Tascam DA-45HR High Resolution 24bit professional DAT recorder repair.

[@snakeyengel]

Colin, you mad man! I love you, mate! Your two videos on your DA-45HRs helped me to complete the repair on my own, which has been sitting unused for the last 8 years. I even bought the full replacement kit from Germany (including the Glide Bearing Oil and 3 belts) and a service manual (2nd time around - 1st time around was just an owners manual) several years ago and started to repair, but was fully overwhelmed once I got inside and mucked about. I saw your two videos just a couple of days ago (March of 2021), and immediately fished my deck from the closet. In less than 2 hours, I was fully up and running. Several mishaps ensued, but even though I'm not an electronic repair person of any kind, I'm quite technically oriented and was able to fix my mistakes quickly and I have just finished listening to several sessions from back in the day, which happen to coincide with a current studio session in which my wife and her cousin are putting down our collective songs from back then. Perfect timing! Cheers!!!

[@video99couk]

Glad to have helped.

[@snakeyengel]

@@video99couk mate, i'd like to buy you a cup of coffee, or tea, or a couple of pints. I'm in Florida. How can I send you some thank you $???

[@danawhite384]

Where did you source the belt kit? I've not been able to find anything but the door belt. Thanks!

[@mspysu79]

Nice job on the repair there. Man, that is one tiny loading belt. The counter running fast is normal in 24 bit mode, as the tape is running twice as fast through the machine to allow the recording of the extra data. The Pioneer machine that did 16 bot 96KHz sample rate did the same thing in that 96KHz mode. The reason that is done instead of making the counter read real time is that if it read real time and you put in a 60 minute DAT tape and start recording, you are going to be quite disappointed when your recording stops dead after 30 minutes.

[@video99couk]

Brilliant, thanks for that information. I wonder how common the Pioneer 96kHz format is? I've been asked for 24 bit transfers but not 96KHz ones yet.

[@paulmon4077]

@@video99couk The tape runs twice as fast but you probably noticed that the drum heads rotate twice as fast also, 4000 rpm (instead of being 2000 rpm) to keep the density of information recorded on tape. Thanks for this excellent video.

[@video99couk]

@@paulmon4077 I hadn't noticed that. Sneak preview: I'm working on yet another DA-45HR right now, so can demonstrate that. Trouble is, I don't know how long the drive belts will take to arrive from Germany with things as they are right now.

[@veneficus2]

Hey Colin ! The cpounter is running faster because the tape speed is faster because of the 24bit recording...the data has to go somewhere so they speedup the tape speed. I see the exact same behavior on my Sony decks when using LP mode (32KHz 12Bit). It counts only half speed the time....so that 1min play/record time is shown only as 30sec on the display, because the tape passes slower....

[@GabrielLago1]

Excellent job!!Amazing patient attitude

[@zx8401ztv]

Smashing repair colin, it works :-D That was rather fidderly to get the tray detect working correctly, but you didn't give up :-D. For the money that tascam wanted for that switch assembly, you could have bought a bucket of switches lol. Tascam are taking the micky. The use of a braded 3 core wire being bent with every tray eject looks naughty.

[@jasonhawkins4528]

Probably a special order part like we use to have with car parts so they double the money

[@nickfatsis9607]

Cool video, cool machine, I love DAT, some people wonder what's the point of recording music this way when it's easier to have thousands of digital songs on your phone or iPod/iPad, I love those formats too, but there's something more satisfying with having a cool DAT machine playing through your HiFi!

[@pauloarpereira]

Hi, nice video. I have a Tascam DA-45HR and it is not a reliable machine. I've also a Pioneer D-07 and I never had any problem during close to 26 years. Sometimes I've problems with my Tascam. I purchase both new at their time-release (home use/audiophile use). 24-bit recordings: fast time (real-time) is the default mode. You can change the counter mode on menu functions. On HR time display ("HR - TM Tape TM") change "Tape TM" to "RealTM" (manual page 20). Now you have the real-time for 24-bit. You can easily find the DA-45HR SM on the Web.

[@video99couk]

I didn't know you could change the counter functioning, I should have looked at that. Both of my DA-45HR machines work well now, and my go-to deck when I run DAT tapes is usually my DA-30 MKII which I believe has the same mechanism. I also have a collection of Sony DAT machines, the least reliable of which is the DTC-690 (I've had to repair that a few times, but it's working well now).

[@pauloarpereira]

@@video99couk If you were living here I should ask you to repair my Tascam DA-45HR! Now with Brexit, everything will be more complex when we send some audio components to the UK. About drum time on DA-45HR: we need to take care of the time displayed. There is a Tascam confidential paper available on the Web with instructions about how to reset the drum time to zero... Your first DA-45HR DAT is like mine: one from the last generation. There are a couple of improvements and the last software. Note that DA-45HR has a 20-bits internal D/A converter. So, to listen to 24-bits an external converter is required.

[@video99couk]

@@pauloarpereira I don't take on repairs, I have a backlog of my own equipment to service. But yes, Brexit makes a lot of things harder and nothing easier.

[@Capturing-Memories]

It's a lot better to use a DDS drive with a modified firmware for audio, I use the Sony STD-9000 with a SCSI PCI card to a Windows 7 machine, I can dump the tape at 2X the speed, I can copy an image of the tape to write on another tape and I can record a tape from digital files at 2X the speed as well. Since you do this for a living having to copy a tape in half the time with bit perfect transfer compared to SPDIF is a big plus.

[@video99couk]

That sounds like an interesting approach. Would it work for 24 bit recordings? However I'm not sure the results would be any better since my route is also lossless. For the amount of DAT tapes I transfer, running time is rarely an issue. However I will look into the equipment you have listed, I may come back with questions.

[@Capturing-Memories]

video99.co.uk I will ask the guy who wrote the WaveDAT application about 24bit transfer and get back to you.

[@Capturing-Memories]

@@video99couk By looking at the WaveDAT application in the setting tab it can record and read bit depths 12, 16, 24, 32, 32 Float and sampling frequencies of 32Khz LP (12bit), 32Khz (16bit), 44.1Khz (16, 24bit), 48Khz (16, 24bit), 88.2Khz (16bit), 96Khz (16bit). The application is $30 to purchase the license for as many computers as you want, but one application could run multiple drives. For your type of business get as many drives as you want for redundancy if you are going to rely on them, Watch this video to give you a start in the right direction, watch to the end when he talks about WaveDAT and why it's the best: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJK4mWesZ7uAp6s

[@bobjerome5390]

hi have worked on the duel deck and it was the cap's on the head amp i had to change let's watch your video and see watch you did

[@zx8401ztv]

bob jerome Always handy to find out common faults, we all learn from sharing fixes :-D

[@grahamnewman3730]

Excellent repair! I have a DA40. They are great machines.

[@video99couk]

I also have a DA30 MKII which is very similar (see it at 44:50), it has proven to be very reliable. They don't like thin tapes though, they just spit them out with a cryptic error code.

[@jameslaidler2152]

You like yourself some John Secada eh? LOL. Love these Tascam DAT machines, they're tanks.

[@rodrigobelinchon2982]

Truly a thing of beauty !

[@video99couk]

I am rather pleased with it too.

[@fookoo567]

Excellent!

[@samthenerf]

I think the Alps SPPB2A0100 and SPPB2A0101 may be drop in replacements for the microswitches. I overlayed some photos and I think it's just about perfect.

[@video99couk]

They might be, but the difficulty could be the body thickness.

[@samthenerf]

​@@video99couk Well if you ever have them apart again, the new ones are 3.75mm at their thickest. Given just how similar the other dimensions are I don't think they would change them but you never know.

[@untangledproductions]

Hi there. Awesome video. I’m currently restoring one myself. I was wondering if you might be able to help? I just recently cleaned the contacts and replaced the belts, including the drive belt. No loading issues. Tape loads, and ejects fine. When it is loaded and the tape is fed, I get no sound on playback. I do get sound when scrubbing forward or reverse. So I’m sure I need to adjust the tape guides somehow. I just don’t know where to adjust it. The one thing, your video doesn’t have a closeup of where you’re making those adjustments to the tape guide. Can you instruct me any further? Thank you for your time

[@video99couk]

Huge care with adjusting the tape guides. You need to hook up an oscilloscope to see the RF waveform and compare that to the service manual. The tape guide adjustment is very similar to any small video deck such as 8mm or miniDV.

[@garryhay8146]

I think the tape runs faster when recording with 24bit so shortening the length of time on the tape

[@video99couk]

It does.

[@andreasfrandsen1381]

In 24 bits, recording speed is twice as fast as in 16 bit....don't forget this détail !

[@video99couk]

Yes, this was pointed out in other comments, I hadn't realised this before. Do see my next video on another of these: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gmPGhIBspcx2qZY

[@jorgteusch610]

Hello. In your video you were asking why the time was running faster. IMHO the time counter is calibrated to a normal 16 bit length. With 24 bits, it should be running 1.5 times faster as normal. I am inferring this logic from the Pioneer 96 kHz machine you mentioned in the other video about the Tascam DA-45 HR. I once owned the Pioneer in question. While recording at a 96 kHz rate, the recording space required doubled, which logically makes sense. Therefore, a normal one hour tape was „saturated“ with data after 30 minutes already. I assume that the same logic applies to the Tascam DAT with the word length parameter changed... But I might be wrong, of course. Nice old machines, but so clunky in comparison to the new recording gear. Thanks to your expertise they have a second which they certainly deserve...

[@marianayler1891]

Hello. Where are you based? I’ve got two dats that don’t work. Tascam DA-30 and DA-20 both trouble with the drawer. Chews up tapes too. I haven’t tampered with anything. Maria

[@abijeetrs6522]

Why did VCR manufacturers switch from manual loading yo tray loading ? Seeing this unit seems like one more hassle to deal with if gone wrong (limit switches).

[@jasonhawkins4528]

Great repair especially saving on the switches. What was that song which played on DAT called like that Album

[@video99couk]

36:00 It's Jon Secada, Just Another Day.

[@jasonhawkins4528]

@@video99couk I have a VCR. Panasonic HS830 SVHS and ET. Been very reliable from 2001 I think. Had it from new, still works fine, as it's old could you service it, check caps etc. If so how much please? It's worth keeping these going. Thanks. My email is [e-mail]. If so Thanks again

[@video99couk]

@@jasonhawkins4528 Sorry, I don't take on repairs for other people. I have enough of my own equipment to work on.

[@chloeleedow7250]

JUST A GUESS BUT PERHAPS THE TAPE SPEED INCREASE IS DUE TO THE HIGHER BIT DEPTH/QUAlity that deck allows cool video

[@TTVEaGMXde]

When I transferred my compact cassettes to DAT in 1994 (Maxell and DENON were identical in the test, but not in the playing time) in order to save everything from my TDK pure iron cassettes from further decomposition, I still thought that I had solved a problem.🤣Get another SONY DTC-60ES (first in Europe with 44.1 KHz A/D and coaxial out) even though someone from Yealmpton praised SONY's "eternal durability"? Or a DDS drive with a great error display, but you can't install it in the computer because cleaning it will then be suboptimal. The Pioneer D-9601 has a parallel remote connection that you can hopefully connect to an error flag pin (for STOP), but the device is too rare and too expensive. With a DAT recorder you should make sure that the drive is on top and that the loading mechanism does not make cleaning too difficult. So it is completely clear which is the perfect affordable solution.😉

[@video99couk]

I don't think I've ever said anything like SONY's "eternal durability", so who was that? I have five DAT decks, two Sony and three Tascam.

[@TTVEaGMXde]

@@video99couk In the German language, this can be clearly recognized as a joke, especially because it is marked with quotation marks. I understood the text to mean that 30 year old SONY devices are in good hands with repair experts.

[@toddganci8555]

What's the easiest way to remove a stuck DAT Tape? Thx in advance!

[@video99couk]

In this model of DAT player or some other? There may be no simple answer to this though, it can depend exactly what has caused it to get stuck.

[@toddganci8555]

@@video99couk The same model Tascam DA-45HR. Thx!

[@JV-nt9bp]

Hi, Do you still repair this model ?

[@video99couk]

I don't take on repairs for other people, I have a backlog of my own equipment to work on. If in UK, you could try: www.t-m-f.uk/forumdisplay.php?397-Find-a-Local-TV-Engineer-Here

[@andystevens6700]

If you're record with 24bit, the tape-speed is higher then 16bit. That means your counter is running faster,

[@video99couk]

It's double speed, I'm told.

[@derekhickling3110]

You probably know now 24 bit is double speed do you service teac X1000R

[@video99couk]

Yes the speed difference has been mentioned in the comments. I don't take on repairs, these machines are all for my business.

[@aprdireccion]

You recorded on 24 bits in a DA 45RH, when plays in a DA30 MKII it is not possible to play because this machine works at 16 bits.

[@video99couk]

That's right, it's a non-standard recording which won't play on other DAT machines.