Tascam 44 reel to reel RANDOM PART.... Can anyone help figure this out?

racer

New member
I just got this Tascam 44 (Early Model), Im noticing there's a piece of metal and small wire screwed on next to the tape heads that doesn't seem to be on other machines when I look at pictures.... It seems like its not supposed to be there, and would interfere with the tape.... Anyone know what this is or how to fix it?
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Looks to me like the tape is supposed to go in-between the two black posts...so I don't think it will interfere.

What is if for...?...hard to say. Since it is wired, it must be meant to read something off the tape...maybe sync code...?
Look on the back of the machine...are there any mods there, like some type of connector?

If you can trace where the wires go...that will certainly help tell what it's for.
 
Looks like some kind of tape present sensor to me. There is likely to be an infra red (or possibly visible light) transmitter on one side and a receiver on the other side. The beam is interrupted by the tape. It may well be something that has been added to the machine or possibly Tascam decided at a late stage that it was needed and there was no time to design a better mounting system for the early production units. Quite a few other machines use something similar.
 
As JamesPerrett says, that's almost certainly a tape presence sensor. You'll see a similar device on the Studer A807 and even the Revox B77. The added-on look is very strange, though.
 
I am also betting tape sensor.
Some years ago I built a wired remote box* for my Teac A3440 and in a blinding flash (about 6 months later!) I realized that and optical (IR)tape stop would be SO useful when 8 feet away from the machine and not looking at it.
I got as far as buying an 'EMIblock, several 100ft of clear leader and some splicing tape, even top and tailed a few reels. Not sure waht happened next? Son probably decided to live in France about then so I got no further with the mod.

*Be very careful to get the right schematic! There are two. I am STILL in the market for the 12 pin rectangular remote plug.

Dave.
 
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