Teac A3440 does not work in Play mode

M

Muka

New member
Hi,
I am hoping that someone can help me diagnose this problem. I have a Teac A3440 that was working fine but I put it in storage for a while and now I am trying to use it and the Play function does not work. I opened the back cover and noticed that the belt is very lose and as soon as I press the Play button the belt would slip. I am thinking that I need a new belt.
The other issue I am seeing is that when I hit the play button the Pinch wheel does not move to the Capstan wheel (with or without tape installed). So my question is if I replace the belt and it does not slip off any more, will this solve the Pinch wheel/roller to switch to contact the capstan wheel and move the tape or do I have another problem? Thanks for any help.
 
The solenoid that moves the pinch roller in and out may be gummed up from non-usage, so if there is any kind of gunk on the piston shaft of that, it might need to be cleaned up to free it up. Also check the fuse that controls that circuit to make sure its not blown and replace with the same type and rating if so.

Cheers! :)
 
The Ghost of FM said:
The solenoid that moves the pinch roller in and out may be gummed up from non-usage, so if there is any kind of gunk on the piston shaft of that, it might need to be cleaned up to free it up. Also check the fuse that controls that circuit to make sure its not blown and replace with the same type and rating if so.

Cheers! :)
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Hi - Thanks for replying!
I checked that solenoid and it does move in and out manually and there is no gunk around. Can you tell me where to find the fuse that control that circuit? Also from what I am gathering from your response is that the belt has nothing to do with the pinch roller activating to contact the capstan shaft, correct? Again thank you for your help.
 
Steenamaroo said:
What Ghost said is a very common problem, but is the capstan turning at all?
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The belt is missing so its not turning when I select the Play button. I know I can turn it manually. The reason why I haven't purchased a new belt as yet is because I need to know if I have to get more parts to get the machine to play and I'll buy everything at the same time. Should I go ahead and buy a new belt first? I do have the old belt but like I said in my first post the belt has stretched so much that as soon as I hit the play button or lift the right tension arm up it slips off the pulley.
 
Oh. I see.
I suppose that's a sensible enough idea, but I don't think you can really diagnose in advance.
I'd just go ahead and get the belt and hope for the best. :)

I can't remember how involved belt replacement is on that unit, but if it's handy and you're super keen I guess you could try botching something together as a test. Cut the old one and glue a short overlap to take up some slack, or something?
 
Thanks Steenamaroo
That's also a good idea for testing. I'll try that when I get home this afternoon from work. Will post result after I fix the belt. Thanks for everyone's help.
 
Muka said:
Hi - Thanks for replying!
I checked that solenoid and it does move in and out manually and there is no gunk around. Can you tell me where to find the fuse that control that circuit? Also from what I am gathering from your response is that the belt has nothing to do with the pinch roller activating to contact the capstan shaft, correct? Again thank you for your help.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure of any logic relationship between the capstan not turning and that preventing the solenoid from actuating, so jury rigging a belt or buying a new one alone, as stated, is probably a necessity.

The right tension arm must be up and on for that circuit to work though. IE: tape loaded and tensioned up normally without any slack that would allow that arm to drop down to it's off position.

The fuse panel is accessed by removing the top panel of the deck which may require removing the back panel as well to free that vented top panel.

The service manual, if you have that, will document that as well as the proper fuse values. Do a Google search for the manual as that's how I found it.

If the pinch roller solenoid is not gummed up, then looking for electrical/electronic issues is the next step...IE: checking fuses first.

Cheers! :)
 
As others have recommended, do buy the belt. That's your first problem solved. The second problem is the pinch roller mechanism not moving? Well, as there is no gunk on the solenoid, as you mentioned (and the rubber washer is still good and not dissolved messing up the solenoid shaft), what most likely happened is that the grease on the pivot point of the pinch roller mechanism has hardened (due to non use). This has happened to some of my machines. All that you need to do is take a hold of the rubber roller with your hand / fingers and, manually, begin repeatedly moving the mechanism up and down, up and down, till you get to the point where it moves smoothly. You may need to do this at least a dozen times or so... The friction will generate heat and will make the grease work again, as it should. No need for dis-assembly unless you can't move the roller at all by hand. The belt replacement is very easy on the 3440. If I recall, all you need to do is take the back cover off and the bracket off the flywheel and slip on the belt. Make sure to clean the flywheel and the motor pulley before hand (clean the entire belt path). If you want to test, you can also use a slightly smaller rubber band. It's for testing only as it won't last long.
 
Hi,
Thanks for replying again. I rigged up a belt by doubling a section of the old belt to make it shorter and it worked. I've just purchased a belt kit from Ebay. It comes with 2 belts so I'll save the other one for later use. Thanks again for all the help from everyone.
 
Ha, we posted at the same time. Did you read my post above yours? How's the pinch roller mechanism?
 
cjacek said:
Ha, we posted at the same time. Did you read my post above yours? How's the pinch roller mechanism?
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I misread and didn't realise you had two current issues.
+1 to manually working the mechanism to free it up. I had the same problem on a 3440 (or was it 3340?).
Working the crap out of it for a few minutes solved the problem.
 
Yeah, same with the human body. You don't work it, it seizes up eventually. You work it, you're back. :D
 
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