Tascam 424 buttons unresponsive

N

notbillcosby

Member
I just got a very very cheap 424! It didn’t power up at first, but after fixing the broken connections at the power jack it is doing fine. The capstan is spinning, but none of the transport buttons seem to do anything at all. It doesn’t even try, it’s like the board with the buttons is disconnected. But it’s not! I’ve opened it up and re-seated the ribbon cables that connect that board but nothing changed. Is ther a chip or cap(s) that tend to go out on these?
 
There's not much helpful info out there on this. It's definitely a common problem with these units.

There's a bit of info H E R E - scroll down to the post by TMOQuantity.
 
That post talks about the motor wearing out, but my motor is fine. My transport buttons do nothing... the heads don’t try to engage, the reels don’t twitch, nothing. Did I miss something on that page?
 
Probably not. The motor is one possibility. Some talk of drive belts, but everyone says theirs are fine - so a no-go there too. There aren't a lot of solutions other than to repair with very hard to find parts, or replace with a newer model.
 
I can’t imagine it’s an issue with the board that has the buttons on it- there’s nothing on that board but buttons and maybe LEDs, I don’t remember offhand. It’s gotta be either an issue with the ribbon cable or some component between there and the transport. Maybe a blown cap that my eyes didn’t spot? Maybe an IC that has gone out? I’ll do some further investigating. I guess the next step is to check continuity on all pins of the ribbon. I’ll report back.
 
Just wanted to ask if this problem was ever solved or if anyone else on here has any clues. I’ve got one with the same exact issue right now! Can’t figure it out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top