Fostex model 80, tape slips, help!

D

dufnas

New member
Hi,

I have a problem that unfortunately needs to be solved urgently since I start a recording session tomorrow. So I´m most greatful for any help.

It´s a Fostex model 80, 8 track machine. It has until recently worked fine and I havent had the reason to get in to alligning, just isopropyl on the heads.

The only thing that´s new about my setup is a couple of new tapes, RMG lpr35, brand new, not used. I have mostly used scotch 207´s before with good results.
Now with the new ones I started experience dropouts and found that these were due to the tape slipping on the rubber wheel, the driving wheel next after the heads. I can´t see that anything is visibly wrong in the tape path. No weel seems to have been bent or anything. And when I try my old tapes the slipping is still there, maby not as bad. I don´t think the rmg´s have left flakes or particles on the heads so could they mess up the rubber wheel?

What can I do, any bad experiences with RMG lpr35? Any experience with slipping tape? Please!?

Thank for your time/b
 
The pinch roller is likely old, shiny and hard. You either need to replace it or, maybe easier to actually get some rubber conditioner like THIS or THIS to restore its grip.

From your description, it doesn't look like it's tape related.
 
Thanks a lot. I can´t find these products where I live, I need to pick it up in the morning, but I will look for something similar. If you by chance know of other trusted brands?

Really, thank you, it might just save the session/b
 
Not sure but if you can find an electronics repair shop locally, you might ask them [nicely] if they have a rubber cleaner that they use and that if you'd take your pinch roller to them, if you / they could do a once over on it. Yeah, you can just take the pinch roller off and use a rag with a little of the liquid and it should be good.
 
Do me a favor and clean the entire tape path [heads, metal parts etc..] again, using the alcohol and cotton pads or even soft cotton cloth [no q-tips] to cover a wide area more thoroughly. Also use a rag dampened in warm water to clean both of the rubber rollers so that no oxide is present. Mount and run the 207 tape. Note what happens. Then do the same test with your RMGI. What happens? We just want to 100% be sure that it's not the tape.
 
Another "emergency" method just struck me, if it's not the tape [and I don't think it is]. Use sand-paper on the pinch roller. Carefully and uniformly sand away the likely hardened layer of rubber to expose a new layer which should give a better grip. Now, I have not done this but it should work to offer a temporary solution to keep your session. The critical part is that you do this without causing abnormalities in the shape of the roller.
 
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