Tascam Portastudio 424 MK3 belts and pinch roller

J

juoppoeemeli

New member
Hi, I have recorded quite a lot with this Tascam 424 mk3 piece. I have noticed that annoying wow has appeared when recording/listening tracks. Sometimes the recorder works perfectly and no wow can be heard but sometimes I can hear a slight change of speed causing that it sounds like guitar on track one is not in tune with guitar on track 2. I know there is some wow and flutter in this tascam originally but this now is too much. What can cause this? Or what could fix this problem? New belts and a pinch roller? I tried to look for a service kit for 424 mk3 but couldn´t find one. There is a service kit for 424 MK2 on sale on Ebay. It includes two belts and a pinch roller. Could those parts be the same in my MK3? Can someone verify they fit?
Thanks in advance!

Joonas
 
I don't know*** !

I don't know about service kits from eBay, but when you're in that venue you pretty much go on faith til proven or disproven.

I don't know if the internals of the 424mk2 are similar enough to 424mk3, but on gut feeling I believe they are. They may be identical.

I don't think you need to be concerned with replacing the pinch roller of a 424mk3 if you keep the original one clean and check it once in a while. It takes quite a while and environmental assault for a pinch roller to break down, however they will become dirty and slick which may cause noticeable problems. Alternately, having a Mk2 pinch roller on hand could always be kept in reserve for a rainy day. More likely than not that belts and pinch rollers will be compatible between the Mk2 and Mk3.

A pinch roller is beyond it's service life if it's hard, slick and cracked, or worse yet has flat spots or detents, but sometimes dirty and servicable pinch rollers can be revived with proper cleaning or rubber cleaning/restoring compound. A real no go is if the pinch roller develops a gooeyness and that's really fatal at that point. Rule of thumb in my mind is the pinch roller rubber should look and feel identical to that of a new car tire. If you're in doubt, go check it in person the next time you're at Walmart or other venue selling new tires.

The belt and pinch roller,... just call Tascam parts @ (323)727-4840 and find them there for proper sizing and reasonable cost. The only consideration there is they do not ship internationally.

Wow and flutter are used as a synonymous phrase. In my nonexpert opinion I believe wowwing would be more often relative to the belt and flutter would be more relative to the pinch roller, perhaps among other more less likely secondary issues. In general, as I think there are exceptions to every rule and a host of other unknown factors.

:spank::eek:;)
 
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Hello again,

I took my Tascam to a local electronic repairman and told him what is the problem. He almost immediately said it´s the motor. So, my friend ordered a new motor from Audiolabga Atlanta (Tascam 424 mk3 motor type is Mabuchi EG530KD-2B) and drivebelts from Ebay England for me. I thought it it wise to change the belts at same time. When parts arrived I gave them to the repairer. Few days later he called me it´s ready. He also said that new flatbelt was wrong length but luckily the old one was in good condition and could be used again. New squarebelt fitted just fine and the motor too. Nothing wrong with the pinch roller he added. I picked it up today and quick-tested it before I went to work. Everything seems to be working just fine. I certainly hope that I got rid of that annoying wow for good.:thumbs up:
 
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