Suggestion for Repairing and Modding TASCAM 464 Porta Studio

clean_and_humble · Post by **clean_and_humble** » Sun Mar 09, 2008 1:14 pm

So
I still have my Tascam 464 Porta Studio
and Ive kept it pretty clean
the things that are broke on it are
the headphone in probably loose solder points

and the dbx button is broke off
the dbx still works but i never use it anyway

the motor was making a funny noise last month
when powered on but it has gone away?

Now
the first thing i wanted to do was repair the headphone jack
and I tried to open the unit to get to the solder points
and got really scared by all the boards i would have had to take apart to get to it
so i put it back together and did not touch it

I would like to also test all the tape heads and speed
and make sure everything is perfect
Id like to get this machine back to a perfect state
can anyone recomend a guide to doing this
perhaps an online one with pics and or video
that would be great
I love this machine
if there is nothing like that out there im considering
doing one myself

Also what mods have been done to this machine?
Any?

I will post pics of mine soon
I need this machine to transfer and sample all my old logged tapes
also I still think its a great machine for recording
but that could be because It was my first pro recording device
so im sentimental for it

clean_and_humble · Post by **clean_and_humble** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 6:57 pm

remember that funny noise i was talking about
that was the motor dying
The tape deck part of the machine does not work at all

im really bummed out about this
but instead of buy one on ebay
im set on repairing this one
i found this place called bc electronics in pa
that repairs them
but if anyone has any suggestions for a cheaper repair
let me know
also feel free to call me a moron

creature.of.habit · Post by **creature.of.habit** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 8:12 am

clean_and_humble wrote:remember that funny noise i was talking about
that was the motor dying
The tape deck part of the machine does not work at all

im really bummed out about this
but instead of buy one on ebay
im set on repairing this one
i found this place called bc electronics in pa
that repairs them
but if anyone has any suggestions for a cheaper repair
let me know
also feel free to call me a moron

buying a used one might be cheaper and you can luck out and end up getting a barely used one where everything is still very ok. the 464 is a relatively sleeper porta and it never really picked up like the other models, i have no idea why. also the reason why it's probably the model you have the highest chances of picking up relatively untouched.

clean_and_humble · Post by **clean_and_humble** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 9:02 am

yeah
this is all true
and there is one on ebay right now for 100 bucks
but the fact remains that i did all my early recording with this machine
and allthough i know there is no real sound quality signif to that fact
there is this part of me that is saying
you must repair the first gear you ever owned and preserve it
like prince jammys mixing board

http://youtube.com/watch?v=AlzsrtlXm2w

creature.of.habit · Post by **creature.of.habit** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 10:55 am

clean_and_humble wrote:yeah
this is all true
and there is one on ebay right now for 100 bucks
but the fact remains that i did all my early recording with this machine
and allthough i know there is no real sound quality signif to that fact
there is this part of me that is saying
you must repair the first gear you ever owned and preserve it
like prince jammys mixing board

http://youtube.com/watch?v=AlzsrtlXm2w

won't argue with that. good luck, you're gonna need it.

clean_and_humble · Post by **clean_and_humble** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 11:51 am

B.C. Electronics repairs them
for anyone playing the home game
But i might just order the motor from Tascam and take it to
my local mr fix it repair shop that fixed two of my tape decks in
the past and did a damn good job for half the price

clean_and_humble · Post by **clean_and_humble** » Thu Mar 13, 2008 12:10 pm

OK Folks
this just in
I called Tascam Direct
the parts dpt.
and they say the motor for the 464 is only
get this
18 bucks
how hard is it to put a motor in diy?

clean_and_humble · Post by **clean_and_humble** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 10:34 am

OK
I now have pics of the tascam opened up
and am wondering if anyone can give me some expert advice
on how to repair the motor
im really thinking it is infact the motor for the tape part
of this machine that has died being that it powers on
and everything else works
non of the tape functions work
i think the motor died
as I mentioned I called Tascam and the part is only 18 bucks
View pics below and tell me how hard you think it would be
to take out the old motor and put in the new one
also if anyone knows of someone online who might have
a guide to doing this repair please link me

thanks

why i need this machine to work

madtho · Post by **madtho** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 1:24 pm

I had a stereo repair guy replace my motor (424) 5 or 8 years ago, I think it was like $40. I think it's pretty simple, but there might be some fussy clips holding things in there, I don't remember.

good luck
-mad

clean_and_humble · Post by **clean_and_humble** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 1:37 pm

hey let me ask you something
when your motor went
what was the deck doing?
can you describe it?
I want to be sure its just the motor that needs to be replaced

madtho · Post by **madtho** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:19 am

clean_and_humble wrote:hey let me ask you something
when your motor went
what was the deck doing?
can you describe it?
I want to be sure its just the motor that needs to be replaced

Hi.
it was squealing like an injured pig. There must be bearings in the motor that had seized, or nearly so. All the transport functions operated correctly, but not without the noise. And the noise changed with load and w/o.
It's been quite a while, but I was able to poke around in there quite a bit and isolate the problem area. Things are pretty clear inside.

-mad

clean_and_humble · Post by **clean_and_humble** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:18 am

hmmmm
well i tested it again
and all the functions work
except for the play and record buttons
the capstan does not spin
would you say this is the motor?
is there a seperate motor powering fwd and rev?
or could it just be a belt?
i want to be sure what part to order
the play and record lights go on and the heads move up to play a tape
but the cranks do not spin
that is the problem

what do you all think the problem is?
and what parts should i order ?

thanks

clean_and_humble · Post by **clean_and_humble** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 10:13 am

could it be the belt and the motor?
i took apart the deck today
and noticed the belt the turns the capstan was super loose
and needs to be replaced
however as i said this deck was making a grinding like sound
and now it is not
was that the motor going?
did the poor motor wear out the belt ?

help me
i wanna order from tascam
but i want to be sure these are the problems

clean_and_humble · Post by **clean_and_humble** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 11:09 am

the on going saga
with fixing this thing continues
ok just got off the phone with tascam
parts dept
and then the techincal dept
wow what informative people they are
it was only when i inquired about getting an estimate
over the phone for them to fix the deck for me
that they got snippy

but anyway
ive trouble shot the problem down to
definatly the motor and the belt
those i feel i can replace
its all the alignment tapes they say i am going
to need that seem to be the tricky part
if anyone cares to know i have all the model number
tapes
the thing is i want to do this
i know its much easier to buy a used one on ebay at this point
but i feel i owe it to this machine to fix it

madtho · Post by **madtho** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 7:12 pm

Sounds like you've gone far.
I'd put in your new parts and test it before you go after any alignment tapes, it probably sounds just fine.

-mad

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Suggestion for Repairing and Modding TASCAM 464 Porta Studio

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