Fostex B16 help required

harald

New member
I recently unpacked and started to rebuild my studio only to find that my Fostex B16 will not play back a previously recorded tape.

While attempting to trouble shoot the problem , I was thinking a bad cord or something, I realised that while on play back, there was no out put displayed on the meters. I opened up the meter door, and checked the connecters were all attached. everything looks good, almost new.

I hooked up a new reel of tape, and attempted to record, only to find that there is no display of the input signal on the meters as well.

Also I found that when inputting a signal to a channel, there is no signal on the output of that channel as well.

If anyone has any valid ideas or previous experiance with somthing simular with their B16, I'd appreciate any help on this.

If anyone has a real service manual, and schematics for this B16, They would help me out alot.

Thank you all in advance
 
Resolved?

Hello. I realize this post is old, but were the issues ever resolved? If so, what was wrong and what steps were taking to fix the problem? I'm having the EXACT same problem with mine....repo, record, meters...nothing except transport controls, which work just fine. Any advice? Thanks!
 
I don't really know the B16 internals, but it might be an idea to check the internal fuses. If it's like the Tascam designs, the audio subsystem will have its own separate fuse.
 
Problem Fixed !

Hello. I realize this post is old, but were the issues ever resolved? If so, what was wrong and what steps were taking to fix the problem? I'm having the EXACT same problem with mine....repo, record, meters...nothing except transport controls, which work just fine. Any advice? Thanks!

Hi, The problems found with my unit were pretty simple, just time consuming to trace out and trouble shoot after a long dissasembly process ........

The fuses on all power supplies were checked as well as the out puts of the secondaries from the transformer. as well as the secondary fuses.

The problem was that the voltage regulator, about $ 1.20 cnd had failed. this was a +12volt unit. with out this the pre amp section didnt work.

I replaced all the voltage regulators in the unit, about a 10 minute job total, and then another hour to re assemble the unit.

I also lubed the moving parts as i reassembled to save time in the future.

Total cost of the repair parts was under $5.00 cnd ... there was a +12, -12, and a +5 volt regulator that were changed.

Hope this info helps
 
similar problem

Hi, The problems found with my unit were pretty simple, just time consuming to trace out and trouble shoot after a long dissasembly process ........

The fuses on all power supplies were checked as well as the out puts of the secondaries from the transformer. as well as the secondary fuses.

The problem was that the voltage regulator, about $ 1.20 cnd had failed. this was a +12volt unit. with out this the pre amp section didnt work.

I replaced all the voltage regulators in the unit, about a 10 minute job total, and then another hour to re assemble the unit.

I also lubed the moving parts as i reassembled to save time in the future.

Total cost of the repair parts was under $5.00 cnd ... there was a +12, -12, and a +5 volt regulator that were changed.

Hope this info helps


Hi, I'm having a similar problem with my B16, coulod you let me know how to locate the voltage regulators, sounds as though that could help,
cheers
 
Foxtex B16 service manual

Hi everyone,
I am looking to see if anyone out there has a copy of service manual for my Fostex B 16 recorder.
Thank you!
 
Fostex Service B 16 Manual

Foxtex B16 service manual
Hi everyone,
I am looking to see if anyone out there has a copy of service manual for my Fostex B 16 recorder.
Thank you!
 
Hi, I'm having a similar problem with my B16, coulod you let me know how to locate the voltage regulators, sounds as though that could help,
cheers

Hi Steve, Sorry for the late reply, computer problems and life, so it has been a while, so from memory, the V reg's are located behind the reel hubs and motor's. It took me a while, to remove the side and rear panels. When you have the cover's off there is a metal cover "L" shaped i think where you will see the V reg's on the top.

They are cheap parts to find and replace. the only hassle was getting to them internally. Takes about an hour to take everything apart, sides and back to get to the V reg's and power supply.

Give yourself a large work area to work on with good light.

I eventually got a service manual from fostex for the B16, took about 4 weeks after i made my first posting. a quick email and they replied in a few days. I called the # they gave me and it was ordered. was only $10 plus shipping.

The manual helped me on the correct set up of the bias for all the channels, which I had figured out to be pretty close, but having the manual got every channel 100%.

Hope this helps.
 
Foxtex B16 service manual
Hi everyone,
I am looking to see if anyone out there has a copy of service manual for my Fostex B 16 recorder.
Thank you!

I got a service manual from fostex directly for the B16, took about 4 weeks after i made my first posting. a quick email and they replied in a few days. I called the # they gave me and it was ordered. was only $10 plus shipping.
 
I got a service manual from fostex directly for the B16, took about 4 weeks after i made my first posting. a quick email and they replied in a few days. I called the # they gave me and it was ordered. was only $10 plus shipping.

Hi harald. I want to know if that manual will help to fix the problem I have with my Fostex B-16. The problem is that one reel spins continuously, since I turn on the Fostex until I turn it off... And technics here say that they can't do anything without a technical manual or service manual. They think may be a "relay" problem on the reel (And I think the same), but they don't know the circuitry of the Fostex.

Thanks in advance for your reply, and/or anyone's replies.
Best regards.

Franklin (Argentina)
 
the manual shows all electrical and mechanical diagrams as well as calibration steps.

Call fostex USA, service dept. in California. sorry dont have the # with me. google it.

hope this helps
 
Mmmm...have you looked inside...are there belts?
I could be wrong...but I was under the impression that the E16 was a direct drive system for the reel motors and capstan.
 
HELP! Just got a fostex B-16, everything seems to work, but for the life of me i cant get it to record anything! Is there something wrong with the head? Am I not doing it right? i have my input and it is picking up a signal on the track, but when I press record, nothing stays on the tape!! I need your help, I dont know what is wrong and would like to start recording asap.
 
Shiny side of tape in? Dull side out, shiny side to heads. I know it may sound silly and obvious, but that mistake has been made before.
 
NEED HELP! Just got a Fostex B-16. Everything seems to work except I cannot get it to record anything and I feel like i have tried everything! Am I missing something? I get the input connected and and getting a signal on the mixer AND the reel to reel, but nothing stays on the tape when I press record! WHAT AM I MISSING?!?!?!?!

--Please help, super old thread, but I am desperate.

-thanks guys
 
Thanks you! pretty sure It is set that way, when i play back whats already on the tape, it plays, so I think the tape is on the right side. I pray to god, i dont have to buy a new head....
 
As I said in one of your other threads, the B16 uses the same head for record and playback. If it can play back, it should be able to record and if it can't it's not the head at fault.

I believe you mentioned that the heads were visibly dirty. Again, clean them with head cleaner such as isopropyl alcohol. Narrow-track machines are quite sensitive to dirt and this can be enough to stop it recording.
Again: is it failing to record on all 16 tracks or just some of them? And what brand of tape are you trying to record on?

PS: resurrecting half a dozen old threads and asking the same question over and over again is more likely to annoy people than get you an answer...
 
I will attempt to clean tonight.

I have only attempted to record on the first three tracks, so I may have jumped the gun a little.

I am using 3M Scotch 226 Tape. I am really sorry about the spamming, I've literally never used or posted on any forum in my life! Had no idea I was double posting and resurrecting so much! My posts weren't showing and I didn't know what to do! I'm 22 and super tech savvy, but I guess i'm not forum savvy! Sorry about that. Thank you so much for all of your help, just want to start recording is all!
 
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