. It keeps running and running and sounds decent too.

Stay well clear of Arrakis anything, especially a model with VCA's that are no longer available.
 
I made the mistake of jumping on the Arrakis bandwagon very early on (early 80's). It might have been a 2000SC. The slide pots said that when they were all the way down, it was -60db. That was correct...if you rewound a tape with the tape against the heads, it came through on the air just fine with the pot fully down. That and the monitor amp was a soldered in chip that after the second or third replacement left the circuit board in shambles. I've looked long and hard for a bigger piece of garbage console for 30 years now and so far, that one holds the record in my hall of shame. I hope that the 500SC doesn't suffer from those two issues. If it does, I wouldn't take one if it was given to me.
 
Richinald said:
I had in the past a lot of problems with a console that had linear faders of replacing them a lot of times
Click to expand...
Any type of fader, liner ot rotary, needs periodic cleaning in accordance with the fader manufacturer's instructions to prevent excessive wear. In addition, rotary faders generally require periodic lubrication.
 
ncradioeng said:
That's what the little bottle of Daven pot oil sitting in the very back of the engineering cabinet is for
Click to expand...
I haven't seen a bottle of Daven oil in years. I do, however, still have a bottle of red Gates turntable oil (which hasn't been used since the mid 80s).
 
I have a few bottles of Gates and QRK turntable oil. Our turntables get pretty regular use when we're live through the day.
 
The little bottle of Penny and Giles lube costs a freakin' mint and I guard what I have left with my life. It was suppose to be a once-common Dow Chemical concoction but from the last time I tried to second-source it seems to be no longer available so the only source for the "real deal" is P&G.
 
The few Arrakis boards I've ever had the misfortune of having to deal with seemed to draw a heck of a lot of current for some reason.

Anyone else noticed that?
 
I have had the pleasure of working on a couple LPB Dynamax boards. Solidly built and rarely have a problem. I think I had to replace a vca one time thats about it.
 
The ebay board, is a superb example of M1/A1 Abrams LPB Tank Technology. Looks to have been well cared for. Exactly what you need. Bombproof enough to take student DJ pounding and laugh at it and come back for more.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom