April 5, 2019 at 02:06History of Soviet cassette players: Wilma stationary decks - creative plagiarism, innovation and the devil in the details
So, another post about the bright and ambiguous history of Soviet cassette tape recorders. This time we will consider stationary models from the Lithuanian Vilma plant. I note right away that we will touch upon not all, but the most revealing and interesting specimens that marked the transition from one generation to another, left a significant mark, are a collection rarity or represent an original technical idea.
It is known that, as in the west, in the USSR portable models were ahead of stationary ones, which is not surprising. At the dawn of its appearance, compact cassettes, as the name implies, were designed, positioned and perceived as carriers for portable devices. Unexpectedly for the creators of the format, its advantages were appreciated not only by reporters and representatives of special services, but also by music lovers. Under the cat about what were the Soviet stationary tape recorders.
The palm for the development of the first stationary cassette recorders in the USSR belongs to the Lithuanian instrument-making plant Vilma. As in other cases with Soviet innovations, they were preceded by the appearance of analogues in capitalist countries. So in 1970, a transnational corporation of Dutch origin Philips, the developer and pioneer of compact cassette recorders, released the Philips N 2400, a stationary cassette deck with built-in amplifier and speakers.
After two years, having simplified and slightly changed the design (they removed the “extra” parts of the tape drive, threw off the tape counter, mirrored the location of the functional elements), a Soviet stationary first-born child called “Wilma-Stereo” appears. In the future, the tape recorder will receive another name, namely "Wilma-302-stereo." The amplifier also underwent processing, the power of which fell one and a half times (Philips RMS was 10 W, the rated power of a Soviet product was 2 W - i.e. RMS approx. 7 W).
Philips N 2400 of 1971 model, open speaker in
Wilma-302-stereo kit 1972, open speaker in set
The main innovation of the product is not even a stationary form factor and amplification, the main gap in another is the first serial stereo cassette recorder. For the year 1972 in the USSR, today this is tantamount to releasing an analog of the iPhone X in Russia.
Despite the stereophonicity, stationarity, the presence of speakers and other features, the tape recorder borrows a number of features from the design of portable models, however, like its mirror prototype from the Netherlands. It is quite natural that the device is made on loose powder, to reduce the dimensions, the germanium transistors common at that time were used. The single-engine tape drive is simple, reliable, but thoroughly chewing the film, after the first 10 months of operation.
Special attention should be paid to the speakers, which were equipped with a stationary first-born. These are quite suitable for that time two-way shelving units with open acoustic design, equipped with two dynamic loudspeakers: 4GD-8E and 1GD-28. They were also borrowed from the original Philips and are also somewhat modified.
The stereo pioneer possessed the following technical characteristics:
The impressive dimensions of the speaker are 376x260x190 mm, the mass of which was 5 kg. Engineers of that time remembered and implemented the principle: “the more speakers, the better).
One version of the tape recorder was produced in a stripped down mono version and was called "Wilma-303." The release of this device began in 1973. The cropped version appeared due to the need for an inexpensive stationary tape recorder, we decided to sacrifice stereo. A cheapening technique was used, which is often used today in the development of smartphones. They release the device in a case that is outwardly indistinguishable from the flagship, but with catastrophically truncated functionality.
Despite the relative success of the first stationary tape recorder, consumer demand continued to grow. This became the reason for managerial decisions, thanks to which the mass production of standard tape recorders began in the USSR.
Time passed, and by the beginning of the eighties there was once again a consumer need for a modern cassette deck of the highest class of complexity. Traditionally, the Vilma factory in Vilnius became the first to develop such a device. In 1982, the first serial samples of the flagship soundboard appeared. According to some reports, the devices did not fall into a large series, but left an indelible impression on everyone who dealt with them.
It is believed that the design and circuitry of this development was original. Despite this common opinion, I want to note that the layout scheme, tape drive, and also the implementation of control on an integrated circuit in 1982 were not fundamentally new solutions. The design of the device also is not something innovative for 1982, the cassette decks of that time from the famous companies AKAI, SONY, Matsushita Electric were very similar to the Soviet flagship.
Interestingly, the Grundig tape drive production and assembly mechanism was used, which was equipped with SONY motors with quartz frequency stabilization, as well as a closed path. A characteristic feature of the mechanism also became two leading tonoval and as many as 3 engines. The tape path was equipped with three magnetic heads at once, which was also not characteristic of other Soviet tape recorders.
The usability of the device was seriously improved by quasi-touch buttons. Lentoprotag in turn received digital software control. Also, a automation innovation in recording current and magnetization currents, which were displayed on a special luminescent indicator, became a functional innovation in the Soviet cassette recorder industry.
Equally new and almost unfamiliar to Soviet users was the equipment of the device with a wireless remote control. To connect other devices, the deck provided two additional network sockets, which in turn were equipped with a built-in timer.
In addition to the minimum necessary playback, recording, pause and rewind, "Wilma 001" included functions that even in the West will become commonplace only after a decade, namely: review of tracks, search by pauses. To display the signal level, programs and current time, gas discharge indicators were used.
According to some reports, in 1982, a miracle tape recorder was sold in the Moscow Orbit store on Smolenskaya Square and cost 1,900 rubles, with an average monthly salary in the USSR of about 150 rubles. One of the vegalab users estimated the cost of the tape recorder in 2 Java bikes with an engine capacity of 360 cubic cm.
Due to the rarity of the model, we could not find reliable data on the specification. Given the complexity class, I can assume that the Soviet engineers achieved the highest possible characteristics at that time. Perhaps this is the first Soviet tape recorder, made not on a loose ground, but on the basis of several chips, which, perhaps, adds cult status to it. Today, this model is in demand among collectors, as a relatively rare one.
The 1982 year pleased the Soviet music lovers with another stationary deck, which belonged to the highest class of complexity, namely the Wilma-010-stereo. It is also a pilot device, which was also originally produced by Vilnius Instrument-Making. But unlike “001”, it was produced in a larger series, and therefore there is much more information about it.
The predecessor of the 010th deck and its almost complete constructive analogue was the Vilma-102-stereo first-class tape recorder, the release of which was launched over the year, in 1981. This deck was one of the first Soviet tape recorders to use a twin-engine tape drive with a closed path and quasi-sensor control. They became the hallmark of premium models of Soviet cassette decks.
In this model thoroughly abandoned the frizz and built electronics based on specially designed silicon integrated circuits. The combined magnetic recording-playback head was allegedly made in Japan. Like the ultra-premium model 001, the Wilma-102-stereo was equipped with indicators of average and quasi-peak signal level, which work both during recording and playback.
It is known that in this and similar models the German (FRG) tape from Ernst Plank was originally used. Later, according to rumors, a Soviet copy was developed, which, again, according to rumors, finally finished off the legendary company Ernst Plank, which ingloriously ceased to exist in 1985. A significant achievement can be considered our own system for eliminating interference when switching modes and the use of compander noise reduction “Dolby-B” ”. Among the rare functions in Soviet technology, auto-stop, a tape-sampling device, and a flow meter were also listed.
In "Wilma-010-stereo" did not change anything structurally, but the electronic part of the device has undergone significant modernization. So, after installing a more advanced elemental base, the characteristics of the device have improved significantly.
In particular, the frequency range of operating frequencies was expanded - 1.5 ... 18000 Hz (in version 102, the upper limit did not exceed 14000), the detonation coefficient was 0.15% against 0.17% in the 102nd model. There were also differences in the design of the pinch roller of the rear shaft.
Despite all these almost unique to Soviet technology and rare to Western features, a thick and large fly in the ointment turned out to be in the ointment. Kai, most of the Vilnius factory tape recorders, the 010th and 102nd models, suffered from build quality and individual components. In this regard, users who paid several average monthly salaries for sound-reproducing devices had anger and bewilderment when a recently purchased item had to be repaired for a long time and dreary.
The national flagships demanded the replacement of the passions after a year of work, in the tape drive the rollers that were made from insufficient polymer resistant to mechanical stress fell apart and deformed. After a short time, the flagship began to chew on the film and the standard cleaning procedure did not always save from this.
Two years after Vilnius, the production of a promising model was mastered at the Lvov software named after 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. Interestingly, the engineers of the Ukrainian enterprise quickly identified the problems of Lithuanian development and eliminated a number of significant shortcomings.
So, according to reviews by music lovers of the Soviet era, Lviv decks called “Phoenix-010-stereo” (as it was planned to use the latter in “Phoenix” stereo complexes), unlike the Lithuanian counterparts, had very reliable passics. Rollers made of rubber also practically did not undergo wear and deformation. And in general, all Lithuanian childhood diseases were successfully resolved in Lviv.
Despite the Napoleonic plans, neither Wilma nor Phoenixes went into a large series, were few in number, and due to their high cost they were no longer available. Over time, they were abandoned, by 1986, both Ukrainian and Lithuanian production were curtailed. The model served as the basis for many analogues from Wilma and other Soviet enterprises.
The feedback from those who used Wilma in those years leaves much to be desired. Despite this, an analysis of the models that were created by this plant in the 70s and 80s suggests that the engineers of the enterprise were well versed in current technical trends and went what is called the “right direction”. Lithuanian designers sought to create original models, introduce bold and innovative ideas, and even made copyrights changes when copying.
The problem of “Wilma” was not design errors and not a bad configuration. Killing effects on the quality of the little things, such as the material of the rollers, the properties of the straps, as well as problems with the quality control of the assembly. At the same time, we must pay tribute to the developers of Vilma, as well as the Lviv engineers, who brought to mind some of their developments. "Wilma - Phoenix-010-stereo", if it did not surpass foreign analogues, it could reach their level, with the USSR lagging behind in such developments.
Photo content used:
retrotexnika.ru
www.rw6ase.narod.r
www.radiomuseum.org
As well as photo equipment from the collection of Valery Eremin
Jeans
We trade in electronics. In our catalog A wide range of audio and video equipment, accessories, switching is presented.
It is known that, as in the west, in the USSR portable models were ahead of stationary ones, which is not surprising. At the dawn of its appearance, compact cassettes, as the name implies, were designed, positioned and perceived as carriers for portable devices. Unexpectedly for the creators of the format, its advantages were appreciated not only by reporters and representatives of special services, but also by music lovers. Under the cat about what were the Soviet stationary tape recorders.
Pioneer - deep modernization and plagiarism
The palm for the development of the first stationary cassette recorders in the USSR belongs to the Lithuanian instrument-making plant Vilma. As in other cases with Soviet innovations, they were preceded by the appearance of analogues in capitalist countries. So in 1970, a transnational corporation of Dutch origin Philips, the developer and pioneer of compact cassette recorders, released the Philips N 2400, a stationary cassette deck with built-in amplifier and speakers.
After two years, having simplified and slightly changed the design (they removed the “extra” parts of the tape drive, threw off the tape counter, mirrored the location of the functional elements), a Soviet stationary first-born child called “Wilma-Stereo” appears. In the future, the tape recorder will receive another name, namely "Wilma-302-stereo." The amplifier also underwent processing, the power of which fell one and a half times (Philips RMS was 10 W, the rated power of a Soviet product was 2 W - i.e. RMS approx. 7 W).
Philips N 2400 of 1971 model, open speaker in
Wilma-302-stereo kit 1972, open speaker in set
The main innovation of the product is not even a stationary form factor and amplification, the main gap in another is the first serial stereo cassette recorder. For the year 1972 in the USSR, today this is tantamount to releasing an analog of the iPhone X in Russia.
Despite the stereophonicity, stationarity, the presence of speakers and other features, the tape recorder borrows a number of features from the design of portable models, however, like its mirror prototype from the Netherlands. It is quite natural that the device is made on loose powder, to reduce the dimensions, the germanium transistors common at that time were used. The single-engine tape drive is simple, reliable, but thoroughly chewing the film, after the first 10 months of operation.
Special attention should be paid to the speakers, which were equipped with a stationary first-born. These are quite suitable for that time two-way shelving units with open acoustic design, equipped with two dynamic loudspeakers: 4GD-8E and 1GD-28. They were also borrowed from the original Philips and are also somewhat modified.
The stereo pioneer possessed the following technical characteristics:
- tape drawing speed 4.76 cm / sec;
- detonation coefficient of 0.4%;
- rated output power 2x1 W;
- operating frequency range 63 ... 10000 Hz;
- interference level 40 dB;
- weight 4 kg;
- the price of a tape recorder with acoustics was 275 rubles (3 salaries of a young specialist or one and a half salaries of a middle manager).
The impressive dimensions of the speaker are 376x260x190 mm, the mass of which was 5 kg. Engineers of that time remembered and implemented the principle: “the more speakers, the better).
One version of the tape recorder was produced in a stripped down mono version and was called "Wilma-303." The release of this device began in 1973. The cropped version appeared due to the need for an inexpensive stationary tape recorder, we decided to sacrifice stereo. A cheapening technique was used, which is often used today in the development of smartphones. They release the device in a case that is outwardly indistinguishable from the flagship, but with catastrophically truncated functionality.
Despite the relative success of the first stationary tape recorder, consumer demand continued to grow. This became the reason for managerial decisions, thanks to which the mass production of standard tape recorders began in the USSR.
"Wilma 001" - the tape recorder is not for everyone
Time passed, and by the beginning of the eighties there was once again a consumer need for a modern cassette deck of the highest class of complexity. Traditionally, the Vilma factory in Vilnius became the first to develop such a device. In 1982, the first serial samples of the flagship soundboard appeared. According to some reports, the devices did not fall into a large series, but left an indelible impression on everyone who dealt with them.
It is believed that the design and circuitry of this development was original. Despite this common opinion, I want to note that the layout scheme, tape drive, and also the implementation of control on an integrated circuit in 1982 were not fundamentally new solutions. The design of the device also is not something innovative for 1982, the cassette decks of that time from the famous companies AKAI, SONY, Matsushita Electric were very similar to the Soviet flagship.
Interestingly, the Grundig tape drive production and assembly mechanism was used, which was equipped with SONY motors with quartz frequency stabilization, as well as a closed path. A characteristic feature of the mechanism also became two leading tonoval and as many as 3 engines. The tape path was equipped with three magnetic heads at once, which was also not characteristic of other Soviet tape recorders.
The usability of the device was seriously improved by quasi-touch buttons. Lentoprotag in turn received digital software control. Also, a automation innovation in recording current and magnetization currents, which were displayed on a special luminescent indicator, became a functional innovation in the Soviet cassette recorder industry.
Equally new and almost unfamiliar to Soviet users was the equipment of the device with a wireless remote control. To connect other devices, the deck provided two additional network sockets, which in turn were equipped with a built-in timer.
In addition to the minimum necessary playback, recording, pause and rewind, "Wilma 001" included functions that even in the West will become commonplace only after a decade, namely: review of tracks, search by pauses. To display the signal level, programs and current time, gas discharge indicators were used.
According to some reports, in 1982, a miracle tape recorder was sold in the Moscow Orbit store on Smolenskaya Square and cost 1,900 rubles, with an average monthly salary in the USSR of about 150 rubles. One of the vegalab users estimated the cost of the tape recorder in 2 Java bikes with an engine capacity of 360 cubic cm.
Due to the rarity of the model, we could not find reliable data on the specification. Given the complexity class, I can assume that the Soviet engineers achieved the highest possible characteristics at that time. Perhaps this is the first Soviet tape recorder, made not on a loose ground, but on the basis of several chips, which, perhaps, adds cult status to it. Today, this model is in demand among collectors, as a relatively rare one.
We say Vilnius, we mean Lviv
The 1982 year pleased the Soviet music lovers with another stationary deck, which belonged to the highest class of complexity, namely the Wilma-010-stereo. It is also a pilot device, which was also originally produced by Vilnius Instrument-Making. But unlike “001”, it was produced in a larger series, and therefore there is much more information about it.
The predecessor of the 010th deck and its almost complete constructive analogue was the Vilma-102-stereo first-class tape recorder, the release of which was launched over the year, in 1981. This deck was one of the first Soviet tape recorders to use a twin-engine tape drive with a closed path and quasi-sensor control. They became the hallmark of premium models of Soviet cassette decks.
In this model thoroughly abandoned the frizz and built electronics based on specially designed silicon integrated circuits. The combined magnetic recording-playback head was allegedly made in Japan. Like the ultra-premium model 001, the Wilma-102-stereo was equipped with indicators of average and quasi-peak signal level, which work both during recording and playback.
It is known that in this and similar models the German (FRG) tape from Ernst Plank was originally used. Later, according to rumors, a Soviet copy was developed, which, again, according to rumors, finally finished off the legendary company Ernst Plank, which ingloriously ceased to exist in 1985. A significant achievement can be considered our own system for eliminating interference when switching modes and the use of compander noise reduction “Dolby-B” ”. Among the rare functions in Soviet technology, auto-stop, a tape-sampling device, and a flow meter were also listed.
In "Wilma-010-stereo" did not change anything structurally, but the electronic part of the device has undergone significant modernization. So, after installing a more advanced elemental base, the characteristics of the device have improved significantly.
In particular, the frequency range of operating frequencies was expanded - 1.5 ... 18000 Hz (in version 102, the upper limit did not exceed 14000), the detonation coefficient was 0.15% against 0.17% in the 102nd model. There were also differences in the design of the pinch roller of the rear shaft.
Despite all these almost unique to Soviet technology and rare to Western features, a thick and large fly in the ointment turned out to be in the ointment. Kai, most of the Vilnius factory tape recorders, the 010th and 102nd models, suffered from build quality and individual components. In this regard, users who paid several average monthly salaries for sound-reproducing devices had anger and bewilderment when a recently purchased item had to be repaired for a long time and dreary.
The national flagships demanded the replacement of the passions after a year of work, in the tape drive the rollers that were made from insufficient polymer resistant to mechanical stress fell apart and deformed. After a short time, the flagship began to chew on the film and the standard cleaning procedure did not always save from this.
Two years after Vilnius, the production of a promising model was mastered at the Lvov software named after 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. Interestingly, the engineers of the Ukrainian enterprise quickly identified the problems of Lithuanian development and eliminated a number of significant shortcomings.
So, according to reviews by music lovers of the Soviet era, Lviv decks called “Phoenix-010-stereo” (as it was planned to use the latter in “Phoenix” stereo complexes), unlike the Lithuanian counterparts, had very reliable passics. Rollers made of rubber also practically did not undergo wear and deformation. And in general, all Lithuanian childhood diseases were successfully resolved in Lviv.
Despite the Napoleonic plans, neither Wilma nor Phoenixes went into a large series, were few in number, and due to their high cost they were no longer available. Over time, they were abandoned, by 1986, both Ukrainian and Lithuanian production were curtailed. The model served as the basis for many analogues from Wilma and other Soviet enterprises.
Total
The feedback from those who used Wilma in those years leaves much to be desired. Despite this, an analysis of the models that were created by this plant in the 70s and 80s suggests that the engineers of the enterprise were well versed in current technical trends and went what is called the “right direction”. Lithuanian designers sought to create original models, introduce bold and innovative ideas, and even made copyrights changes when copying.
The problem of “Wilma” was not design errors and not a bad configuration. Killing effects on the quality of the little things, such as the material of the rollers, the properties of the straps, as well as problems with the quality control of the assembly. At the same time, we must pay tribute to the developers of Vilma, as well as the Lviv engineers, who brought to mind some of their developments. "Wilma - Phoenix-010-stereo", if it did not surpass foreign analogues, it could reach their level, with the USSR lagging behind in such developments.
Photo content used:
retrotexnika.ru
www.rw6ase.narod.r
www.radiomuseum.org
As well as photo equipment from the collection of Valery Eremin
Jeans
We trade in electronics. In our catalog A wide range of audio and video equipment, accessories, switching is presented.