swapping rec/play amp card in Tascam 388

MagnumPI

MagnumPI

New member
Hi there,
I was wondering if anyone knows the steps to swapping rec/play amp card in Tascam 388?
I have a problem with extreme volume dips on channels 1 and 3 on my machine and would like to see if the culprit is the rec/play amp card as suggested by some kind forum members.
Also does anyone know where I could get a new card if that does reveal the problem?
Thanks. M.
 
The cards are located behind the meters. The card for 1-3 is at the back left corner of the card bay. Card 2-4 is in front of it. You have to be very careful pulling these out. Sometimes they can be very hard to remove. Grab the card by the corners and very gently pull up while slightly rocking it side to side. It may take a bit of work. When you get it out, do the same for card 2-4. Now when putting the card back in, you have to be very very careful. You have to make sure the pins on the motherboard line up with the connectors on the cards. You don't want to bend these pins!. Use a flashlight to light up where the connections are when re inserting the cards. New cards aren't available anymore for the 388. Keep an eye on ebay for used ones. It's always good to have spares. If there is a problem with the card, it could be repaired. It might just be a bad capacitor.
 
+1 to everything j.harv said. He's spot on. Look in the corners of the cards. If there are little holes there you can loop some wire through them to give you something more to hold on to as you rock the card from side to side. You have to be pretty firm in your application of pressure but gentle (i.e. just do everything nice and slowly). Don't be surprised if it takes some strength the first time you pull a card out if that's what it takes. For many of these machines the cards may very well have never been pulled and, well, after nearly 3 decades they think they can just stay in there. There are card guides on the sides of the card, so you can't pop it out crooked...the guides will prevent that. Just grasp the corners with your thumb and forefingers and leverage the pinky-side of your hands against the surfaces to the sides of the card so you have some controlled leverage. Just work back and forth applying that slow but firm pressure...it'll come out.

If you have the manual there is a page in the service manual section that details which card is what.

Make sure the machine is powered off and unplugged before removing any cards, and make sure all the cards are in place before reconnecting to the mains power and switching the unit on.
 
Hi Guys,
So I'm going to pull the cards today. Im hoping they will come out ok. Will keep you posted. Ill try to take some pictures for some future unlucky soul who might have to go the same route. Anything else I could be looking for when I've got the 388 open?
(The problem was that track 1 recording volume was dipping and coming back for a while then track 3 started up and then both quickly became unusable.)
 
Not that I can think of. Re-seat the cards, the four amp cards, and I'd suggest doing the dbx cards as well...two of those. If the problem persists then try swapping the 1-3 card with another as suggested and see if the problem follows the card. Do keep us posted!
 
thanks for this advice from 9 years in the future. I looped electrical wire through the holes on the side of the card to get a good grip on the card and rocked the cards back and forth to pull them loose. it worked! 388 foreva
 
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