Tascam 688 won’t read tape and play

pattarginkom

pattarginkom

Member
Hey there, I’m planning to pick up and repair a 688. The problem with it is that it works perfectly for about two minutes then it starts to get all wonky and won’t play or read the tape. The magnetic heads go up and down confusedly and then stop.

The rewind and fast forward features work, and the belt HAS been replaced.
The arms that sense tape have also been cleaned thoroughly.
Thinking it may be the capstan motor but not sure.

Do any of y’all have any idea or advice what this may be and how to fix it? Thank you!
 
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You can not fix these by guessing the unit needs to go to a Technician- a belt by itself is a waste of time as there are many other things in it that need service. The Belt only idea is stupid and I tell people that all the time. A single belt in a unit does not make or allow the deck to work correctly- it is just a part of a much larger system.
 
skywaveTDR said:
You can not fix these by guessing the unit needs to go to a Technician- a belt by itself is a waste of time as there are many other things in it that need service. The Belt only idea is stupid and I tell people that all the time. A single belt in a unit does not make or allow the deck to work correctly- it is just a part of a much larger system.
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Well, I could bring to a technician, but being fairly competent with repairs I wanted to take my hand at it first as I am getting more and more into repairing older electronics. I’m not afraid to service the bigger picture of the tape playback unit I just need to do my research before hand.
I figure someone in this forum must have a lead on what’s going on.

Right to repair!
 
Well if you can get to he transport then the turn of the flywheel or the assist cam can put the deck back into stop position. If the capstan belt is lose then it can not turn the flywheel to make the mechanical cam system work. There are sometimes cam belts by themselves that are driven by a different motor- If you can turn that pulley then the cam will get back to stop position where the heads retract. The problem that exists is that some decks have screws in the cassette well to take out to get the top cover off. If the tape is in there you don't have access to the screws so tape needs to come out first. If you are technical minded person I am surprised that you did not take the tape out as I suggested before by taking it apart. The 688 does have those screws in the well so I think you need to do this.
 
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