54 was also a typical number used for German/French BASF cassettes (and storage cases!). This doesn't necessarily mean that it was also completely assembled in Germany.
The lack of any "Made in..." marking and the presence of Portuguese text on the inlay, plus the fact that you bought it from Portugal, make me think it was delivered as complete cassette, but unpackaged, to either Brazil or Spain, where it was put in its box together with a locally printed inlay.
I also have a 1987-89 Chrome Super II somewhere with Brazilian inlay (including "Industria Brazileira" and checkboxes for 60 or 90 minutes), but the cassette looks quite German.
Are there any codes engraved in the storage case? They can sometimes also tell stories.
The magnetic material was marketed as Megadium starting with the first LH-M I in late 1984. I have never found any official mentioning of Cobalt in the context of LH-M, LH-MX, Ferro Super and Ferro Maxima cassettes; always only Megadium; and the later generations of Ferro Maxima in the 90's with a different formulation name again (if any).
For the predecessors, green LH super I and ferro super LH I, cobald doping has been confirmed by people involved in BASF's tape business back in the day. But it still remains a secret what "Megadium" really is.
I've always considered Megadium to be classic cobalt, Basf just made up an extra name for it, like other companies did for their FeCo tapes.
The only strange thing is that Basf never made up such names, maybe because if they used chromdioxide it was unique.
But what's also strange is that on LH-M the packaging says it's just iron oxide, they don't even talk about fineness, LH M XI talks about exclusive iron oxide.
Megadium was first mentioned only new line from 1987/88 in the Ferro Super and Ferro Maxima cassette.
So I'm going to list it there anyway?
In the green and red LH Super I thought it was a fine oxide from Pfizer, and that they didn't add cobalt until the newer green from 1981 onwards I guess? I'm quite confused about this, I'd probably have to go through each piece of this cassette individually to get it on the web
to fix everything the way it's supposed to be.
13.07.2024, 09:58 (Dieser Beitrag wurde zuletzt bearbeitet: 13.07.2024, 10:10 von Kirunavaara.)
Megadium is mentioned in the 1985 brochure, which I unfortunatey can't find now. Here is a quote from the book Zeitschichten, 4th edition, page 511:
"Als Nachfolger der ferro super LH I von 1978 fungierte seit 1982 die Kassette LH super I, ihrerseits 1985
abgelöst von LH maxima I, beschichtet mit einem neuartigen Pigment, dem BASF den Namen Megadium gegeben
hatte. Wie der Namensteil „maxima“ zeigt (und neutrale Testergebnisse bestätigten), gehörte diese Kassette
zum Spitzenbereich der IEC I-Klasse 3417 (und erhob damit den analogen Anspruch zur chromdioxid maxima II).
1986 folgte mit LH maxima XI kurzzeitig eine Megadium-Doppelschicht-Kassette,3418 die sich allerdings nicht
durchsetzen konnte."
When I find the brochure again, I will post a picture.
The Pfizer oxide was first used for LH super in 1973 or 74. My guess is that the first ferro super LH I from 1978 is based on the same pigments, but treated with cobalt. It is also likely that LH super I in 1982 used the new LH-D pigment (no idea whether it was still based on Pfizer, or BASF's own base material) and cobalt-doped it. There is also an in-between generation of ferro super LH I tape from ca 1979/80 to 1982, which looks slightly darker than the first generation, but has less shedding and violining issues.
BP is a new code I've never seen before, but putting together all pieces of information, I am quite sure it means Portugal. I have not yet found evidence that BASF had an own assembly line there, but there were some obvious collaborations with local companies ike Audio Magnetics and Sonovox in the 70's and 80's. I wouldn't be surprised if Sonovox/Eurex packaged these German made cassettes for the Portuguese market, in order to save some import taxes or similar considerations (Portugal and Spain became members of the EC in 1986).
Thechnicaly, it was just a marketing term for the LH-D type, and was continued to be printed onto Ferro Extras when they contained x49 tape from Munich. At least they didn't mention LD on the Saehan made version for the US market:
Well, my LH Maxima is an interesting curiosity, for now the Made in Germany description remains.
Maybe I will add the possibility of Portuguese packaging.
Pfizer here is doped with cobalt? for all versions pictured? The latest one I have there is the 1981 version. https://ez647.sk/cc/basf_fslhi.html
So The Colours of Sound uses modern Ferro Extra tape in both the GMS and ICM versions? I know it says so on the packaging, but the ICM ones I was under the impression was a completely different tape. https://ez647.sk/cc/basf_thecolourofsound.html
The yellow Soundtrack model from GMS also has LD oxide listed, but that tape is completely different to the tape in The Colour of Sound https://ez647.sk/cc/basf_soundtrack.html
15.07.2024, 13:17 (Dieser Beitrag wurde zuletzt bearbeitet: 15.07.2024, 13:18 von Kirunavaara.)
Nice! Two different kinds of hubs in the two Memorex HBS II, yet probably both still made in USA. Will be interesting to see their shells - there are also different versions which sometimes look very similar to SKM, sometimes it's more obvious that they are different. Saft is probably a Magna. And the National Ångrom will be tricky to identify concerning who made which part.
Not sure, especially for the third one with 1980-82 labels. Around 1979/80, there was a modernisation of the tape which made it more stable against violining, the surface has a slightly different look. I don't know whether they only changed the binder composition, or also the pigments used. Late examples already have LH-D tape, but yours is from 1980, so probably not yet for that one. There are also ferro super LH with these late labels that were made in USA and have another different kind of tape, which corresponds to their performance I cassettes (before even those were loaded with LH-D from ca 1983).
Zitat:Pfizer here is doped with cobalt? for all versions pictured? The latest one I have there is the 1981 version. https://ez647.sk/cc/basf_fslhi.html
I think we can be quite sure that all of these were cobalt doped, but I have never found any information about Pfizer pigments in "green LH", it has only ever been confirmed for "red LH". Now the first generation of fsLH I tape should be only in your two cassettes with the oldest labels (two indexing lines, C-120 and C-60). The other C-60 (second label version, four lines) from late 1979 probably has the intermediate generation of tape, as well as your examples from 1980 and 1981.
Zitat:So The Colours of Sound uses modern Ferro Extra tape in both the GMS and ICM versions?
Usually, yes. The ones in ICM shells have German LH-D tape, the ones assembled by Genmag have Indonesian LH-D tape, which has a slightly darker colour and more shiny surface (and unfortunately a little less S/N and a higher risk for squealing).
There could be even more variations, I think Sebastian has a Colours of Sound with ICM shell and darker tape, which suspiciously looks like Ferro Super I (single layer Megadium)... but that was not the default tape used in these for sure :-)
16.07.2024, 09:03 (Dieser Beitrag wurde zuletzt bearbeitet: 16.07.2024, 09:04 von EZ647.)
Martin, Thank you!
Memorex, yes both are USA, so far the surface shell design seems to copy the SKM design.
But in the past I have gotten a Memorex Cire I and Cire II, both of which looked like the SKM but were different in design.
Unfortunately the hubs used suffered from the same deformation syndrome as the Emtec, so they will be unusable without replacement. https://ez647.sk/cc/memorex_cirei.html https://ez647.sk/cc/memorex_cireii.html
With all National Angrom cassettes, even others with custom designs, I feel very much a collaboration with TDK. With this Angrom in the photo it looks like a classic TDK cassette with a small window.
For the custom National designs, although it doesn't have TDK markings, also there are mysteriously different tape types used, like the picture and color ones, but all the serial numbers are almost identifiable as TDK.
The date identification works exactly on all the pieces I have, on the Angrom, but also on these: https://ez647.sk/cc/national_nce.html https://ez647.sk/cc/national_nsy.html
Basf LH Super red, I will correct to use fine iron oxide with pigment from Pfizer
Basf ferro Super LH red, second generation, I'll figure it out somehow, I'll leave both options for now
Basf green, I'll change it to FeCo
if I don't forget, I'll add one more used ferro Super LH I cassette I had once borrowed from a colleague at work, it had white labels but traces of mould on the labels, although the tape was fine, so I didn't want to post it at the time
but it had the same booklet as the last one I have from 1981, so I was confused, I'll add it as an attachment, the number is 1732045122, so it's even newer than the one I have on the web
In all the more modern Basf ferro's I'll have to fix the compositions and completely rebuild models like the Ferro Extra etc. Which will take a lot of time again.
But how to correctly indicate the composition? LD-iron oxide?
Then I would still have the following questions:
LD iron oxide is only listed on the Ferro Extra 1990-1992, newer packaging doesn't have it anymore, but practically that type of tape is used until the end of production for Emtec? Unless of course you count the already OEM cassettes.
Basf FEI made in GMS also has LD oxide on the packaging, but sonically it came out differently and very badly, or is the reason that the tape is from Basf's Indonesian branch?
Yes I know, I should do a comparison with That's RX cassette tapes as well, where this was an option for the same tape
I suppose I can take the ferro extra tape as a template for the budget models Sound I, ReCord I, Ferro Standard, and various of those special series like Power Tape, etc. as well?
For the ReCord I, I'm not always sure, because the first generation with that lavish 1994-1996 printing had a different dark and very powerful ferro tape in some pieces, and just plain FEI in some
In the new generation 1997-1998 with the gold mirror, crescent, it most certainly had just FEI
Hi
On the Slovak forum one user complains that he got a used Basf LH-M XI 60, which suffers from the classic scratching and squeaking.
The serial number is 1536520141
I assume it is made in Germany. Mine piece on the page has a 115days older date, but otherwise it is fine.
I think it was a victim of poor cassette storage by the previous owner.
16.09.2024, 07:40 (Dieser Beitrag wurde zuletzt bearbeitet: 16.09.2024, 07:41 von Kirunavaara.)
Hi! I can see a TDK 2000 Countdown Limited Edition... and I remember how I thought that this was quite ridiculous when they were new in 1999. There was nothing "limited" about these cassettes, no difference in design, not even a different colour anywhere... only these 2000 badges everywhere. It became obvious that they didn't want to put any cost and effort into a soon-to-be-dead format any more.
Kirunavaara:
Hi
It really is, but then again, it's the latest version of quality. It is mostly followed by TDK SA made in Thailand, often with unknown tape.
I get these unwrapped SA 100 Limiteds as a bonus very often now. It was returned to the seller by someone as a bad low quality cassette.
But all the ones I have have the year of manufacture 1999.
Apparently they did it in advance of the millennium
Regards EZ
Grundig: The C60 is from ca 1974-78, the C90 from 1978-80.
Norelco is always US market, Philips used that brand in the USA because of a name similarity to the American Philco company; more details here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philips_Norelco
Early Norelco cassettes were imported from the European Philips factories. In the 70's, there was also a quite interesting series (Norelco 200/250/300/400/Challenger) which was sourced from different OEMs; I have found a TDK SD there, a Certron, and some US made shells, eventually loaded with Philips tape. https://www.45spaces.com/audio-compact-c...?a=norelco
Ross: There are early ones marked Made in USA, Mexico or Portugal; these are mostly from Audio Magnetics. Later ones came from Hanny (Hong Kong) which through Swire Magnetics was linked to Audio Magnetics, because both companies were owned by the same guy. He founded Audio Magnetics, sold it to Mattel and built up Intermagnetics instead, which later became Swire Magnetics. Company address for Audio/Inter/Swire Magnetics was subsequently the same in Gardena, California 90248.
Expert: Yes, clearly Audio Magnetics, late 70's. That model is plentiful in Sweden. Expert seemed to buy from different OEMs for different countries in the 70's. Expert Germany had BASF cassettes, Expert Italy had locally assembled cassettes, Expert Sweden mostly Audio Magnetics and some Italian cassettes. In the 80's, Expert offered ICM made cassettes in some countries.
Boots: Yes, not earlier than 1982, but probably no later than 1984/85. From the mid-80's, ICM made a completely different design for Boots, still in Turbo shells.
18.09.2024, 13:27 (Dieser Beitrag wurde zuletzt bearbeitet: 18.09.2024, 13:28 von Kirunavaara.)
Norelco cassettes are quite hard to find on eBay nowadays, so I guess they didn't sell too many. They had their own big companies who could sell tape cheaper, like Ampex, 3M, Certron, Memorex, Capitol and Audio Magnetics - all these are much more plentiful when you find collections of early years' cassettes in the USA.
Out of the ICM/Boots designs, your Super and Standard are the older version, and your Ferric is the newer version. Among that second line-up, there are two sub-versions, because they made some slight graphical changes and added I/II to the designations. I don't know which exact year though.
What fascinates me about the Norelco ones is that they use a sponge type pressure pad, but it's made of a material that is high quality and still works today.
Yes, it's the same for Philips cassettes from the early 70's, and also prerecorded cassettes made by Polygram in Germany (with modified Philips shells) until the mid-80's. They have about the only sponge pressure pads that don't degrade.
I have a few of those prerecorded cassettes, they work fine.
Maybe that would be the solution for those bad Scotch and Memorex cassettes. Use the appropriate material, cut it to the correct shape of the original sponge and glue it to the shell.
