E16 - advice please

[daddyK]

HI This is going to come across as quite a stupid post but i need help!
I'm going to check out a Fostex E16 tomorrow and obviously i need to check it over before i part with my cash. I have ben told the heads not worn and it's in very good condition.
If anyone could give me some advice on what else to check & how i go about checking the heads & other bits it would be greatly appricated
Many thanks
K

 

[Beck]

It takes some experience to determine head condition. Look at the guides near the heads, as well as the head itself. If they are worn flat it indicates lots of use. The tape lifters may look more worn than anything else but don’t worry about that. They get more wear from FFW and RW.

Also move a finger across the head… it should be smooth. If you can count the tracks by feeling, don’t buy it.

Check out every feature. Bring a CD player with RCA outs and record something on every track, two at a time. See that levels on the meters match and everything sounds ok, subjectively to your ear on playback.

Take your time. If the seller doesn’t want to let you check it out thoroughly, then walk away.

Tim

 

[daddyK]

Beck thanks for that was a great help!

Right well I looked at the heads an there seemed to be no wear at all - all the arms and guides etc also seem to have no wear!

Although on 3 of the channels a couple of LED's weren't working, and when I plugged into channel 1 the signal came up fine but also on channel 9 and when in channel 2 the lights also came up on 10 & so on!

The main thing was though when rewinding the tape the motor seemed to really really struggle and sometimes grinded to a halt! but when i moved the tension arms it seemed to pick up again!

Part of the problem was the bloke said he had tape so i turned up and it was absolutely shot. The machine and the tape have been in storage for a couple of years.

Does this sound easily fixable or is it best (as i feel) to leave it and keep looking for another one? it must be said that the machine was used by a language school and by all accounts has had very very little use!

Whatcha all think?

many thanks

K

 

[jpmorris]

Beck thanks for that was a great help!
Right well I looked at the heads an there seemed to be no wear at all - all the arms and guides etc also seem to have no wear!

........

Does this sound easily fixable or is it best (as i feel) to leave it and keep looking for another one? it must be said that the machine was used by a language school and by all accounts has had very very little use!

I don't know how much they were asking, but it's probably worth snagging as a 'parts' machine for the heads and guides alone. You can't even get Fostex heads anymore, but the TSR-8 head is like £350 ($700) new. And hey, if you can get it fixed, so much the better.

You know, on first read it sounds like some kind of sensor problem. If so, you might be able to clean it into working if the tension arms are optical sensors, or else it's probably a matter of replacing the microswitch.

 

[Beck]

The main thing was though when rewinding the tape the motor seemed to really really struggle and sometimes grinded to a halt! but when i moved the tension arms it seemed to pick up again!

Most likely not the machine, but bad tape with sticky-shed. With a nice tape path like that I would snag it. Everything else can be fixed. Everything in analog is used these days, so you will find most machines have an issue or two. Part of the total cost is having it checked out and calibrated. Electronic flakiness can be fixed. Worn-out heads cannot.

Tim