Tascam 246 Troubleshooting

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dhagen

New member
I recently picked up a Tascam 246. The thing appears to be like new. It all lights up and the meters register a signal. But I put a tape in it, hit play, and only the left reel moves. The right reel doesn't spin, and all the tape comes spewing out. What's the problem?

If I can get the tape to spin properly, I'm then wondering about mixing. Channels one and three are on the left, and two and four are on the right. That means I really only have two tracks to work with. Even with bouncing tracks around, things would end up only on one side of the mix. Is there any way around that? Is there anyone out there with experience using these things that can give me some advice on mixing?

Thanks!

---------- Post added at 16:22 ---------- Previous post was at 15:34 ----------

It appears that the 246 is spinning the tape counterclockwise when it should be spinning clockwise. I'm confused...
 
You might need to find someone who can repair it, because it sounds like the machine is having issues with the motor that controls the reels. I've heard of these reels motors failing and people telling me to use as small a tape as possible in order to avoid putting unnecessary strain on them.
 
The most common cause of the problem you describe for the 246 is a bad idler tire assembly. The left reel is turning because the pinch roller/capstan are pulling the tape through, as they should. However the rubber idler tires have either become gooey or hard and slick. Either condition will cause the right reel to slip so it doesn’t keep up with the speed of the capstan. Thus the tape is “dumped” into the cassette well instead of being spooled onto the take-up reel of the cassette. I bought a new 246 when they came out and still own it. In that time (since about 1986) I’ve only had to replace the idler tires once, the capstan drive belt twice, the control belt once, and the pinch roller once. Not bad at all. And it still performs better than listed factory specs.

I recommend you replace all the rubber as I’ve listed above for any of the Tascam Portastudios that use rubber idlers and drive belts... and any other cassette deck for that matter. These are the most common points of mechanical failure on a cassette deck. The rubber pinch roller could also be gooey worsening the problem. The tape will stick to it and tangle around it. Sticky pinch rollers and/or bad idler tires are the chief causes of a cassette deck “eating” tape.

Once you have the rubber parts replaced… and if the heads aren’t terribly worn, and no electronic issues it should run like a new one. Somewhere lost in some ancient posts on this forum I give instructions for changing these parts. But the best instructions I’ve seen are from our own Dr. ZEE, a member here who has provided a lot of great info over the years. You can find the instructions at his website below for the Tascam 244, but the repairs in question here apply to the 246 as well.

MZE-Electroarts Entertainment - MZEntertainment.com: Dr. ZEE WORKSHOP TASCAM-244 4-track Cassette Portastudio Restoration and Servicing Project

As for your question about mixing it appears you need to acquaint yourself with some basic recording principles. The 246 has 4 distinct tracks that can be recorded with 1 to 4 tracks at a time, and then panned anywhere in the stereo field using the integrated mixer. Too much to go into in a post, as the capabilities of the 246 are quite extensive. You’ll need a user manual. The one for the 246 is very well written and should provide all the info you need. Unless you’re referring to a problem with your particular unit that’s causing issues with the mixer section? You might want to clarify a bit.
 
Yeah...what he said.

You can record either direct (channel one to track one, channel 2 to track 2), or mix any mixer channel to a L and and R recording buss, or combine both methods. Bottom line: the mixer's bussing allows any channel or a combination of channels to be routed to one or more tape tracks of your choosing. Get yourself a manual and like Beck said read it. There are step-by-step tutorials in there to teach you how to use the machine to take advantage of its features.
 
Thank you very much for the help. After further examination of the problem, I believe the idler tires needing to be replaced is exactly what I need to do. And those repair instructions you provided are great! Thanks very much.

I do already have the manual for the 246 and I've read it through once. I'll just have to read it a couple more times and mess around with the recorder once I get the thing functioning properly. Thank you!
 
If you need idler tires then you will need belts as well.

Best to replace while you are in there.
 
Okay I have opened up the 246 and located the idler tires. They look practically new. There is no deterioration of the rubber and no melted rubber on the motor pulley. Everything looks great. The idler tire pushes up against the reel when I hit play but it just doesn't spin. Could it be that the motor itself is toast?
 
Tape counter belt may be bad and that could shut down the spin on this motor.

Don't trust those tires as good. Replace them while you have it open.
 
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