Tascam 388 Trouble

[JaredEll]

My lovely old 388 isn't running.

Which is so sad.

I've had this great recorder for about 6 months and i have used it fairly regularly without any problems. It sounds and works great. Ive been using Quantegy 456 tape and cleaning it regularly. Everything was going great.

Two weeks ago I went to turn it on and work on a mix after being a way for several weeks. I had left the tape loaded from the previous time I had been working, all the levels were set. I turned it on and pressed play and the tape only jolted forward about an inch and stopped. I tried to rewind and it would only jold backwards an inch or so and stop. There appears to be a problem with the tape tension, when it stops the two outer tape guides are pulled tight and the rubber wheel that moves the tape along with the capstan disengages.

I called tascam suport about the problem and they said that I had worn out the motor by using 456 tape since the machine was designed for 457. That doesnt make sence though because this was a sudden problem, I never noticed a gradual strain on the motor, also Ive been told that 456 tape should work fine. They said I needed to have the motor replaced and that I cant use any of my old 456 tapes. This is going to cost over 100$ and it sounds like ive lost hours of recordings.

Is this all true? Could it be another problem? Is this something I could fix myself? Can I have the motor replaced but set up for 456?

Help!

[joeysimms]

You made sure that the tension was taut before trying to run it?

[JaredEll]

Yeah the tension is taut and the tape is loaded properly. What seems to happen is that it goes into play or rewind mode and all of a sudden the tape is too tight and it cuts out. The capstan still spins but the rubber wheel the hubs stop and the rubber wheel that touches the tape and capstan moves away from the tape and doesnt spin, all the while the tape remains pulled completely tight.

[JaredEll]

any help?

[eh91311]

Have Tascam fix the motor and use 457 for new recordings, you can still use your 456 from previous sessions but only use 457 for new projects from now on. It's thinner and puts less of a strain on the mechanical parts.

[peachfart2000]

i have a tascam 388 and had a problem that was similar.
i tried all sorts of stuff to get it going and before i sent it away, i decided to have a look under the hood.
in this case, it was under the whole unit.
i flipped the whole thing over (SLOWLY!) and removed the panel that was on the bottom of the machine. one of the belts had slipped off it's wheel and i put it back on, screwed the panel back in place, flipped the whole unit back over and it works great.
so, before you spend money, get a screwdriver and take a peek. if you are careful and are just there to look around -no touching!- you might see something obvious (like a belt off it's wheel) that you can fix yourself.

good luck!

[E.Bennett]

this may seem obvious, but did you check all of the fuses?

[ladewd]

Again, not too familar with the 388, but my 3340S has brakes and I assume your's has them as well. Maybe the brake solenoid has burned out? You should take off the back and see if the reel brakes engage and disengage when you press the transport switches.

CA

[JaredEll]

Thank you all for your suggestions.

I turned over the machine and opened it up and the capstan belt is on securely and there arent any other visible moving parts to my knowledge so I think its ok in that respect.

I had checked the fuses at first but somehow overlooked that the 5th fuse is actualy blown so thanks RM for suggesting I look at them again. Unfortunately, looking in the manual I couldnt find what section of the recorder fuse 5 is for. Please excuse my inexperience with electronics in general but I am aware that fuses traditionaly work to indicate a problem somewhere in the circuitry while also protecting the rest of the circuit from being dammaged. Does this mean that replacing this fuse would only cause the replacement to be blown as well or could I possibly replace the blown fuse to rectify all my problems?

In response to the brake solenoid, I think this may be the main problem so thank you ladewd! With the front panel off the reel to reel section of the recorder, it appears that this brake solenoid is not able to release enough pressure for the reel motors to spin freely. Is it possible that the break solenoid is only partialy worn down and not completely busted? This would make sence since the reel hubs are able to spin fine when the tape isn't loaded.

So at this point would it be in my interest to replace the blown fuse? Does it seem like the break solenoid is the main problem here? What do you guys think? (thanks again, this is really helpful)

[E.Bennett]

i am in no way an electronics expert, but i have had a 388 for about ten years. i can tell you that fuses have blown on my unit due to power fluctuations, age, etc. a blown fuse is not always indicative of a problem with the unit.