Tascam 244 repair: replacing the idler tyres (with rubber faucet rings!)

[@Haleiwamusic]

Thank you very much for this video! My idler tires were worn out and I had them replaced today based on your video. If your video hadn't been here, I would have thought that I have to remove the face cover of the Tascam 244 which would have been much harder than just simply removing the transport part of the machine! My Tascam 244 works like a charm now! Thanks again and best wishes from Stockholm.

[@spooktasticaparanormal]

😄 I've had a few washers clips ping away never to be seen again. They're a royal pain in the butt at times. Great video Dennis.

[@stephenfrankish62]

I've got a 244 with similar problems.. This machine is so easy to use.. Last time I looked at it pretty much all the rubber rollers had turned to guey tar.. Now I've seen this hopefully I'll get it going again.. Nice fix

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

stephen frankish Thanks for watching! If you the to replace the belt, I have a video on that as well

[@jackmillar6989]

These tutorials are a lifesaver!

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

Jack Millar Thanks for watching!

[@ikworgek]

bedankt voor deze nuttige tutorials. Zeer handig! Ik kocht een 244 die ratelde als een gek en die steeds stopte met spelen. Heb de idler tires vervangen (kraanrubbers) en ook de beide riemen/snaren. Mijn 244 draait weer als een zonnetje.

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

ikworgek Bedankt voor je reactie! Fijn dat ie weer lekker loopt. Waar had je je kraanrubbers gehaald, en heb je ook dubbele rubbers gebruikt?

[@ikworgek]

@@MultitrackCassetteFans Ik heb inderdaad ook dubbele rubbers gebruikt, met een platte rand. ik heb ze bij de Praxis gekocht.:-)

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

ikworgek De mijne kwamen van Karwei, geen punt dus 😜. En heb je originele snaren gebruikt, of iets wat ongeveer paste?

[@ikworgek]

@@MultitrackCassetteFans iets wat ongeveer paste. ik had nog wat snaartjes liggen. Voor de brede snaar van het vliegwiel heb ik een ptt-elastiek gebruikt. tot op heden werkt dat prima. Heb jij inmiddels wel originele snaren gemonteerd?

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

ikworgek Nee ook nog niet. Die lange brede snaar is een stuk lastiger aan te komen

[@DaveZula]

Wow, excellent video. I hope one day I’ll have the courage to do repairs like this on a tape machine.

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

David Paul It isn’t that hard David, especially if you buy a broken one for cheap, you can practice :) Thanks for watching!

[@unclemick-synths]

Thanks so much - I wish I'd known this method when I replaced my pinch roller. Just 6 screws! 😢

[@giuseppepettinati9627]

Hi, a little OT, probably, but i'm trying to repair a Tascam porta 05. The idle tyre does not touch the lower mechanism correctly, causing the play function no work or the tape to come out from the cassette. Are there good alternatives for the idle tyre or shall I have to spend 40 USD + shipping costs (i'm writing from Italy) for a little peace or rubber? The same applies for the pinch roller. Any hint or help would be appreciated :)

[@BogoEN]

Hey again - something interesting to note as I have my 244 open in front of me; there are no fuses in the left side! I almost thought mine had been sacked for parts, until I realized this may be due to the difference in the European voltage vs. the American (240 vs 120, respectively). Fun to watch this again as I work on the unit. Also, I noticed in your video you still have the rubber bands attached to the capstan and control belt. It may be working fine for your purposes, but I found this if you’re interested in sourcing the original belt sizes. Cheers! homerecording.com/bbs/general-discussions/analog-recording-and-mixing-tape-and-gear/tascam-244-246-refurbishment-364104/

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

BogoEN Hahaha yeah I hoped nobody would notice, but I still have to replace these temporary belts. I have one universal replacement for the control belt, but the capstan belt is a little harder to find. Thanks for the url, I just checked it, I will use this in my quest for a better belt 😀

[@bonno666]

Good video, but, I always use a needle, to remove those plastic washers, from the underside moving it upwards, then you can prevent it from launching in the room.

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

bonno666 Thanks Bonno, good point. This was my first time removing a washer clip, but using a needle definitely makes more sense indeed. Perhaps in a future repair video I will use a needle. You’ll be the first to know 😜

[@alanduncan1980]

So, if you could only have one multitrack cassette recorder which one would you choose?

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

I haven’t touched every 4-track yet, but up till now it would definitely be the Tascam 244. (But I also have high expectations of the 246, 424 and 644)

[@BogoEN]

Thank you so much for posting this! I also found the MZEntertainment page when I bought my first 144. I was verrrrrrry lucky to recently acquire a 244 for almost nothing and it has this same problem, glad to see a video version of the repair. Any chance of a 4-track shootout/rating video anytime soon? I now own two (!) 144’s, a 244 and a Porta02. I’m still deciding which is the all-around best. The Porta02 is a bit outclassed but sounds good for its age and simplicity.

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

BogoEN Thanks for watching! Hope you get your 244 up & running. I would definitely go for the 244, if I owned your collection of 4-tracks, the 244 is one of my favorites too. It has superb build quality, and a LOT of features, including dual parametric EQ per channel. I don’t own a 144, but I think it only has simple high & low EQ. Btw did you know that Bruce Springsteen recorded his Nebraska album on a 144?

[@BogoEN]

Multitrack Cassette Fans Yes, I certainly do! I’m not Bruce’s biggest fan, but I’ve always loved that record (I was born in New Jersey ;-) ) and if anyone is curious about it, I’d recommend the vinyl; it gives you the best sense of the sound capabilities of the 144 - still underestimated! The 144 is even credited in the liner notes, perhaps to encourage aspiring songwriters. The 244 is definitely more advanced in features, but as I’ve seen and heard you say, it’s all about embracing the limitations. I recommend that machine if you can find a cheap one to fix up. I recently asked 3rd Island if he was interested in finding a way to engage and disengage the Dolby B NR on the 144. If he could successfully do that, that machine would be nearly unbeatable.

[@jihnb6050]

Ik denk dat ik hetzelfde probleem heb. Ik was al een tijd aan het zoeken naar een 4 track van Tascam en kreeg er laats 1 die al jaren bij iemand in een schuur stond. Als ik op play, fast forward, etc.. druk dan lijkt het inderdaad voor 2 seconden dat het gaat werken en dan stopt het weer. Binnen in het tapedeck zie ik op een metalen pinnetje ook zwarte, plakkerige troep wat volgens mij met de rubberen bandjes te maken heeft.. ik heb helaas zelf maar weinig verstand van tapedecks. Is er een mogelijkheid dat je mij zou kunnen helpen?

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

Jihn B Waar woon je ergens?

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

Jihn B Ik woon tussen den Bosch en Eindhoven, dus dat zou op zich wel kunnen. Maar waarschijnlijk zijn je rubber snaren ook vergaan, vandaar de zwarte plakkerige troep aan de binnenkant. Daar heb ik ook een video over gemaakt, check die eerst maar

[@jihnb6050]

@@MultitrackCassetteFans Ik heb het net bekeken, ik ga vandaag/morgen even de achterkant open schroeven en kijken of ze inderdaad vergaan zijn. Kwa afstand is het zeker te doen maar ik wil wel eerst zelf eens een poging wagen. Is er een andere manier om met jou in contact te blijven?

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

Jihn B Als je reageert op een video zie ik het altijd 👍

[@jihnb6050]

@@MultitrackCassetteFans Er is nog een probleem, de pinch roller lijkt ook gesmolten te zijn. Enig idee waar ik zo'n pinch roller zou kunnen halen? Ik dacht er zelf aan om er 1 uit een oude radio te halen.

[@ManCalledMif]

Thank you so much for this video ❤

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

Thanks for watching!

[@justinbrown8214]

I have a problem with my Tascam 246 where the playback speed slowly increases and decreases. The problem comes and goes but has recently become more chronic it seems. Cleaning the pinch roller and capstan seemed to alleviate it for a while but I think the source of the problem lies elsewhere. I'm wondering if my problem could be caused by old/hardened idler tires? I've recently replaced my main belt (on the big flywheel) with a spare that was inside the chassis of the unit when I bought it so I don't think that should be part of it. Any ideas?

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

Justin Brown My first guess would be the main belt, but you’ve already replaced that one. Is the flywheel running easily? Perhaps it is the motor itself, but to be honest, I really don’t have an idea. (I don’t think the idler tyres have any influence on the tape speed, they only keep a certain tension on the tape while playing, ffwd or rewind)

[@BogoEN]

@Justin Brown I have a similar problem with my 244. It originally belonged to a smoker and I have a strong suspicion that the nicotine stains I have found in the mixer pots also found its way into the speed control potentiometer, which would impede current flow and create erratic tape speeds.I plan to remove the nicotine from the speed control pot soon and that will answer my question and possibly yours as well. Try spraying Deoxit D5 into the control pot, then turn the knob back and forth to get rid of oxidation. Test it and see if the speed is constant. If not you’ve ruled out that pot itself and it could be IC’s on the PCB that controls either that knob or or the motor (bad resistor, capacitors, etc.). Last suspect would be the motor itself, in which case just replace. Good luck, I hope that helped.

[@justinbrown8214]

@@BogoEN Do you think the pot would be a factor if the speed control is toggled off via the switch? Thanks for the reply, I'll have to give it a shot.

[@BogoEN]

Justin Brown Ah good question. My guess is that that switch is for a bypass, which would mean it would rule that out, but perhaps not and the current still runs through the pot regardless? Worth doing either way, hard to harm it if you take care. After that I’d say it would likely be either a bad IC or the motor itself. There is a company that makes motors for cassette machines currently, though I’ve seen forum debates about the dependability of non-oem parts being installed in these things. Your call after cleaning the pot, but I’d take it to a tech and specifically just ask them to test the IC’s around the tape motor for any bad caps or resistors, unless you wanna go hardcore DIY and get a multimeter and test for continuity and resistance. If all your rubber is good as you say, I think it can be narrowed down to that.

[@DrZEEworkshop]

Great work and demonstration ,! Thumbs up 👍 and thanks for the pug 😁 /Mike Zee aka Dr Zee

[@DrZEEworkshop]

Thanks for the plug that was

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

Thank you Mike, glad you like it! I’m very proud now this video has been approved by a “doctor” 😂👍👍👍

[@gregbutterworth7046]

Hi, what size were the washers? Thanks.

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

Greg Butterworth I’m not sure, I think just under 2cm diameter

[@DeVentilator]

Dankjewel voor deze video! Nu ik dit heb vervangen loopt het apparaat wel goed. Er is alleen een soort ratelend/piepend(soms vrij hoog) geluid als ik een cassette afspeel, komt dit bij jou ook voor? En ik ben er ook achter gekomen dat ik mijn pinch roller wiel moet vervangen, wellicht dat het geluid daar mee te maken heeft. Eerst eens kijken waar ik zo'n wieltje nog kan kopen.

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

DeVentilator Bedankt voor het kijken en je reactie 😀. Een licht ratelend geluid komt mij ook bekend voor, ik heb het idee dat dit toch een wieltje is wat door de idler tyre wordt aangedreven

[@DeVentilator]

@@MultitrackCassetteFans Heb je toevallig enig idee waar ik een nieuw pinch roller wieltje vandaan kan halen?

[@YOURFISHINGCHANNEL]

hi , waar kan ik deze ringen kopen of bestellen?

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

Hoi, ik heb deze bij Karwei gehaald. btw ik ben zelf ook visser ;)

[@YOURFISHINGCHANNEL]

@@MultitrackCassetteFans ohhh dat is wel toevallig.

[@YOURFISHINGCHANNEL]

@@MultitrackCassetteFans hi , ik ben bezig met mijn Tascam 246 , had de belts erop gezet in de hoop dat hij het weer zou doen maar helaas, de counter gaat ook niet aan en ik kan niks met de cassette gedeelte , timer display ook niet aan. Enig idee wat er kan zijn? bedankt alvast.

[@YOURFISHINGCHANNEL]

@@MultitrackCassetteFans Hi, ik heb wat dieper in de machine gekeken maar het is ingewikkelder dan ik dacht. Zal iemand blij maken voor zacht prijsje voor onderdelen denk ik.

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

YOUR FISHING CHANNEL waar woon je ergens?

[@TheTechnobear]

I had to do this a few months ago...what I did was to come in from the top, so remove the top cover , which @drZeeworkshop I believe also shows - I did it around the same time as I changed the pinch roller :)

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

TheTechnobear And did you fix it? Yes I saw @DrZEEworkshop come in from the top, but I thought getting in from the bottom would be less work.

[@TheTechnobear]

@@MultitrackCassetteFans yup, worked a treat :) I had similar issues to you, that the tape transport would just stop after a few seconds... after the fix all worked fine. btw: thank your for your belt changing videos, I found it really useful. btw: for others reading, in in EU i found the idler tyres on eBay... more expensive, but i wasn't sure when I was looking how precise the measurements needed to be.

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

TheTechnobear Thanks again. The belt replacement was my very first youtube video. I didn’t even look dor original idler tyres, although I once bought a pack of 35 universal rubber belts on ebay. None of them matches the big one in the 244, but I repaired a couple of other 4-trackers with this. Btw where do you live in the EU? UK? I’m from the Netherlands

[@TheTechnobear]

Multitrack Cassette Fans originally from UK but been living in Spain for quite a while now :)

[@MultitrackCassetteFans]

TheTechnobear Ah okay. I’m always curious where the European viewers come from. Most comments and views are from the USA