Cassette Torque Meter (used on a Tascam Porta02)

[@reaganpillay3080]

Hello fellow TapeHeads. Greetings from South Africa. I never knew these existed. Found a batch of about 15 torque tapes today, various brands. Super excited to try them.

[@JohnUsp]

Did you see the price on eBay?! Around US$130 each one, you are rich person ;)

[@JohnUsp]

Is good to find this information online, thanks

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

Thanks for watching!

[@DaveZula]

Wow! I had no idea this instrument existed either. I assume if your machine has incorrect torque it would mean you have a bad belt or motor. Thanks for posting! 👍

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

David Paul Thanks for watching David! Yes, I think you’re right, probably a worn out belt or a weak motor. I also suppose torque values are more likely to be too low than too high, don’t you think?

[@NicholasT-f9n]

FYI: Many service manuals state torque test must be performed in middle of tape wind position for balance torque allowance. Alot of these torque calib cassettes should be thoroughly cleaned because the slightest resistance will skew the mechanical reading. The deck should have new belts, be cleaned and lubed before this test is performed to ensure spec.

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

Nick Terence Thanks for your elaborate comment!

[@imcrow6674]

i believe a deck with high torque wouldnt be problematic in any way or form, youd probably only want to use one of these after servicing a deck to make sure everything is running smoothly if it has low torque thatd be a problem, but i dont believe high torque = bad (unless its a player without autostop i suppose)

[@dr.cdvideo3184]

If the machine have a torque problem How to fix It?

[@I967]

Cleaning, lubrication, mechanical adjustment. The service manual should contain the procedure.

[@didyman79]

Without knowing exact values: take-up torque seems too low, back-tension cannot be verified, this tape is for fast forward measurements exclusively. Normally, take-up should be between 25-60 gcm, back is 2-6, ff/rew 70-110. Check service manual for values, it seems an idler or belt needs replace.

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

didyman79 Thanks for the info!

[@deus402]

Man, did I go deep on youtube this time.

[@deus402]

Now I'm morbidly curious what torque it would stall out at.

[@phantomguard71]

Back Tension is not relevant here, as this is not a Dual Capstan transport. That's why it reads pretty much 0

[@didyman79]

Single capstan also should have measurable back tension even if it's not critical, that's why I wrote 2-6 gcm-for dual capstan that would be between 8-20 gcm.

[@skymcnugget1794]

Sterke borrelaar

[@bonno666]

fast reverse and fast forward have very different values. that is weird. maybe you have to rewind the whole tape for better readings.

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

bonno666 Indeed, that’s a little weird, knowing ffwd and rewind are both driven by the same motor. Perhaps there are some moving parts that press harder to each other in each mode. By the way, the torque meter cassette has a very short lenght of tape. Winding takes about half a minute or so

[@didyman79]

Without changing diameter too much, there will be no difference regarding this.

[@dwoodog]

These tools are hard to come by, and I won't even go in to the rarity of getting this equipment for DAT. Also while I'm ranting What is it with the some kind of closely guarded secret on a single video that goes through re-calibrating a tape deck, torque, head height, azimuth, bias adjust, explaining bias trap, some steps speak of frequency response adjust. Just grab any Nakamichi service manual and there is like 15 steps to re-calibrating a deck. And not breezed over in a 45 second video, but a for dummies version. Man-0-man if I knew how to do this crap I'd post a video tomorrow.