DA-78 Won't Read Tapes Now - Help me fix PB Condition!

[gaotu1978]

My DA-78 has barely been used. Only 18 total hours and was bought new and it is already experiencing PB Condition (where it can't read tapes). I tried cleaning and no success.

I don't know what could of gone wrong. It hasn't been traveling or anything. It's always in my smoke-free, low-dust studio. The most movement it's seen in a year is from one table to another.

I haven't cracked it open yet, but I'm willing to do it. I don't want to pay the high cost of getting it fixed.

Anyone else fixed their DA-78's or know anything about this problem? Please help me if you do. Thanks!

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

I haven't cracked it open yet, but I'm willing to do it. I don't want to pay the high cost of getting it fixed.

There's very little you can do unless you're an experienced tech for these units.... you're going to have to take it to the vet, I'm afraid.....

 

[gaotu1978]

How about buying a new head? Can that be done and where?

 

[satchmo]

Tascam has lists of qualified repair places that can probably send you a head. Replacement heads are expensive though -- usually have to replace the whole transport (or so I'm told).

It might be cheaper to take it to a tech for diagnosis at least, so then you can decide what to do.

 

[A Reel Person]

Just a layman's (non-DA-78 user's) opinion, so take it for what you will,...

but it's typically not a head failure, but a transport failure. The head would probably read tape, if the transport mechanism was loading and moving tape across it properly. That's from my basic experience with VCRs.