Tascam 424 mk1 Power Supply

[Colorblind]

I just acquired a Tascam 424 mk1 with no AC adapter. I've got one of these, which I thought would be a suitable substitute: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B071P4 ... UTF8&psc=1

I just noticed the picture on the Amazon page shows a center positive connector, which is incorrect. The one they sent is center negative, and works with my Omnichord.

When I tried it with the 424, it wouldn't power on. The barrel connector seems to be the correct fit. Have I got the wrong adapter specs, or is there likely another issue here? The adapter output is 12V DC, 2A, center negative. I haven't gotten too far into troubleshooting yet, but the DC jack on the machine does not appear to be loose at all.

Thanks!

C

[jacksaturn]

I just noticed the picture on the Amazon page shows a center positive connector, which is incorrect. The one they sent is center negative, and works with my Omnichord.

All 4-track cassette machines made by Tascam that have a 2.5mm barrel connector use center-negative power adapters. You're correct that the photo on the Amazon listing shows a center-positive power supply, but if the one they sent you is 12V 2A center-negative, then it absolutely should work unless the adapter itself is broken. (And you said it works with your Omnichord, so we can rule out a bad adapter.) Sounds like there's something else wrong with the power connection internally.

Where are you located? I'd be glad to help you get it repaired.

Jack

[Colorblind]

Thanks Jack. I’m in Ontario, Canada. Not sure how much I can afford to sink into repairs at the moment, so I’m going to start by taking closer look at the guts to make sure there’s nothing glaringly obvious going on inside.

Thanks,

C

[A.David.MacKinnon]

Not to steal jobs away from Jack but if you're in Toronto there's a local repair tech who specializes in multitrack cassette. The folks at Paul's Boutique can put you in touch.

[jacksaturn]

Not to steal jobs away from Jack but if you're in Toronto there's a local repair tech who specializes in multitrack cassette. The folks at Paul's Boutique can put you in touch.

Thanks for the heads-up about this, Dave! You're likely talking about Electronics Compassionate House, who I hadn't heard of until your reply inspired me to do a Google search. Here's some info: http://www.echrepairs.com/2019/03/ech-i ... endly.html

I don't take in repairs from outside the USA due to cost and the unpredictability of items getting damaged in international transit. I'm so glad to know of a 4-track-specific technician in Canada who I can refer people to!

Jack

[Colorblind]

Ah, good to know. Thanks Dave!

[A.David.MacKinnon]

Not to steal jobs away from Jack but if you're in Toronto there's a local repair tech who specializes in multitrack cassette. The folks at Paul's Boutique can put you in touch.

Thanks for the heads-up about this, Dave! You're likely talking about Electronics Compassionate House, who I hadn't heard of until your reply inspired me to do a Google search. Here's some info: http://www.echrepairs.com/2019/03/ech-i ... endly.html

I don't take in repairs from outside the USA due to cost and the unpredictability of items getting damaged in international transit. I'm so glad to know of a 4-track-specific technician in Canada who I can refer people to!

Jack

That's the one! I haven't used him but we've had some email exchanges and he's friendly and knows his stuff. There's been a small flood of refurbished cassette machines surfacing here since he started up.

[Colorblind]

I reached out to the ECH guy but never heard back. Made a bit of progress on my own. Resoldering the DC jack allowed me to at least get the unit powered on. The metal trace has actually pulled away from the PCB, which is a somewhat common issue from what I've read.

The next problem was that none of the transport buttons worked at all. I poked around a bit and made sure all of the ribbon connectors were secure. Now they work, with a bit of coercing. I have to make multiple attempts pressing the play button *very* hard to get it to work, but it does work eventually. Would still like to have a pro go through it at some point though.

[jacksaturn]

I reached out to the ECH guy but never heard back.

Glad to see you made some progress with the repair!

I sent a message to introduce myself after reading about ECH in this thread - Carl sent me a reply the same day. I'd suggest trying again. Speaking as someone who runs a repair business, sometimes messages get lost in the shuffle or get sent to spam when they shouldn't.

-Jack

[Colorblind]

Glad to see you made some progress with the repair!

I sent a message to introduce myself after reading about ECH in this thread - Carl sent me a reply the same day. I'd suggest trying again. Speaking as someone who runs a repair business, sometimes messages get lost in the shuffle or get sent to spam when they shouldn't.

-Jack

Thanks Jack. I kind of just assumed he was too busy to take on any more work, but you’re right, I should try him again.

[A.David.MacKinnon]

Try again for sure. He just took in a crazy drum machine/amp combo (Nomad Time Tapper) for my bandmate. You may have just been lost in the shuffle.

[Colorblind]

Try again for sure. He just took in a crazy drum machine/amp combo (Nomad Time Tapper) for my bandmate. You may have just been lost in the shuffle.

Wow, that thing looks like all sorts of fun.

[A.David.MacKinnon]

It's a bit crazy