Broke 244 while repairing

[Øyvind]

Hi all!

I've got a Tascam 244. I recently replaced the belts and idler tires.

While doing so, I got a bit eager turning the wheels. So I broke a small plastic part related to lifting the playhead: https://imgur.com/a/AYmJTW9

My main question is: Does this part have a name, and where can I find a new one?

My second question is if the following symptoms seems to fit the situation: The tape head is always in "play" position. The motor lifting the playhead seems to be running constantly, but the belt is just slipping as the playhead is already in position. The tape drive is also running (perhaps in reverse?). It is not possible to stop, neither eject the cassette.

I did mark all the cables, but perhaps I have also misplaced a cable?

Speaking of cables: There is a connector with two wires on the side of the 244 that seems not to be connected to anything. I think I read somewhere that this is normal?

Thanks,
Øyvind.

 

[SkywaveTDR]

The cam system can be difficult to fix due to defective parts that you are not detecting. The way to find the Stop point which is where these decks sit when in off position is to take the belt off the cam motor and turn the pot (feedback) so that the motor stops. This pot position is the physical position the deck needs to be in in it ready state- that means power on but no transport activation. So what I do is I get that position exactly watching the cam motor and then with the cam gear in the stop mode the Joint (which is the part that you must have broke) will be put on the knurled shaft of the pot then to meet up with the fin that is in the cam gear that the fork goes onto. So after spraying the feedback pot with Deoxit to clean it then measure it's resistance throughout the full range to see if it is working. I have a pot here from a 122 Mk II that is short at one end then rises and then become disconnected at some point. The cam system can not deal with this so I have to put in a new part. I have had the joints made by 3D printing and they were custom ordered so they are not that cheap. The are a orange like plastic but designed to be much stronger than the Nylon piece that breaks all the time. I have also made by hand aluminum forks that were epoxied onto the knurled plastic but that take 2 hours and a custom fit job. The position pots also get dirty and fail so I put cermet one in instead.
Is this what you are referring to?

 

[Øyvind]

Thanks for your detailed reply, @SkywaveTDR !

Yes, that looks pretty similar to the part I have broken.

Is it possible to order one from you, or from somewhere else?

 

[SkywaveTDR]

Yes, I have extras and can have more made. Where are you located? The problem is that postage to so far off lands get pretty expensive. The trick is to use a lose belt so that parts are not stressed as you work to fix it. I got a bunch of feedback pots- probably 40 of them so if yours is bad like mine then a new one can be installed. These in the 122 Mk II are 10KB taper. B taper means they are not linear.

No one else has had these made so I am the ONLY one with them.

 

[Øyvind]

I'll send you a PM.

 

[SkywaveTDR]

skywavebe@sbcglobal.net is the fastest and more direct way. Postage out of USA will be a lot usually. Even Canada is $14.00 and there is no water between us.

 

[SkywaveTDR]

According to the US postal system first class is the lowest price at $16.45 so two parts would total like $25.95. I know this is ridiculous but the most of it is postage.