TEAC 101- My First Thread

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Dead_Bishop

New member
Hello all.

I am new to the board and I have found lots of useful info here. Thank you. After a thirty year hiatus from reel to reel tape recorders I am back. I have been around these things since I was born and my earliest memories are of my father with his 1957 VoM recording jazz off the AM radio. I have all of his tapes dating back all those years although I will never play them. When was the last time you saw "Irish" brand tape still in the box?:)

Anyway, more to my point, I have three TEACs here. Two A3440 (no "s") and an A3300. I am by no means a techie when it comes to electronics, and I didn't retain the knowledge on basic servicing as it has been thirty plus years since I have dealt with this stuff. So I have some stupid newbie questions and I hope you all have patience with them.

The primary A3440 needs major servicing. Pots and switches need to be cleaned, new belts, and so on. Where is a good place to start? It's not the "taking it all apart" that is the problem, it's the "putting it all back together and make it work" that scares me. Would I be better off finding a place near where I live (San Bernardino, Ca) or pack up all three and ship them off to somewhere and say "Please make one work"?

I am game for almost anything at this point. Being on disability at the moment doesn't allow me to have the primary sent out for rehab so cost is (as always) an issue, but I do have time.

Thanks again.

Paul
 
Great way to spend your time. It'll be worth it.

I'd start off by getting some Caigs de-oxit. You can use that to spray in the all the pots and help clean up any de-oxide built up on any of the contacts. The directions are on the package for general use but you'll see when you get in the machine there are little slits in the pots that you can aim the sprayer into. It's the best stuff for the job.
 
Paul,

Welcome to the Analog Only forum! :)

+1 to everything SteveM said. That DeoxIT not only helps to clean and restore conductive surfaces, but leaves behind a coating that protects from future oxidation and improves conductivity. I don't think anything else has been nominated in the time I've been involved in this forum for the purpose. ;)

When you spray it into the pots just have a rag handy to wipe up excess...don't be shy with it is what I've found. You can also spray it into switches. Work whatever you spray it into...spray, then toggle/push the switch or rapidly work the pot from stop to stop with a shoelace around the knob. Test and repeat as necessary.

Do you have the manuals for your decks?

Any parts you do find that you need, contact Tascam first...more often than not they have common parts in stock even on these older decks and they are usually, oddly enough, the cheapest place to get them IMO.

I used to have a 3340S...though not the same as your 3300 or A3440, there are certainly family ties. :) It was a wonderful deck and, though I sold it years and years ago to pursue the phantoms of digital perfection :rolleyes:, the impression it left on me at a relatively young age is what ultimately drew me back to analog.

You can get those decks going yourself in the comfort of your own home, learn them inside and out as you go and fun at it.

Let us know how we can help! ;)
 
Thanks for the replies.

I have the user manual that came with the first deck. I downloaded a A3440 service manual in pdf form yesterday. Cost me $8 but hey, I now have one right?

I seam to recall that my dad used a head cleaner that smelled like nail polish remover. Now we are talking the dark ages here, before color tv and the EPA. Does Acetone ring a bell or do I just stick to alcohol?

Tascam's service center is only an hour drive from my house and hopefully, i can get new belts there. Since I have a parts unit, I should be OK for any light bulbs and hardware items I may need.

It will be a few days before I start this project so I will take some photos as I progress. Any ideas where to get a degouser?

Thanks again.
 
For cleaning the heads and tape path you can use isoprpoyl alcohol, or denatured alcohol. Haven't realy seen anything that makes believe one is better than the other. If you use iso alcohol make sure it is at least 91% purity. 99% is even better, but harder to find...in either case make sure it is anhydrous (i.e. no water content...it will either say "anhydrous" on the label, or look to see if water is in the ingredients). If you go the denatured alcohol route just make sure it is good quality, name brand or something. You can get it at your local hardwarfe store. I use a video/audio head cleaner made by MG Chemical, but to be honest it may just be one or the other products mentioned above. :o

For to degausser, I, and I'm pretty sure everybody else here will tell you not to skimp...there is a unit called the Han-D-Mag. Google it. It is about $80 new :eek:, but it is wort every penny. I'm speaking from experience. You can find them on eBay and such for a bit less, maybe $50 ~ 60 used. There is also the Teac E-3, or before that the E-2...if you can find one of them on the used market they are good units as well.
 
Did your .pdf manual download include the parts lists, schematics and all that stuff?
 
I just sent you a Private Message (PM).

Glad you've got the manual. Absolutely invaluable. ;)
 
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