New 388 problem

famous beagle

Well-known member
So many of you may remember that I acquired a free Tascam 388 after finally getting a working analog rig up and running with my Fostex 80. Well, it looks as though the Fostex is still going to be top dog for at least a while.

After moving into a new house, I finally got the studio set up and got down to putting the 388 through its paces. It didn't last too long. I successfully loaded tape using its "LOAD" feature, checked PLAY, FF, and RW, and then set out to record my first track. However, while I was working on that, the transport died. I was rewinding to 00 on the counter, pressed STOP, and then it stopped responding. Wouldn't play, FF, or RW.

I turned it off and back on. It seemed to fix itself for about 5 seconds, and I had control again. But then it died again.

The transport's been dead ever since after about 3 or 4 different attempts.

Anyone have a clue as to where I should start troubleshooting?

The only bit of maintenance I'd done on this machine after getting it was putting a new belt on because the old one was stretched out and not even on the wheels when I got it.

Thanks for any help!
 
Sounds like a relay and/or the transport logic....but where to look...?...I couldn't begin to tell you without at least seeing the schematics.

Cory may certainly have deeper insight and suggestions....hope he can help you sort it out.
 
I would start by reseating the power supply board, check and see if that fixes, if not, reseat the...um...it's either the reel servo board or the capstan servo board...one is plugin and the other is not...anyway, the one right next to the power supply board...reseat that and then check if it is working.

Start there and report back.
 
I would start by reseating the power supply board, check and see if that fixes, if not, reseat the...um...it's either the reel servo board or the capstan servo board...one is plugin and the other is not...anyway, the one right next to the power supply board...reseat that and then check if it is working.

Start there and report back.

Thanks Cory. I'll get to that in a few days probably. I may find time to do it this evening, but I'm not sure.
 
Well, crossing fingers! I checked all the fuses, and they were good. So then I moved on to your suggestions Cory and re-seated those two PCB cards. (I sprayed some Deoxit in the connections first even though you didn't say to. I figured it couldn't hurt ... right?) And it's been brought back to life so far!

Right now I'm playing a tape and am going to let it get all the way through it to see if it makes it.

Any other thoughts Cory? Is this common in what you've seen? What's the issue? Just some oxidation or grime that gets in those connections or something?

If this indeed was "the fix," do you think I can expect it to be good for a long while? I know you can't predict the future, but what I mean is ... have you ever fixed something by doing this (reseating cards) and experienced long continuous problem-free functionality afterwards?

Thanks so much for your help so far! :)
 
Update

The transport still seems to be solid after reseating those two PCB boards. So tonight I started trying to make some test recordings. I didn't get far before I ran into more trouble.

I was trying to record a line-in signal on channels 1 and 2; it was a song playing from my phone. The first thing I thought was odd was that, even with the volume on my phone at full blast, and even with the trim set to max (with the channel set to LINE), the OL light would never flash. At any rate, I seemed to be getting a good level on the meters when I assigned the two channels to the 1-2 program.

However, when I tried to listen to the monitor cue, I was getting nothing --- just a barely audible signal even with the monitor gain maxed out and the phones turned up to max. I made sure the MON switch was up, like the manual said (although I tried down as well just to be sure).

When I assigned channels 1 & 2 to the stereo mix, though, it came in loud and clear. And the good news is that it is recording. I recorded the song for 10 seconds and played it back with the channels set to RMX, and it played back perfectly and sounded good.

So I'm guessing it's something to do with the monitor section maybe?

Since I still had the top plate off (after reseating the first two cards), I went ahead and reseated all the others up there as well. I'm still having the issue, so my next thought was to reseat all the channel cards, etc.

I took off all the knobs and faders and removed the six perimeter screws on the mixing panel and tried to lift it off, but something wasn't giving way, so I stopped.

Do I need to remove the nuts around the pots as well before I'll be able to pull off the front panel?

Or is it better to go in through the back panel to reseat the channel cards and all?

Thanks! I'm getting hopeful that I might actually get this thing up and going.
 
Well, crossing fingers! I checked all the fuses, and they were good. So then I moved on to your suggestions Cory and re-seated those two PCB cards. (I sprayed some Deoxit in the connections first even though you didn't say to. I figured it couldn't hurt ... right?) And it's been brought back to life so far!

Right now I'm playing a tape and am going to let it get all the way through it to see if it makes it.

Any other thoughts Cory? Is this common in what you've seen? What's the issue? Just some oxidation or grime that gets in those connections or something?

If this indeed was "the fix," do you think I can expect it to be good for a long while? I know you can't predict the future, but what I mean is ... have you ever fixed something by doing this (reseating cards) and experienced long continuous problem-free functionality afterwards?

Thanks so much for your help so far! :)

Will it last? I dunno, but I always try re-seating plugin cards if there is a problem because the connections can indeed oxidize and the cards can be dislodged during transportation.

DeoxIT is always a good idea (you're using the D5 and not the F5 Faderlube right?). I didn't suggest it because I didn't know if you had any on hand and didn't want to complicate the instructions. I figured we'd find out what we needed to find out by simply reseating those two cards and it would either work or we'd be on to the next step. Good thinking applying the contact cleaner.

If the problem returns I would next re-flow all the solder joints for the connectors on those plugin cards as well as the the motherboard.
 
Update

The transport still seems to be solid after reseating those two PCB boards. So tonight I started trying to make some test recordings. I didn't get far before I ran into more trouble.

I was trying to record a line-in signal on channels 1 and 2; it was a song playing from my phone. The first thing I thought was odd was that, even with the volume on my phone at full blast, and even with the trim set to max (with the channel set to LINE), the OL light would never flash. At any rate, I seemed to be getting a good level on the meters when I assigned the two channels to the 1-2 program.

However, when I tried to listen to the monitor cue, I was getting nothing --- just a barely audible signal even with the monitor gain maxed out and the phones turned up to max. I made sure the MON switch was up, like the manual said (although I tried down as well just to be sure).

When I assigned channels 1 & 2 to the stereo mix, though, it came in loud and clear. And the good news is that it is recording. I recorded the song for 10 seconds and played it back with the channels set to RMX, and it played back perfectly and sounded good.

So I'm guessing it's something to do with the monitor section maybe?

Since I still had the top plate off (after reseating the first two cards), I went ahead and reseated all the others up there as well. I'm still having the issue, so my next thought was to reseat all the channel cards, etc.

I took off all the knobs and faders and removed the six perimeter screws on the mixing panel and tried to lift it off, but something wasn't giving way, so I stopped.

Do I need to remove the nuts around the pots as well before I'll be able to pull off the front panel?

Or is it better to go in through the back panel to reseat the channel cards and all?

Thanks! I'm getting hopeful that I might actually get this thing up and going.

Beagle the channel cards and master section cards are not plugin type. To remove them you need to tip the unit on its side, remove the bottom cover, carefully remove the buss PCB that spans across the cards (maybe there are two...can't remember off the top of my head) and then remove the knobs and nuts for each pot of each PCB. Leave the dress panel in place.

I'll have to study the block diagram again and read pertinent sections of the manual to confirm its not operator error as far as your monitor buss issue (no offense meant...for whatever reason I recall having a little trouble getting my head around the settings on the control surface for each stage of recording...I don't want to pass up the possibility somebody else might be as dense as me.) :)

Can anybody else who has actually used the 388 in the last 5 years chime in? It's been that long or longer since I've touched one and I didn't use it that much. Might it be a simple control surface settings issue that could get Beagle going?
 
The trim will only control the input level of the MIC input, not LINE. Sounds like you are getting okay level from the phone anyhow.

Make sure you aren't leaving a red L/R button pushed on one of the channels. If any one of those is pushed the monitor section will not function.
 
Sweetbeats: I'm totally open to the possibility that it's user error, and I really hope it is! :) That would make things a lot easier!

Vicshat: Ah, ok. Thanks. I didn't realize the trim knob only worked for the MIC input. I'm just following the manual here, and it didn't mention that directly. However, now I see that I could have inferred it from the sentence, "Adjust the volume of your instrument or, if using the MIC input, turn the TRIM up until the OL flashes."

I am definitely not leaving a L/R button pushed on a channel. In fact, I couldn't hear anything until I did push one of those buttons, and then I heard it loud and clear.

I read all the steps on page 7 of the manual, RECORDING THE BASIC TRACKS, but maybe I'm still missing something somewhere. I'll try it again soon to see if I have better luck.

I do know that one of the inputs or something along one of the channel cards seems to be testy, because I wasn't getting a signal (I think it's channel 2) at first, but eventually after some tapping and "love," it kicked in.

I guess before I rip the thing open and start messing with the channel cards I should test it more fully (all the inputs, the FX/AUX sends, etc.) so I know what I'm dealing with.

I'll report back soon. I really appreciate any advice and tips y'all. Getting this thing up and running would fulfill a 15-year long dream for me. :)
 
Yes doing a more comprehensive function test and reporting back will be good.

For your testy channel #2, I would recommend re-seating the buss PCB that goes along the bottom of all of the channel boards and the master section boards. Ideally remove it, apply some contact cleaner and reinstall it. It might be a good idea to do this before you do your conprehensive testing.
 
Thanks Cory, will do. So I can just do that by removing the bottom cover, correct?

Edit: Oh, and yes, I'm using D5 Deoxit.
 
Yep. Just tip it on its side, remove the bottom cover and everything will be exposed. You'll see the buss PCB across the bottom of all the mixer boards.
 
Update

Ok, so I took the back cover off and, since I had it open, I went ahead and applied Deoxit and reseated every connector I could get to without removing anything else, which was a lot. I know much of it was probably unnecessary, but I figured it couldn't hurt. I'm sure Cory would have my back on this. :)

I then went through a fairly comprehensive test. Results:

1) Still having the monitor issue. I'm not getting anything in the MON buss at all. And I made absolutely sure I followed the "RECORDING THE BASIC TRACKS" to a T this time, so I'm fairly sure it's not user error -- unless there's a fatal mistake in the manual by chance.

By the way, is there an error in the manual? It says "11. Make sure the AUX PRE/POST selector switch is in the POST (up) position." But on the 388, the illustrations next to POST and PRE look the opposite. In other words, next to "POST," it shows a picture of the button depressed and vice versa for PRE.

2) All the MIC inputs works perfectly. All the LINE jacks work perfectly except #8, which has a short. I tried applying Deoxit and working the jack a bit with a cord, but that didn't fix it.

3) All 8 tracks record perfectly well, and the faders, assign buttons, and all knobs work on every channel.

4) The EFFECT send and returns work perfectly, as do the AUX send and STEREO BUSS IN jacks.

5) I'm not getting any signal in any of the PGM BUSS inputs. If I push the MON button down (to the PGM position), I can see the signal registering on the appropriate meters, but I can't seem to hear anything no matter what I do.

6) I'm not getting any signal out of the MONITOR OUT jacks.

7) The STEREO OUT jacks work perfectly, as do both headphone jacks.

I haven't tested the PGM out jacks or the insert jacks yet.


So ....... any ideas as to what the culprit might be?


The good news is that ... correct me if I'm wrong ... should I not be able to correct the issue, the machine is basically still usable in this state. In other words, if I don't need to generate a separate mix for "the talent," is there any reason that I can't simply monitor off the main mix? I was kind of going through a scenario tonight as I was testing it, and I found myself listening to one track while I recorded another, which is the essence of overdubbing. The one caveat would be that I wouldn't be able to always use any channel input when recording, because a channel has to be set to RMX in order to hear it. But if I just plugged into CH 1, kept it there, and recorded on that track last, I wouldn't even notice.

The other caveat would be that if I were punching in on a track after all 8 tracks were filled up, I wouldn't be able to hear all eight tracks up to the punch point because one would have to be set on MIC or LINE instead of RMX.

Anyway, I'm kind of rambling I suppose.

Thoughts?

Thanks!
 
I think that is a typo regarding the AUX PRE/POST switch setting. Good catch.

When you say you're not getting any signal in any of the the PGM BUSS input jacks do you mean you can't get signal connected to these jacks to print to tape, or register on the meters etc?
 
And another question: can you get *anything* out of the MONITOR out jacks? Is it just a problem when you are trying to monitor the MONITOR mixer and otherwise those jacks work?
 
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