Great video. Exactly the problem with my DA-30 MkII, (Error 2) Once the belt was repositioned as the video explained all transport and play functions of the machine worked and the Error 2 message has gone. I only hade to remove the tray (4 screws and spring disconnect) and turn it over without disconnecting any cabling to do the fix. All done within half an hour thanks to this well explained video.
@@12voltvids me too! I love listening to the director say "Cut" and "Quite everybody" it's funny to hear how many times the same lines are read over and over! LOL
I bought one with Error 01, after investigation I realized the problem is small O ring belt that was slippin'. I cleaned everything and boiled the ring. It's working again. Now, I'll go to order that small belt so I can replace it. Thank you, your disassembling video helped... sound of this unit is f=great !
Great video my friend, I have 2 (two) units of this wonderful equipment!!!, and one of them after several years presented this defect, and as I love this device, I bought another one as a parts donor, but before starting to working and dismantling I tried to see if there was any video detailing it, and I just found your video, and this video saved my equipment!!! I am very grateful to you, if I hadn't stopped to watch your video I would probably have two carcasses of this device today. May God bless you my friend.
I just received a DA30 MKII that was advertised to have been tested and in perfect working order. Thankfully I have watched several of your awesome videos on that and several other models so I had ordered a couple of the loading belts to be on the safe side. Well needless to say I got an error 01 as soon as I turned it on. Fingers crossed and using what I have learned from you I removed the transport and there wasn't a stretched belt issue. There was a NO belt issue. And it was nowhere in the chassis so um someone did some major false advertising in my opinion. Fortunately the belt was all it needed. It appeared to have been well maintained as had been cleaned well. I ran a cursory swab over the guides and rollers and picked up a very minute amount of dirt. Popped in a tape recently recorded on my DA50 and it played and searched perfectly. Thank you so much for all the great videos! I bought this DAT as a backup to my DA50 which has been on again off again with transport gremlins. All direct drive reels, capstan and head. It started to act up when it was about 3 years old. Sluggish points in full FF or REW modes. Then it would eat a tape now and then. I cleaned it as best I could without removing anything as it was a very pricey item in its day and I didn't have the skills. It sat from '94 to this past summer. I discovered that the pinch roller would sometimes float away from "home" in the unloaded position so I would manually move it into place before loading a tape and all seemed well for a few hours of use. Then the sluggish FF and REW issues started again and thats when I started watching these videos. Sadly there is NO info or manuals or parts available anywhere because as a first gen TASCAM it had a very limited run and was quickly superseded by newer models. Its transport has all the usual components of a rotary head machine but that's where the similarities ends. I haven't seen any of the TASCAMs, Sonys, or Panasonics that are even close. But your videos have given me the knowledge and confidence to dig in and get a better look. Brake pads were gone. Greased areas were tacky if not dry altogether. Pinch roller shiny and hard though I was able to revive it with some patience and TLC. I replaced the loading belt though the old one didn't appear to be loose or slipping. When I first dug the deck out of mothballs a few months ago the actual elevator/tray belt was very loose so I used a belt I had laying around that was the same type and dimensionally workable. The head looks to be in great shape and very little dirt was cleaned from it. I am guessing the alignment must be very close since recently recorded tapes play fine on my new deck. I am hopeful that it goes back together without problems since teardown was much more involved than the average systems that followed. I apologize for the long story but I am elated your videos have helped me save the DA30 MKII and guided me in general toward the hopeful outcome for my DA50 which was based on the TEAC R1 and revised slightly for the Japanese only market Esoteric R1. Keep on keepin' the cool stuff alive and thank you again sir!!
I've never been a fan of the all direct drive models of tape decks whether it be cassette that or VCR. Be complexity of the control circuit for these direct drive machines is very complex. The big problem with direct drive real motors is the added inertia from the rotor magnet. Controlling this extra inertia especially on fast forward rewind is a real problem especially as equipment ages. The flywheel effect creates a tape snapping especially on fast forward a rewind which can cause the tape to stretch and snap when it starts to slap in its cassette. It might have been fine on reel-to-reel which had large reels to begin with which created their own inertia but they typically used AC motors which had a lot more torque and open real tape was a little more robust than cassette tape. Personally I would avoid any machine that you separate motors for the tables on any of the machines that I have. Even the single motor that Sony used on there DTC 75es which uses one motor that controls both the pick up and supply is more problematic than the belt drive version that drive the real tables from the capsule motor just more things to go wrong simplicity is best.
@@12voltvids Thank you for your reply. I can certainly understand your point on reel inertia. Those spindles with the magnet base certainly have some weight to them and, as you said, create a flywheel effect. The brake pad wear seems like it was significant for the hours on the machine but I can only guesstimate that number. Based on how I used it back then I would say 300 hours give or take. The take up side is intact but fairly slick and 1/2 mm thick. The supply side had shed a couple of pieces between the pcb and base of the spindle. Caught by the windings for the supply drive. Half of it is frayed and it too is about 1/2 mm thick. I have been looking around at possible material to make pads from and I have heard the felt from cassette tapes is pretty close. I haven't decided yet. When that machine was new in 87 there was very little info on what to expect maintenance wise. It is my understanding that mine was the first DA50 that Tascam sent the US market. I can believe it given the very personal attention the factory rep gave me during the purchase through the music store I patronized. I paid four times what the suggested retail was only a year later. FYI the thing weighs in at 48 pounds. As I watched your Sony 75ES video it was obvious that my DA50 is to other Tascam models what the 75ES is to the consumer Sony models in terms of build and complexity. Just freeing the harness up enough to pull its transport involves way more connectors than the DA30 MKII and takes as long as pulling the complete assembly out of the latter! lol Thanks again for your input and sharing of knowledge. I look forward to seeing more of your great vids in the future.
@@granttucker9006 the da40 was one of the more reliable and generally easy to service machines and these ones racked up thousands of hours in recording studios and radio stations. I have a musician friend that had 8 da40 decks set up as a 16 channel recording setup. They all operated in sync through a multi deck controller. Scrapped the entire thing for qbass. Radio stations used them early on in automation because each tape could store 4 hours of broadcast quality material. Used alot for canning a show in advance. Used mostly for the early morning shows that could be pre-recorded during the day usually by the DJ on the air at the time for replay at the midnight time slot. Usually just the voice tracks were recorded and the music tracks on 2 other decks that were controlled by an air computer. In the 90s I got a tour of KISM radio in Bellingham. They were a fully automated station. I was able to shoot some video (it's on my channel) of the dj recording his show while the station ran itself out in the lobby. Back then the music was all on reel to reel machines. Replaced my DAT and then everything went to hard drive.
Maybe this is what is wrong with my DA30. It is eating tapes and actually tore the tape completely when I ran it after a few years of non-use. It's hard to remember the exact scenario when I tested it a few years back, but I do remember it was playing and then the tape got torn. I thought it might be the supply reel stopping, but the take up reel malfunction seems to allow the tape to play for a while but then the tape will likely get hung up when too much tape piles up on the take-up side and can tear when removing the tape. Worth a shot to take a look. I watched you other DA30 repair videos (both parts) and all 3 videos are excellent and have given me insight at least where to start the troubleshooting process w/my DA30 Mark I unit. Thanks. Phil NYC Area
You the goat.... Some a---hole sold me this same unit off of Reverb and said it was fully functional when it arrived it was doing the same thing as the unit in your video so long story short I was able to repair it... Thank God I found your channel.... Thanks Dave!
Thank you for sharing your expertise Sir. I’ve been watching every video. Learn and have an idea how to troubleshoot. Another added knowledge. More power !
I went to turn the pulley with the belt and the belt came off. I put it on and the pulley turned so it was, wtf, it was riding on the edge? Yup, it was.
I have a DA30MKII, it's proven very reliable. I also have a couple of DA45HR 24 bit DAT recorders, both of which I've had to repair but are now excellent too. But I need a Sony too since the Tascams reject very long tapes (by design).
Hi 12voltvids. Great videos! My Tascam DA-30 MkII loads and plays, but rewind and fast forward don't appear to work and when unloaded the tape is not fully wound back into the cassette. One time I had to untangle a cassette. I have the service manual and some ability. Both the toothed belt and loading belt appear to be OK. I noticed that the right brake had a little sponge pad sitting on top of it rather than in its front slot, as if it had slid upwards. When I pull the toothed belt, the cog that hinges between the left and right tape spoolers doesn't appear to move as easily as yours. Any advice as to things to try? Thanks.
So the owners diy brake pads work fine, just a screwup on the belt. When i had to pull many plugs out, i used a indelible marker pen and drew a line across the plug/socket join. No two lines were ever in the same place :-D.
Great, well explained (and entertaining) video. My DA-30 MkII has stopped playing after tape loading. (Error 2 in the display). From your video it seems very similar as the machine ate my tape just as yours did. I am hoping mine is also going to be the slipped ribbed belt. If the ribbed belt needs changing it looks like the cover plate at the opposite end to the visible pully would need to be unscrewed to replace the belt. Do you think the cover plate / bracket at the opposite end of the visible pully is safe to unscrew to replace the belt (if broken or worn).
Really? I had my da30 up on eBay and got no bites. Only one that made money was eBay and their listing fees. These "over the top" prices many times are fake listings set up by criminals (drug dealers) to wash their money. They create a fake listings of a fake product and sell to some associate (because a normal person will never bid on it) and then complete the transaction through PayPal. The fees are just the cost of doing business. Now the money is clean and there is a paper trail. Some even ship empty boxes to complete the paper trail. Meanwhile others see these high selling prices and list with high reserves hoping to cash in but it never happens.
I fixed one of this. They are not compatible with 90 tapes if you insert one of Panasonic 90 tapes it will get stuck inside the system and you have to manually eject the tape. Great machine
Hi I have a Da302 and crackling Sound comes when in play (comes and goes on its own ) , what could be the problem please. Need your expert advice, Thanks.
Hello :-) Thanks for this great video - I was about to repair my machine according to your tutorial... and I ripped of one part - which is located near the left Tape winder... it looks like a beige belt with a plastic hook on the end...Can you perhaps advise how to implement this part again? Its shortly shown in you video at 09:09 left side... Any feedback would be helpful :-))) Thanks in advance Greetings from Germany :-)
I have a DA-30MKII that loads properly but when in play mode there is no sound or level being displayed. If I press fast forward or reverse while in play mode I can hear sound and level displayed. Any Idea of what may cause this? I'd appreciate any help you can provide, thanks
New subscriber here that was great. Can I ask is the tascam da38 and da88 unreliable? Have you any idea why a tape would get stuck in the da88 and have an error code ? I heard it might need lubed but more sure
A lot of those tascam units used a very small little rubber belt for the loading and unloading. The belt stretches and sometimes even turns to mush and falls apart. The little belt is quite specific you need the right size and right tension. If you put on one that's too tight it'll stall the motor out if you put on one that's too loose it will just slip. It's a critical part it's part of the protection circuit so that if something were to jam the belt is designed to slip and not provide too much torque from the motor that could damage parts unfortunately those little belts are about the size of a dime do fail and I've changed dozens of them. They are available. If you buy one from tascam you're going to pay a small fortune for it one of my viewers that has sent me a fair number to fix uses orthodontic bands you know like your dancers would use to hold something onto your tooth about the right size they're almost transparent in color rubber I may seem to work pretty good. I would check the belt first and then check the worm gear make sure that the lubricant hasn't dried up on that those are the first things to check on all those tascam decks it seems to be one thing that just goes wrong on them all
@@12voltvids thanks for the reply … and some great information there. The previous owner said he got a 9v battery to the motor and it ejected the tape. He then put the tape back in stuck again and triggered the error. I’m just thinking If it was the belt the tape wouldn’t have ejected Do you know what sort / name of the lubricant I could use and where abouts / which parts need the lubricant ? Thanks
@@saren6538 generally when the belts worn out they will eject because it doesn't take as much torque to unleash the tape as it does to lace it. It typically is going to slip when it's lacing the tape. Lubricant I use is Molly coat but any synthetic Grease can be used. I wouldn't put that much myself I typically run them around 3 volts to load and unload.
Ive never thought to buy myself a DAT because of the troubles i have read in magazines. Instead i bought a 3 head cassette deck and a direct drive technics turntable from ashly/ashley sound. He had cancer so he was selling everything off in the 90's.
DAT sounded superior to everything else and was used extensively in recording studios, radio stations, tv stations, film and video production. Enthusiasts also used it at home but the home versions had the serial copy bullshit that the professional version did not have. It was king in the recording studio used for mix down of just about every cd released. Now people are scrambling to get all their tapes transferred to hard drive while the machines still are operational as when they wear out there will be no new ones. They went out of production in 2006.
Your very passionate, and hardworking in your jobs you do, did you ever study or get a degree, seems you have a degree or something alot of people don't have very very good and amazing knowledge and skills.
No degree in electronics. I studied television production. I have my degree in that field which includes copy writing, lighting, camera, editing, producing and scripting. The technical stuff came as an apprentiship I took in parallel to the broadcast school. It was the tech side that got me in trouble at the TV station. Things would break and I was asked to fix. Unfortunately the engineers were not impressed with their toes being stepped on.
Thanks for the video.please help Me-I Have Tascam DA 30 Mk2- but when i load the cassette i get an error 01.please tell me How can this problem be solved?Thanks
If you have a sore arm, whoever vaccinated you doesn't know how to properly inject something into muscle tissue OR they use a huge thick neelde. It's my turn next week with Biontech and people I know where there and had no issues with their arm whatsoever.
@@kyoudaiken this sounds possible, I don’t think these people are health care professionals, most likely they have been recruited just for the COVID vaccination program.
@@stevenclarke5606 In Germany they only let doctors do the injection task. They even got back retired ones. But no one else is allowed to do the injection, here. I think it's not such a big deal if it hurts a bit but it's nicer if you can avoid this outcome in the first place.
Not from the shot. Didn't feel that. My first one was by a fire fighter second nurse. I believe nurses know what they are doing. This is a sign immune system is working to break down the spike protein that the mrna instructs the muscel cells to make. Tender lymph nodes and fatigue and feung fluish are also signs that it is working. These are ecpected. A tender arm for a few days us worth it to know that i am fairly well protected and if I do come in contact with covid won't get really sick. And for those about to say it is fake i know 2 people that thought that way. They both got it in 3rd wave. One is dead and other still in ICU on vent and may not surrive.
@@Raptor50aus They all steal from each other. Jonas Brothers have a hit that copies air supply. Robin Thicke bluee4d lines stole it from Marvin Gaye got it going on. Look at black eyed peas. Stole that famous guitar riff used in the theme on pulp fiction.
Hi Dave, if you're getting a worse reaction after 2nd jab then I bet you had Pfizer vaccine. If you have AstraZeneca jabs then it's worse 1st time round.
@@12voltvids that's interesting, they are conducting trials of mixing the vaccines but not started doing with the population at large. Sounds like Canada already is.
@@davidpinfold852 yes with the mRNA they are interchangable as the active ingredient is identical. The delivery mechanism is slightly different technologies. Intellectual property but the payload is literally identical so they tell us. The astra zenica and Jansen are totally buy they are mixing them too. Not giving astra anymore here, it is not the perfered shot due to possible side effects.
In Germany you get the second dose with whatever you got on the first one. I'm gonna get Biontech/Pfizer. It's the best one anyway. Moderna is also not bad, mRNA is really interesting. Astra Zenica and Jansen are crap and should be avoided.
Is it possible to save a VHS tape that has been stored in a damp environment and has mildew in the tape? I have an ABC News documentary on the 1989 San Francisco earthquake that would be cool to see.
