sticky shed syndrome

[nag hammadi]

i am brand new to this, so if this is a dumb question, please forgive me.

is there a "guide" to saving a machine infected by the sticky tape syndrome?

i ask because my trusty tascam just stopped playing.

ff and rew work like a charm, but play = sadness.

definitely had just put some old tape on. which by the way sounded fantastic when i recorded some drums.

next morning = dead machine.

 

[jpmorris]

Those are the symptoms of a capstan problem. With sticky tape it either coats itself over the transport or behaves erratically, e.g. stopping or slowing down for no obvious reason... a lot will depend on how smart the transport is.
What machine is this, by the way?

Chances are that the belt has failed. Try the following with no tape on the machine:

1. Hold down the right tension arm. Does the capstan (the silver post, usually to the right of the tape heads) rotate? If not, can you hear the motor running?

2. If the capstan doesn't rotate when the tape is loaded or the tension arm is held down, does it spin freely if you rotate it by hand? There is a flywheel attached to the capstan so it will be heavy.

It's also possible that the belt has expanded or melted just enough for the capstan to turn when it's freewheeling and slip when it's actually given some tape.

If you're confident enough, you might consider taking the front cover off the machine. This is not fun on the 32, 34 and 38, but a lot easier on the TSR-8.