Studer A80RC electronics.. please help!!

[Fezzle]

Hello people.

I am looking for help with a project and don't really know where to start, for one I am not clued up on electronics at all so bear with me and please I welcome any advice and guidance whatsoever!
I have a Studer A80RC 1/4 inch two track machine that I would like to modify so that I can use external audio electronics with it. I would imagine that I will need to mod the machine before I get the electronics unit built... In any case is it possible to mod the machine so that the signal path bypasses the stock record and repro cards + meterbridge completely, and interfaces with an external unit...?
In an ideal situation I would like some circuitry devised to have a switch on the machine that can perform this bypass, and have sockets with the relevant wiring needed to go in and out of the machine to and from the heads.
I would have thought the repro side of things isnt too complex, but the record side maybe more with bias etc..?
Ideally if I could come up with a simple and elegant bypass solution without any serious side affects I would be over the moon. I would have thought only then I can spec out and have the electronics unit built to the RC's head and speed specs.

So thanks for your time reading and look forward to your replys.. and possible grilling!

Dave

[john curl]

Fezzle, I know all about seriously modifying a Studer A80RC. I modified 3 of them, two for Mobile Fidelity, and one for Wilson Audio.
It can be a daunting proposition, but worthwhile.
I would keep the ERASE circuit the same. BIAS can be tripled in frequency, BUT you would need a different record head with lower inductance to make it work.
Reproduce is your easiest candidate, but the RECORD circuitry could be made to work with the existing head very easily, so long as you don't increase the bias frequency.
Increased bias frequency will quiet the added noise when recording, but only by a few dB.
This is a BIG project, so I hope you have the technical background for it.

[Fezzle]

John thanks for your reply, well I am having somebody in the States build me the audio electronics who is a great designer. I would want to keep the same heads on the Studer so keeping having the bias kept the same.
Can you tell me is it possible to have the Studers audio cards as normal, but using some kind of switching bypass them completely with no side affects... So almost like parallel/matching wiring that can have connections to the outside world.?

[john curl]

Fezzle, that is beyond my experience. Relays probably would work.

[Fezzle]

thanks all the same John, oh I use your Halo A23 in my studio here... awesome!!!