Tascam 38, playback issues and observations...

  • Thread starter Thread starter WhinyLittleRunt
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WhinyLittleRunt

WhinyLittleRunt

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I posted a while ago sort of regarding the same issue but now I found that it is more apparent...

First off, I will say that I have not done any physical troubleshooting on the unit or taken it apart since my initial purchase / cleaning, purely because I just haven't had the time to get into it as a possible project. -

Channel 5 - stuck relay... can blast the mixer channel till it hits a nasty frequency and the VU meter will move or bang into place. Is the relay on this something that can be cleaned or have to be replaced? The channel does work...

Some channels work in sync mode but not in repro mode and vice versa. I wasn't sure this was really a head problem but something on the boards controlling it maybe?

The other odd thing is after I record a track and then come back to it the next day or whatever, the track is missing. It's on the tape, and it will eventually come back, but I have no idea why it's doing this and I haven't watched it closely enough to isolate it to a specific track although it is usually on 3 or 4 as far as I can remember just because 2,3 and 4 are usually reserved for my mono instruments...

I plan to set aside some time to pull out the channel cards and take a closer look at things when I have real work time available. Any tips or pointers in advance would be greatly appreciated, as these issues seem to be consistent from 38 to 38...
 
WhinyLittleRunt said:
Some channels work in sync mode but not in repro mode and vice versa. I wasn't sure this was really a head problem but something on the boards controlling it maybe?
Click to expand...

Again, relay problems can have symptoms like that. I don't think you can clean the ones on a 32/38 but I may be wrong. I think you'd probably have to replace them.
 
I have two 38's here and they both exibit the same symtoms that you describe. I suspect it is a relay problem also.

Most of these machines spent hundreds of hours in smokey studios. When they were built, nearly everyone smoked and it wasn't uncommon to see ashtrays all over in a studio. So it could very well be some kind of contamination affecting the relays.

Danny
 
So the relay doesn't only affect the meter, it affects whether or not the channel will activate, correct?

Anyone know a cheap source for the relays?
 
WhinyLittleRunt said:
So the relay doesn't only affect the meter, it affects whether or not the channel will activate, correct?
Click to expand...

They control muting and switching between Sync and Repro. The meter one is a bit weird, but I wouldn't put it past a relay issue either.
 
jpmorris said:
They control muting and switching between Sync and Repro. The meter one is a bit weird, but I wouldn't put it past a relay issue either.
Click to expand...

I mention the meter because sometimes channel 5 won't meter, but it records audio. If I BLAST the mixer channel and turn up the monitor knob while in INPUT mode on the 38, that nasty frequency (that will blow your head off) will sort of un-stick the meter needle and get it working again.

I say it will blow your head off because i had headphones on once and did this and had no clue it was going to produce that frequency! I almost went deaf :)
 
I have this relay problem as well. I have searched, and seen others talking about replacing these relays (which are no longer made), but they never come back and post what part they used to replace it, or where they purchased it.
 
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