tascam 388 slow playback

jato

New member
another one for the 388 annals

picked it up last week from an owner who says it was in great shape until a bumpy van ride. after the drive they turned it on and saw a flash from the top panel vent and it died. they hadn't the time or resources to dig into it.

had blown F3 and F5 fuse. replaced all of them to be safe. also had a dead transistor - Q101 on the power supply PCB - (spotted because it had a large chunk missing from the packaging). replaced it.

after these small fixes it powered on and operated as expected. channel controls all work, records, ff/rw, tension arms are in correct positions during operation, etc.

*except* the capstan motor runs at ~1/2 speed and the pitch control / mode controls have no effect.

opened up the back panel. everything looks pretty clean. belt is in good shape (as well as the pinch roller, for what it's worth).

the motor makes a small whirring / rubbing sound about once per rotation, but only when the belt is on it, so it would seem it's struggling due to lack of power or it's dying.

i discovered a capacitor that had cracked open - C402 on the control pcb. replaced it but no change.

any suggestions for things to check before i go and find another motor or take it to a shop?

tough to diagnose with my cheap lil multimeter and a blurry manual with unreadable schematics.
 
Back
Top