Fostex R8 question

[WWLDD]

I just recently received a Fostex R8 and put in some used tape that I bought from someone else. When I put in the tape and powered it on, it seemed to be working correctly (fostex rolls by on the track meters). However, it seems to be stuck on stop, and none of the controls work.

Am I missing a step in getting this to record?

I opened it up and manually turned a visable plastic gear which lowered the tape (for rewinding and fastforwarding I presume). After turning it back on, the reels spun right away, stopped, and then the stop button stayed on again.

Thanks for any input.
Kevin

[Luke]

Are you sure you have the tape threaded properly?

[LittleDogAudio]

It could be that the tape you bought is old and gummy. If the R8 senses too much tension, it will revert to stop.

Is the tape very old?
When it does spin does it squeak?
Is there tape residue on the transport?

Just a thought.

Chris

[WWLDD]

I don't know the age of the tape, but it is Ampex 457. It doesn't look to be in bad shape. I manually turned the reels with the tape installed, and the meters were showing the signal, and if I turned it at the right speed, I could hear some of the drums the previous owner of the tape recorded.

Could it just need a cleaning or demagnitizing? I am also thinking it could have somthing to do with the motor or belt, but I do not want to risk breaking anything by digging my way inside.

Thanks for your responses.

[janusmusic]

check the stop button itself. I have a tsr8 and the buttons on the machine stick when I push them, therefore sticking in the selected transport function, so I have to use a butter knife(hi-tech). to pop them out. They are a softer rubber type. I avoid this by just using the remote for the functions. Check it out.
Good luck,
Brian

[drumsound]

There's either a tension lever/guide that the tape needs to go around or a light sensor of some sort that the tape passes through breaking the light so the machine goes into "stand-by." Without a tape on the machine, push the lever or put a piece of paper to break the light. Now hit play and see if the reels and capstan more. If they do the reel is bad if they don't the problem is probably in the sensor system.

I just looked at some pictures on eBay. It looks like the two outer-most roller/guides are hinged and move. One or both of these sense tape tension and put the machine in standby. Move them from their "at-rest" state with no tape on the deck and see what happens.

[WWLDD]

I tried turning it on with no tape threaded through and with the two outer rollers (which have sensors) held up. The right reel started to move for a brief moment, stopped, and then none of the controls worked.

If I turned it on with no tape threaded, and the outer rollers left down with no tension, the "error t" (tape error) appeared. If I quickly moved one of the rollers up to break the sensor, the reel started to move and then stopped like before. If I left the rollers down and waited a couple of seconds, then held them up, nothing happened.

It almost seems like everything freezes up. I checked the buttons and they don't seem to be sticking. I guess the only thing I can do is attempt to dig into the machine and see if I can find something, or just bring it in and hope the damage won't be too much (literally and money wise).

If anyone has any other suggestions, I'll give them a try. Otherwise, thanks for trying to help me with this.