Five years old and this video is still helping people. I ended up with my dad’s s Porta02mkII after he died. We’d both recording some stuff on it and I had a few of the original tapes that were never mixed down. Eventually, I lost 2 tracks when trying to play back and this solution was exactly what I needed. $6 later, it’s back in business. Thanks!
I followed your tutorial and replaced those caps last night. To my amazement my Tascam works again. The whole thing cost about 3 bucks including shipping for the caps. Took about 30 minutes from start to finish. Thank you very much for providing the solution. I would not even have known where to start without your brilliant video.
Huge thanks! I have the porta 2 mk ii, and had sound only on track 2. I replaced the caps C128, C228, C328, and C428 with 220uF 16V ones from ebay. This fixed the problem! By the way, I am the original owner of the machine, and I have the original power adapter, and I still had this problem. It was never hooked up to an incorrect adapter, in fact it was barely ever used. I wouldn't have been able to do this without your video - thanks.
Just finished carrying out the same repair to my old portasound II after watching your video, I used some 16V rated 220uf capacitors - now it works like a dream. Thanks for the video, we now have a fully functioning unit again and it sounds great!
Here to join the parade - followed the video closely and now my Porta 2 works! Thank you so much for the info and the step-by-step instructions. Also, shout out to all the folks who successfully did the fix and commented - gave me the certainty to do it myself!
3rd Island! Thank you! Just bought a porta02mkII Same issue. Bought the caps you suggested and it works fantastic! You're such as asset to us cassette multitrackers. We appreciate you!
Picked up a porta02 Mkii with this issue! I am planning on doing the fix when the new caps come in! Previous owner said it was in working order 2 years ago and had not been used since so im assuming its aging caps that is the issue. Thanks for posting and cheers! For anyone curious, the caps being replaced are C128, C228, C328 and C428!
WOW! This worked!! I was nervous, but I used your video and another one that had a bit higher resolution video, and took photos of each part before I unscrewed or removed so I could refer back to be sure I re-assembled it correctly. When I got it open and saw the capacitors they didn’t look ‘blown’ or bad so I thought maybe it’s a different problem. But I went ahead and replaced the 4 capacitors and it worked! That was the problem. Thankyou so much for sharing this video with us. Take care and happy new year.
Thank you so much!! This worked. I replaced those four capacitors costing 35 eurocents each and my Tascam Porta02 works again!! i could never have figured this out alone.
Audio output was also missing for tracks 1&2 on my Porta02 mkii. Thanks for your helpful video. I followed the procedure and replace the two capacitors. All 4 audio outputs are ok now! Thanks a lot for sharing
Thanks for making this video. I want to share something I learned while doing this repair: Check the size of your replacement caps. I bought some that were 12.5mm diameter x 20mm height and they don't fit in the machine.
Thanks for an excellent video that saved me a lot of time trying to suss out why the player I just bought for £10 had no sound output. I suspected that someone might have used the wrong adaptor and caused damage to the circuit. As a matter of interest I measure the 4 faulty caps and they ranged from 569uf to 612uf with a vloss of 5.7 to 6.9. Anyway I have just subbed and will get a few others to so today so you should have 6 or 7 nearer the 1000 subs.. Thanks again for the good work
Thank you very much this is exactly what I needed. I searched for this video and found nothing so thank you very much for replying on the other video and pointing to this one. I am certain that this is my exact issue, now I just need to order some capacitors. Btw, I live in the US, I assume that these capacitors are universal and that I also need the 220uf 16v capacitor as mentioned in this video. Thanks again brother! I sold my multitracking machines years ago, and someone gave me this broken Tascam Porta02 MKII and it will nice to get it working. Although I could just record through the PC, I feel like I made much better original music when I used the old analog methods, there is no way to cheat and it sounds so much more authentic and real when done the old way.
@@3rdisland477 I ordered the capacitors and tonight, I installed the new ones, replacing the old 220uf 10v capacitors with 220uf 25v capacitors. It works perfectly! Thanks for your video it helped a lot.
Thanks so much for this upload. I bought a no sound Porta in mint condition hoping this fix would actually work...and of course it did. It's my first ever repair job, your vid was easy to follow. thanks again man. Now I wanna try and add a pitch dial. Wish me luck.
@@3rdisland477 that's awesome, thanks. I'll take a look for the motor and let you know once I have it. I'm new to soldering so forgive me if I ask a lot of questions 😉
hi, thanks for sharing this! i recently found the same advice in a forum and have ordered caps for a porta 02 i just bought with channel 4 not playing. from what i read the reason for failure is that those 4 caps are 220uf / 10v, 10v being way to low for the circuit! a design flaw i suppose? i ordered 16v caps as well. anyway, pretty hopeful after seeing this video that this is the problem with mine as well, everything else seems to work. cheers and thanks again.
I don't think it's a design flaw as much as it's a monopolism , these companies always make a weak point in their products line to activate the service line or spare part line or even to buy one more new
Brilliant video, thanks very much for this! I didn't have the 220uf caps to hand so subbed in 330uf @ 16v (because I'm impatient 😜) and now all is back up and running.
Excellent video, it seems to have helped quite a lot of people. I now plan to keep my Porta02 for some time because of this video. I have a question for you: There is quite a lot of hiss in this machine while listening with headphones that is not related to tape hiss. Would this be related to poor quality components, ie low quality electrolytic capacitors? And if so, would replacing them all with higher grade capacitors fix this problem? Or would this be something innate in the design of the unit? Thank you so much for your work!
3rd Island I am using the original power adapter. I have read on forums that Tascam used an inferior power supply circuit for this unit in order to save money. I know just about nothing about circuitry other than the basics, but I had read that there is an upgrade you can make to the unit regarding this.
great vid - i have a porta one with the same issue. no sound. is it the transistors or caps or both i need to replace? looked on internet for porta one videos but nothing about electrical, just belt changes.
@@3rdisland477 ah thanks! i found the issue which was a faulty transistor! got the machine to playback but it will not record. the record LED does not light or blink and nothing is recorded. i think there is issue with recording relay or something ? any ideas?
thanks for sharing... I just bought one porta 02 and got a not original power supply. I will check it later. and on the other hand I have tascam portastudio 424 that I need to check if all the channels are working fine... i can detect a smoky smell on that. If I have any problem where can I contact you?
I've repaired a few 02's like this, your video is very helpful thanks! I'm wondering, have you (or any viewers) ever seen a situation where only two of the caps are bad? I have a machine passing audio on the left side but not the right and I wonder if this cap replacement method could be a solution in this case. Thank you.
Quick question, but first thank you so much for this video. It took my dead Porta and brought it alive. I am still getting occasional sound dropouts (~0.5-1sec in length). Could the dropouts be related to the quality of the replacement job, power adapter, or something else? It is happening infrequently but enough to make me roll my eyes in annoyance. I am not using an official power adapter either (bought this used from a local music shop). I would've brought it back but I unfortunately passed the return window for this :/ Thank you again for the video it was a great help and learning experience!
I will have to try this. My RCA outputs work, but my headphones don't. I am assuming the previous owner tried the wrong power supply and blew the caps. Replacing the caps seems easier than opening the case, however! How do I crack this thing open? LOL
Hi I'm having the same issue. So when I received mine from eBay it came with out the power adaptor. Was the adaptor you displayed in this video the correct one to use. I purchased the AC/DC PV-1250N. The plus sign is on the left hand side, but machine powers on with no sound. Should I try finding the Adaptor before repair.
@@Ilikethatmusic_typebeats Hi, the power adapter should be DC12V with (-) negative center, if it powers up with no sound on all track then go a head and replace the caps as in the video Good luck
I have a question. Are the replacement caps universal? Could i just get any old ones with those specifications or do they need to be from tascam? I don't suppose you are still active but worth a shot. Thank you for the upload
Hi, the caps are universal and no need to be new, tascam does not manufactures caps or chips or risistors, you can take any caps from old boards and replace'm, but they should be the same value and make shure they do work good, good luck
@@3rdisland477 I assumed so. This is all very new to me but I love a learning curve. Thank you so much for your advice, you have saved me a lot of money!
Hello. Thank you so much for this video. I think I may have just stepped in the trap of using a power supply with the opposite wiring (but still with 12v and 500ma) because of my lack of knowledge about electronics. I am wondering though, what is the typical behavior that would occur in such case? Because I am thought if something went wrong I would be able to hear or see something unusual happening such as flashes or cracking sounds while nothing actually happened. It just stayed seemingly off. Am I correct to assume that as soon as I get my hands on a correct power supply it should still be turned on while not sending any sound out like yours, or could there have been something even more severely damaged in this case? I am asking because I am not sure if I will be able to identify the additional damages if changing the 4 caps ends up now solving my problem.
fortunately this machine adapts a high duty power transistor that passes an opposite polarity to the circuit which cause to feed a negative charge on the capacitors , the voltage is low enough to cause any flashes or cracking to any of the components inside, however you have to change the 4 caps to get back the sound, thanks
Thanks, make sure that your input jack works fine and make sure the guitar sound is gose through the track for recording, otherwese there is no issue causes to disappear, good luck
@@3rdisland477 Yeah all jacks are working fine. It records fine. The problem is if I playback what I have already recorded, the audio drops out when I strum the guitar.
Hi 3rd Island. I performed this exact repair and am still not getting sound through the headphone jack. However, I have been able to get line level audio from the machine through the line out jacks before and after the repair. Any idea what the issue might be in this case? I've also resoldered the headphone jack itself with no luck.
this repair works only when the microphones input give sound through the headphone, this means that only the head preamp. circuit does not work, you have to check the headphone circuit and the power cap; trace the audio from the tape head and follow up to the headphone circuit
So, let’s say I’ve done this fix 3 times already and each unit has worked wonders afterwards… but recently have come across a unit that 1 channel still isn’t passing audio? Any ideas? Maybe the second row of caps?
You have to check the dignal starting from the head up to the amp. Chip, don't forget to check the channels selectors switch, put few drops of WD40, good luck
This is exactly what has happened to my Tascam Porta 07 ( I have taken it to a technical service and they have told me that it has no repair :( ), I have tried to do the same but I have noticed that the system is much more complex, do you have any idea which capacitor I should replace inside the Porta 07? Thanks to your videos I have managed to recover a Tascam porta two from my father and I think I am about to repair the porta 07.
Thanks, check the caps # : c137\ c237\ c337 & c 437 on the left side of the lower board beside each of the 4 ic # NMJ 4565, if this solve the issue , otherwise you can send it to me for full refurbishment, good luck
My tascam porta 02 mkii seems to have this problem, I still need to connect the rca cables to an amplifier or speaker, hoping it'll work. Now, the soldering part makes it hard for me, I've never done that. Should I take it to a pc repair shop for the job or where? Great video BTW!
Thanks for ypur comment, it's possible to send it to any technician knows how to solder electronics components asking him to replace the 4 caps, good luck
3rd Island I want to thank you, after watching your video I decided to give it a try and ordered a soldering kit and the capacitors and did it myself. A whole mission for me , with zero experience doing something like this. Anyway, now my Tascam works again, all thanks to you and your video! You deserve a RU-vid award 👍
Hi- I have same problem w/ a tascam portage and will try to follow your video and change it. Mine didn’t come with power cable and I’d purchased power cable that said it worked with tascam porta02 (input: 100-240VAC 50/60Hz 0.3A, oUTPUT: 12V --1A). If I do the repairs you show do you think I can use the replacement power I listed specs above or do I need to find a different power source? If I need to use different power source would have links to reliable place to find them? Thankyou so much. I hope this fixes my player.
Tascam adopts negative core and positive shield power jack while the glabal standard power adapters adopt posetive core, so you just need to cut the power cable and inverrt the polarity to mach the tascam jack
@@3rdisland477 ok, thanks so much for this info. I will find a tutorial on how to do this. Appreciate you taking time to make your video and for answering questions. Happy new year!
Bought a fixer upper Tascam porta O2 mkii with NO power supply. Bought an eBay power supply that was supposed to be compatible with my model Tascam with negative center but showing 12 volt 2000 mA output instead of the 500 mA shown on the output of my first porta 02. Is this 2000 mA too high and might cause damage ? Got the fixer upper working great but now don't want to take a chance with the wrong power supply. Thanks for any help you can give.
This video was extremely helpful thank you for posting it I'm having an issue with another of the same model the Tascam porta02. The mic input 1 on this unit doesn't produce any sound when you plug in a microphone or anything else to it I opened it up and the mic plug doesn't seem to be loose or anything. I was wondering if this might be a common issue with these units as well would it be the mic input plug that's bad or maybe another capacitor
Thanks for your comment, this is a common defect , what you have to do : use WD40 to clean the Mic inputs and make short circuit on the capacitor that are connected to the mic jack while the unit is disconnected from power, this issue is usually caused by a static charge
I have a Porta 07. The track meter lights up when I play the tape but no sound comes out from the headphone jack or line-out. Also, I tried plugging a guitar straight in but didn't hear anything through the monitors. Any ideas? Seems like sound in general isn't working. I want to try replacing the capacitors as you show in the video, hoping that will solve my problems...
Hi, I don't think it's a mater of output caps since you do not get sound through direct input, so there are many sudggestions starting from the phone jack and up to the main output amplifier, the 2 output caps aswell, so the problem in the mixer board, please check these points and ket me know, good luck
@@3rdisland477 Thanks, unfortunately that surpasses my knowledge base. I took it all apart and poked around for loose connections or looked for bad solder, but I have no idea how to solve this
Hi again friend, I managed to get the Tascam Porta Two going, but it only plays through the tape cue function. And only partial sound on the second channel. It's really starting to mess with my head now. Any advice would be welcomed.
Hi Paul, please check the monitor switch ( Remix\ cue\ effect) it may got durty or rusty , use WD40 or any cleaning liquid, and move it right left severl time until you get the sound ,, use the same prsedure for the channels switch mode (play\ off\ mic ),, good luck
Hi Zain, I tried all that you suggested but all to no avail. So I will just have to contact my parts supplier and source a new mixer board and cue board and inputs also. Then it should be OK.
Hi, I have a tascam 488 mk 1 8 track cassette.. Im getting very very low playback on track 1&5 only, when I record to them. They playback a pre recorded tape fine, just not when I try to record from the unit itself. Any ideas? Thank you.
Hi, you have a couple sugestions, 1st : check all the trims pot using microphone and headphone without recording, the sound shoud be the same level on all tracks, 2nd you may have a bad capacitors 1uf/16v input signals on 1/5 channels must be replaced, good luck
Hi 3rd Island, I purchased a porta 02 today, we tested everything and I have playback signal fine but no signal coming through input 2 line or mic. Do you have any idea what this may be?
@@3rdisland477 Could i possibly send you a photo so I know which capacitor I'm looking for exactly? If I'm looking at the circuit board (component side), input 2 jack is on the far left. Just to the right of it are two ceramic capacitors followed by 2 10uf 16v capacitors, is this those 10uf that need replacing? Am I able to use a higher voltage say 25v instead of 16v?
Hey there thanks for the vid! Just have a question, what could be a cause of no input signal at all to the R audio channel? Track 1+3 working fine, but 2+4 completely dead and LED's not lighting up at all. Its a 414 MKII, if you can get back at all thank you!
it's the input capacitor 10uf 16v go to the mixer uper board , you can find it connected to the input phone jack directly , just replace it , good luck and thanks for the question
@@3rdisland477 Appreciate your reply! I could only find 10uf 50v capacitors around there, also how can I figure out which one is the input capacitor? Thank you once again
Thanks for your good work once again I have another question for you. Have you worked with the Tascam 414 MK II and come across a defect similar to the Tascam Porta 2 I've recently purchased a 414 and track 1 and 2 do not get audio or meter lights during playback. Track 3 and 4 work fine though. The audio is fine when you plug in a Mike it's just the playback that's the problem, very similar to the Tascam Porta two so I was wondering if it might be another capacitor issue or maybe something else specific to this model?
Thanks for your comment, yes , it's the same defect and you have to replace the caps for the Amplifier chip, I do not have one right now to post a video for but will mention this as well
Sam Montano \\on the lower board look for the chips #U102, U203, U302, U402 , you will find the caps that are close to these chips cap# C104, C204, C304, C404 , replace all these 4 caps , and you will be done
Could you hear sound during monitoring?? I got one the other day, and no sound, only on playback. Sound is ON in monitoring, and all is fine, all mechanics seem to be in order. even records well onto tape....tested by playing it in another unit...So I found this video and was inspired to open it up an look. Found the capacitors but they don't look blown? should there definitely be a visual confirmation, or a way to be sure this is infact the issue before i proceed. otherwise, do you do repairs? haha, thanks
Think I found my answer... 3rd Island 11 months ago This machine comprise of 2 separate sections , mixer and rec/play section, mic and headphone are connected to the mixer section which stays works , change the 4 caps as in the tutorial video , you will get play and record sound good luck
Hello my friend, I hope I find you well today. I have the need for advice about a A R T Multiverb LT digital effects processor rack device. It is showing no signs of powering on. Do you have any clues as to what would cause this problem?. Kind regards. Paul.
Hi Paul, so sorry I don't have an idea about this sound effect , but you can check the internal power supply , 1st check the primary coil using multimeter , through the power cord it should gives you arround 16- 23 ohm (put power switch on) (do not plugin to main power) , if ok , then (plugin to power ) and check the secondery coil output (rake care of electricoty) and check on the transformer tips , it should gives arround 15v AC , check the fuses aswell , good luck
If the playback works fine, then check the record micro switch that the tape pushes when insert, it should be bad contact or rusty, let me know if you can not find it, good luck
Hello there! I got this machine from eBay, tried recording some stuff, but cannot hear any audio when trying to play back. Do you think, I could have the same issue? I used the original adaptor, but since I live in Europe, I had to use the additional power adaptor to convert the 220 V to 120 V. Could this cause the very same problem? Also, I wanted to ask, if after I theoretically repair the recorder and plug it in again, won't the very same parts get burnt? Thanks in advance for your answers.
According to my long experience in these machine , I do believe YES it is the same issue, try to change these 4 caps only, and you can use any 220V to 12V adapter, but make sure that the polarities are (-) center/ (+) shield thanks for your comment and good luck
Have you found any issues with the tascam 414 mkii not recording on track 1. The meter lights up when plug a mic in and I do get playback if I play a pre recorded cassette tape but when I record to track 1 the audio comes out so low sometimes you can't even hear it. I've switched out the tape transport thinking it might be the recording heads but still same results
Sam Montano \\ you may have an issue with track 1 recording switch(direct\1\off) or an electronic defect in the recording amplification stage or switching ic , if you dend to me I can do repair for it , Thanks and good luck
Hey! So mine has output right now but its supppppeeerrr quite, i have all the tracks at 10 and the phones at 10, and ive got my studio monitors cranked but its still barely audible. Any suggestions?
Hey, 1st check the sound with a mic input if the sound is ok then you have a bad caps as this video showing, otherwise you have a bad output amp (may be the main chip or the 2 L/R caps) located on the mixer board, good luck
I have a porta03 and I don't have record or playback on channel 2. Do you think this fix will work for me or have any ideas on other possible solutions?
No , I don't think so , but do these steps, first : check the line/mic input 2 by inserting mic and listen if the sound passed to the headphone , if no, then you may have either the phone jack problem or slider defect, if yes then check the channels selector it may have some dirt , try to clean by WD40 , good luck
I have one that won't fast forward with the cassette inserted but will when it doesn't have one. I'm thinking it needs the belt replaced but I'm not sure. Any ideas?
i have same problem with my porta 07, could be the same issue, by the looks of it, 3 capacitors are bulged near the power connector, burnt diode, and transistor
I have this exact model but my problem is the Phones Level stays at maximum and the potentiometer makes no difference to the level -any suggestions please?
@@3rdisland477 thanks for the reply - yeah its an odd one - I'll try signal tracing from the tape outs but they are dead on both the monitor and main faders which leads me to believe its something on the tape replay amp area - difficult to diagnose without a service manual but I'll keep looking - appreciate the help!
I know i'm a little late here but I though I'd ask anyway! - I have the same Tascam Porta 02MKii and find that I can only record audio on two tracks (2/3) but nothing records on track 1/4... Do you think this repair would solve this particular issue? All advice welcomed, cheers in advance. AK
@@3rdisland477 Right - After some testing i have concluded that there is no playback from channel 1 and 4.. I also took the machine apart and sprayed contact cleaner on all the pots and sliding switches (still no change). Hmm..
Thank you for your helpful advice to all, I need you help me, I have teac X2000R, There is no sound during the playback in the input and output with the recording There is a voice What is the problem and where lies
@@3rdisland477 Clean everything that works efficiently I think capacitors or something else, recording/the sound ok when i changing from switch everything ok but when i make playback no sound
Any interest in repairing them for a price? I have one that doesn't playback but I don't have the tools to fix it on my own. I would rather have it fixed than buy another used one that I'm not sure if it'll work or not, I've bought two and buying a third that doesn't work would crush me.
I think that buying a soldering gun and 4 capacitors would be cheaper than mail and re mail , it's my pleasure to guide you to the steps of repairing this easy and simple defect, thanks
Hello i have a porta mf-p01 , and when i put a cassette , i have no sound, but i can record on it , i tried the casette on another tape recorder and it's ok. on the porta mf-01 i have the sound when i start recording, just not when i'm playing the cassette...do you think it may be the same problem?
@@3rdisland477 Hey juste another question i'm such a novice ! i saw that on a forum : "Mine also would not play back on any of the channels but would record. The problem was on the lower board, capacitors C105, C205, C305 and C405, all are 220uF, rated at 10V - on a 9V machine! All four went leaky, which meant that the op-amps each were connected to got a bias which drove the output to 8.5V and no output. I replaced all four capacitors with new ones rated at 25V and it works again!" i just ordered 16V but 25V would work? thanks
Does anyone know how to deal with the same problem on Tascam Porta 03? This works like charm on a Porta 02, but now need to know the numbers of the capacitators for the Porta 03, so I can replace them. Anyone?
Porta 03 usualy makes this defect because of a bad power transistor or power capacitors not audio caps, check my other video for Tascam 03 on my channel, good luck
@@3rdisland477 wow that was fast! thanks for the tip! The Porta 03 powers up just fine and it plays the tape.The only thing is the lack of sound. I saved two so called broken porta 02’s by watching your video, i’m very thankfull for that! 👍
I have lights and output sound indicating that I'm ready to record but when I push record or play I get no sound it just makes a soft steady hummmm and my level lights cycle up and down between -15 and 0 in a steady pattern. any advice? could these caps cause the same issue I'm having?
This machine comprise of 2 separate sections , mixer and rec/play section, mic and headphone are connected to the mixer section which stays works , change the 4 caps as in the tutorial video , you will get play and record sound good luck
