audio tape speed in Russia

[Andrew Jameson]

Just to confirm that Ernie's guess is correct.
Most equipment, if the number of cycles was
important for its operation, had a control of some sort
which had to be changed depending on whether you
were in the Americas (60 cycles) or Europe/Russia
(50 cycles). AC electric motors don't have commutators,
they use the pole reversals of AC current instead and
run at a (more or less) steady speed which is set by
the cyles in AC mains current.
I've deliberately used the cycle change control in the
past to slow down a tape which was recorded using
nearly exhausted batteries and which when played back
at normal speed sounded like chipmunks talking.
You may laugh, but some of this equipment is still around
and in use in Russia, and tips like this could be useful...

Andrew Jameson
Chair, Russian Committee, ALL
Reviews Editor, Rusistika
Listowner, allnet, cont-ed-lang, russian-teaching
1 Brook Street, Lancaster LA1 1SL   UK
Tel: 01524 32371  (+44 1524 32371)

----------
From: Ernie Sjogren <esjogren at NC.RR.COM>
To: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
Subject: Re: audio tape speed in Ruusia
Date: 03 December 2000 08:11

I've read that European electricity is supplied at 50 cycles per second, as
opposed to the U.S.'s 60 cps, which (I'm guessing) would cause European
machines to run a little faster in the U.S., and U.S. machines a little
slower in Europe.

Ernie Sjogren

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