When Teac and Tascam started, they were run by the Japanese who were concerned with excellence. Today, they are run by Americans whose main concern is the bottom line. Nuff sed.
Aside from the fact that consumer decks only have two tracks in each direction. they usually have a half track erase head , making it difficult (but not impossible) to record stereo tracks at different times.
A tape deck differs from a tape recorder in that the former usually lacks a power amplifier and the latter includes one (or two) and sometimes speakers, as well. However, the terms are often used interchangeably.
I tried the Sharpie thing. It disappears in a few hours. I have about five old keyboards lying around but I love the extra keys on the HP board. It may even help me to learn typing
My typo substituting ""U" for "I" changed the whole meaning of my post. I meant I was feeling the warmth, not you.
The letters on my HP keyboard were printed on rather than engraved. They have alnost all worn off to invisibility and I am no touch typist.
I do appreciate your attempts to put out the flames. However much I may have irritated you I never thought that you were anything less than the most important and useful contributor to any Tascam board I ever visited. Many of my posts may have seemed to you to be off topic. condescending and...
I believe that, if enough of us loyal Tascam lovers beseige their site with our dissatisfaction with their leaving us bereft, they may come around to see the light.
It's just that they shut down their bbs for two months, promising great things to come. They came back with a new ugly website without the bbs and the free downloads of all the manuals for equipment made after 1998. The support they offered their loyal analog fans was gone. Sure, they still...
As far as I know, Tascam has manuals they will sell you for every thing they ever built. Go to their site (we don't post there anymore) and communicate with their Parts Department.