Tascam 488 capstan motor inverted?

P

plule

New member
I just got a tascam 488 (not mkii) on ebay, and the capstan motor has really strange behaviour:

As soon as I switch on the device, it makes a slight buzz (not through the audio output, a "physical" buzz), and the capstan motor starts.
When I press "play", the heads are set in place, and the capstan motor stop. The flywheel rotate for 1-2s because of inertia and everything stops (and the heads goes back automatically).
The audio output works as expected, I hear the recording slowing down and stop.

Well I'm not an expert, but I guess the capstan motor is supposed to rotate when I press "play" :p

Any idea what would cause this? (I'm waiting for a response from the seller as well)
Thanks, and happy recording!
 
Hi, I'm fumbling with the same 488 from eBay. I believe the capstan motor is suppose to continuously run from the time you turn on the machine. Mine was doing the same, I changed the belt (which it needed) but same. I'm convinced it's the motor now because I can watch it slow the stop, which causes everything to go back to stop position.
 
Belt

I believe the belt is loose, worn & stretched to the point it's not doing the job it should of driving the tape.

Most belt driven recorders of this age will need belt replacement. From the sound of it, the belt is still in place but is slipping badly under load. What usually follows over time is the belt will become loose enough to fall off, or worst case will turn into tarry goo that melts all over the pulleys and internal mechanisms.

The best advice I can give is to remove the bottom cover and replace the belt. Be careful because there's a screw on top in the cassette well & the unit separates into halves like a clam shell with lots of interconnecting cables between the top and bottom circuit boards. Proceed slowly & methodically while keeping track of plugs, connectors and screws.

If you don't feel technically able to handle this job, refer it to a techy friend or trained technician.

:spank::eek:;)
 
its the capstan motor, this is a very common issue on the Tascam 424, 464+488 same goes for the MKII models.
the motors Teac used are very cheap little MABUCHI EG-530KD-2B. It's a 12vdc 1600/3200rpm CCW motor.
basically similar to a remote control car gear motor. junk !
ive replaced several in the last few years. I get my parts from a branch in Canada called MainElectronics, you can google them.
they're all the same model motor as well.
as many as I have done, the belts surprisingly hold up well on these little Tascam cassette recorders. the motors and the mechanisms need to be cleaned, shot with liquid lubricant. you can use sewing machine oil, what they used to oil old Kenmore sewing machines...yes that's right.
I repaired several of the 464's back in the 1990's that model only had extra inputs / extra returns and a few small upgrades in the cassette shell but very poor upgrades, they are what we see in the 424mk2 versions but fixed. I had tons of 464's(the grey ones) on my bench. total pos.
 
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