TEAC 32-2B Tape falling from heads during play/record

  • Thread starter Thread starter flyingace
  • Start date Start date
Walking on the the pinch roller? I don’t remember you talking about this. Remember I said earlier the pinch roller mounts must not be very robust because the service manual has instructions for aligning them (bending them back into alignment) and there is a special tool to set the spacing between the two. Hinky.
 
You can manually push a pinch roller up to a capstan shaft and, with a bright light shining on the backside, look to see if the pinch roller mating with the capstan shaft meets square and simultaneously blocks all light when it contacts the shaft. If it’s not parallel, or you see hills and valleys, it’s time to align the roller mounts or replace the rollers respectively.
 
I thought I mentioned earlier that after the tape falls off the heads, the squealing sound starts and the tape gets “squirrely”, sorry, i should have been more descriptive and less southern (ha ha) about it. I meant that the tape started walking around on the pinch roller as shown in the video.
If you’re looking at the X-10R manual, I don’t think it’s diffferent than mine about those adjustments. Here is what mine says on pinch roller measurement and that it’s not adjustable, and on the tension arm adjustment. It speaks like a badly written manual, of course, and is confusing but I think it is talking about tape alignment adjustments?

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This is what I’m talking about regarding pinch roller spindle alignment…it is toward the end of the mechanical setup instructions:

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I can check those alignments tomorrow. Our power just went off here, 7” of snow for us in NW Arkansas is a lot for our systems to handle, saw a transformer blow while taking the dogs out. Gonna be a cold night!
Thanks for sending that, I see that in both manuals now! I hope that’s not the case and hoping that the tension arm and pinch pressure will fix it up. sure would be the easiest solution for my needs! Then we’ll see if the heads are trashed ha ha. It’s just time, not spending any $$ yet.
An Otari sure would be easier to work on. Who else made Pro R2R into the 90s? I know the Tascam BR-20 was all the way up to 2004 but people want too much for what they are, the Otaris are a better deal. Thanks again!
 
Alignments looked just fine. I also did all the other adjustments to the pinch roller pressure and stroke. All to no avail, same problem with the ATR tape leaving the heads and the walking around, and eventually off, of the tape on the take up reel side pinch roller. Other than spending money on new pinch rollers and going to the trouble to get a new capstan belt, all of which is speculative - I give up and put it all back together, to storage it goes back to tomorrow until someone either buys it or ???
I also think that I have enough vintage gear to maintain for now, maybe adding a 2 track reel to reel isn’t the smartest use of my money, I was just hoping since I already owned this that it would work. Oh well.
Thank you everyone for your help!
 
Does the tape fall from the heads between the capstans? I had the same problem with my unit. Does your unit have both capstan belts? The issue I had was the supply capstan (on the right) was turning ever so slightly faster than the left. Pulling one of the belts off resolved the problem.
 
The pulleys are different sizes. One side is supposed to turn slightly faster. That’s what creates the tension across the heads. New belts, new pinch rollers and ensuring the pinch roller mechanisms are working properly usually solves these issues. Pulling one belt off nulls the way the system is supposed to work and creates a situation where the tape to head contact is not sufficient.
 
thankfully I sold that unit and purchased a Tascam 32 that is working perfectly for me.
 
There ya go.

I’m not a fan of that design on those Tascam and Teac decks. It’s similar to the dual capstan design on the likes of the Pioneer RT-909 and such. I know they have a following. I’m just not a fan.
 
I was super happy to find one of those “enthusiasts” that bought it for more than I acquired it for, knowing how to fix it. The Tascam 32 has been a good “pro” level machine for me in my studio. I have it connected to my M-520 console and can record anything that comes through the board in the room quickly and it’s my favorite way to capture ideas.

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