TASCAM 48 Rubber tape Wheel Stuck

nicoporta

New member
Hello Everyone!

I´m the happy owner of a TASCAM 48 / 8 track tape recorder

Here is the thing..
next to the 3 heads, there is a big rubber wheel that press the tape and make it rolls. But yestarday get stuck, and now when i press play nothing happened :/

>>> NO LONGER MOVES UP AND DOWN, BUT ROTATES WELL>>>>>>

someone can light up something about this? i appreciate so much your help.

I create a group for Tascam 48 owners, where we share information exlusively about that machine, if you want JOIN US!!

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Yeah, you need to sort that out. The rubber roller is one of the more critical parts of the drive system. Just saying 'it's stuck' isn't a lot of information to go on, but that's definitely not normal and needs to be corrected.
If it were me, I'd remove the roller and see if that sheds any light on the problem. I don't have a '48 but by the looks you have to remove the head cover, and then the silver cap probably unscrews. Watch for any washers that come loose, there may be some on the shaft.

It is worth bearing in mind that the rubber has been known to deteriorate, so make sure the roller isn't going soft or worse, turning to liquid.
 
Is the rubber of the rubber wheel, called the “pinch roller”, sticky at all?

When you press STOP it stays pressed against the tape?

Can you, by pushing on the pinch roller, move it away from the capstan shaft after you press STOP? Is it like something is sticky keeping it pressed to the capstan shaft?
 
Yeah, you need to sort that out. The rubber roller is one of the more critical parts of the drive system. Just saying 'it's stuck' isn't a lot of information to go on, but that's definitely not normal and needs to be corrected.
If it were me, I'd remove the roller and see if that sheds any light on the problem. I don't have a '48 but by the looks you have to remove the head cover, and then the silver cap probably unscrews. Watch for any washers that come loose, there may be some on the shaft.

It is worth bearing in mind that the rubber has been known to deteriorate, so make sure the roller isn't going soft or worse, turning to liquid.

hey! thanks for the answer! yes, im gonna unscrew and see if something's loose or what. :)
 
Is the rubber of the rubber wheel, called the “pinch roller”, sticky at all?
When you press STOP it stays pressed against the tape?

This is a good point. I am reading "stuck" to mean "It no longer rotates". Sweetbeats is reading "stuck" to mean "It no longer moves up and down, and its permanently pressing against the capstan shaft".

It would be a good idea to clarify which of those is the case...
 
hey! thanks for the answer. Yes the pinch roller are just fine, sticky but like normal and in good shape.

yes, when i press stop stays against the tape.

yes i can move it away without problem, just with my finger. Looks like you say.. cant say sticky, but hard enough to not coming back.
 
Is the rubber of the rubber wheel, called the “pinch roller”, sticky at all?

When you press STOP it stays pressed against the tape?

Can you, by pushing on the pinch roller, move it away from the capstan shaft after you press STOP? Is it like something is sticky keeping it pressed to the capstan shaft?
hey! thanks for the answer. Yes the pinch roller are just fine, sticky but like normal and in good shape.

yes, when i press stop stays against the tape.

yes i can move it away without problem, just with my finger. Looks like you say.. cant say sticky, but hard enough to not coming back.
 
This is a good point. I am reading "stuck" to mean "It no longer rotates". Sweetbeats is reading "stuck" to mean "It no longer moves up and down, and its permanently pressing against the capstan shaft".

It would be a good idea to clarify which of those is the case...

Yes It rotates well, but it no longer moves up and down! is stuck in this way
 
Inside the 48 there is a solenoid that presses the pinch roller to the capstan shaft. It has a rubber cushion, like a flat rubber washer that eventually, in some cases, turns to sticky goo because the rubber disintegrates (just like what happens to rubber rollers sometimes). My guess is yours has turned to sticky goo so the solenoid no longer easily releases. So you’ll need to get the front cover off of the machine so you can get to the pinch roller solenoid, check to see the if the rubber cushion has gone to sticky goo, and if so you will need to remove and disassemble the solenoid and plunger, remove as much of the failed cushion as possible and clean with isopropyl alcohol. Once it’s clean, install a suitable replacement cushion, put it all back together and adjust the pinch roller pressure according to the instructions in the service manual.
 
Inside the 48 there is a solenoid that presses the pinch roller to the capstan shaft. It has a rubber cushion, like a flat rubber washer that eventually, in some cases, turns to sticky goo because the rubber disintegrates (just like what happens to rubber rollers sometimes). My guess is yours has turned to sticky goo so the solenoid no longer easily releases. So you’ll need to get the front cover off of the machine so you can get to the pinch roller solenoid, check to see the if the rubber cushion has gone to sticky goo, and if so you will need to remove and disassemble the solenoid and plunger, remove as much of the failed cushion as possible and clean with isopropyl alcohol. Once it’s clean, install a suitable replacement cushion, put it all back together and adjust the pinch roller pressure according to the instructions in the service manual.

Sweerbeats thank you very much, im gonna try that for sure.. and let you know if i can solve the problem. :)
i think the problem is right there!!!!
 
Inside the 48 there is a solenoid that presses the pinch roller to the capstan shaft. It has a rubber cushion, like a flat rubber washer that eventually, in some cases, turns to sticky goo because the rubber disintegrates (just like what happens to rubber rollers sometimes). My guess is yours has turned to sticky goo so the solenoid no longer easily releases. So you’ll need to get the front cover off of the machine so you can get to the pinch roller solenoid, check to see the if the rubber cushion has gone to sticky goo, and if so you will need to remove and disassemble the solenoid and plunger, remove as much of the failed cushion as possible and clean with isopropyl alcohol. Once it’s clean, install a suitable replacement cushion, put it all back together and adjust the pinch roller pressure according to the instructions in the service manual.

is easy to disassemble to get the solenoid??? just the front cover or something else??
 
Do you have the service manual? You will need that before you do this. It shows the steps to removing the panel, the location of the parts inside, the instructions for adjusting the pinch roller pressure after you replace the cushion, etc.

I haven’t had a 48 in about 8 years...from memory I think there are 2 or 3 screws on the top toward the front, and then you have to remove the headblock cover, pinch roller, tension arm rollers, and then there are probably several more screws revealed on the front. You will probably also need to remove the reel clampers from the reel tables. But the service manual is your friend. Once the front panel is off you can just move the pinch roller by hand and follow the linkage to the pinch roller solenoid and check to see if there is sticky gooey tar-like rubber on it.
 
Do you have the service manual? You will need that before you do this. It shows the steps to removing the panel, the location of the parts inside, the instructions for adjusting the pinch roller pressure after you replace the cushion, etc.

I haven’t had a 48 in about 8 years...from memory I think there are 2 or 3 screws on the top toward the front, and then you have to remove the headblock cover, pinch roller, tension arm rollers, and then there are probably several more screws revealed on the front. You will probably also need to remove the reel clampers from the reel tables. But the service manual is your friend. Once the front panel is off you can just move the pinch roller by hand and follow the linkage to the pinch roller solenoid and check to see if there is sticky gooey tar-like rubber on it.

ok!! i'll get the manual service right away!! once i disassemble the front cover and was easy, and the reel clampers too.

thank you very much, was so helpul for me your instructions··

:)
 
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