Faint playback on channel 8 of Fostex A8

Jzoha18

Member
Hello i got a fostex A8 thats working very well except for on track 8. the playback is fainter and bassy. im scrubbed the heads over and over but cant seem to get the playback to come in clear. should i pull out my degausser? heres a shot of the headsScreenshot_20201110-231111.pngScreenshot_20201110-231111.png
 
Hey !

do you have any calibration equipment? also are you certain it is playback and not record ? all other channels are working okay?
from my (limited) knowledge i doubt it is a problem that degaussing will solve.

can't really tell from the pics, but if you have a magnifying glass can you use it to look at the playback head closely and see the head gap? does it look the same size as the other channels?

finn
 
i do not have calibration equipment and just went along recording with the 7 channels i had. was working great. now i have a loud hum on channel 7 that prevents playback and maxes the meters out. Did i buy a nightmare deck?
 
hey J

hope you're well. What's going on with the hum? is it there from when you turn the deck on? or does it just appear after you have recorded something to channel 7? are you using a mixer with this?(i'm asking as i regularly forget to switch the input from tape to mic/line on my mixer and get a punishingly loud feedback loop when i arm the track to record:) )
As a more long term thing i would recommend getting a calibration tape if you don't want to/can't bring your deck to someone to be repaired. if you're going down that route you'll also need to get some other bits and bobs, it does rack up a bit in cost but you do end up learning a lot, and, as long as you have the right tools it's not that hard! this thread was a godsend for me a couple month back when i did my first alignment myself:) read it all /diy-alignment-calibration-286745/ (won't let me post a link but stick that into your search engine and it should come up, it's another homerecording thread!

If you just want to get the deck working and are willing/able to pay it might be a good idea to bring it to someone who fixes these.

BUT if you'd like to fire away and ask more questions please give me and others more detail and we can see if we can figure out what's wrong with it:)

finn
 
playing back lower Could just be playback level adjustment. You do need equipment to do that right:

The service manual and I'm pretty sure the service manual I have I just found and printed a pdf online somewhere. Is yours the 4 input one or the 8 input one?

1. calibration tape (about $150)
2. an AC voltmeter (a high quality one with an analog meter preferred). I have something like this: Hewlett-Packard 400EL AC Voltmeter. That also means a cable with and RCA jack on one end and a BNC connector on the other.

Like above, **read that thread**

The hum on 7 sounds like a signal routing problem, like you're not switching from line to tape on a mixer.
 
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