Tascam 244 no sound output

  • Thread starter Thread starter Findlay
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Findlay

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I'm in a bit of a panic - just switched on my oldest and best 244 and, after working perfectly for ages, there is no sound output - the meters light up and transport works but there is is no deflection of the meters and no sound coming out - can't get anything to show up on the meters when I connect inputs either. Thinking it might be a fuse I've taken the back off and found the two fuses nearest the front as you look down on the fuse panels have blown. Anyone know what value these are and if this might be the problem? - maybe something more serious has caused it. Grateful for any help - apologies If I can't get back quickly, my internet connection is playing up too!
 
Is the value stamped into the fuse casing? (Or etched onto the circuit board?) If not, you'll need to look it up in the schematics (or try and get someone who has the schematics to post the fuse values).

I have had a number of older pieces of equipment just suddenly blow fuses, e.g. my Waldorf MicroWave, and the remote control on my Otari MX80 (that really was a panic, given the cost).
In both cases I replaced the fuse like-for-like and so far they've been perfectly happy since. It may be that a low-value fuses deteriorate somehow over the decades.

So, if you can get the values, I'd definitely try that first. Panic if they keep blowing.
 
Like JP says, only panic if they keep blowing.
From vintage car restoration I've found the same fuse issue. Old glass fuse sitting forever, first time it gets hit with some juice, Bam ! Blows. Put a new one in and it's fine.
Not saying this is the case but it can happen.
I do however hope this is the case in your situation.
:D
 
Thanks guys. I just managed to read the values of the fuses and they are both 500mA. I had a few spare 250mA quick blow fuses to hand and tried these thinking ( it could do no harm - they blew straightaway. I guess this might be expected? I was a bit surprised though. Going to try to get 500mA tomorrow - not sure if I need quick blow or not - any ideas?
 
That sucks! Does it say on the fuses whether they are slo-blow or not?

FWIW, I had the same thing happen on a gig one night with my Fender Concert amp (tube amp). Got back up to play the second set, and the amp wouldn't come back on. The sound guy had spare fuses, and that did the trick. I used the amp for over 5 years after that and never had a problem. And I've always heard that fuses blowing in tube amps means there's something wrong with the amp, but it was just fine for years.

Go figure.
 
Findlay said:
Thanks guys. I just managed to read the values of the fuses and they are both 500mA. I had a few spare 250mA quick blow fuses to hand and tried these thinking ( it could do no harm - they blew straightaway. I guess this might be expected? I was a bit surprised though. Going to try to get 500mA tomorrow - not sure if I need quick blow or not - any ideas?
Click to expand...

As it happens, I did exactly the same with the Otari - I did not believe it would need a whole 1A just for the remote control, and put in lower value. It blew instantly. So again, try with 500mA fuses and then panic if it still fails.

I don't know about the quick-blow vs slow-blow thing. Just as a finger-in-the-air thing, quick-blow would be the safer option if no-one knows. However, if it is supposed to be slow-blow, e.g. it's expecting spikes during initial powerup or something, it will just blow the fuses again and we'd be back to square one.

However, I would only try slow-blow if we can establish that that's what it wants. Slow-blow when the circuit expects quick-blow fuses would be Bad, since if there really is a major fault, it may result in additional damage before cutting out.
 
Thanks FB and JP.

FB - no indication whether slow blow!

JP - I'm beginning to panic a bit! I put 2 quick blow 500mA fuses in and switched on. There was a bit of a longer delay than normal I think before the sound came back but it did! Everything worked perfectly. I then switched off to put the back on 244PowerSupplyAdd.webp244PowerSupply.webpand screw it up. Switched back on and no sound! Fuses had blown again, I replaced them and everything was fine. Used the machine for about an hour. Switched off, left for a few minutes and switched back on. Worked fine. Left it half an hour and switched back on and the fuses blew again - no sound. I found the schematic which I've attached. Interestingly the US version doesn't seem to have these fuses (have you seen any in yours FB?), only the European one on connections 6 and 8. I'm not too good at this but wonder if there is a leaky capacitor? C920 across the rectifier and connections 6 and 8 is a 250V 0.01 microfarad metallised. There is a fair bit of hum in the 'phones, which maybe indicates some leaky caps somewhere. Had this for a while though.

PS sorry if the images look a bit strange - haven't posted any here before...
 
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Hmm. We're approaching the limit of my knowledge here. It does look like something has gone short on the audio circuit.
If it were me, I'd see if it's possible to work out which channel is doing this, e.g. by unplugging all of them (if possible), switching on, switching off again and plugging in each channel until the fuses blow. If they're not blowing immediately it's not going to be much fun, and you'd need a big box of fuses for that kind of diagnostics.

Alternatively you could try a shotgun approach of replacing all the electrolytic capacitors and seeing if that helps.

If you're not confident doing either of those, it's probably best to find a tech.
 
Thanks jp. I'll try to psyche up to do that. Maybe I ought to buy a load of fuses on eBay - they are 25p a pop from Maplin and I might need 100s! Just one other thought - I wonder if that rectifier after the fuses is shorting? I guess I should be able to poke about a bit with a multimeter but I find that schematic a bit difficult.
 
Just thought I'd update. I cleaned out the local shop with 500mA fuses so this morning tried fitting a pair of 630mA quick blows. Bad engineering I know. But so far so good - managed to switch on and off ok over about an 8 hour period. Even recorded a new song on this treasured machine. Hoping to be able to use it soon to transfer my ancient tapes using the Terratec kindly sent by jp. Thanks for everyone's help.

PS I still wonder if the USA versions have the fuses. Appreciate it if you guys take a look sometime. The manual seems to indicate they are only fitted for 244s sold in Europe.
 
Findlay said:
Just thought I'd update. I cleaned out the local shop with 500mA fuses so this morning tried fitting a pair of 630mA quick blows. Bad engineering I know. But so far so good - managed to switch on and off ok over about an 8 hour period. Even recorded a new song on this treasured machine. Hoping to be able to use it soon to transfer my ancient tapes using the Terratec kindly sent by jp. Thanks for everyone's help.
Click to expand...

Good to hear - I hope using a larger fuse doesn't damage it if there is a genuine problem. Good luck with the transfers!
 
Thanks jp and FB. Day two and it is still working! A bit concerned about any possible damage though.... I'm still wondering why fuses aren't fitted in the US versions of the 244 and wonder if anyone can confirm this?

Just opened up the parcel with the Terratec jp - what a super bit of kit. Thanks for the well wishes for the transfers - will start in earnest next week. One great aspect of the 8 inputs is that I can use them for the analogue outputs of my old Roland drum machine which I used for tape sync.
 
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