Tascam 388 HELP PLEASE?

  • Thread starter Thread starter SwanSong
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SwanSong

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Hi, I've recently had to fix my Tascam 388 myself, with little to no knowledge of the machine. I did fix the problem I had, but in doing so created another one. My old problem was the brake was stuck 'ON' on the take up reel, and the reel wouldn't move or play. I took it all apart, fixed that problem by freeing the brake. It seems that the machine had maybe sat in the heat to long because the brake was stuck, almost melted it seemed, to the cloth of the reel table. Well anyway, I got that straightened out, and put it all back together, and when I put a tape on and hit play, the feed reel broke. The little spindles on the top broke because the feed reel wanted to go the opposite direction it should have. It acted as if it wanted to rewind, breaking the fins on the spindle. I've since ordered a new reel table from tascam, and I'm about to put it on, but I don't want this one to brake the same as the old one.

SO FINALLY, my question is...

What would cause the feed reel to want to go backwards? I could have possibly used a magnetic screwdriver while doing all the work I mentioned above, I don't know if that would have any effect at all. As it sits right now, I can put tape on and play, because the take up reel just pulls it off the feed reel, and the feed reel spins freeley, but I can't rewind, and it makes an awful noise while doing that, which I'm sure is not the best way to go about things.

So, can ANYONE possibly help me? Sorry to write so much, just trying to give a good description of my problem.

Thank you so much to anyone who can help.
 
Also..

How do you go about getting the actual reel table off? Just with the allen keys that are underneath the table? It seems difficult to find the hole and turn, I was just curious if there was an easier way. Thanks.
 
The feed reel goes in the opposite direction duing play for back tension. It is supposed to do that.

It is hard to get to the allen screw, but that's the way to do it. The 388 can be hard to work on. Someone that has done it recently can tell you how to remove the top plate, which I think is the best way.
 
Hey Beck thanks for the quick response, i appreciate it. My 388 is fully functional again. The only real hitch in it now is that sometimes it's a bit sluggish in the Rewind/Fastfoward areas. Any idea why?
 
Is it sluggish all of the time, or just at the beginning of the reel?

If it's sluggish, it could be the amount of tension...

-MD
 
SwanSong said:
Hey Beck thanks for the quick response, i appreciate it. My 388 is fully functional again. The only real hitch in it now is that sometimes it's a bit sluggish in the Rewind/Fastfoward areas. Any idea why?
Click to expand...

There could be several reasons, including reel tension as MD mentioned. First, what kind of tape (brand/model) are you using and is it new or old?

If it was sitting long enough for the felt to be stuck to the brake, it could use a good going over, especially in lubrication and tape path cleaning.
 
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SwanSong said:
Hey Beck thanks for the quick response, i appreciate it. My 388 is fully functional again. The only real hitch in it now is that sometimes it's a bit sluggish in the Rewind/Fastfoward areas. Any idea why?
Click to expand...
The tension and back tension is all servo controlled. The simple answer is that you need to adjust the tension arm position servos so that the tension arm's centerline is at the same horizontal level as the bottom of the idler rollers. Consult the manual for a diagram. When servos are adjusted to this particular "tension", it will be at optimal balance and capability, which directly affects FF/RW, though the FF/RW speeds are also individually adjustable. If the servos are out of adjustment, tension arm position would be out of "spec", which would in turn adversely affect the RW/FF functions. If tension arm position adjustment didn't fix it, I'd then juice it up by adjusting the FF/RW speed adjustments. It's all in the Reel/Servo board adjustments. (Pls consult manual).

You obviously have to cover the basics, such as sticky tape shed and other things that could cause drag on the tape & transport first, before going in deep. :eek: ;)
 
Thank you guys very much. I will check all that out. It does take a second to get going while rewinding and it'll get going to normal speed in about 4 seconds or so. Fastforward won't go. It trys, but won't. But it plays/records absolutley fine. Is there any website I can go to for advice on stickyshed, such as how to detect it and how to clean it and so on? Thanks for the help once again guys, I really appreciate it.


By the way we're using Quantegy 457.
 
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