424 MKIII - Play & Rewind Buttons Dead / Dying / Shorting Out

[edwardiii]

I'm having a weird problem with my Tascam 424 MKIII.

I've had the unit trouble-free for about 4 years. In the last few months, the Play / Record / Rewind / FF buttons started acting up. There would be a lag time in responding - or, even weirder, I'd push Play, and it wouldn't play, it would start rewinding or fast-forwarding. Yesterday I turned it on, and the buttons aren't responding at all. Everything else works. Sometimes I'll press Play and get a couple of seconds of playback and it stops itself. Nothing from Rewind / Fast Forward.

The mechanism on this thing has always made me nervous - it's not like a regular cassette player where you press Play and can see your pressure on the button enabling the heads. Seems like there's some kind of servo thing in the middle, probably to enable the memory functions.

I'm assuming my problem stems from something electrical loose, blown, or malfunctioning inside, but I was wondering if anybody has tips on fixing it, or any suggestions on a good place to bring it for service (I'm in Rhode Island). Thanks!

[bardo]

Are the lights(LEDS) getting dim when you try to work the transport keys?
My power suppy went out like that.
It slowly stopped working until the only thing to power up were the Leds.
I replaced the power supply and it worked fine right off the bat.
If you have a volt meter you can tell if this is the problem or not(no use by a new one if that's not the problem)

[edwardiii]

Now that you mention it, the LEDs do get kind of dimmer - like the interior lights in your car when the battery dies and it starts running off the alternator. I'll see if I can find a new power supply, thanks for the tip!

[edwardiii]

Well, my joy has quickly gone south - apparently the power supply for these units are rarer than hen's teeth! If anybody has tips for locating one, I'd be most appreciative!

[cjacek]

Originally Posted by edwardiii

Well, my joy has quickly gone south - apparently the power supply for these units are rarer than hen's teeth! If anybody has tips for locating one, I'd be most appreciative!

Did you call TASCAM parts ?

~Daniel

[DigitalSmigital]

And me, stuck here with a drawer full of hens teeth!

[A Reel Person]

Tascam Parts: (323)727-4840.

[bardo]

Thats where I got my replacment.Somthing like $30 bucks(w/ shipping and handling)
Mine was the old wall wort for the 424(no Mk anything)not sure if the MK's had the same.
Good luck!