So, a few days ago in the middle of doing some recording, my 388 suddenly stopped playing and rewinding properly. When it rewinds, with or without tape, the left reel will only move for a second and then stop, like it doesn't have the energy to do any more. And when playing, only the right reel will turn which means the tape is slow to follow and gains slack and distance from the rollers and all that. Obviously something must be wrong with the left reel/motor. Does anyone have any ideas on what I could do to fix this? Everything had been working fine before this incident. Many thanks for any help.
More Tascam 388 problems!
- Thread starter sheise
- Start date
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
Yes,...
first thing, is (unplug it) ... & pop the top off the 388 and check the fuses. It's likely that you popped a fuse or two. Make absolutely sure the fuses are okay before proceeding. There could be a few other causes, but it's not worth discussing until you've verified the fuses. Okay?
first thing, is (unplug it) ... & pop the top off the 388 and check the fuses. It's likely that you popped a fuse or two. Make absolutely sure the fuses are okay before proceeding. There could be a few other causes, but it's not worth discussing until you've verified the fuses. Okay?
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
Okay, I'll take that at face value,...
but it might not hurt to check them again!
If you lift the RH tension arm, the capstan should spin CCW. I'd check this. If it doesn't spin, you may have a belt problem,... that it's fallen off.
If that checks out, then you may have lost a drive transistor to the reel motor.
I'd check and recheck the basics first. Are you sure you checked all the fuses and replaced all the bad ones? It may be worth revisiting that.
but it might not hurt to check them again!
If you lift the RH tension arm, the capstan should spin CCW. I'd check this. If it doesn't spin, you may have a belt problem,... that it's fallen off.
If that checks out, then you may have lost a drive transistor to the reel motor.
I'd check and recheck the basics first. Are you sure you checked all the fuses and replaced all the bad ones? It may be worth revisiting that.
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
Are you in the Los Angeles area??
...................
...................
I'm in Philly unfortunately...
I actually replaced all the fuses but maybe I did something wrong. I mean it was kind of strange that one was blown but that that didn't fix the problem. I'll recheck it when i get home from work.
I did take off the back panel and the belt seems fine and it is attached. I'm not actually sure what the capstan is, but i assume that if the belt is working then the capstan is working.
Damn, this thing's giving me a headache.
I actually replaced all the fuses but maybe I did something wrong. I mean it was kind of strange that one was blown but that that didn't fix the problem. I'll recheck it when i get home from work.
I did take off the back panel and the belt seems fine and it is attached. I'm not actually sure what the capstan is, but i assume that if the belt is working then the capstan is working.
Damn, this thing's giving me a headache.
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
Yes, it's a pain, I'll admit,...
but it will be worth every effort to fix. In general, it's probably something simple.
The belt is okay if the capstan,... metal-pole-thingy that the rubber pinchwheel contacts when in play motion,... if the capstan spins CCW when the RH tension arm is lifted.
If the fuses check out okay the second time, then you may have lost one of the drive transistors to the motor. I'd not go to that assumption until all the fuses have been verified beyond any doubt.
Not to get basic on'ya, but the fuses should be popped completely out and checked with an ohm meter. Short of that, the fuse must be popped out of one half of it's clip, before testing, otherwise you might get back-feeding response through the circuit, which could give you erroneous readings.
In Los Angeles, I'll do free housecalls for people who need assistance on 388's, 38's, 244's and stuff I'm most familiar with. Philly's a bit of a commute, though.
but it will be worth every effort to fix. In general, it's probably something simple.
The belt is okay if the capstan,... metal-pole-thingy that the rubber pinchwheel contacts when in play motion,... if the capstan spins CCW when the RH tension arm is lifted.
If the fuses check out okay the second time, then you may have lost one of the drive transistors to the motor. I'd not go to that assumption until all the fuses have been verified beyond any doubt.
Not to get basic on'ya, but the fuses should be popped completely out and checked with an ohm meter. Short of that, the fuse must be popped out of one half of it's clip, before testing, otherwise you might get back-feeding response through the circuit, which could give you erroneous readings.
In Los Angeles, I'll do free housecalls for people who need assistance on 388's, 38's, 244's and stuff I'm most familiar with. Philly's a bit of a commute, though.
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
I had the same symptom, & it turned out to be the drive transistor for the left motor
There's a pair of transistors driving each motor,... found on the rear of the heatsink assy. FWIW, YMMV.
There's a pair of transistors driving each motor,... found on the rear of the heatsink assy. FWIW, YMMV.
A Reel Person said:There's a pair of transistors driving each motor,... found on the rear of the heatsink assy. FWIW, YMMV.
If this is the problem, is this difficult to repair? Probably should only be done by a professional right?
And I have no idea what FWIW, YMMV means. haha.