688 midistudio problems

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TJA

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hey, just got myself a 688 midistudio yesterday and its been working fine, i have been doing some test recordings while reading the manual (not something i usually do but is def required for 688) woke up this morning aching to use it again after a late night and well now it wont even play, will FFwd and Rwind but wont play or record, anyone had any similar problems and if so have you been able to fix it?

TJA
 
it doesn't play? does this mean that the tape doesn't move or that you can't hear anything while playing back the tape? are you in mode 12 (for mixdown,listening)? you might want to compare whether your 688 has the same modes as described in the manual cuz the old owner might have changed something.be more precise about the (dys)functions,please.
hopefully there's nothing wrong with the motor or the battery,which one has to change at some point (i didn't have to do that up to now)
 
My friend,...

AFAIK, the 688 is a belt-driven cassette mechanism. It sounds like the capstan belt just slipped & fell off,... which would indicate it needs to be replaced. The good news is this is common and not too serious of a problem. The part should be appx. $10 or less.

Unfortunately, you gotta get under the covers & do a minor teardown of the unit to replace the belt.:eek:;)
 
Got it!

My Acrobat 3.0 won't read it! Maybe time for an upgrade!....:eek:;)

Acrobat 4.0 did the trick!
 
Ah,... you kill me!

I gotta be choosey with my components. Gotta be compatible with Winny 98!:eek:;)
 
SOS MY 688 Won't PLAY either SOS SOS :(((((((((((((((((((((((((((((

yesterday and its been working fine, ... and well now it wont even play, will FFwd and Rwind but wont play or record, anyone had any similar problems and if so have you been able to fix it?
HI Everyone, Same exact thing happened here. 6-18-09 My unit looks brand NEW-was covered well in my studio. Will FF or REwind...I pressed PAUSE= 688 engages, rubber capstan presses against that silver 'thingy' that used to provide the speed (it must be connected to the motor). Well, as soon as i press PLAY, she'll click into gear, a second later clcik OUT of the play mode. I am devastated. After days of sifting thru boxes--I get to her(my beloved 688)she starts right up & does not play. I'm sorry for being redundant.
REAL PERSON (Dave) said the belt slipped off--ok, I lifted up the 688 & saw dozens of screws. I am not afraid to dig inside--but i do NOT want to dislodge anything connected to the tape heads. Anyone come across this & repair it ??
Take it to a Teac Tech--HOW MUCH was charged ???
Please help folks. Thank you in advance i NEED MY 688 again. Please contact me direct if anyone can help dont811@bellsouth dot net THANKS AGAIN
 
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Usually,..

I've not taken apart a 688, but usually the bottom panel can be removed, OR by removing the screws on the bottom you can separate the bottom half from the top half. Note that it might not be just a bottom panel, but a base plate with an electronics board or assemblies affixed to it. Each Portastudio is different, and I've seen both. Obviously, if the bottom panel removes cleanly by itself, it's much better than separating the halves. Either way,... your problem likely involves the capstan drive belt, which is an inexpensive item & is not too hard to replace. A moderate teardown but not rocket science.

You'll have to get inside the box from the bottom and inspect the scene before deciding how to proceed./DA
 
There's no need to be devastated Don. An analogue machine is just like any mechanical beast, a car for instance. It needs regular servicing. Would you be disappointed if you owned your car for 20 years, never replaced tires, oil, brakes, belts, never had it serviced etc..... and found it non functional? Of course not. It's expected. Same thing with your 688 or any other machine of this kind. Your 688 needs a new belt. Simple. Do as Dave suggests and do it carefully, slowly, noting changes as you go so that you can put it back together again.
 
Cjacek, Hi, Your points r duley noted & of course make sence. I've been spoiled thru the years of just firing up my 688, & listening thru the old mixes & reminicing. I called Tascam service & i was told that "ALL THE RUBBER parts needed to be replaced" (even the capstan motor) which makes sence, but, not the $150-200 pricetag having labor eat og most of that--all for an outdated "analog" system. Whereas i can SAVE that $ & put it towards a PC interface or a digital all-in-1 DAW.
****Does anyone know the circumpharance of the needed belt is ??? Y I am asking is because MAYBE, a vacumn cleaner drivebelt can be used as a sub. I know having the 688 down makes a good argument to the wife for my UPGRADE. Still, leaving a once thriving $2,500 member of my extended family-DOA-hurts. That may be hard to understand for anyone out here yet, mine & my wife's Blood, Sweat & Tears went into that 1990 "dream machine."
Teac is the ONLY place to go for a belt ???? Thaks for reading me.
 
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Belt.

It's hard to judge in black and white what a TEAC authorized service depot would tell you in a sight-unseen estimate. I'd not take it as gospel.

The way I'd look at it is this:

-Repair tech time will always quote you high $, as that's their business, bread/butter.

-It's impossible to state the 688 "needs all rubber replaced", when sight unseen and by your description that doesn't seem to be the case. If the FF/RW work and the Play/Rec tape motion has failed, that's a single item: the capstan belt. NOT the motor or the OTHER rubber parts (as minor as they may be the internal tires of the FF/RW mechanism is a hefty teardown of the unit to replace).

-A SINGLE CAPSTAN BELT will only set you back $10-$15 at most, and can be replaced by yourself, DIY style, at a tremendous savings. It's an effort to do, but is far from brain surgery or rocket science.

-I'm fairly experienced in repair of these units, tho I've never cracked open a 688, but I can be fairly certain the capstan belt replacement is neither difficult nor costly. To scare you with repair costs is part of the modern propaganda to always push an upgrade over any repair effort. I said PROPAGANDA & that's how I see it.

-For $15 and maybe 1.5 hours downtime you could fix the 688 unit and move on.

-IF you junk the 688 without repairing it, PLEASE send it to me!!!!

-I KNOW you're just itching to buy a newer unit, as your very first post opened with this idea, and following posts continued on this line of reasoning. HEY, there's nothing wrong with an upgrade, but it's the concept that the failure of the 688 has driven you to this point or supports this idea which is a little overblown of an idea.

-I'd recommend calling TASCAM Parts Dept (323)727-4840 [I hope I quoted that phone number correctly again?]... and just ask to purchase the capstan belt for the 688. They should have it in stock for a reasonable amount, and you don't have to sweat the measurement.

-Otherwise, it might pay to open up the bottom of the 688, remove the belt and measure it. Then just size a belt that's appx. 1/2" shorter than your old & stretched out belt. That's what people do when they lack or need the actual measurement of the belt. Get in there hands-on and measure it, then you know what you're looking for in sizes.

-You've made a grand effort getting the 688 out, or so it seems. I'd carry on and take it to the end zone with the MINOR repair that belt replacement really is. Once you've done that you'll kick yourself at how easy and effective it is, and how much $ they want for this in bench repair time,... which is literally like high seas piracy. Bench techs know most people won't want to work on their own gear, and there's a lucrative market in being a bench tech. However, when you get to the nuts and bolts of some of this stuff, it's really not that hard.

-After that repair, you'll have your chumly and familiar 688 baby repaired and back in action, and you'll have access to all those archive tapes you created back in the day. I'm all for seeing the 688 fixed. I don't believe it needs an all encompassing "refurbishment", and definitely not a motor, but once you endeavor a repair by yourself, you kind of go in on an exploratory mode and take on issues as you come across them.

-HINT: A tech service might say "all rubber and the motor" either as a scare tactic, or DOUBLE-HINT: some tech services may not have a clear idea of what is wrong, so they go into "throw parts at the problem"-mode. I've seen it a thousand times, myself being a former systems & peripherals repair tech.

-ANY MORE reasoning, floating ideas or cheerleading the points about vintage analog Portastudios or DIY repair, and I'd think I was just wasting my time. I can see the reasoning behind giving the 688 repair a shot, as I've done a few Portastudio belts & rubber refurbishments, and it's not all that hard, but it pays of well for the effort.

-Good luck with your repair and upgrade efforts. REMEMBER, the two ideas are not mutually exclusive, and I think it's a disservice to pose them as such. You can have them both, but it pains me to hear that the 688 needs a belt and so is a lost cause requiring a total upgrade. I, and most others on this forum do not see it that way. That's with all deference to you, or people who don't consider themselves techies or capable of such repairs. You should consider trying it before writing it off.

-In the TIME I've taken to write posts on this subject, the DIY belt replacement could have been done already. Think about it.

Thanx for reading me!:eek:;)/DA
 
I have a service manual for the 688 somewhere, I'll try finding it.
 
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