Tascam 488 MkII playback issue

boyrees

New member
Hi all,

I've recently picked up a tascam 488 mkII - everything seemed to be working ok, I've managed to record to all the tracks fine. However when playing back I'm not getting any signal to the master bus from track 2. The LED meters are showing signal coming from track 2 and I can monitor that track from the tape cue and hear it just fine, but when I assign track to to bus 1/2 or bus 3/4 I can barely hear it.

I've given the tape heads a clean but as I can hear it through the tape cue it would suggest the play head is working ok, so maybe there is something else wrong?? I've tried flicking the input selector back and forth but again nothing.

If anyone has any ideas on what the problem could be or how to solve I'd be really grateful! Would be interested to know if anyone else has had a similar problem!

Cheers!
 
There are buss strips in the unit and master sub section that could have broken solder joints on them. Most of this consumer grade stuff needs a lot of Kester 44 to make it reliable again.
 
I have used Kester solder for many years and it has never failed me. The non led stuff is junk. The top switches of the channels strips often get dirty and the remix or tape position may need a squirt of deoxit.
 
To show you how much resoldering I have to do to make repaired units reliable, I had to order a case of Kester 44 from Kimco and it was close to $500 for 25 rolls. I did sell some off to trainees that are local and sent some to guys I am training in other states. This is all the .031" stuff. I have seen it for as high as $45 a roll. I think if you buy bulk you can get it down to less than $20 a roll. I can remember buying 7 rolls back in the 80's for about $7.00ea.
This solder combined with a correct method to apply it will ensure much better longevity of decks that are repaired in that these joins will never brake. The wave solder methods I see in most equipment is anemic. Kind of like made to fail in a short time- don't drop the unit or subject it to vibration as it will not come out working. The thing is that these portable type units are likely to be dropped or handled rough at some point.
 
I've got a couple of rolls of Kester44, one 60/40 and the other 63/37. Its great stuff!

All the companies have gone to lead free wave solder because of environmental restrictions. You won't get ROHS compliance with lead based solder.
 
Sometimes you need to do the same as a Technician or bring the unit to one to resolve a problem as not all problems are easy and simple.
 
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