1955 Grundig Stenorette (A12T7 dictation machine

This is an all-vacuum tube dictation recorder made in the early - mid 1950s, recording to standard 1/4 inch tape on a special small reel. The design of this machine, is so that there is no take-up reel. The supply reel feeds onto a "built-in" take-up reel (see photos).  The unit contains 3 vacuum tubes. It does not have an internal speaker, the microphone doubles as the speaker. Play/record, and backspace can be controlled with the 2-position switch on the microphone. Fast forward and rewind can of course, be manually controlled on the unit itself. On the right side of the machine, there is the power switch which doubles as the volume knob, like a lot of early tape recorders. On the left side, there is another knob which selects either conference mode, or a manually controlled mic volume. Conference mode is used when a recording of a voice or voices from several feet away, is to be made, such as a conference meeting.

This machine needed a full restoration to get it in the state you see it in here. I got it in an antique mall and it was very dirty, and the power cord was completely crumbling, and the inside of the machine was coated in dirt CLICK HERE to see. As you can see, the power cord had to get replaced before I could enjoy all the problems presented when the unit was turned on. And replacing the power cord was A NIGHTMARE!! Because the power switch is at the front of the unit, the new cord had to take the long journey from the back, all around the inside of the chassis, to the power switch. It probably took a few hours total. Also, there is no fuse upstream of the power switch! A classic 50s move. 

After the cord was replaced the unit powered on, and I then realized the two tires that drive the two hubs, were completely seized, and weren't moving at all. So I dripped some 3 in 1 oil in the shaft of the rollers and tapped on them with a screw driver, and they eventually started to move. After that, I removed as many mechanical parts as I could, in order to clean and lubricate them. I also cleaned all the dirt and dust off the top of the chassis, and re-assembled everything. It was now playing, but it sounded quiet and terrible. This was because the felt pad that pushes the tape against the other audio head was missing, so I replaced it, and the machine worked. I cleaned the outside cover and the case, and it looks about brand new!