Tascam 244 head stack motor

A solution! :D

Ok, opened her up again and thought I'd check the idler tyres I had replaced. Found some old melted rubber that I'd originally missed and cleaned that up. Didn't think it would make any difference to my motor drive problems and unfortunately, no difference...but cleaner! ;)

Anyway, following on from Findlay's suggestion about the pinch roller, I have discovered that but putting extra pressure behind the pinch roller I can get tapes to play virtually correctly, even towards the end of a cassette! So I think this is a major result and have now ordered a new pinch roller from the UK using the link posted earlier (thanks Findlay again!). Interestingly, the UK Ebay supplier only posts to UK & Europe so even after sending pleading requests and no replies, I got a UK friend to order it and will get it sent over. How did you manage that by the way Findlay? hahah

Will re-examine the pinch roller arm too although I am sure the tension spring is on correctly. Maybe my current (non original), used pinch roller is undersize or something, hope so.

Some progress at last and it means at least, I can transfer the tapes to digital via a Zoom R24, recording all tracks simultaneously using a little extra pressure on the arm/pinch roller.

Cheers :)
 
Hi Evom,

Looks like you are making real progress! I hope you get the pinch roller soon - I was lucky do get it posted out to me quickly as I live in the UK. Don't forget the nylon inner may need a tiny amount of filing top and bottom to make it run freely. I just ran the file lightly in two strokes. May be that you need to check the tension spring too though.

Keep us posted!
 
Thanks Findlay. Probably take a few weeks I guess till I get the new pinch roller and I'll see how it goes. I'll keep your tips in mind.

Happy to finally be able to digitise using the Zoom R24 I get next week :) another learning curve! I hope to use Apple Logic as a daw with it or maybe just import the files.

Gee the DBX makes a huge fifference compared to the Fostek where everything sounded hissy and Eq was quite different.
 
Resurrecting this thread because I am having the same problem with the capstan belt slipping up on the pulley and this time a new belt didn't solve the issue. Hoping either Evom, Findlay or someone else here can lend me a hand.

So, here's the problem. I put in a best offer bid on a 244 from eBay and ended up getting it. The machine looked so well taken care of I thought it would be great to get running again and keep it in my band's practice space. I got to work on changing all the old rubber and when I went to take the two screws off of the brace that holds the capstan flywheel in place the one on the right hand side stripped really bad and I was unable to remove it. I did get the other off though, so I slipped the belt underneath and gently lifted the brace up to get it past the axle that holds the wheel and got the belt on. I noticed that after a couple seconds of playing a cassette, the belt would ride up over the crown on the pulley. I had run into this issue on my old 246 once and I ended up sending the belt back and ordered another from a different source to solve the problem. This time that isn't working. After ordering another belt from a trusted source, it worked better for about 5 minutes before it did the same thing.

This whole thing has been going on over a two week period, during which I've tried a lot of different things to get it to stay centered on the pulley but so far nothing has worked. I loosened and tightened the nylon screw that holds the flywheel axle, along with the one free brace screw to see if there was an alignment issue I could work out. I figured that maybe it was off center or tilted slightly.

One thing I notice is that when I look at the placement of the belt on the pulley, I can get it centered and when I manually turn the flywheel I see that the belt instantly starts travelling up the pulley. It doesn't go all the way up and over the crown, but I hear it scraping against it. After a while it finally goes over which results in a faster tape speed. The pulley itself can be moved slightly, and when I push it gently and turn the flywheel, the belt stays centered.

I wondering if there's a solution in getting the pulley aligned or something along those lines. What's frustrating about this, is that it's n such beautiful shape and functions so well except for that one (major) thing. I'm about ready to throw in the towel here but if anyone has any ideas to help me try getting this fixed that'd be great. Seems terrible to have to get rid of this thing.

Happy holidays and all that stuff!
 
Hi, sorry you are having these frustrating problems. I convinced the reluctant supplier that their belt was faulty. They insisted it could not be their fault but when I tried the new belt, problem solved! I tried all the things you did too. I was thinking the nylon adjustment screw might have helped but didn't solve the belt issues. Seems a bit of leeway in its adjustment.

I only needed my 244 to work to transfer some old recordings which I was able to digitise now. I even bought a Fostek 4 track cassette recorder but the Dolby/dbx was not compatible with a noticeable difference in playback.

Maybe Findlay will chime in.

Good luck but I would suggest another belt/supplier might be the answer. Physically, I couldn't see a difference in the belts but one worked and the other didn't!

Cheers


Resurrecting this thread because I am having the same problem with the capstan belt slipping up on the pulley and this time a new belt didn't solve the issue. Hoping either Evom, Findlay or someone else here can lend me a hand.

So, here's the problem. I put in a best offer bid on a 244 from eBay and ended up getting it. The machine looked so well taken care of I thought it would be great to get running again and keep it in my band's practice space. I got to work on changing all the old rubber and when I went to take the two screws off of the brace that holds the capstan flywheel in place the one on the right hand side stripped really bad and I was unable to remove it. I did get the other off though, so I slipped the belt underneath and gently lifted the brace up to get it past the axle that holds the wheel and got the belt on. I noticed that after a couple seconds of playing a cassette, the belt would ride up over the crown on the pulley. I had run into this issue on my old 246 once and I ended up sending the belt back and ordered another from a different source to solve the problem. This time that isn't working. After ordering another belt from a trusted source, it worked better for about 5 minutes before it did the same thing.

This whole thing has been going on over a two week period, during which I've tried a lot of different things to get it to stay centered on the pulley but so far nothing has worked. I loosened and tightened the nylon screw that holds the flywheel axle, along with the one free brace screw to see if there was an alignment issue I could work out. I figured that maybe it was off center or tilted slightly.

One thing I notice is that when I look at the placement of the belt on the pulley, I can get it centered and when I manually turn the flywheel I see that the belt instantly starts travelling up the pulley. It doesn't go all the way up and over the crown, but I hear it scraping against it. After a while it finally goes over which results in a faster tape speed. The pulley itself can be moved slightly, and when I push it gently and turn the flywheel, the belt stays centered.

I wondering if there's a solution in getting the pulley aligned or something along those lines. What's frustrating about this, is that it's n such beautiful shape and functions so well except for that one (major) thing. I'm about ready to throw in the towel here but if anyone has any ideas to help me try getting this fixed that'd be great. Seems terrible to have to get rid of this thing.

Happy holidays and all that stuff!
 
Thanks Evom,

The first belt I bought was from eBay and the one I just got this week was from vintage-electronics and about double the price (if that means anything.) It stayed put for about 5 minutes before slipping when I started changing the speed with the pitch wheel.

I'm hoping that I didn't bend the flywheel off center when I lifted it's brace up to get the belt through. Like I said, I could only remove one screw so I had to lift it up to clear the belt past the axle and nylon hub in the center of the flywheel in order to wrap it around.

I really am wondering if there's a way to raise the motor and pulley about 1/8th of an inch so the belt stay under the crown instead of jumping over and wrapping partly around it? I'm leaning towards no, but there's got to be some way to solve this.
 
Yeah, there's a chance you've bent it however I don't think that's the cause. Like I said, the belt makes a huge difference and unfortunately it seems pot luck to get a good one. The only thing I could think was the 1st belt was cut slightly twisted thus tending to move one way on the drum. Once I tried the new, replacement belt it stayed on, in place so I figured it must have been the belt!

You could resort to other diy ideas too, maybe some kind of a bumper wrapped onto the drum so it can't run off? That could work but also might tend to slow the speed if it drags on the bumper. By bumper in mean, maybe a rubber band or even some built up, sticky tape wrapped around the actual drum on the edge the drive belt goes toward and then runs off. To prevent it running off.

As far as the arm part, maybe try grabbing the sheared off screw head with a good pair of multigrips to undo it. It would help to take it off and see what is going on there too and maybe straighten it back out and put a new screw/s back in.

Just think, you'll feel great if you solve it! Hahah

Cheers Evom :)
 
Hi Guys - sorry it took so long for me to reply to this, I've been away for a while.

Sorry you are having this problem Level Anything - I had exactly the same with my latest 244 and it drove me crazy. It would sometimes work upside down for a while - the belt just slipping up within a mm of the flywheel top and staying put, but then when I turned the machine the right way up and started using it it would speed up and I'd find the belt had gone over the motor pulley crown.

I'm not sure how I eventually fixed it - maybe a combination of things. I cleaned everything obsessively - belt, wheel and pulley several times with IPA. I then tried ever-so-slightly pushing on either side the brace with the motor running to change the alignment with the brace screws slackened a little - the belt then seemed to stay on ok and remain stable even with the slightly loosened screws even when the 244 was turned the right way up. Tightening the brace screws screwed it up again and the belt fell off. So I repeated the procedure and left the screws just finger tight - if that. It has worked fine for over a year since. So as Evom has mentioned, maybe if you could get that sheared screw head loosened somehow - maybe cut another slot in it? - you might be able to play around more. Don't give up - you'll fix it!

Cheers,

Findlay
 
- the belt then seemed to stay on ok and remain stable even with the slightly loosened screws even when the 244 was turned the right way up. Tightening the brace screws screwed it up again and the belt fell off. So I repeated the procedure and left the screws just finger tight - if that. It has worked fine for over a year since. So as Evom has mentioned, maybe if you could get that sheared screw head loosened somehow - maybe cut another slot in it? - you might be able to play around more. Don't give up - you'll fix it!

Cheers,

Findlay

Findlay may be onto something here..... shimming the bracket may do the trick!! -disclaimer.... my belt experience comes from grain harvesters and not electronics.....but I have shimmed many a bracket on my ol wore out combines to get the belts tracking right.....
 
Thanks for the encouragement. I'm going to keep on trying and hopefully have some good news in the next coming week. I'm going to clean it once more and then try that pulley tip that Evom said first. The screw seems almost impossible to get off unless I bring it to a body shop nearby or something so that'll be the last thing I try.

Thanks for the help!
 
Hope you get it sorted Level Anything. I tried putting a rubber band at the top of the flywheel to stop the belt slipping off but that didn't work too well!

Nola you can find my link to suppliers on post 7 of this thread.
 
Guys, you all have been very thorough.

Having not read every post in this thread, but two pages worth, I'm not trying to insult anyone's intelligence.

My opinion: If any seller says "244 belt" or belt-kit, what have you, DON'T take for granted it's a properly sized belt for the 244. Measure it.

My experience: A capstan belt will ride up (down in proper table-top orientation) upon the pulley flange because it is TOO LOOSE. Also, accompanying this problem would be speed issues, wow and flutter. F/I, when the belt rides up on the flange it changes the outer diameter of the pulley (in essence) and the tape runs FAST. When the belt is properly riding between the flanges, a wow/flutter or speed decremement at the end of tape may occur, again, because it's TOO LOOSE.

My recommendation: Measure the belt, and make sure it's sized appx. 11.5"~11.7". I am not a retired pro TEAC service guy, but I have much experience refurbishing 244's, 246's and the like. I have physically sized old belts and compensating for stretch, then matching to the most closely sized PRB belts, have come up with 11.5"~11.7" TOTAL LENGTH, and that's a properly sized belt that's tight and lively enough to not ride up onto the flange and not produce laggy speed efects of any sort.

Caps for emphasis, not insulting anyone's intelligence or yelling at you guys. Just representing what I found works best for me. Refurbished many various Portas at home in my spare time, incl. rubber and calibration. I care that you guys get a good experience from your 244s. It's a very worthy machine. Take or leave my advice, as you wish. Tell me I am full of baloney, if you like. TEAC pros tell me I'm wrong, if that floats your boat. Good luck and carry on.

:eek::spank:;)
 
Thanks to everyone who's given their help.

I am still struggling to get it to stay on. I see what you're saying about the belt being too big and it causing problems. This is the second belt I've tried on this machine, and I trust the seller so I'm pretty confident that it's not the belt but maybe I'll return it for another in a last ditch effort. I will measure the belt tomorrow to see what it comes in at.

When I turn the machine on and put the tape in I can see that the belt is already riding up and the sides of it are rubbing on the crown of the pulley and making a noise. I've tried all sorts of different things to get it to work, and the longest it's stayed on is about 20 minutes until riding up and stopping. So disappointing.
 
Thanks to everyone who's given their help.

I am still struggling to get it to stay on. I see what you're saying about the belt being too big and it causing problems. This is the second belt I've tried on this machine, and I trust the seller so I'm pretty confident that it's not the belt but maybe I'll return it for another in a last ditch effort. I will measure the belt tomorrow to see what it comes in at.

When I turn the machine on and put the tape in I can see that the belt is already riding up and the sides of it are rubbing on the crown of the pulley and making a noise. I've tried all sorts of different things to get it to work, and the longest it's stayed on is about 20 minutes until riding up and stopping. So disappointing.
After Googling to get to your site, I read all of the responses. I am resurrecting my Tascam 244 to digitize tapes that I made over the years. I ordered a belt and idler wheel tires as a kit as the original tires had liquified.The pinch roller tire had softened to be the consistency of black licorice, so I found a replacement from a different source. I ended up with the same issue that you guys have…capstan belt riding up on the motor pulley flange. I heard a squeaking and saw some belt flopping. I was considering that I had the wrong belt, maybe too wide. I remembered the squeaking had appeared years ago before I had quit using his recorder.
The belt I had seemed to be riding against the flange, not centered. I loosened the motor mounting screw opposite the capstan, and pressed down on the screw, which effectively tilted the motor pulley away from the capstan. The belt centered itself on the slightly larger O.D. surface at the center of the pulley and moved a tad away from the flange. No longer did it squeak, and the belt ran smooth, no flopping. I put a thin fiber-based piece of flat insulation as shim under that end of the motor and retightened the screw.
I think that it has fixed the problem. The squeak had appeared after years of use. I assume that the motor bearing or bushing had worn the circular hole around the shaft into an oval due to the side force exerted by the belt tension. This created a tilting of the shaft of the motor which allowed the belt to contact the flange. Now that I have a new grippier belt, this caused the belt to ride up the flange on occasion, like what you guys are experiencing.
I am including a photo of the shim in place. A piece of plastic cut from a credit card might also work as a shim, although it might be a little too thick.
Hope this helps breathe new life into a classic machine.
I will try to use an insulin syringe with needle to put a little light oil into the bushing on the top of the motor to extend its life…until at least I can digitize all of my old recordings, using an old Lexicon 4-track USB interface to Pro-Tracks or Cubase software.C0BD570A-FC81-428B-B4CE-A0AFCEA6E2CF.jpeg
 
The dimensions of the belt are critical; the length, width and thickness. The new belt you have *looks* like it’s thicker than the factory belt, but I could be wrong. This would cause there to be too much tension when it’s installed which could cause it to ride off the raised center section of the pulley, or pull things out of alignment resulting in the same problem…I could very well be wrong and your capstan motor is just that worn, but that’s never been my experience. But that doesn’t mean you’re spot-on. I just wanted to share my observation about your belt. If your solution is working then it’s working, and time will tell if it is reliable.

I have a total of four 244 units here and if I get a chance I’ll take a look at the factory belt on one of them to compare. I know I have one with an original belt that isn’t decomposed.
 
So yep…here’s what I mean…here is a pic of a factory capstan belt and notice it is way thinner than yours. I think you got sold a bad bill of goods on the belt you bought and it is not the correct dimensions.

0C06F347-C4F4-4CAB-B7B4-2BE6FD45D43F.jpeg
 
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