Hi Timean
Almost too many questions to answer in writing but you are welcome to get in contact and have a phone call (whatsapp etc) about this as it would save time me writing although I seemed to have already done it!
Your console is indeed quite old (about 1980-81?) judging from the cable and connectors used.
Some brief answers as I can't spend much time on this right now.
1 Maybe SSL didn’t link the C and J rows in those early days? (I was there from 1980-87) but didn’t do any work on the frame wiring until after I left. C and J should be linked within the console patchbay (only screen ONE end) so that multitrack returns go to both Line Inputs and Tape Monitor Inputs as is standard these days.
2 The copper metal bars are for the 0v grounding and you should have two of them, one for the analogue and one for the other stuff which both join together at the DL panel and go out to a grounding connection (normally the computer or perhaps a clean earth connection if not) via a 0BA (M6) screw.
3 If you have Bargraph meters, the main box for these is secured at the back with along with various PCB’s in it. It would what be called a bulge panel and made by SSL. This would replace a standard flat black rear panel on the console.
4 Your connectors look like 30 way Tuchels which the BBC and Danish Radio used back in the 1980’s.
Going through your pictures:
1 Looks like some mods have been done by others on the upper buscards judging by the capacitors and different wiring used. Also surprised that Bicc T was not wired as that was the one for track remotes/arming and back in those days, that would have useful for Analogue tape machines. The B3 Bicc is a standard power supply connector for SSL’s and contains +20v, -20v, 0v, +11v for the meters etc and was also used for the 681 keyboard and other stuff within the console.
2 Bicc T is unused (see point above). The Blue ribbon connectors were Thomas and Betts to be replaced by 3M grey versions later on. Also, the coloured ribbon cable was quite expensive so was just used for Bargraphs and custom stuff later on so the different wire colours could be identified easily. SSL just used 3M grey ribbon for most of their ribbon connections from about the early 1980’s.
3 The patchbay picture looks fairly standard and, as a point of interest, notice they didn’t use the LETTERS ‘I’ or ‘O’ on the patchbays. This was because those letters could have been confused with the NUMBERS … 1 or 0 … Get it? Clever huh?
4 Those labels are very old in the picture but are labelled with a patchbay reference (if applicable) and a channel number. This Y version seems to be a split lead somehow.
I bought ALL of SSL’s stock of these Brady labels and have a few thousand here if anyone wants to buy them (I will put an advert on here at some point).
5 The copper bar is one of two through the console which join at the end under the patchbay connector panel, although I can’t see two in this picture. No idea why red and blue cables are wired to this as they should be just white for 0V (early days perhaps?). PS: SSL could not buy green wire in those days, hence being white cable.
6 Standard SSL 6 way Bicc list … moving on ...
7 Looks like lots of 30 way Tuchell connectors (or Winchester?). I enlarged the picture and they are 30 way I think and all soldered, unlike 96 way DL’s which are crimped (I supply DL's to most of the UK and Europe by the way). These would probably have 8 balanced circuits (24 pins) on each I think, therefore using 4 times the amount of connectors as a 96 way DL would!
8 Your drawing of the upper buscard (82E18?). All SSL ribbons were 'S'… something with an 'E' at the end (for E series). The MO versions were Molex 0.10” connectors used later on (especially on the 5K consoles etc). Surprised that the Tape remotes (BICC T) were not fitted (see point 1). Bicc C should NOT exist and I have never heard of that but it must be to do with patchbay row C (multitrack returns) before things changed and the patchbay rows C and J were linked within the console.
Damn it, I have now spent over an hour on this and I don’t type quickly! Get in contact if required but hope this answers some of your questions.
I wish I had this console in my old workshop as I could have sorted it out very quickly but, time moves on and I just work from home these days as there is hardly any work.
After 4am UK time now and I must get some food and sleep. Goodnight all for now. At some point I will document most of the SSL patchbay plus other connectors and also some wiring tips (most of my stuff got blitzed when a hacker deleted loads of pictures years ago which means I need to find them again ... meanwhile I really need to pay the rent otherwise I won't be able to contribute for much longer on here!).
Hope my comments help all. Regards from Jim Lassen in the UK.
