Identifying the MX-5050 B-III
How to recognise one↑ TOP
- Upright. Otari's 1991 configurations table heads every B-III column — BIII-F, BIII-2, BIII-2E and BQIII — "Upright", against "Desk Top" for the MARK IV (MX-5050 Series data sheet OA-321C, p.3).
- A direct-drive, brushless capstan. The same sheet gives a "D.C. brushless type quartz PLL servo-controlled capstan motor" (p.3) and describes the capstan motor as direct-drive (p.1); the B-III/MARK IV manual says the capstan shaft "is directly driven by a DC servo motor" (OS3-298, PDF p.35).
Read the rear plate↑ TOP
| Machine | Plate reads | Suffix | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| BIII-F | MX-5050 BIII-F | ¼″ full-track mono | |
| BIII-2 | MX-5050 BIII-2 | ¼″ 2-channel, NAB | |
| BIII-2E | MX-5050 BIII-2E | DIN | ¼″ 2-channel, DIN |
| BIII-P | MX5050 BIII-P | 2-track, described by Otari both as with ¼-track playback and as playback-only | |
| BQ-III | MX-5050 BQIII | ¼″ 4-channel |
The BIII-P is described two ways by Otari: as a "2-Trk version with 1/4" Trk Playback" (BIII product sheet, p.2) and as a "Playback Only Machine" (otari.com).
When it was sold↑ TOP
By 1991. The earliest dated B-III paper is the MX-5050 Series data sheet OA-321C, ©1991 (OA-321C, p.4). The BIII-P is not in it, and its date is unknown.
Sources↑ TOP
- MX-5050 Series data sheet OA-321C — ©1991. p.1 (direct-drive capstan), p.3 (configurations table and capstan motor), p.4 (date).
- MX-5050 MKIV-2, BIII-2 operation and maintenance manual, OS3-298 — PDF p.15 (the models it covers), p.35 (the directly driven capstan).
- MX-5050 BIII product sheet — ©1999, 2008. p.2, the BIII-P as a 2-track with quarter-track playback.
- Otari, MX-5050 specifications — the BIII-P as a playback-only machine.