Tascam 22-4 issue...can tape be the problem?

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d_swif

New member
Hi, excuse the ignorance if this is a stupid question. I pulled out my old Tascam 22-4 to use or possibly sell. Along with a reel, they've been sitting around for 7 years or so unused. I had to replace the belt otherwise it's in great shape. Now, everything seems to work fine however the tape after a few minutes of playing starts to get real slow sounding. I can rewind a bit and it will sound fine, then back to slow. Power off, come back to it the next day, same deal. I've also cleaned all the parts including the heads, the capstan and rubber pinch roller. So my questions are:

1. Can the tape itself be the problem, even if doesn't always sound slow in the same spot and takes a while to reveal itself as bad?

2. By replacing the belt, could I have messed up the orientation of the pinch roller, because it seems when I manually micro-adjust it while it's playing I can get it to sound right. But can the pinch roller slowly misalign itself? It plays fine for the first few minutes when powering it on.

3. Could the motor itself be going bad? But again, like above, it works fine and doesn't seem to be slowing at all. Rewind and Fast forward work fine as well.

4. Would de-magnetizing fix things?


Thanks, if I had another tape I would test it but I was waiting to see if things work before starting new projects or selling it as is.
 
Do a search on whatever brand of tape you are using and see if it is prone to "sticky/shed", I've never experienced it myself but my understanding is it can cause a lot of transport problems and is just generally a mess. Older tape would definitely be more prone.
 
Hi, thanks for the reply, I believe it's standard Quantegy 1/4" tape. I would assume it was new when it got it in 2001-2002. Can tape go bad? I don't think it was stored in it's original box, but I could be wrong. I don't remember when I got the stuff out if the tape was in a box or not :( But that's an interesting problem...
 
Yup, as DuddyGuy said, tapes can often cause the type of problem you're experiencing. Heck, I once picked up a deck for free because the owner thought it was broken but it turned out to be bad tape, which was slowing down to a stop, the transport. If you're confident the tape is Quantegy and / or can't see any "sticky shed" coming off the tape, then the problem is elsewhere.

If you replaced the capstan belt with the same part and placed it on there correctly then the other thing to check is the rubber pinch roller? Is it very soft, turning to goo perhaps? Is it at all possible for you to post a short movie (with sound)?
 
I replaced the capstan belt correctly (as far as I know) and it is specifically for the 22-4.
And I'd have to check on the brand of tape, I'm sure the box is somewhere. I am currently watching the thing operate without the face on to see if anything weird is happening and all looks perfectly fine. The pinch roller is in fine condition, but it seems if I push it just a hair when the slowing starts, I can get it to start sounding good. But nothing seems to be falling out of place or changing (other than the sound). And no goo or anything on the parts coming off the tape.

I should probably just order a new reel and record something. Any recommendations on where I can pick up some 1/4" tape?
 
OK, how exactly are you pressing the pinch roller, from which side? Is it rolling freely when you spin it by hand?

Here's another thing to try.... Without any tape on the machine, lift the tape arm on the right, until you hear the capstan motor turn on. Keep holding the arm while you press play. Keep holding the arm. The pinch roller will engage. Forget about the two reel motors and focus just on the roller / capstan shaft. Is it still slowing down? Also look if the brake pads are fully releasing from the reel motors.

I still don't know if it's the tape or not but for future reference, do a Google search on US Recording Media. They have tape and so does Quantegy (old-new stock 457 is cool).

Any chance of snapping a couple of photos of the tape path?
 
Thanks man, I'll probably end up getting a reel or 2 from one of these places.
When I press the pinch roller, I use a small flat head screw driver and push down just a bit on the metal cap, so I'm not touching the rubber at all. I come from the top and just to the right, so I'm basically making for a tiny bit less pressure on the tape I would think.
I will try looking for the other things when I'm home as well, but it really seemed like every thing was working great and brand new-like once I replaced the capstan belt, no noticeable slowing at all.
As far as posting a few pics of the path, I'll see what I can do there too.
 
Well, yes, a bad / loose capstan belt would have certainly caused the speed to waver and also stop the transport but you've replaced that and still no resolution? You mention that all was working good when you replaced that belt but then it started slowing up again? :confused:
 
Exactly, that's why I was so disappointed and reached out to this community for help. It works great until 3/4 ways through the tape then the slowing starts, and it goes like that every time I try it. I really hope it's the tape. Thanks for the advice and info.
 
do ff and rw work ok?
any slowdown there after doing one or the other for a good distance?
 
When you press PLAY with tape unloaded (ala cjacek's suggestion) does the pinch roller snap smartly into place or does it look kind of lazy? It should be nice and crisp and mechanical...
 
No, everything operates smoothly and precisely, that's why the confusion. I have a ordered a few new tapes and will record some stuff and post an update soon. Thanks.
 
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