mysterious delay lines

[Jay Martin]

If I remember correctly they are used to delay the audio path slightly to
keep it in sync with the video.  There is no control over the amount of
delay.  This is done because the audio path of a composite signal is shorter
and requires less filtering and processing than the video signal.  The extra
time it takes for the processing is compensated for by the device. The delay
is usually extremely short, but I can't for the life of me remember how
short.  They used to use a delay coil in the older tube-type TV's for the
same purpose.  See, I got to mention TUBE's in there somewhere!

Jay Martin

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Ian Fritz [SMTP:ijfritz at earthlink.net]
> Sent:	Tuesday, August 04, 1998 9:21 AM
> To:	Hcabnivek at aol.com
> Cc:	sidlar at loon.norlink.net; synth-diy at mailhost.bpa.nl
> Subject:	Re: mysterious delay lines
> 
> Surface acoustic wave (SAW) delay lines , maybe? -- Ian
> 
> Hcabnivek at aol.com wrote:
> > 
> > In a message dated 98-08-04 06:31:20 EDT, you write:
> > 
> > > Looking through my bin of mysterious surplus parts, I've found these
> > >  oddities: little plastic rectangles marked "delay line".
> > >
> > >  The symbol upon these is a diamond, with "KSS" inside.  They model
> numbers
> > >  at MS-15 and MS-19.  There are 4 leads coming out the bottom.
> > 
> > Yeah, I have a few of these things too, and I'd like to know as well.
> The
> > ones I have are tear-outs from several video cassette recorders.  If you
> > extract the guts from the plastic case you will find a (I guess) quartz
> waffer
> > with the wire leads fused to the edges.  Each pair of leads is attached
> to
> > opposite sides of the waffer, which on the ones that I have, is about
> 2cm x
> > 3cm.  I find it hard to believe that these are "delay lines" in the
> sense that
> > we in the synth world think of them.  Any of the electro-Gurus out there
> know
> > what these things are for?
> > Kevin