Tascam 80-8 Issues Galore

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bluenoisesongs

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Hi!

This is my first time using a reel to reel, so please excuse my newbness. Just bought an 80-8 with dx-8 noise reduction unit off ebay for $275 and I'm just trying to get it up and running.

I threaded the tape (I believe correctly) so that if I press fast forward the tape goes from the reel on the left to the reel on the right. Here's the problem. There's so much tension on the tape that in fast forward the reel only turns at a snails pace. pressing play will cause the reel to budge about two inches and then stop completely. If I physically move the reel along maunually the speed increases.

Also, if the unit is off, turning one reel with my hand will not cause the other reel to move with it. Instead, the tape just gets extremely taught.

Does this sound like a belt problem or could there be a problem with how I'm threading the tape? By the way, the capstan has a lot of rust on in, which I'm sure is increasing the friction, but it doesn't seem like that would be enough to cause the amount of tension there is.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!

Rick
 
First, check the capstan. This is belt-driven and so may have failed for that reason. It's not uncommon.
This is this small metal shaft just above the rubber pinch-roller. When the system is in Play mode, this should rotate and drag the tape along at a constant speed. If the belt has rotted or is starting to go, you'll get the kind of symptoms you're reporting (this will also happen if the tape is NOT threaded between the roller and the capstan, of course!)

The only other common problem like this is that the tape itself may have become sticky. Are you using brand-new stock or something which came with the machine? Ampex tape prior to about 1995 is susceptible to this kind of issue.
 
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Given this involves Play and Fast-Forward I too would look at threading and the tape itself. There's a lot of bad tape out there that can cause a transport to act like this.

As JP asked, please let us know what brand and model of tape you're using, and if you bought it used or new. We can go from there.

:)
 
Hi!

Thanks for your quick replies. The tape I'm using is a used reel of Quantegy 456. I just got rid of pretty much all the rust on the capstan and I'm still experiencing the same issues. When I don't thread the tape through any of the heads (directly from one reel to the next) it runs pretty flawlessly, which makes me think the threading might be the problem.

Are there any pics available that show the proper way to thread the machine?
 
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Threading diagram...
 

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Just bought a teac 80-8 as well .
Managed to play some old tapes, but no luck with recording yet.
I find it very strange that that when i press play the reels turn clockwise.
Is that normal with this model ?
Any advice on how to use this machine would be appreciated,
i have the manual and tried to follow the instructions, but the thing talked more about maintenance,than actual recording .
 
Not sure but is that tape deck bi directional? If it is that would explain the reels turning clockwise when you press play. Please let me know.
 
My first thought is sticky tape, it can bring the trasnsport to a halt in no time. The belt can also be an issue on an old machine. My advice is to change the belt and try new tape. :)
 
Hi,

I'm having trouble recording on my 80-8 .
Some tracks seem to work fine for a while, then they don't,
sometimes I'll only get a signal when positioning the input level knobs in a certain way,also I get noise when I turn them sometimes .
The only tape that I have at the moment is some early 90's Agfa PEM 468 .
Heads seem fine....
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
 
Heads "seem" fine?

  • Make sure the heads are clean-clean-clean using 100% cotton makeup remover pads and either 91% or better isopropyl alcohol or good quality denatured alcohol.
  • Make sure the tape path is thoroughly degaussed using an appropriate demagnetizer like the Annis Han-D-Mag.
  • Get some good contact cleaner like Caig Lab's DeoxIT and clean the level pots.
  • If none of the above do the trick you may want to reseat the amp cards...they are accessible from the front on the 80-8 behind the meter panel...should be a few screws to remove and then flip the panel down and one-by-one pull the cards, spray contact cleaner on the connections, seat and re-seat.

That PEM468 should be just fine AFAIK...good tape.
 
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