This is great. I’ve always wanted one of these and I bought a broken one that seems to be in great condition. You already told me why everything that’s wrong it happening. So great. I think I picked the right machine.
Thanks for this series- I recently pulled out my 244 as I was recruited to transfer some old 4 track masters of a performer who recorded in my studio 30 yrs ago- he no longer can play guitar that well due to arthritis and his playing and voice were at their best in these recordings. I opened up the machine and the belts were goo....!!! Got new belts - idler tyres were not available easily so went with O rings and did that neat trick of spinning an abrasive to flatten the profile. Still can't get it to play properly- with just the belts replaced I had 20 minutes of flawless playback- then the idlers started to disintegrate. So at the near disaster of eating one of these masters I took it back to the bench. Still not getting it to play without the idler putting the FF hub into motion. Found a pinch roller that fit perfect out of a busted Yamaha ( as it was about to go as well). It looks like the idler tyre might be too thick and not missing the spindle FF drive. Maybe more of that rotating rubber fabricating. I would have thrown in the towel on this but you are keeping me on it- a lot riding on it after all for this singer-songwriter.
Yeah unfortunately if you go the route of adapting o- rings there are pitfalls...you're looking for an o-ring which - once sanded - only protrudes 1-2 mm past the lip of the idler wheel. Good luck!
This is a godsend. I refer to this yearly, lol. Had the deck going into fast forward when hitting play. Only replaced the belts a few years ago, but must be on the way out again
That means the pinch roller isn't pushing all the way up against the capstan, so check the control belt and the condition of the white plastic cap that joins the pot on the thrust plate to the large black plastic gear beneath, good luck!
@@Tetrakan it’s funny, it comes good after warming up the room and leaving the machine on for 15 minutes. Will open it up this weekend and see how it’s looking. Thanks!
Ok, this weekend took 2 years to come, but finally came back to this after getting my Porta 05 working and again thanks to another of your tutorials. The black and white gears were really stiff, so replaced the grease on those, and after not aligning up that potentiometer properly the first time, it now plays back perfectly. Thank you so much!
Really thankful for these amazing videos, sir! I am a total noob, never opened up a Portastudio before. My 246 started having some issues - when I insert a cassette, the capstan motor does not start. Heads engage when I press play, ffw, rw and stop are working, but the tape stops/does not play. I used to hear a whirring sound when inserting the tape or engaging the top switch with my finger, but now nothing happens. Not sure if this is a simple or a more serious issue... Thank you kindly for any input!
Thanks for watching. The most likely cause for what you describe is that the capstan belt has become loose and needs to be replaced, so the first thing to do is remove the back case and see if the capstan motor does in fact turn in response to the switch. If not, check the fuses if they are present in your machine (on the 246 these are mounted on a plate abiove the reel motor) - it is possible that the slow blow fuse for the 12 volt circuit has gone. Failing that another possibility which is an easy fix is that the switch which detects the presence of the cassette is broken or has a dry joint. If you can use a soldering iron you can reflow the solder on this switch, or if it is broken, its possible to just join the two wires running to this switch, though that will mean the capstan motor always turns when the machine is on - that needn't be a problem since later portastudios capstan motors turn constantly anyway. Good luck!
@@Tetrakan Cable was replaced recently, I've measured the fuses they all seem fine, resoldered the switch solders - still does not play. When I press the switch, the motor doesn't turn.However, just by sheer accident, the capstan motor started turning out of the blue when I had it open during repair, but when I inserted the cassette, the playback was reaaaly slow, like 2000% slower. Then it completely died again... If I press the switch without the cassette in and then press play, the thing does turn, but it seems it isn't enought torque to playback the cassette properly. If you have any more ideas I would be really grateful! Thanks :)
Awesome video. Just got one of these and having to replace the belts and this video was a great help. Thanks. Now need to look at how to fix some scratchy pots on the mixer channels...
Thanks for your kind words! It so happens that I am rendering a video on that very subject as I type this- it should be uploaded to youtube later today. I also have videos on removing the mixer strips form the 244 and cleaning the mixer of a 424 mkIII which will help you out if you want to get into it straight away.
@@Tetrakan that's perfect timing. Looking forward to seeing that one. My new belts are on the way this week so hopefully make some progress on it then as they were completely disintegrating.
@@teejteejteejteej the video on cleaning the mixer channels is up now. i already did a video demonstrating how I go about cleaning away the black tar the disintegrated belts leave on the transport mechanism, so I hope that will help you too, good luck and feel free to ask questions if you're having problems - I can either direct yo to a video I made already, or if i haven't covered your issue before I can make a new video in response to queries :)
@@Tetrakan Thanks! Will check that out. I've just replaced my belts (without removing the transport) which has got things progressing nicely but doing that and watching your other videos I quickly realised my pinch roller fell apart and needs replacing. I guess my Idler tyres might need it too... so back to ebay for some more parts. If you've got a recommendation where to get these from that would be great!
Going through your other videos maybe plumbing parts for idler tyres and an AS2 rubber moved to the existing metal wheel part is the way to go... (Sorry, this is all new to me.)
hey, i have a speed problem with my 244 i’d like your opinion on. everything with it works fine, but the speed is always way slower than the pitch is telling it to be. when i adjust the pitch control, it either barely listens, doesn’t listen at all, or slows down. i believe the slowing down is regardless of me moving the pitch control. it almost grinds to a halt at times. i’ve replaced all the belts and tires, and it still has the issue. i believe it’s a problem with the function of the small rubber wheel that pops out from the bottom right of the transport when you’re looking from the outside. it occasionally will stop, and if i’m lucky, a push will get it going again. it was noisy before i replaced the belts and tires, and the noise would coincide with a pitch change, but the problem is still happening now that it’s a lot quieter. my capstan motor does have a wobble in it, and it does squeak, but it stays stationary while the belt is rolling on it so i doubt that it’s causing all that fluctuation. there’s a vid on my channel of the problem, any thoughts are appreciated, thanks!
My problem is that the motor doesn't turn on at all when I put a tape in or press that right lever with my finger :/ been trying to figure this out forever
Amszing video what if „play“ is very slow, but all other things work. Is it idler tires? Or lubricant of whole system? And see if there is any friction?
Hi. Thanks so much for this video. My 244 arrived last week and I cant get a tape into it. after seeing this video it's obvious that the magnetic heads aren't retracting and the control belt needs changing. How would I go about getting a new one. Do you know any companies who service these machines?
Love all the invaluable info you've offered on these classic units. Thank you! My 246 was serviced about 6 years ago and has been running fine, but yesterday I noticed that if I hit PLAY immediately after fast-forward or rewind, it plays super fast for a second before eventually settling down to the normal playback speed. I opened it up and can see that while it's happening the wheel attached to the control belt is slowly turning before it finally locks into position. So I'm wondering if this is merely an early sign of a belt or tire starting to go bad and would rather address it early than have it die when I really need it. Is this a symptom that's easily recognized?
Maybe old grease on the gears and cams that raise and lower the heads? I don't have a video on that specifically, but it's just a matter of removing a few c clips, use isopropyl to clean off old sticky grease and put silicone grease on instead then reassemble. Also try replacing the control belt. The idler tires won't have anything to do with it I don't think.
tiny spot of oil where the shaft emerges form the casing under the belt pulley. I wouldn't advise taking it apart unless absolutely necessary. Here's a video showing how such things are constructed, if you're curious ruclips.net/video/KlaFh-X83sg/видео.html
Hi Tetrakan, thank you for your awesome series on the 244. I'm running into an issue I don't think you've mentioned in any of your videos yet. Could you help out? --> Second hand 244 turning on; record, pause, zero return and record function lights blinking when they should; VU-meters lighting up. However: no life at all in the transport section. I've replaced the control belt, capstan belt and pinch roller which were reduced to a sticky bunch of nothing with the help of your videos; idler tires were okay, but spare ones are on their way nonetheless. However, the transport section just doesn't come to life: capstan doesn't turn, control belt is not retracting the tape heads on startup, ... Tape counter is dead as well, and seems to be "fried" in the right corner. My guess is it's going to be electronics, but I'm clueless on that front. Any ideas? Thank you!
If you have an EU or UK model there is a daughter-board between the transport section and the chassis, it's got five slow blow fuses in it, sometimes one or more if them will blow but the others stay in tact so maybe the onecrelating to 12v DC (all three transport motors) has blown while the 5v fuses (logic, Meter bulbs, LEDs) and the 15v fuses (opamps, and therefore mixer function) are still in tact. With the unit unplugged pry these out one by one and test them for continuity with the diide setting on a multimeter.
@@ruben_lefever hey, i'm having the same issue. just replaced the two 500mA fuses which were blown. the others seem to be ok from testing with my multimeter. still no power on any of the motors or the playcount. all other lights are on VU etc., even the play/pause lights. did you have success with replacing the fuses?
Hey, thanks for watching. the answer to this is maybe - any time I've taken on repair work in the past, inevitably its been some issue I'm not familiar with which meant the timescale provided to the client was overoptimistic and I got very stressed, and though its been a while and I've learned an awful lot since then, I am a little wary ...so I would need to know the specifics of the issue so I can make a realistic assessment of whether i can help. I would also say that the costs involved with sending the unit to and from my location are going to be too prohibitive if you are outside the United kingdom (I'm in the Scottish highlands). So if you are in the UK, you could contact me via my facebook page and we could could talk about what you need?
@@Tetrakan Hey, thanks for getting back. Ahh yes I can see that being quite prohibitive as I live in London and it could easily get damaged in transit as well. Anyway thanks for the videos I'll probably have a go myself now!
Hello I have a Yamaha CMX100 (same as MT100)... the transport gets stuck in playback position quite often when I hit stop. Can it be some kind of belt problem?
i have an mT100 - the raising and lowering of heads and pinch roller is driven by teeth at the base of the flywheel, so its driven by the same flat belt from the motor to the flywheel as the rotation capstan rotation. Therefore, if your capstan is turning okay, I think the belt is probably okay, though its always a good idea to change those when you don't know how old they are. I suspect its more an issue with the grease on the cogs/gears/cams which raise and lower the heads has become stiff and gluey with age. Resolving this would be a matter of disassembling that part of the mechanism, applying fresh grease (I use silicone grease but I've heard of folks using lithium grease) then reassemble. I do something similar in a series on the fostex x15 if you want some sort of idea of what to expect, but it wont be identical so take photos and store parts in numbered containers so you know what goes where and what the sequence of assembly is. Good luck!
@@Tetrakan thanks for the detailed answer. I'll look into it. I wish I could find someone to service it though. I also have a MT400 with a busted channel.
@@Tetrakan thank you for the detailed answer. I'll try to look into it. But I'd really like if I could send it to someone for service, I also have a MT400 with a busted channel.
I recently saw a message from someone describing problems he is having with his unit as follows. "Everything is working except for the reels which I assume is due to the belts because the motor runs for it and the capstan activates it's just the mechanical aspect of having the reels being set in motion." Not sure which belt(s) that would be or if it's the idler tire. I don't know what he means when he says "the motor runs for it and the capstan activates"
Three separate motors on this one. If the capstan turns, that belt is okay. If he hears a motor turning in response to ffwd/rew buttons but the reels do not turn, new idler tires are needed.
Thanks again for your excellent video series, it’s a great resource to have access to. I’m struggling with a problem with the tape stopping on a 244, and also the counter not moving at all. I have so far cleaned all the rubber residue and changed all the rollers and tires. I’ve spent a long time making each surface rubber and residue free, but for some reason whenever I press play, FF, RW it stops after a few seconds. I can’t seem to get it to move further than that, and the counter doesn’t progress or go backwards at all. Do you have any idea as to what could be causing this?
Thanks. If the counter does not ascend, the control boards will evoke autostop, so I suspect a problem with the counter sensor is your issue, not anything mechanical to do with belts or so on. Make absolutely sure all the cables are plugged in. The counter on this model is a hall effect sensor, a transistor on a small circuit board to the right of the take-up reel; the take up reel turns a reddish coloured magnetic which induces an electrical current in the transistor, and that's how the control boards sense whether and how much the cassette is winding. Make sure there is nothing to prevent the mechanical part of this sensor from turning, and no obstruction (I.e. a bit of old belt or other debris) preventing the magnetic field being picked up by the transistor.
@@Tetrakan you’re such a geezer captain. I’ve discovered the previous owner had wired the pitch control to the control board… will have left this here for posterity. Might record Alan Partridge disassembling his Corby trouser press for audio test. Much appreciated for your time in answering and hope I’ve at least stopped three others from pestering you.
My 244 is humming or buzzing when I playback and record. But if i press on the panel or the second UV-meter it kind of stops.. what do you think the problem is?
Basically there is a whole "sewage" system in your 244s electrics designed to "flush" away hum which is a bi-product of turning the alternating current from your wall socket into the direct current used by most of the components in the recorder...it sounds like there is some bad solder joint or loose wire in there, but really somebody who is familiar with these things would need to open it up and inspect your 244 to see what the issue was, sorry I can't be more specific than that, good luck resolving your issue.
Does the control belt motor tend to go bad? Mine completely stopped working since the last time I pulled the unit out, but it’s always been a little flaky and I thought it was belt related. But I’m starting to realize the motor isn’t even firing up... doesn’t it usually retract at first power up?
I haven't had that issue personally but I'm sure it's possible. Yes it should be spining constantly with the belt removed. You could confirm the motor is dead by touching the positive and negative terminals to a 9v battery and see if it spins. If not contact me via my Facebook page - I gave loads of functioning part worn ones and I could sell you one very cheap, good luck.
Tetrakan Supermonobloc yes, the motor spins perfectly when connected directly to 9v power. So it’s something else. It’s been flaky for a while, at least I know it’s not mechanical.
@@officialmikethompson check the internal fuses if present (UK and EU models only)and continuity of all the wires connecting to this motor and the potentiometer below it. If that doesn't show up a broken wire or dry joint maybe look at replacing the capacitors on the board mounted in the transport, good luck.
Thanks for this video. Thought you might be the only person who might know why my 424’s transport controls allow play for a few seconds then stop; same for FF or REW. Any idea what might be causing this? Thank you
@Tetrakan Supermonobloc ! hello I've followed all your tutorials !! thanks a lot for what you did ! On my 244 I've changed Idler tires ( French gasket rubbers) and pinch rollers ( had to sand the plastic axis it a little bit so that it turns freely ) , cleaned everything ... After reassembly, The 244 doesn't "eats" tapes anymore :) every button react (fast forward and rewind , play pause stop, counter back and forth.... ) but I still run several issues : - there is still the buzz sound ( it stops when I press pause)... I will soon replace the control belt but it looks neat and not to mellow...Could be other stronger issue ? - When pressing play, the heads engage but there is no playing nor rolling... it stay stucked then disengage. . When I press play without a cassette : it's running at the same speed as fast forward. (counter going very fast and same rolling noise). I've seen here that it is a capstan belt problem ( I've ordered a replacement one) ..But as I made some other mistakes I try to ask you about the following :) - In my feary disassembly i've broken a part in the little white plastic joint and arm that is fixed below the control potentiometer and with a small pinch to the black wheel turned by control belt.. I have repaired it with glue so that it pinches the black wheel as shown on DR ZEE photos .. I've followed DR ZEE tutorial but I may have made a mistake remounting the plastic on the potentiometer : Can it be related to my play issue ( fast forwarding speed ) ? Or is it something that has to do only with control belts ? Thanks a lot for your help
Hi, I can't quite visualise what you are describing...could you make a video demonstrating the problem? You could upload it to youtube and share the link here, or message me via facebook.
@@calumdavidson2548 Hello .. the capstan belt is very loose and old.. So I've ordered a new one... It looks like it the problem you describe in your video ( no good capstan belt = fast forward when press play) ... Anyway when a tape is engaged , the belt doenst have enough torque to make it roll .. Thanks for your help
@@calumdavidson2548 Hello I'm also @surfer d'argile) after changing Idler, Pinch, Capstan and control belts, the transport act normally (with a bit of backgroun noise).. My last challenge is getting the Right channel to work as the Left one... I commented on other videos you made ( about stereo buss trouble) ... Thanks a lot anyway .. my 244 playbacks !
All belts and rubbers replaced and all transport mechanisms are physically operating well, but mine is having intermittent failure responding to all control buttons. Control buttons are all good and providing correct input to U501. Occasionally it will all work perfectly, but sometimes it will just start on 'Play' when powering up and won't respond to Stop or other buttons despite voltages being correct coming out of U501 in each control mode. Any thoughts on common problems that might cause such intermittent problems?
Have you inspected the mechanical connection between the control pot and the black gear below it? There's a white clip that connects those two parts which can break sometimes.
Good evening! Love your videos! You've helped me loads in learning the ways of the porta studios. I had a question about sourcing the black spring below the play heads for my porta two. I have two units, one is completely missing and the other is mangled beyond repair. Any replacements out there? Thanks everything you do
Hi again, I'm looking at a unit that powers on and makes the humming sound as well as the heads are stuck in the up position, both of which you thankfully explained in this video. However, the current owner says he did manage to squeeze a cassette in with the heads up and once he did, the play, fast forward and rewind functions did work, but the play function is spinning extremely fast. Does that sound like it has to do with the control belt as well?. I'm particularly curious about the fast spinning play function. Thanks in advance!!
Yes, control belt, head is stuck near up position so audio is audible, but unless the pinch roller goes up against the tape hard the tape will travel at the same speed as in fast forward mode.
I have a Tascam 246 porta studio.. it’s buzzing when turned on.. now.. no tape is stuck but that mechanism is.. First time turning it on in about 15 yrs. is the 244 basically the same internally as the 246? Or where to find replacement belts? Thanks ahead of time!
Hey, yeah the transport on the 244 and 246 are mechanically identical. What you are hearing is the control belt has gone loose or decomposed completely. If you follow the video series I made about the 244 transport you'll learn how to get into and change that belt and how to source a cheap replacement...good news is this belt change is quick and easy. Bad news is if that belt has gone its probably going to be worth you changing the other rubber parts as well. Its not rocket science but it will require a little time and patience. Good luck and thanks for watching!
Thank you! Yes I’ve started watching your videos and they are a huge help. The belts broke and were flung across one of the boards, pieces are everywhere basically.. I went to grab one away from the board and it was so sticky and brittle I figured I’d get some needle nose to pull them out so I don’t have rubber stuck on solder points. To my knowledge that’s the only thing wrong outside of replacing all rubber pieces as you said. I was going to take it and have it fixed, their waiting list is up to 2 years and very expensive lol.. thank you so much for posting these videos and dedicating the time to do so for people like me.. This is the only way I can access my tapes and very old forgotten songs from my teen years. I’m worried about the pinch roller being dried out but it actually seems ok. Going to order these belts and see if that’s all I needed! Thanks again, very much appreciated!
@@TriTones_Music thanks, glad to help. Best thing with the decomposed belt is to mop them up with isopropyl swabs of the kind a nurse uses to prepare the skin of a patient for an injection or a tatooist uses to wipe away transfers before applying the tattoo gun to the client's skin - such swabs cost a few pounds or maybe 5 us dollars for a pack of 500 and you can use the ones you have left over to clean the magnetic heads as you continue to use the portastudio. I would encourage you to change the pinch roller as well since these things can look okay then suddenly on a hot day they go sticky and strip the surface off your cassette! If you look through my videos you will see one where i refurbish the original tascam 244/246 pinch roller using a very cheap and easily obtainable part AS2 (less than £2 in the UK) - it is easy to cut away the old rubber from the brass core of the original pinch roller, cut away the plastic on the AS2 to remove the rubber and slip the AS2 rubber onto the original brass core, that should leave all the rubber parts good for at least another 10 years.
I just got one of these units and don’t have the tape yet to check if it works. It buzzed when it turned on does with mean it needs fixing or can that just happen?
This helped me soooooo much! I will definitely be sending you a tip for these amazing videos. I bought a 244 in cosmetically pristine condition for $200 and it needed all of the above!! I was able to replace the belts, pinch roller and idler tires in a few hours thanks to your guidance. Everything seems to be fine mechanically and getting playback of all my old tapes but I am getting a lot of IR chatter and rustling/rumbling sounds. Seems to happen even without a tape playing and definitely affects all the 10 or so different cassettes I've tried. Could this be cell phone tower interference? I get this on my studio monitors too (copper shielding cut it way down) but it's so much more pronounced on the 244. Let me know if you have any thoughts. I tried cleaning the heads too and ran a demagnetizer cassette but maybe that's not adequate for a four track? Thanks again for your guidance!!
Glad this was helpful. Yeah I've found the 244 is very susceptible to extraneous noise. I use power extension cables with RFI /EMI filtering for all my portastudios. I don't think demagnetisation will help.
@@Tetrakan Ok thanks! Do you know of any recordings of different noises I could reference? It does seem very similar to the chattery noise I hear on my studio monitors, but there's a consistent rustling too. Wondering if that might be a motor thing. for EMI filtering, I'm plugged into a Furman power conditioner but that didn't make much difference.
The power conditioner should deal with the "chatter" part. "Rustling" is perhaps indicative of dirt in moving parts (especially faders) or even bad solder connects, leaky caps, etc. I'd you haven't already, deep clean the boards with pots and faders on them. Do that before any real electrical work - it's a nearly 40 year old unit and you probably don't know the life its had, plenty of time for dust sweat drinks link condensation and smoke to get into nooks and crevices. If you do that and the issues still persistt, reflowing old solder and even recapping parts of the audio path can work wonders, there are logical diagnostic things you can do to narrow down where you do this and make the work more likely to yield the desired results, check my other videos or message again for more pointers of you reacb that stage.
@@Tetrakan ok perfect that makes sense! It’s definitely in amazing condition overall but I take your point that dirt and condensation could be an issue. Just went through a similar ordeal with a fender amp- lots of solder points that needed reflowing. Thanks again for the help!!
Replaced all belts and tires in my old dusty 244... everything seems to be functioning okay, but the fast forward button does absolutely nothing! Rewind, play, stop, pause all seem okay... any ideas?
This video was really educational, except I can’t quite find a diagnosis for my 424 mkiii’s symptoms. It plays back at very fast and inconsistent speeds. The ffwd, play, pause, and rewind buttons all behave randomly and sporadically. The tape doesn’t get eaten. The pitch control knob doesn’t affect anything. Anyone have any idea what’s going on???
I’ve replaced the idler tires, roller and both belts but the play button seems to not work. When pressed the heads and roller go up but after a few seconds will go down again. Any solution?
That's right - from that generation forward there was no cassette detection switch in the top right corner of the cavity, so providing the belt and motor were healthy, the capstan would rotate whether there is a cassette in the cavity or not.
@@Tetrakan awesome, thank you for your reply. I never even noticed it did until the other day. I thought something was wrong. Have been researching it since.
@@Tetrakan any suggestions for quieting the background white noise? Sometimes when I watch youtubers with their machines, they seem completely quiet. I wouldn't say mine is "loud", but not like theirs
All the headphone amps on these things are hissy AF so RUclipsrs are probably taking their signal from the line out which has a better noise floor. This may be obvious but are you using DBX? If not, you can go really hot to tape to make the signal to noise ratio better though obv you'll get more tape saturation that way. With dbx on you can get some weirdness in the sound if you go too hot but the noise floor will be much lower. If neither of those things help enough it may be electrolytic caps are leaking slightly meaning electrical crap from the ground circuit is leaking into the audio path.
@@konsul599 Before I give you any advice about how to proceed I'll level with you - the Teac 144 is pretty much the last portastudio I'd recommend as a starter project. There are certain parts that wear out which - at the time of writing - are not being offered by tascam/teac: Without those parts, most Teac 144s which are not already unwell will become un-fixable in the new future. Even with access to those parts, the transport on that model is over-engineered in my opinion (extra moving parts for the reel mechanism which they removed from later designs), and difficult to take apart. If you can, get a 244, I have enough content up already a beginner ought to be able to get one of those working eventually. That said, solenoids are pretty robust, so I'd be looking old lubricant which has turned gluey and seized under the head assembly, or for broken wires, bad switches, cold solder joints rather than assuming the solenoid is broken - good luck whatever you decide!
@@Tetrakan Everything you said mirrors my recent experiences 1 to 1! Thank you so much for your help and your honesty! I'll keep a look at finding a 244 and then follow your channel closely to keep it running.
If you ahve already replaced the rubber parts and lubricated the mechanism, you could try repolacing the motor control chip which is prone to overheating, see this video. ruclips.net/video/h1BBVAtDtIo/видео.html
Hey, just got a Tascam 246 and am thoroughly enjoying it. Everything seems to works fine however there is a consistent clicking as the tape spins around coming from the cassette compartment during playback. Doesn't seem to affect anything, it records and sounds great just annoying and a little concerning. I've cleaned everything and tried multiple different new cassettes. Any advice? Thanks any help would be greatly appreciated.
Hey, sorry its taken me a month to reply - I had a bad house fire in the fortnight preceding this comment hence the delay...the click is probably your idler tires. I mean, I can't 100% diagnose anything without actually having the unit in front of me, but what tends to happen is if the rubber is a little old and the unit lies dormant for a while, a slight depression is left where the brass spindle presses into the rubber tire and the click happens when the mechanism passes over it. While its great thta you got a fully working unit, I'd encourage you to replace all the rubber parts anyway, since you don't know when it was done last and its much easier to do before the rubber deteriorates badly. Good luck!
I have a 246. It won’t play at the right speed. When you record it sounds out of tune when you play it back as in slower. Not sure what to do to fix it any ideas?
If the rubber parts haven't already been replaced, do that now. Remove eep clean and lubricate the speed pot? (contact cleaner; compressed air; appropriate lubricant, I use deoxit fader lube with a needle applicator)
Hi there, I'm also getting so much from what you've put online. I thought I fixed a dead unit but I still have an issue I have no idea where to look. Everything would work fine for 10-30 secs, but then motors would start spinning without any command given, and the heads control motor would kind of flicker and bring the heads slightly back and forth. I thought it would be the control motor pot that would have an issue but after tweaking around the the issue seems somewhere else. Any idea would be greatly appreciated. Also, I wonder if you would offer online course/help for people that need more dedicated help for their issue ?
Sorry to answer to myself, but I think I got it... problem apparently was laying in the push button section. I had to repair the stop button but didn't go further there.. and the buttons were quite oxide. After a full cleaning with contact spray the unit doesn't behave funnily anymore. I opened a few to go inside and clean them properly... yay, one step forward. Thanks again man for your proper helpful videos !
@@Tetrakan Unfortunately after closing the box the unit started to have funny behavior again :/ .. how disappointing when you tested for a good 30min and everything seemed okay... part of the game I guess :)
Thanks! Yeah the 246 transport is more or less identical, anything to do with rubber parts is exactly the same...246 is probably my favorite 4track, good luck!
@@Tetrakan thanks for the response :) im going to pick it up tomorrow the guys is saying the wheels are turning slowly but it wont record or anything.. I just watched all your 244 refurb tutorials. I know its hard to diagnose problems without seeing the unit your self but was wondering if you could offer some insight? I was thinking of buying a full kit and replacing all belts pinch and idler
@@macros303 Yeah sounds consistent with the idler tires going, if they're on their way out you're as well to replace all the rubber parts while you are in there, there is a good chance that will resolve all your issues.
Hello again just want to say thanks again for these video's. I replaced all the rubber parts following your tutorials. I was hoping you could help me trouble shoot a problem. Firstly i just changed the control and capstan.. the machine worked briefly i recorded some audio and eventually it started to eat the tape. So i went ahead to replace the idlers and pinch roller.. after completing the installation the machine won't play a tape. All the trsnsport functions appear to be working. I tried to play without a tape instslled with my finger on the little capstan switch, it plays(pinch roller is moving) but it appears to be at the ff speed the same with the record function. I was pretty careful to replace headers correctly etc but clesrly i did something wrong i was hoping you could help.. my alologies for the essay.
@@macros303 Hi Gareth, did you ever managed to fix the 246 transport function problem , because I've just run into a very similar problem after replacing both belts and the idler tires on my Tascam 246 ?
Sounds like the capstan belt needs to be replaced - pinch roller pushing the tape up against the capstan but when it doesn’t turn, neither does the take up reel, so the counter doesn’t ascend, so the logic system evokes auto stop.
Are you getting tape spill to the right of the pinch roller? If so your idler tire is slipping against the take-up reel. If theres no tape spill, the capstan isn't turning, so the belt must be loose and slipping. Without actually seeing video of the issue those are the only logical explanations which come to mind
im having a lot of audible grainy noise on my recording, it's present even on cue mode, it's very pronounced on silents parts of a tape, and it's definitely not a normal tape hiss
If you're not goign to adapt cheap and readily available plumbing parts as per later videos in this series, the only two places I know of are Tascam Ninja in Greece and West Coast Belts in the US. I've had customer service issues with both sellers, but the tyres themselves were good.
I had to take my 244 apart a second time because the tape was speeding up like crazy during playback, then will be normal, then gets a bit slow. Unpredictable. Someone here mentioned that if there is any oxidation or something blocking/clogging the current flow in the pitch potentiometer, that creates the issue by blocking correct current flowing to the capstan or idler motor. Since mine was originally owned by a serious smoker and I’ve seen the nicotine stains inside the mixer pots, it would be a good bet that that’s what is causing my speed issues. Might help if anyone is out there dealing with speed issues to clean the pitch pot with Deoxit D5, correct?
Yes, I've encountered that issue a couple of times, and generally speaking what might manifest as an intermittent crackle from a pot on an electric guitar can end up manifesting as a intermittent change in speed if it is the pitch control potentiometer which is dirty. Deoxit D5 is probably more appropriate but to be honest I have always used servisol super 10 followed by compressed air followed by deoxit FL100, just because Caig products are hard to get hold of in the UK, and FL100 is a variety I can buy in a larger bottle with a needle dispenser fairly inexpensively from amazon UK ...its designed for conductive plastics - faders and the like - but has been effective on the various pots and switches in the portastudios I have worked on. I'll do a short video on this at some point, good call!
Can't thank you enough for these great instructional videos, I've been learning so much from them. I have an uncommon issue which I can't quite place as the symptom is a high pitched whining noise that increases in pitch and grows louder during playback/record, it then tails off after stop is pressed. Could this be a dying motor? Here's a video link: ruclips.net/video/1pppax7Dh6M/видео.html Have you encountered anything like this before? Any help is hugely appreciated! Big thanks!
Hey, glad these have been helpful so far. The audio in your video sounds like the control motor turning freely. My best guess without being there is the control belt is loose enough to allow this but not so loose its stopping the shuttle controls from working altogether. Can you try replacing the control belt with a cheap rubber o-ring/gasket as per a later video in this series and see where you are? If the problem still persists comment here again and I'll try to get my thinking cap on, good luck!
@@Tetrakan thanks for the quick and helpful reply! So glad to hear that it's probably not a dying motor! I'll try and replace the control belt and see if there's an improvement. Apart from play, which appears to stop before stop is actually pressed, the other transport functions, albeit noisy, would appear to be functional: ruclips.net/video/NOlo9-TJ5cI/видео.html And there's no whir or hum at power on: ruclips.net/video/wfiLrU51hSs/видео.html Could the loose control belt also explain play stopping after a few seconds? Or is that more likely a capstan belt, idler tyre or perhaps pinch roller issue? Thanks again for all your help!
frederickaleidoscope This is roughly how Autostop works on the 244 and 246 - the take up reel (rightmost one) has teeth which drive a cog with a brick coloured magnet on it; this induces an electrical signal in a transistor on a small PCB to the right of that: Autostop is triggered when the signal falls below a certain level. So if the tape is actually struggling to turn due to worn rubber parts that could cause your issue, or it could be there is dirt on the magnet or transistor. In any case I recommend anyone getting hold of one of these cleans the transport and replaces all rubber parts, that should catch most issues.
@@Tetrakan thanks again for having taken the time to answer in such great detail, I really appreciate all your help! I'll try replacing all the rubber parts and cleaning the transport and see where that takes me! Cheers!
ruclips.net/video/XyFSk0vgFw0/видео.html I just got a 246 and your videos have been helpful in demistifying how it all works. Before I pull my transport out, made a few clips to illustrate the issue I have when I press play. It seems like there is resistance to the "mode" wheel snapping into place. I have some issues with inconsistent speed which may not be related and I'll test further, but this one sounds like stress put on the motor (or solenoid?) that actuates when you hit play. What are your thoughts? Thanks!
Extremely informative. Although it did not address my problem, this taught me a lot. Thank you.
Thanks for watching. What problem are you having?
This is great. I’ve always wanted one of these and I bought a broken one that seems to be in great condition. You already told me why everything that’s wrong it happening. So great. I think I picked the right machine.
Thank you so much. just solved the buzzing problem, and now about to replace the idle tires. and get my tascam back to proper work! thank you again!
Thank you so much for your series on the 244!
Thank you dearly for sharing you knowledge. Indeed!
Thx heaps 4 heads up ... very well done/most helpful
Excellent! Actually helped me troubleshoot my Tascam 234! Thank you!
Thanks for this series- I recently pulled out my 244 as I was recruited to transfer some old 4 track masters of a performer who recorded in my studio 30 yrs ago- he no longer can play guitar that well due to arthritis and his playing and voice were at their best in these recordings. I opened up the machine and the belts were goo....!!! Got new belts - idler tyres were not available easily so went with O rings and did that neat trick of spinning an abrasive to flatten the profile. Still can't get it to play properly- with just the belts replaced I had 20 minutes of flawless playback- then the idlers started to disintegrate. So at the near disaster of eating one of these masters I took it back to the bench. Still not getting it to play without the idler putting the FF hub into motion. Found a pinch roller that fit perfect out of a busted Yamaha ( as it was about to go as well). It looks like the idler tyre might be too thick and not missing the spindle FF drive. Maybe more of that rotating rubber fabricating. I would have thrown in the towel on this but you are keeping me on it- a lot riding on it after all for this singer-songwriter.
Yeah unfortunately if you go the route of adapting o- rings there are pitfalls...you're looking for an o-ring which - once sanded - only protrudes 1-2 mm past the lip of the idler wheel. Good luck!
This is a godsend. I refer to this yearly, lol. Had the deck going into fast forward when hitting play. Only replaced the belts a few years ago, but must be on the way out again
That means the pinch roller isn't pushing all the way up against the capstan, so check the control belt and the condition of the white plastic cap that joins the pot on the thrust plate to the large black plastic gear beneath, good luck!
@@Tetrakan it’s funny, it comes good after warming up the room and leaving the machine on for 15 minutes. Will open it up this weekend and see how it’s looking. Thanks!
Ok, this weekend took 2 years to come, but finally came back to this after getting my Porta 05 working and again thanks to another of your tutorials. The black and white gears were really stiff, so replaced the grease on those, and after not aligning up that potentiometer properly the first time, it now plays back perfectly. Thank you so much!
Really thankful for these amazing videos, sir! I am a total noob, never opened up a Portastudio before. My 246 started having some issues - when I insert a cassette, the capstan motor does not start. Heads engage when I press play, ffw, rw and stop are working, but the tape stops/does not play. I used to hear a whirring sound when inserting the tape or engaging the top switch with my finger, but now nothing happens. Not sure if this is a simple or a more serious issue... Thank you kindly for any input!
Thanks for watching. The most likely cause for what you describe is that the capstan belt has become loose and needs to be replaced, so the first thing to do is remove the back case and see if the capstan motor does in fact turn in response to the switch. If not, check the fuses if they are present in your machine (on the 246 these are mounted on a plate abiove the reel motor) - it is possible that the slow blow fuse for the 12 volt circuit has gone. Failing that another possibility which is an easy fix is that the switch which detects the presence of the cassette is broken or has a dry joint. If you can use a soldering iron you can reflow the solder on this switch, or if it is broken, its possible to just join the two wires running to this switch, though that will mean the capstan motor always turns when the machine is on - that needn't be a problem since later portastudios capstan motors turn constantly anyway. Good luck!
@@Tetrakan Thank you so much for this comprehensive answer!
@@Tetrakan Cable was replaced recently, I've measured the fuses they all seem fine, resoldered the switch solders - still does not play. When I press the switch, the motor doesn't turn.However, just by sheer accident, the capstan motor started turning out of the blue when I had it open during repair, but when I inserted the cassette, the playback was reaaaly slow, like 2000% slower. Then it completely died again... If I press the switch without the cassette in and then press play, the thing does turn, but it seems it isn't enought torque to playback the cassette properly. If you have any more ideas I would be really grateful! Thanks :)
Awesome video. Just got one of these and having to replace the belts and this video was a great help. Thanks. Now need to look at how to fix some scratchy pots on the mixer channels...
Thanks for your kind words! It so happens that I am rendering a video on that very subject as I type this- it should be uploaded to youtube later today. I also have videos on removing the mixer strips form the 244 and cleaning the mixer of a 424 mkIII which will help you out if you want to get into it straight away.
@@Tetrakan that's perfect timing. Looking forward to seeing that one. My new belts are on the way this week so hopefully make some progress on it then as they were completely disintegrating.
@@teejteejteejteej the video on cleaning the mixer channels is up now. i already did a video demonstrating how I go about cleaning away the black tar the disintegrated belts leave on the transport mechanism, so I hope that will help you too, good luck and feel free to ask questions if you're having problems - I can either direct yo to a video I made already, or if i haven't covered your issue before I can make a new video in response to queries :)
@@Tetrakan Thanks! Will check that out. I've just replaced my belts (without removing the transport) which has got things progressing nicely but doing that and watching your other videos I quickly realised my pinch roller fell apart and needs replacing. I guess my Idler tyres might need it too... so back to ebay for some more parts. If you've got a recommendation where to get these from that would be great!
Going through your other videos maybe plumbing parts for idler tyres and an AS2 rubber moved to the existing metal wheel part is the way to go...
(Sorry, this is all new to me.)
hey, i have a speed problem with my 244 i’d like your opinion on. everything with it works fine, but the speed is always way slower than the pitch is telling it to be. when i adjust the pitch control, it either barely listens, doesn’t listen at all, or slows down. i believe the slowing down is regardless of me moving the pitch control. it almost grinds to a halt at times. i’ve replaced all the belts and tires, and it still has the issue. i believe it’s a problem with the function of the small rubber wheel that pops out from the bottom right of the transport when you’re looking from the outside. it occasionally will stop, and if i’m lucky, a push will get it going again. it was noisy before i replaced the belts and tires, and the noise would coincide with a pitch change, but the problem is still happening now that it’s a lot quieter. my capstan motor does have a wobble in it, and it does squeak, but it stays stationary while the belt is rolling on it so i doubt that it’s causing all that fluctuation. there’s a vid on my channel of the problem, any thoughts are appreciated, thanks!
dude this is so helpful thank you
My problem is that the motor doesn't turn on at all when I put a tape in or press that right lever with my finger :/ been trying to figure this out forever
Amszing video
what if „play“ is very slow, but all other things work.
Is it idler tires? Or lubricant of whole system? And see if there is any friction?
Hi. Thanks so much for this video. My 244 arrived last week and I cant get a tape into it. after seeing this video it's obvious that the magnetic heads aren't retracting and the control belt needs changing. How would I go about getting a new one. Do you know any companies who service these machines?
Love all the invaluable info you've offered on these classic units. Thank you! My 246 was serviced about 6 years ago and has been running fine, but yesterday I noticed that if I hit PLAY immediately after fast-forward or rewind, it plays super fast for a second before eventually settling down to the normal playback speed. I opened it up and can see that while it's happening the wheel attached to the control belt is slowly turning before it finally locks into position. So I'm wondering if this is merely an early sign of a belt or tire starting to go bad and would rather address it early than have it die when I really need it. Is this a symptom that's easily recognized?
Maybe old grease on the gears and cams that raise and lower the heads? I don't have a video on that specifically, but it's just a matter of removing a few c clips, use isopropyl to clean off old sticky grease and put silicone grease on instead then reassemble. Also try replacing the control belt. The idler tires won't have anything to do with it I don't think.
@@Tetrakan Thank you for your prompt reply...and of course the suggestions. Will try them out soon.
@@Tetrakan Btw, does this involve removing the entire transport, or are those c clips easily accessed without having to do so?
I think it's worth removing the transport, the other work will be easier
Thanks for this, if i want to lube my motors, do i have to dissemble them? Or how this work exactly?
tiny spot of oil where the shaft emerges form the casing under the belt pulley. I wouldn't advise taking it apart unless absolutely necessary. Here's a video showing how such things are constructed, if you're curious ruclips.net/video/KlaFh-X83sg/видео.html
Hi Tetrakan, thank you for your awesome series on the 244. I'm running into an issue I don't think you've mentioned in any of your videos yet. Could you help out?
--> Second hand 244 turning on; record, pause, zero return and record function lights blinking when they should; VU-meters lighting up. However: no life at all in the transport section. I've replaced the control belt, capstan belt and pinch roller which were reduced to a sticky bunch of nothing with the help of your videos; idler tires were okay, but spare ones are on their way nonetheless. However, the transport section just doesn't come to life: capstan doesn't turn, control belt is not retracting the tape heads on startup, ... Tape counter is dead as well, and seems to be "fried" in the right corner. My guess is it's going to be electronics, but I'm clueless on that front. Any ideas? Thank you!
If you have an EU or UK model there is a daughter-board between the transport section and the chassis, it's got five slow blow fuses in it, sometimes one or more if them will blow but the others stay in tact so maybe the onecrelating to 12v DC (all three transport motors) has blown while the 5v fuses (logic, Meter bulbs, LEDs) and the 15v fuses (opamps, and therefore mixer function) are still in tact. With the unit unplugged pry these out one by one and test them for continuity with the diide setting on a multimeter.
Alright, thank you so much! Will check this asap and come back to you.
@@ruben_lefever hey, i'm having the same issue. just replaced the two 500mA fuses which were blown. the others seem to be ok from testing with my multimeter. still no power on any of the motors or the playcount. all other lights are on VU etc., even the play/pause lights. did you have success with replacing the fuses?
Hi Tetrakan, your videos are super helpful, do you offer a repair and clean service yourself for a Tascam 244?
Hey, thanks for watching. the answer to this is maybe - any time I've taken on repair work in the past, inevitably its been some issue I'm not familiar with which meant the timescale provided to the client was overoptimistic and I got very stressed, and though its been a while and I've learned an awful lot since then, I am a little wary ...so I would need to know the specifics of the issue so I can make a realistic assessment of whether i can help. I would also say that the costs involved with sending the unit to and from my location are going to be too prohibitive if you are outside the United kingdom (I'm in the Scottish highlands). So if you are in the UK, you could contact me via my facebook page and we could could talk about what you need?
@@Tetrakan Hey, thanks for getting back. Ahh yes I can see that being quite prohibitive as I live in London and it could easily get damaged in transit as well. Anyway thanks for the videos I'll probably have a go myself now!
Hello I have a Yamaha CMX100 (same as MT100)... the transport gets stuck in playback position quite often when I hit stop. Can it be some kind of belt problem?
i have an mT100 - the raising and lowering of heads and pinch roller is driven by teeth at the base of the flywheel, so its driven by the same flat belt from the motor to the flywheel as the rotation capstan rotation. Therefore, if your capstan is turning okay, I think the belt is probably okay, though its always a good idea to change those when you don't know how old they are. I suspect its more an issue with the grease on the cogs/gears/cams which raise and lower the heads has become stiff and gluey with age. Resolving this would be a matter of disassembling that part of the mechanism, applying fresh grease (I use silicone grease but I've heard of folks using lithium grease) then reassemble. I do something similar in a series on the fostex x15 if you want some sort of idea of what to expect, but it wont be identical so take photos and store parts in numbered containers so you know what goes where and what the sequence of assembly is. Good luck!
@@Tetrakan thanks for the detailed answer. I'll look into it. I wish I could find someone to service it though. I also have a MT400 with a busted channel.
@@Tetrakan thank you for the detailed answer. I'll try to look into it. But I'd really like if I could send it to someone for service, I also have a MT400 with a busted channel.
@@ElectroMagnetic_AmbientMusic where are you based? I might be able to put you in contact with someone.
@@Tetrakan North Italy
I recently saw a message from someone describing problems he is having with his unit as follows.
"Everything is working except for the reels which I assume is due to the belts because the motor runs for it and the capstan activates it's just the mechanical aspect of having the reels being set in motion."
Not sure which belt(s) that would be or if it's the idler tire. I don't know what he means when he says "the motor runs for it and the capstan activates"
Three separate motors on this one. If the capstan turns, that belt is okay. If he hears a motor turning in response to ffwd/rew buttons but the reels do not turn, new idler tires are needed.
@@Tetrakan Thank you!!
Thanks again for your excellent video series, it’s a great resource to have access to. I’m struggling with a problem with the tape stopping on a 244, and also the counter not moving at all. I have so far cleaned all the rubber residue and changed all the rollers and tires. I’ve spent a long time making each surface rubber and residue free, but for some reason whenever I press play, FF, RW it stops after a few seconds. I can’t seem to get it to move further than that, and the counter doesn’t progress or go backwards at all. Do you have any idea as to what could be causing this?
Thanks. If the counter does not ascend, the control boards will evoke autostop, so I suspect a problem with the counter sensor is your issue, not anything mechanical to do with belts or so on. Make absolutely sure all the cables are plugged in. The counter on this model is a hall effect sensor, a transistor on a small circuit board to the right of the take-up reel; the take up reel turns a reddish coloured magnetic which induces an electrical current in the transistor, and that's how the control boards sense whether and how much the cassette is winding. Make sure there is nothing to prevent the mechanical part of this sensor from turning, and no obstruction (I.e. a bit of old belt or other debris) preventing the magnetic field being picked up by the transistor.
@@Tetrakan you’re such a geezer captain. I’ve discovered the previous owner had wired the pitch control to the control board… will have left this here for posterity. Might record Alan Partridge disassembling his Corby trouser press for audio test. Much appreciated for your time in answering and hope I’ve at least stopped three others from pestering you.
My 244 is humming or buzzing when I playback and record. But if i press on the panel or the second UV-meter it kind of stops.. what do you think the problem is?
Basically there is a whole "sewage" system in your 244s electrics designed to "flush" away hum which is a bi-product of turning the alternating current from your wall socket into the direct current used by most of the components in the recorder...it sounds like there is some bad solder joint or loose wire in there, but really somebody who is familiar with these things would need to open it up and inspect your 244 to see what the issue was, sorry I can't be more specific than that, good luck resolving your issue.
Does the control belt motor tend to go bad? Mine completely stopped working since the last time I pulled the unit out, but it’s always been a little flaky and I thought it was belt related. But I’m starting to realize the motor isn’t even firing up... doesn’t it usually retract at first power up?
I haven't had that issue personally but I'm sure it's possible. Yes it should be spining constantly with the belt removed. You could confirm the motor is dead by touching the positive and negative terminals to a 9v battery and see if it spins. If not contact me via my Facebook page - I gave loads of functioning part worn ones and I could sell you one very cheap, good luck.
Tetrakan Supermonobloc yes, the motor spins perfectly when connected directly to 9v power. So it’s something else. It’s been flaky for a while, at least I know it’s not mechanical.
@@officialmikethompson check the internal fuses if present (UK and EU models only)and continuity of all the wires connecting to this motor and the potentiometer below it. If that doesn't show up a broken wire or dry joint maybe look at replacing the capacitors on the board mounted in the transport, good luck.
Thanks for this video. Thought you might be the only person who might know why my 424’s transport controls allow play for a few seconds then stop; same for FF or REW. Any idea what might be causing this? Thank you
I suspect its to do with the counter - is it asceding and descending properly? If not, autostop behaviour will kick in.
@Tetrakan Supermonobloc ! hello I've followed all your tutorials !! thanks a lot for what you did ! On my 244 I've changed Idler tires ( French gasket rubbers) and pinch rollers ( had to sand the plastic axis it a little bit so that it turns freely ) , cleaned everything ... After reassembly, The 244 doesn't "eats" tapes anymore :) every button react (fast forward and rewind , play pause stop, counter back and forth.... ) but I still run several issues :
- there is still the buzz sound ( it stops when I press pause)... I will soon replace the control belt but it looks neat and not to mellow...Could be other stronger issue ?
-
When pressing play, the heads engage but there is no playing nor rolling... it stay stucked then disengage. . When I press play without a cassette : it's running at the same speed as fast forward. (counter going very fast and same rolling noise). I've seen here that it is a capstan belt problem ( I've ordered a replacement one) ..But as I made some other mistakes I try to ask you about the following :)
- In my feary disassembly i've broken a part in the little white plastic joint and arm that is fixed below the control potentiometer and with a small pinch to the black wheel turned by control belt.. I have repaired it with glue so that it pinches the black wheel as shown on DR ZEE photos .. I've followed DR ZEE tutorial but I may have made a mistake remounting the plastic on the potentiometer : Can it be related to my play issue ( fast forwarding speed ) ? Or is it something that has to do only with control belts ? Thanks a lot for your help
Hi, I can't quite visualise what you are describing...could you make a video demonstrating the problem? You could upload it to youtube and share the link here, or message me via facebook.
Hello i make it Asap thanks for your help
@@calumdavidson2548 Hello .. the capstan belt is very loose and old.. So I've ordered a new one... It looks like it the problem you describe in your video ( no good capstan belt = fast forward when press play) ... Anyway when a tape is engaged , the belt doenst have enough torque to make it roll .. Thanks for your help
@@calumdavidson2548 Hello I'm also @surfer d'argile) after changing Idler, Pinch, Capstan and control belts, the transport act normally (with a bit of backgroun noise).. My last challenge is getting the Right channel to work as the Left one... I commented on other videos you made ( about stereo buss trouble) ... Thanks a lot anyway .. my 244 playbacks !
All belts and rubbers replaced and all transport mechanisms are physically operating well, but mine is having intermittent failure responding to all control buttons. Control buttons are all good and providing correct input to U501. Occasionally it will all work perfectly, but sometimes it will just start on 'Play' when powering up and won't respond to Stop or other buttons despite voltages being correct coming out of U501 in each control mode. Any thoughts on common problems that might cause such intermittent problems?
Have you inspected the mechanical connection between the control pot and the black gear below it? There's a white clip that connects those two parts which can break sometimes.
Good evening! Love your videos! You've helped me loads in learning the ways of the porta studios. I had a question about sourcing the black spring below the play heads for my porta two. I have two units, one is completely missing and the other is mangled beyond repair. Any replacements out there? Thanks everything you do
Can you message me via Facebook? I might have spares I could post though I'd have to check...
Hi again, I'm looking at a unit that powers on and makes the humming sound as well as the heads are stuck in the up position, both of which you thankfully explained in this video. However, the current owner says he did manage to squeeze a cassette in with the heads up and once he did, the play, fast forward and rewind functions did work, but the play function is spinning extremely fast. Does that sound like it has to do with the control belt as well?. I'm particularly curious about the fast spinning play function. Thanks in advance!!
Yes, control belt, head is stuck near up position so audio is audible, but unless the pinch roller goes up against the tape hard the tape will travel at the same speed as in fast forward mode.
@@Tetrakan Thank you again. Very helpful as always!
I have a Tascam 246 porta studio.. it’s buzzing when turned on.. now.. no tape is stuck but that mechanism is.. First time turning it on in about 15 yrs. is the 244 basically the same internally as the 246? Or where to find replacement belts? Thanks ahead of time!
Hey, yeah the transport on the 244 and 246 are mechanically identical. What you are hearing is the control belt has gone loose or decomposed completely. If you follow the video series I made about the 244 transport you'll learn how to get into and change that belt and how to source a cheap replacement...good news is this belt change is quick and easy. Bad news is if that belt has gone its probably going to be worth you changing the other rubber parts as well. Its not rocket science but it will require a little time and patience. Good luck and thanks for watching!
Thank you! Yes I’ve started watching your videos and they are a huge help. The belts broke and were flung across one of the boards, pieces are everywhere basically.. I went to grab one away from the board and it was so sticky and brittle I figured I’d get some needle nose to pull them out so I don’t have rubber stuck on solder points.
To my knowledge that’s the only thing wrong outside of replacing all rubber pieces as you said. I was going to take it and have it fixed, their waiting list is up to 2 years and very expensive lol.. thank you so much for posting these videos and dedicating the time to do so for people like me.. This is the only way I can access my tapes and very old forgotten songs from my teen years. I’m worried about the pinch roller being dried out but it actually seems ok. Going to order these belts and see if that’s all I needed! Thanks again, very much appreciated!
@@TriTones_Music thanks, glad to help. Best thing with the decomposed belt is to mop them up with isopropyl swabs of the kind a nurse uses to prepare the skin of a patient for an injection or a tatooist uses to wipe away transfers before applying the tattoo gun to the client's skin - such swabs cost a few pounds or maybe 5 us dollars for a pack of 500 and you can use the ones you have left over to clean the magnetic heads as you continue to use the portastudio. I would encourage you to change the pinch roller as well since these things can look okay then suddenly on a hot day they go sticky and strip the surface off your cassette! If you look through my videos you will see one where i refurbish the original tascam 244/246 pinch roller using a very cheap and easily obtainable part AS2 (less than £2 in the UK) - it is easy to cut away the old rubber from the brass core of the original pinch roller, cut away the plastic on the AS2 to remove the rubber and slip the AS2 rubber onto the original brass core, that should leave all the rubber parts good for at least another 10 years.
Your a life saver!! Thanks again man!
Thanks man, great videos. I think my logic board died. I hope it's easily fixable. Probably just expensive.
I just got one of these units and don’t have the tape yet to check if it works. It buzzed when it turned on does with mean it needs fixing or can that just happen?
The 244 makes this sound when the control belt needs to be replaced.
This helped me soooooo much! I will definitely be sending you a tip for these amazing videos. I bought a 244 in cosmetically pristine condition for $200 and it needed all of the above!! I was able to replace the belts, pinch roller and idler tires in a few hours thanks to your guidance.
Everything seems to be fine mechanically and getting playback of all my old tapes but I am getting a lot of IR chatter and rustling/rumbling sounds. Seems to happen even without a tape playing and definitely affects all the 10 or so different cassettes I've tried. Could this be cell phone tower interference? I get this on my studio monitors too (copper shielding cut it way down) but it's so much more pronounced on the 244. Let me know if you have any thoughts. I tried cleaning the heads too and ran a demagnetizer cassette but maybe that's not adequate for a four track?
Thanks again for your guidance!!
Glad this was helpful. Yeah I've found the 244 is very susceptible to extraneous noise. I use power extension cables with RFI /EMI filtering for all my portastudios. I don't think demagnetisation will help.
@@Tetrakan Ok thanks! Do you know of any recordings of different noises I could reference? It does seem very similar to the chattery noise I hear on my studio monitors, but there's a consistent rustling too. Wondering if that might be a motor thing. for EMI filtering, I'm plugged into a Furman power conditioner but that didn't make much difference.
The power conditioner should deal with the "chatter" part. "Rustling" is perhaps indicative of dirt in moving parts (especially faders) or even bad solder connects, leaky caps, etc. I'd you haven't already, deep clean the boards with pots and faders on them. Do that before any real electrical work - it's a nearly 40 year old unit and you probably don't know the life its had, plenty of time for dust sweat drinks link condensation and smoke to get into nooks and crevices. If you do that and the issues still persistt, reflowing old solder and even recapping parts of the audio path can work wonders, there are logical diagnostic things you can do to narrow down where you do this and make the work more likely to yield the desired results, check my other videos or message again for more pointers of you reacb that stage.
@@Tetrakan ok perfect that makes sense! It’s definitely in amazing condition overall but I take your point that dirt and condensation could be an issue. Just went through a similar ordeal with a fender amp- lots of solder points that needed reflowing. Thanks again for the help!!
Replaced all belts and tires in my old dusty 244... everything seems to be functioning okay, but the fast forward button does absolutely nothing! Rewind, play, stop, pause all seem okay... any ideas?
It's a common issue - try first cleaning, or failing that replacing the switch - see this video ruclips.net/video/fhZHQhQ01vw/видео.html
This video was really educational, except I can’t quite find a diagnosis for my 424 mkiii’s symptoms. It plays back at very fast and inconsistent speeds. The ffwd, play, pause, and rewind buttons all behave randomly and sporadically. The tape doesn’t get eaten. The pitch control knob doesn’t affect anything. Anyone have any idea what’s going on???
Sounds like the motor control chip is faulty, see this video ruclips.net/video/h1BBVAtDtIo/видео.html
I’ve replaced the idler tires, roller and both belts but the play button seems to not work. When pressed the heads and roller go up but after a few seconds will go down again. Any solution?
Is the counter ascending from 0000? If it is not, autostop will retract the head after a few seconds
So, it's normal for the 424's capstan to rotate all the time?
That's right - from that generation forward there was no cassette detection switch in the top right corner of the cavity, so providing the belt and motor were healthy, the capstan would rotate whether there is a cassette in the cavity or not.
@@Tetrakan awesome, thank you for your reply. I never even noticed it did until the other day. I thought something was wrong. Have been researching it since.
It's nothing to worry about, glad to help!
@@Tetrakan any suggestions for quieting the background white noise? Sometimes when I watch youtubers with their machines, they seem completely quiet. I wouldn't say mine is "loud", but not like theirs
All the headphone amps on these things are hissy AF so RUclipsrs are probably taking their signal from the line out which has a better noise floor. This may be obvious but are you using DBX? If not, you can go really hot to tape to make the signal to noise ratio better though obv you'll get more tape saturation that way. With dbx on you can get some weirdness in the sound if you go too hot but the noise floor will be much lower. If neither of those things help enough it may be electrolytic caps are leaking slightly meaning electrical crap from the ground circuit is leaking into the audio path.
I have a 144 and the heads are not movimg at all if i don't force them. So I guess I'll have a look at the control belt!
Do have a look but as I recall the head retraction on the 144 is actually handled by a solenoid?
@@Tetrakan I've just researched this and I believe you're right. I'm so lost with this problem now :C
@@konsul599 Before I give you any advice about how to proceed I'll level with you - the Teac 144 is pretty much the last portastudio I'd recommend as a starter project. There are certain parts that wear out which - at the time of writing - are not being offered by tascam/teac: Without those parts, most Teac 144s which are not already unwell will become un-fixable in the new future. Even with access to those parts, the transport on that model is over-engineered in my opinion (extra moving parts for the reel mechanism which they removed from later designs), and difficult to take apart. If you can, get a 244, I have enough content up already a beginner ought to be able to get one of those working eventually. That said, solenoids are pretty robust, so I'd be looking old lubricant which has turned gluey and seized under the head assembly, or for broken wires, bad switches, cold solder joints rather than assuming the solenoid is broken - good luck whatever you decide!
@@Tetrakan Everything you said mirrors my recent experiences 1 to 1! Thank you so much for your help and your honesty! I'll keep a look at finding a 244 and then follow your channel closely to keep it running.
I recently got myself a tascam porta 07 and theres too much flutter when i record, even using new virgin tapes. What can the problem be?
If you ahve already replaced the rubber parts and lubricated the mechanism, you could try repolacing the motor control chip which is prone to overheating, see this video. ruclips.net/video/h1BBVAtDtIo/видео.html
Hey, just got a Tascam 246 and am thoroughly enjoying it. Everything seems to works fine however there is a consistent clicking as the tape spins around coming from the cassette compartment during playback. Doesn't seem to affect anything, it records and sounds great just annoying and a little concerning. I've cleaned everything and tried multiple different new cassettes. Any advice? Thanks any help would be greatly appreciated.
Oh and the click is regular and changes depending on the speed of the tape
Hey, sorry its taken me a month to reply - I had a bad house fire in the fortnight preceding this comment hence the delay...the click is probably your idler tires. I mean, I can't 100% diagnose anything without actually having the unit in front of me, but what tends to happen is if the rubber is a little old and the unit lies dormant for a while, a slight depression is left where the brass spindle presses into the rubber tire and the click happens when the mechanism passes over it. While its great thta you got a fully working unit, I'd encourage you to replace all the rubber parts anyway, since you don't know when it was done last and its much easier to do before the rubber deteriorates badly. Good luck!
I have a 246. It won’t play at the right speed. When you record it sounds out of tune when you play it back as in slower. Not sure what to do to fix it any ideas?
If the rubber parts haven't already been replaced, do that now. Remove eep clean and lubricate the speed pot? (contact cleaner; compressed air; appropriate lubricant, I use deoxit fader lube with a needle applicator)
Hi there, I'm also getting so much from what you've put online. I thought I fixed a dead unit but I still have an issue I have no idea where to look. Everything would work fine for 10-30 secs, but then motors would start spinning without any command given, and the heads control motor would kind of flicker and bring the heads slightly back and forth.
I thought it would be the control motor pot that would have an issue but after tweaking around the the issue seems somewhere else.
Any idea would be greatly appreciated. Also, I wonder if you would offer online course/help for people that need more dedicated help for their issue ?
Sorry to answer to myself, but I think I got it... problem apparently was laying in the push button section. I had to repair the stop button but didn't go further there.. and the buttons were quite oxide. After a full cleaning with contact spray the unit doesn't behave funnily anymore. I opened a few to go inside and clean them properly... yay, one step forward.
Thanks again man for your proper helpful videos !
I'm very glad you fixed the problem, well done! Also I see you made a donation, thank you very much.
@@Tetrakan Unfortunately after closing the box the unit started to have funny behavior again :/ .. how disappointing when you tested for a good 30min and everything seemed okay... part of the game I guess :)
Hello thanks for these videos really insightful.. I just picked up a 246 cheap will the transport/ belts be similar to this model do you think?
Thanks! Yeah the 246 transport is more or less identical, anything to do with rubber parts is exactly the same...246 is probably my favorite 4track, good luck!
@@Tetrakan thanks for the response :) im going to pick it up tomorrow the guys is saying the wheels are turning slowly but it wont record or anything.. I just watched all your 244 refurb tutorials. I know its hard to diagnose problems without seeing the unit your self but was wondering if you could offer some insight? I was thinking of buying a full kit and replacing all belts pinch and idler
@@macros303 Yeah sounds consistent with the idler tires going, if they're on their way out you're as well to replace all the rubber parts while you are in there, there is a good chance that will resolve all your issues.
Hello again just want to say thanks again for these video's. I replaced all the rubber parts following your tutorials. I was hoping you could help me trouble shoot a problem. Firstly i just changed the control and capstan.. the machine worked briefly i recorded some audio and eventually it started to eat the tape. So i went ahead to replace the idlers and pinch roller.. after completing the installation the machine won't play a tape. All the trsnsport functions appear to be working. I tried to play without a tape instslled with my finger on the little capstan switch, it plays(pinch roller is moving) but it appears to be at the ff speed the same with the record function. I was pretty careful to replace headers correctly etc but clesrly i did something wrong i was hoping you could help.. my alologies for the essay.
@@macros303 Hi Gareth, did you ever managed to fix the 246 transport function problem , because I've just run into a very similar problem after replacing both belts and the idler tires on my Tascam 246 ?
Is it ok to get aftermarket belts? Its all i can find..
It’s unavoidable - Tascam stopped supporting this stuff years ago
What if the fast forward & Rewind works but when you hit play, it doesn't play? Looks like it's engaging but my tape won't play.
Sounds like the capstan belt needs to be replaced - pinch roller pushing the tape up against the capstan but when it doesn’t turn, neither does the take up reel, so the counter doesn’t ascend, so the logic system evokes auto stop.
@@Tetrakan Funny thing is it starting working again. Is there a mechanism which gets sticky? Cap belt looks good.
Are you getting tape spill to the right of the pinch roller? If so your idler tire is slipping against the take-up reel. If theres no tape spill, the capstan isn't turning, so the belt must be loose and slipping. Without actually seeing video of the issue those are the only logical explanations which come to mind
@@Tetrakan No tape spill it just doesn't play. I will send a video when it happens again. I appreciate your skill set! Thank you.
im having a lot of audible grainy noise on my recording, it's present even on cue mode, it's very pronounced on silents parts of a tape, and it's definitely not a normal tape hiss
Every track? Or particular tracks? Do recordings made on another machine have the same issue?
Where would I buy idler tires? Cheers
If you're not goign to adapt cheap and readily available plumbing parts as per later videos in this series, the only two places I know of are Tascam Ninja in Greece and West Coast Belts in the US. I've had customer service issues with both sellers, but the tyres themselves were good.
@@Tetrakan thank you! ♥️
@@Tetrakan I had great service and great parts from Daniel’s Gear in Ontario, Canada - he’s on reverb.
I had to take my 244 apart a second time because the tape was speeding up like crazy during playback, then will be normal, then gets a bit slow. Unpredictable. Someone here mentioned that if there is any oxidation or something blocking/clogging the current flow in the pitch potentiometer, that creates the issue by blocking correct current flowing to the capstan or idler motor. Since mine was originally owned by a serious smoker and I’ve seen the nicotine stains inside the mixer pots, it would be a good bet that that’s what is causing my speed issues. Might help if anyone is out there dealing with speed issues to clean the pitch pot with Deoxit D5, correct?
Yes, I've encountered that issue a couple of times, and generally speaking what might manifest as an intermittent crackle from a pot on an electric guitar can end up manifesting as a intermittent change in speed if it is the pitch control potentiometer which is dirty. Deoxit D5 is probably more appropriate but to be honest I have always used servisol super 10 followed by compressed air followed by deoxit FL100, just because Caig products are hard to get hold of in the UK, and FL100 is a variety I can buy in a larger bottle with a needle dispenser fairly inexpensively from amazon UK ...its designed for conductive plastics - faders and the like - but has been effective on the various pots and switches in the portastudios I have worked on. I'll do a short video on this at some point, good call!
Tinkering with Tascams That would be excellent, thanks! Great work
Can't thank you enough for these great instructional videos, I've been learning so much from them.
I have an uncommon issue which I can't quite place as the symptom is a high pitched whining noise that increases in pitch and grows louder during playback/record, it then tails off after stop is pressed. Could this be a dying motor?
Here's a video link: ruclips.net/video/1pppax7Dh6M/видео.html
Have you encountered anything like this before?
Any help is hugely appreciated!
Big thanks!
Hey, glad these have been helpful so far. The audio in your video sounds like the control motor turning freely. My best guess without being there is the control belt is loose enough to allow this but not so loose its stopping the shuttle controls from working altogether. Can you try replacing the control belt with a cheap rubber o-ring/gasket as per a later video in this series and see where you are? If the problem still persists comment here again and I'll try to get my thinking cap on, good luck!
@@Tetrakan thanks for the quick and helpful reply! So glad to hear that it's probably not a dying motor! I'll try and replace the control belt and see if there's an improvement.
Apart from play, which appears to stop before stop is actually pressed, the other transport functions, albeit noisy, would appear to be functional: ruclips.net/video/NOlo9-TJ5cI/видео.html
And there's no whir or hum at power on: ruclips.net/video/wfiLrU51hSs/видео.html
Could the loose control belt also explain play stopping after a few seconds? Or is that more likely a capstan belt, idler tyre or perhaps pinch roller issue?
Thanks again for all your help!
frederickaleidoscope This is roughly how Autostop works on the 244 and 246 - the take up reel (rightmost one) has teeth which drive a cog with a brick coloured magnet on it; this induces an electrical signal in a transistor on a small PCB to the right of that: Autostop is triggered when the signal falls below a certain level. So if the tape is actually struggling to turn due to worn rubber parts that could cause your issue, or it could be there is dirt on the magnet or transistor. In any case I recommend anyone getting hold of one of these cleans the transport and replaces all rubber parts, that should catch most issues.
@@Tetrakan thanks again for having taken the time to answer in such great detail, I really appreciate all your help! I'll try replacing all the rubber parts and cleaning the transport and see where that takes me! Cheers!
ruclips.net/video/XyFSk0vgFw0/видео.html
I just got a 246 and your videos have been helpful in demistifying how it all works.
Before I pull my transport out, made a few clips to illustrate the issue I have when I press play. It seems like there is resistance to the "mode" wheel snapping into place. I have some issues with inconsistent speed which may not be related and I'll test further, but this one sounds like stress put on the motor (or solenoid?) that actuates when you hit play.
What are your thoughts?
Thanks!