Philips EL3586

The Philips EL3586 (including variants such as EL3586/00, /30, export names like Norelco Continental 100, Continental 86, RK5, or Maestro series equivalents) is an improved successor to the EL3585. It is a fully transistorized, battery-operated portable reel-to-reel tape recorder, introduced in 1964 and produced through approximately 1967.

This model was designed primarily as a compact, truly portable field recorder for journalists, reporters, students, dictation, interviews, and casual home use. It became very popular in the early to mid-1960s and is often remembered as one of the best-sounding and most reliable small-reel battery portables of its time.

Key Technical Specifications

• Recording/Playback System — Half-track (two-track) monoRecords and plays in one direction only (forward) Tape must be flipped manually for the other side

• Tape Speed — Single speed: 1⅞ ips (4.75 cm/s)

• Reel Size — Maximum 4 inches (≈10 cm) diameter (Very compact — most users ran 3" to 4" reels)

• Frequency Response (typical published figures): 80 Hz – 8,000 Hz (Clearly better than the EL3585's 120–5,500 Hz — noticeably improved high-frequency response)

• Wow & Flutter — ≈ 0.3–0.5% (very good for a small battery portable when belts are fresh)

• Signal-to-Noise Ratio — > 40 dB (typical early transistor portable performance — quite acceptable for speech and voice)

• Heads — 2 heads • Combined record/playback head (permalloy) • Separate erase head

• Drive System — Single DC motor Belt drive to capstan/flywheel Very simple, lightweight mechanics (mostly plastic parts to keep weight down) Push-up / push-down type controls (very characteristic appearance)

• Electronics — Fully transistorized (germanium transistors) Typical complement: AC125 ×2, AC126 ×2, AC128 ×2, OC70, OA79 diode (and variants in different suffixes) Total around 7–8 transistors

• Amplification & Speaker — Built-in mono amplifier Small permanent magnet dynamic loudspeaker (≈ 4" / 10 cm diameter) Low output power (≈ 0.5–1 W) — sufficient for personal monitoring

• Inputs — Microphone input (DIN connector) Basic line input possible in some configurations

• Outputs — Internal speaker Line output (≈ 0.5 V / 20 kΩ) for connection to external amplifier

• Power Supply — Primary: 6 × 1.5 V D-size batteries (total 9 V) Optional external mains power supply unit (EL3766 or equivalent) Average battery life: ≈ 8 hours continuous use

• Build & Dimensions — Very compact plastic case Typical dimensions ≈ 280 × 200 × 97 mm (11 × 7.9 × 3.8 inches) Weight without batteries ≈ 1.8–2 kg (extremely portable for the era)

• Manufacturing — Mainly Netherlands (Eindhoven) and Belgium (Hasselt facility), with regional variants

Performance & Legacy Context

The EL3586 is widely regarded as a noticeable improvement over the earlier EL3585 — most importantly in frequency response (80–8000 Hz vs 120–5500 Hz) and overall sound clarity. Many collectors and restorers describe the EL3586 as sounding remarkably good for such a tiny, slow-speed, battery-powered open-reel machine — especially for speech, interviews, and field recording.

Main differences from EL3585:

• Much improved high-frequency response

• Slightly refined electronics (different transistor lineup in many cases)

• Minor cosmetic/mechanical improvements

Common problems today:

• Complete hardening and disintegration of the original drive belt (very typical — creates a terrible sticky mess)

• Electrolytic capacitor drying / leakage

• Germanium transistor aging / leakage

• Dirty / oxidized heads and controls

• Battery compartment corrosion (if stored with old batteries)

Restorations are usually very successful — new belt + recap + head cleaning often brings these little machines back to excellent working order.

Service manuals are quite widely available (German, English versions exist) on sites like Elektrotanya, KevinChant.com, HiFi Engine, and various collector archives.