How to open my Tascam 38

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WarmJetGuitar

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I've finally recieved parts for my Tascam 38.
But as it won't play I decided to try changing the capstain belt. However I don't know how to open the machine: have removed the pinch roller, all the screws on the front panel as well as a few on the sides. But the panel is still stuck on the machine. I have seen some posts mentioning that removing the pitch control is essential; tried that but I can't figure how to remove the thing below the button itself.

Sorry to bother you with another noob question but I'm so desperate to use this fucker.
 
Do you have the manual? It has some great instructions and exploded parts views.

Under the pitch knob, there is a black nut with notches that you can grab with a pair of needle-nose pliers and turn counter clock-wise.

Also, in addition to removing the pitch control knob and pinch roller, you need to remove the head / counter cover, and both right and left tension arm rollers.

When you lift the top cover, do so gently as there will be a cable assembly attached to the transport buttons on the cover. You can find the connector for this, which may be buried in a hole in the frame, and disconnect this.
 
Also take especial care not to knock the glass bulb at the top of the counter display when removing the front cover, otherwise you may destroy the display panel.
 
There is actually a great video on Youtube on how to disassemble the 38 and change the belt. There might be a link here in this forum somewhere taking you to it. Try searching "belt change Tascam 38" or something close to that on Youtube to see what you get. I'll dig as well and see what I come up with.
 
With great help from two bandmates, this forum and the tatooed guys video I'm now able to see the belt now however the screws is nearly impossible to remove - they've probably been there since 1983. Better try with a proper screwdriver tomorrow. Thanks for responding so quickly.
 
I forgot what size Allen screw they are, but they are definitely metric, I remember that much. Maybe a 3mm??
 
The allen screws is not the problem, they're all gone.
Trouble is caused by the screws on the plate placed on top of the capstain wheels - they're old and pretty wrecked. So I'm looking for a way to get them loose - I've successfull removed one, the rest is stuck. And there's no rust or anything like that.
So close but still not there.
 
WarmJetGuitar said:
The allen screws is not the problem, they're all gone.
Trouble is caused by the screws on the plate placed on top of the capstain wheels - they're old and pretty wrecked. So I'm looking for a way to get them loose - I've successfull removed one, the rest is stuck. And there's no rust or anything like that.
So close but still not there.
Click to expand...

If they're not sunk screws, you can sometimes unscrew them by using a pair of pliers to grip the sides of the screw head and twisting. If it's a truly lost cause and the head of the screw is well and truly chewed up, I have in the past used a pair of pliers to create my own grip and got the screws to loosen that way, but it's a last resort method and obviously you will have to replace them with fresh screws afterwards.
 
Tried that, and my girlfriend managed to get another screw out. But they all have to go.
I bought new screws today, but the two remaining screws just won't go and the screwheads are getting worse and worse. What about a power drill?
I'm so frustrated as I invested so much time in this machine.
 
I just remember slipping in the belt without removing a whole lot of screws once the cover came off but that was a while ago.

I would not drill. Can you post up some pics of this?

Don't get frustrated. There's a lot more time to invest in calibration and such yet if you're so inclined to do it yourself.
 
fstrat76 said:
I just remember slipping in the belt without removing a whole lot of screws once the cover came off but that was a while ago.

I would not drill. Can you post up some pics of this?

Don't get frustrated. There's a lot more time to invest in calibration and such yet if you're so inclined to do it yourself.
Click to expand...

You're right. I don't mind spending time messing with the machine, the frustrating element is that two stuck screws can delay what could have been a relatively easy task.
There's only one guy in town who offer pro repairs on R2R and I neither have money or a car to move the thing - so I have no real choice.

I'll post you some pics when I find the cam again. Why not drill? Of course I don't want small pieces of metal all over my machine but what if I drill while having someone else holding a vacuum cleaner to take care of the problem?
 
fostex 250

My fostex 250 doesn't respond to pressing play button or play/record. Everything else works.Also there is a warning on underside about tearing wires if removed. Anyone have advice? Thanks in advance.
 
My neighbor restores automobiles for a living. He told me once to slightly tighten a screw and then try and lossen it if it is stuck. Like that bit in the "Cars" movie about turning right to go left.
 
As long as you have the proper cross-head screw driver and not a pozidrive head you should be able to get maximum torque on them. Otherwise you could just drill them out as long as you think you still have enough thread to grip once the head has been drilled off. The main problem I had with my 38 was with cracked crimps on the multipin connectors between PCBs. Beware of this as I think it's a common problem for 38s. You'll see the problem come and then go away again simply by moving the multicore ribbon cables that run between the PCBs. Good luck with it!
 
They finally went off; I used a product called WD-40 and a plier.
It still doesn't play but I can hear a motor when I press play so the capstain motor should be alright. Just get a "klonk" sound and the sound of a motor. The pinch roller goes up just like it should and it FF's and rewinds really fast.

"The main problem I had with my 38 was with cracked crimps on the multipin connectors between PCBs."

Could the problem be caused by this? Where do I check?
Is the PCB the cable that connect the play, FF, pause, etc. to the rest of the machine? Sounds like something I better check out.

What other reasons? The service manual mentions something about adjusting the capstan.
I'll be off for a few days and won't be able to respond until the weekend. But everything that can bring me closer to a functional 38 would be greatly appreciated.
 
IIRC you were opening the machine to replace the belt. Did you get around to that? Is the old belt intact or did it turn to goo?
If the new belt is on properly, what do you see/hear if you run the machine with the cover off but the rollers back on?
 
jpmorris said:
IIRC you were opening the machine to replace the belt. Did you get around to that? Is the old belt intact or did it turn to goo?
If the new belt is on properly, what do you see/hear if you run the machine with the cover off but the rollers back on?
Click to expand...

The old belt was kind of intact but way too loose and inproperly placed so I just cut it. The new belt looks well placed - I could see where the old one used to be and put the new belt there.
I don't know how to start the machine with the cover off because the control pannel is connected with a pretty short cable. I better figure out some way of checking that when I get home - sounds like a good idea.
 
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