Tascam 112 Cassette Deck - Overview and Belt Replacement - Vintage Audio
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- Опубликовано: 14 окт 2024
- We picked up this Tascam 112 Professional Cassette Recorder on eBay for $30.... was it a good buy? The belts are completely shot. Let's learn a little about the deck and take it apart, maybe we can get these belts changed and replaced and start using this retro treasure! The methods we use to repair this deck may apply to others as well... enjoy!
Disclaimer: Please use the following how-to guide at your own risk. We can't be held liable if you try to fix yours and break it... goes without saying, right?
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There is nothing better than googling a technical problem and a video like this pops up, clearly explaining what I need to do. Just what I needed! Thanks!
Absolutely! Very well done - enough detail without labouring the process. Thanks very much! Now to order some belts...!
Thank you so much for this. My Tascam 112 died yesterday after 27 years of faultless service! When I opened it today I could see there was a belt in a very bad way. Thanks to you and your video I now have the confidence to open her up, replace all the belts and hopefully get many more years out of this fine piece of kit.
go to tapeheads web ,in forum chap gave directions for service manual full of diagrams and parts nos,think was from library of congress,hope your tassie recovers,
at tapeheads website can download full servtce manual free pdf from library of congress
Thanks for getting back on that info , I bought this unit many years ago on Ebay and it worked perfect ,then i just put it away for 2 or 3 years and decided to use it to record as I was recording i noticed the tape slowed down and then stopped , Now after replacing the 2 belts it F-forward & Rewinds % plays but it wont Record the record light wont come as well so can you tell me what to look for for this problem
Thank You Allen
I love finding these mid to high end decks for cheap. I usual hit the resale stores and so far have about 30 decks. almost all of the need belt replacements, but for some reason the low end units I have worked just fine right off the shelf.
They don't build them like they used to! I've picked up quite a few over the years and for the most part, they work great with minimal restoration needed.
The solvent naptha works well too, and it does not damage plastics. Great decks. even coming from the studios they look great in the living room on a portable rack stand. These were not really marketed to the public so much, but they're starting to appreciate the reliability and the full spectrum audio they produce. I haven't looked at the stats in a while, but I believe these are one of the few that can go full range. Way underrated.
And when removing residue.. tear off a piece of a cotton ball, it's stranded in a different way and it removes residue much better than a cotton swab.
A dental pick works good for putting the belts on.
Just wanted to say thanks - saved me a lot of work, and great to get the old thing back working. Cheers.
Glad it helped!
Thank you so much. Your video comes just at the right time. Also got a Tascam 112 failing due to loosen belts.... Your video definitely was a great help .... now working on the replacement. again: Thank you!
Thanks for the great video I repair my own stuff too and doing it for about 50 years some of it is challenging have a great day I'll keep watching🙃
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the video , really helpful. I just wonder how you removed the glass of the front , to put the mechanism out . ?
Great Video. Is it hard to replace vu lamps in this unit. Do you have to take apart the vu meters to get at bulb?
Very nice video ,the deck mechanism so easy to pull out to replace the belts.The avsilsbility of this tape deck was not in good numbers on ebay etc.
Thankyou! Invaluable! Mine is ok at this point, but come the day I'll be glad of this video!
Much appreciated video here thank you.
I installed the same set you showed. GOOD NEWS - the machine plays well. BAD NEWS - It stops playing after a bit. Also notice the counter is not accurate.
Any thoughts? Anybody? Bueller?
I often use denatured alcohol for things like this.
Does the take up reel stop right before it stops playing? I believe the counter and auto stop both run off that reel. It something is slipping and it stops, that could possibly cause that.
Thank you for uploading this!
6:50 “And that was shit” 😂
Pretty much how my 112MKII might look inside when my replacement belts get here, would you say? Thanks, great video!
Was it? Got one too doesn't work. The play rec button lights go on and I hear clicking. No play
This might be too difficult for me to understand or figure out but on the other hand would it be better for me to attempt it (considering the cost is $175 + parts to send to the repair place?)
I think even a failed attempt is a learning experience!
@Vintage Electronics Channel - cannot learn without trying?
Great video! In what position should the control wheel be after replacing the belt? I can see STP, PLAY, FF and so on on the wheel.
Super clear tutorial ... thanks
Thanks for the video. It is very helpful. I have one problem. Once I reassembled the whole thing, the pinch roller does not move up enough for proper play. I can turn manually the top white belt wheel. It moves the pinch roller up and then it plays ok. I think I must have an alignment problem. Any suggestion?
Thanks for the helpful video. My new belts are on the way.
Glad it helped
@@VintageElectronicsChannel Funny story..... broke something when attempting belt replacement and had to send to a tech. I likely could have fixed it with enough time and effort, but probably better to support those still working on these machines.
The thing with old electronics is they're unpredictable. Luckily there was someone who could fix it. By all means, support those folks who are still around!
Very good video. However, when I opened my unit the belts are NOT gunked up but they are very slack. Does that mean they are just stretched (and need replacing) or is there some kind of tensioner that they are not on correctly? I bought the unit new sometime back in the '80s and it is a great machine when it is working. I haven't used it in many years because of the transport issue. Thanks again for the clear and informative vid.
There's not a tensioner, so they'll need to be replaced. They stretch over time.
This worked great for the belt change, thanks for the tutorial! However when I assembled it all together and turned on power, the VU lights came on, but the counter display is dark and the transport controls don't work. I did check all connections a few times. It appears there is no power to motors or transport. Is there a connection I can look for? Thank You!
Was wondering if you can help troubleshoot, I replaced the belts and all was well....however the head mechansim( play and erase heads) doesn't drop low enough to allow the tape to enter the housing. Thanks for your help
I have the exact same problem! Did you find a solution?
@@henrycobb9544 yes, let me find it and I’ll get back to you, one sec
@@henrycobb9544 at 7:05 freeze this video and notice when he places belt back on, there is a little white wheel with an arm sticking out below the cam. That small white mechanism arm slides into the brown big wheel that has a groove into it. I’m sorry I don’t know the terminology. There was another video that since has been taken down that explains it.
@@cvtogate Hey man thanks to you I got it working!
@@henrycobb9544 That’s awesome!! Im glad I could assist you. But there was a better explanation of an older guy that repaired it and mentioned it specifically, I couldn’t find it. But that’s great.
My Nakamichi DR3 is over 30 years old as well , is in very near mint condition and has it’s original belt. Sounds fantastic!
Very nice!
My gear went bad for eject. I got it for free, but wondering if it's worth fixing. Thoughts please?
I have the first generation Tascam 122 deck. It looks very similar inside. Would you know if the procedure is the same? Where does one get the belts also. My drive belt for the play function is mush right now. FF and RW work fine as well as ejecting a cassette works fine. Thanks very much.
Phil
NYC Area
Procedure should be the same for first generation.
Hi , I was wondering on the belt for the Mechanism for the Head and pin troller up to the Capstan to play Should it turn when your playing a Tape
Without taking minr apart, if memory serves, it should only turn when it's moving that mechanism up or down.
Like an artist, you make it look easy. In the market for a 122 or mk and finding a lot listed as 'not playing and needing a belt'. How would one know if it needed a belt or if the motor was bad, they are dd, do 122's even have belts?
There could possibly still be belts for the take up reels or the mechanism. Sometimes direct drive just refers to the capstan drive. It's always a risk when buying something that "won't play". I tend to listen to try to at least hear the motors running. Perished or loose belts are way more common than a motor going out.
@@VintageElectronicsChannel - I am convinced that a whining sound when playing usually means the transport (play motor) is bad. Motors are not available new.
Thanks! This is so helpful!
I'm so glad!
Please help me, I have the tascam 112 but it dose not work, because i do not know to set the switch of second belt, not the capstan
I think I will color the connections that connect with different-color Sharpies.
Good idea! I tend to take pictures before I take anything apart as well. Gives a nice reference when putting it back together.
Merci, from Quebec, Canada, ....well I still have my -mint- cassette player, (original buter I am- so over 30 years that I keep it) then I have to replace the belts, as I open it I saw that I will have to go over the internet to see if there is a presentation,,,,merci I will take care on how I will do it...see ya
I have a Mark I that will cost me $175 for belt change. This is out of my element but would it be worth it to try and learn, in order to save the money and do it myself. Can I expect that a machine sold as-is can still be repaired?
If you have patience and take your time, I'm sure you'll do just fine changing the belt. I've purchased many things as-is needing repair. Sometimes they're repairable, sometimes not. It's all part of the process.
@@VintageElectronicsChannel - I have been told that motors for the Tascam cassette are no longer available new.
What needs to replaced? I opened them all up, dusted them inside with canned air (when one died, I just got another - I have six). Where is the best place to get belts and is that all I need? The belts just fell off and were not gunky.
@@andyb811 You can find new belts on sites like eBay. I usually buy assortment packs so I can match up the perfect size. Not sure where to find a new motor for one since they are no longer produced. That might be more of an eBay thing as well.
@Vintage Electronics Channel - used for parts but even "as-is" is now overpriced.
Thank you, king
You bet!
Thank you very much for your excellent work. :-)
Thanks for the video, Really helpfull. Can you point me to where i can order the belts?
I ordered mine off eBay. Just search your model and add "belts".
@@VintageElectronicsChannel Thank you. I just ordered some as well
I'm sorry, but I found this tutorial to be lacking. There are shortcuts and some of the steps are left out. For instance, it seems that the door assembly has to come off in order to remove that section and it seems like I have more ribbon cables and more things to disconnect before I can get into the spots where the belts go. It seemed very cut-and-dried but unless it's me, it seems that there is more than meets the eye. I am likely to send it on and hopefully the repair place will not charge me more for trying to do it myself.
My apologies. That was my first ever upload to RUclips, so I was definitely in the beginning stages of figuring out the whole video process.
@Vintage Electronics Channel - maybe I can send it to you???? Very frustrating and disheartening. I am very disappointed.
Is yours a model 112? I do offer repair services here in the shop. Normal turnaround is a couple weeks. Send me an email at chad@vintageelectronics.tv if you'd like more info.
I ran into the same problem, there must be different variations of this model because mine was much more complicated, like Andy here said, many more connectors, much more difficult to get the board off and the cam/motor assembly was not nearly as cut and dry as demonstrated here. I'm not saying that things were edited out, quite the contrary I think that they probably economized their design over the years and if you have an old old one it's probably different even though the models are technically the same. Mine was a PITA but I did manage to do it and it works much to my enjoyment so thanks for the inspiration to disassemble it, I would not have attempted if it didn't appear to be so straight ahead, in the end I learned some things and I salvaged my machine. Win win.
Pretty good video, but he didn't tell us how the clear plastic front door is removed. Just pops up and lifts out. Dont make the mistake I did, thinking that I had to remove the two strange screws on the front. They wouldn't budge, so I drilled them out. Then discovered later how it's really removed. 😒
Yikes! Yeah, this was one of the very first videos I ever made, and looking back, there are a few things I should have changed or included.
My pitch control is giving me fits. After it "warms up" the speed locks in for the most part. not much luck figuring it out.
Have you tried cleaning the potentiometer for the speed control? Deoxit or a good electronics cleaner sprayed into the switch body can do wonders for that.
@@VintageElectronicsChannel Wow... thanks for responding. I did try that, and tried it again. No good. When I hit play, the tape races for a second, then locks in at correct speed. At least I think it's correct speed. Just hoping it is a semi-common problem with a simple solution. I should know better.
Hmm... racing at first and then locking in makes me think perhaps the pinch roller isn't engaging quick enough. Like the take up hub is doing the pulling and then the pinch roller finally settled in and pushes against the capstan and slows it to the proper speed. That's my first thought, especially since that entire mechanism moves up when play is pressed. Second thought is maybe a capacitor or resistor or something that's limiting the current to the motor is faulty and taking time to reach its charge.
@@VintageElectronicsChannel Thank you for the tip. Ill have to open her up and see if I can see if that is the case. Ill report back.
Nice catch !!. That appears to be what is happening. The roller mechanism is lethargic rising up and meeting the capstan. as soon as it makes contact,, wham. good speed. I was concentrating on the pitch control circuit. Silly me. Thank You Sir !!!.
Hello,i have this type of problem, I put in a cassette, I press play everything is playing, but for about a minute you can hear a loud squeak as if there was no friction in the engine, after a minute the problem stops, any suggestions ?Thanks
У меня пока работает отлично! Хороший старичок!
Я тоже
These were so cheap (used) I used to buy another used one instead of sending this one in but the repair guy charges $175 + parts to repaid. Sounds reasonable but isn't this something I can do myself for much cheaper?
Some repair operations are relatively simple. I'd always try fixing them yourself if you have the skill and patience to try.
Can you send your contact information again? My 112 had no gunk or dust or melted or congealed rubber.
You can reach me at chad@vintageelectronics.tv
Can you overdub on this unit?
It doesn't have the ability to record sound-on-sound.
i achived this once on a ghettoblaster, modifying the old box and add a switch to the erase head etc., ok - not looking at soundquality at all. but its fun. also added a potentiometer to the motor etc, switch to left and right record and play head... it was called the 'sozi studio'
hi i picked up a tascam 238 for £50 uk it need alot of work audio pcb's need on pots and a full track test tape i have one
and send in the right sig levels in to the audio card i am a audio tec
i put a mini pot where a res was to get the input levels the same input first audio buffer audio ic i had to do alot of work all the rec pot 47k i had all new one
and i had to make in put and output the same when rec button are in take me alot of time with 8 channels it's ace now i am making a yotube video for next year
please show me the picture of the switch
I will try to get back into that deck soon and see what I can find for you.
Don't matter which Teac deck you got, their mechanics are poorly designed and a real pain to service. The 112 being a perfect example. The V5000 & V7000 are even worse !
Thanks for the video , really helpful. I just wonder how you removed the glass of the front , to put the mechanism out . ?
I'll have to look at it again, but I believe it just slides off.