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Tascam Portastudio 246 | 1 | remove knobs | open case | remove cassette transport (belt change, etc)
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- čas přidán 25. 11. 2020
- Here is the first in a series of videos tearing down the Tascam 246, a 4 track multitrack cassette recorder dating back to the 1980s. These videos are intended as a genral anatomy and access guide for anyone who needs to service or repair their portastudio. Videos focusing on specific repair tasks as well as a review and demoes will follow.
In this video I remove the knobs, open the rear case and detach the cassette transport from the metal chassis below , and unplug all electrical cables running from the cassette player to the rest of the system.
Please not that I do not specifically demonstrate the changing of the pinch roller, idler tires or belts, because once you have the 246 transport out of the chassis, these tasks are identical to what you do on a Tascam 244, and i have already covered those topics in detail in other videos - please see my 244 playlist which you can reach from my youtube channel homepage.
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TETRAKAN - Fix & Use Tape Recorders
Overviews; tear-downs; repair vlogs; techniques; tutorials; demo recordings...
...covering every cassette multitrack recorder ever made!*
*(eventually)
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Great video 👊 I just picked one of these up ... again. This was one of my first 4 tracks back in the 80's. It's wild to get my hand on again, but def needs work. Thanks for getting me going.
excited to see you get into the 246. Been trying to get mine fully functioning for a while haha.
Great work man, and your talk trough the process is really appreciated! I own one of this units, got it on e Bay and I replaced the belts and rollers and it’s working like a charm! I own many pre amps on my home recording rig, most of them relatively modern and really good too, but the sound I get from this console on my Fender instruments are worth a mention! Beautiful tones and warm nuances! Thanks for sharing, I saw part 2 awesome too 💪🏽🙏🏽🙌🏽
I remember you saying this was your favorite unit. I’m still undecided between the 144 & 244, just because when I moved my 244 cassette over to the 246, I noticed the preamps weren’t as hot. Amazing features, though. Was pretty much the blueprint for the high end units of the 90’s (minus those lovely VUs). When I have the bread or time to get mine calibrated, I’ll maybe do a shootout if you don’t beat me to it first ;-).
I'd tend to assume that diffences in gain from your 244 and 246 are down to the ageing of the components, and if you repopulated the preamp section of the PCBs with fmnew components from the same production batch their performance would be more or less identical? But go ahead and make a video - I can think of several folks on CZcams who make this sort of content and we all get views.
@@Tetrakan I am thinking of doing a video or two one day soon(ish) with my four tracks, but will need Mike's help first. I've decided I'm a bit burnt out on repairs save for the 244, which I'm determined to finish myself. And that's an interesting notion about the aged components between the 244 and 246. Honestly due to his propensity for modding, I may ask Mike at some point to see if there's a way to hot rod the 246. That machine is just about the best of the 4 tracks that I can think of in terms of functions and form. And if you're right about the components, I can't imagine how amazing that thing could sound if it was on par with the 144 or 244 preamps.
Hi there,
i´ve bought one from reverb. In great condition visually and everything is working real good. But it will not go in the record mode.
What i found was: these little plastic things i the transportarea. These two noses called "cassette in place sensors", the left one is missing.
I could imagine, thats this is the whole problem, cause it doesn´t check correctly whats in there. Is that easy to fix? its just not there the left sensor.
Thank you so much for your hard work here!
Great timing, I bought one for $100 with no knobs/not functioning. It does power on though. I fixed everything I could with the transport and am handing it over to a tech since there’s clearly something wrong with the electronics. I’m guessing it was used for parts for another machine :/ but I’m hoping to bring it back to life!
I've got a lot of spare 246 knobs, message me through Facebook if you need them, good luck with the restoration!
hola tetrakan! tengo una 244 y una 246 con el cabezal de borrado en mal estado, alguna solucion?? estoy muy lejos, argentina (america del sur) gracias.
these are really slick. does it have tape outs for each channel? looking for a backup 4 track as insurance for my 424. was thinking a 234 or this. i have to be able to track and mixdown on a seperate mixer. i find it helps preserve these machines doing all the heavy lifting on a seperate board and it makes your source signal as good or bad as youd like.
Yeah separate outs on each channel. For feature rich all-in-one portastudios I really like the 464 and 424 MkIII as well, but I'd say this was my favourite - just because the VUs are nice to work with once calibrated and the 2 band parametric mids are a little more useful than other portastudio EQs.
@@Tetrakan could you walk through how to calibrate the VUs?
@@robertcrystals this is a series so the episode covering the VUs will be published in the next fortnight or so, but briefly - the vu trim pots are accessed through holes in the rear of the plastic case, so it's actually easier than the same procedure on the 244. I have a video on calibration of the 244, and the 246 service manual - which describes the process in detail - is available for free download from my blog, I hope those resources will allow you to carry out the calibration before I publish the rest of the 246 videos
@@Tetrakan you’re an absolute saint, thank you! Looking forward to the series!!
Hi I was curious if you know where I could get some replacement screws? I couldn’t find a match at the hardware store?
The service manual is available for free download from my blog and contains a parts list including screw sizes. It'll be mostly screws with an M prefix (meaning machine or fastening I think) that you need but these are less likely to be carried by a hardware store since they cater mostly to DIY/ carpentry applications I guess? However multi-packs of M screws are easily obtainable on amazon etc.
Great tips mate. I’m in the process of taking the transport out now and have come across a hurdle right away. One of the five screws on the transport that connects it to the chassis is insanely tight & has threaded. What is you method for rectifying this? Cheers from Australia 🇦🇺
Thanks! I typically spray PMA spay lube or penetrative oil on the offending screw and let it sit. Then wipe the head clean, put a screwdriver in it and wallop the end of the screwdriver with a rubber mallet or equivalent a few times. Then put a thick rubber band between the screwdriver head and the screw for better grip. Sometimes this needs to be repeated a few times. If all else fails, search for screw extraction kit on amazon/ebay etc.
@@Tetrakan thanks for the reply mate, I just got it out before I checked back here. Ended up using a no.3 size triangular shape attachment that was with the T8 T9 bits that I had lying around. Thanks for the reply, have a 246 machine and I’m following your great vids. Two belts were crumpled up but not really much goo which is good. Enjoy the rest of your day cheers 🥂 🍻
can you tell me where you got the thing you used to lift up the knobs please?
Probably eBay uk .... if you search for “car upholstery tool” in eBay or Amazon for your region you should find it
Anything technically point to a sonic difference between this and a 414 or 424? This one looks more like the 388 in my studio.
The 246 244 and 388 used the same DIP opamps in their gain stages and the same electrical topology in the EQ circuits. From the 424 onwards they moved to SIP opamps - I’m not sure they perform any differently, but it allows the PCBs to be smaller. I haven’t scrutinised the difference in the EQ or preamps, they may just appear superficially different on schematics due to the change of chips. Generally speaking I’m a sceptic of arguments that say X portastudio sounds different/better than Y portastudio. Obviously tape type, speed and some side effects of bad calibration are things I would expect to be able to hear in a blindfold test, and the parametric EQs on the 244/246/388 have a special mojo compared to the EQ on later units, but I tend to see the differences from model to model in terms of weight, footprint, workflow, features as opposed to distinct audio flavours.
@@Tetrakan thank you! very thorough!
Hi there , im trying to fix mine . I replaced the belts , 2 pieces , On the flywheel and another smaller 1 on a smaller motor, expecting it to work but not. the digital counter is also not going on, basicly the tapes are doing nothing. Any ideas? good video
Is it an EU model you have? If so there would be slowblow fuses attached to a small board on top of the cassette player - check these are still good using the continuity tester on a multimeter. The counter and cassette player on the 246 receive power through the same control board so either the fuses need to be replaced or you have a problem in that control board, or this is my working theory anyway....
@@Tetrakan thanks , i will check for that later on. love your channel
@@Tetrakan hi there, cant see any fuses , its too complex for me. It will end up a wreck if i go to deep. thanks mate. It will maybe make someone happy as a parts machine.
I bought one in 1987, still have it and just took it out of the box after 25 years or so and turned it on. It is making a noise like something is running, it varies, speeds up and slows down, sometimes stops and starts again. Any clue what that might be? Before I take it apart...
Hi, the cassette player on the 246 is 95 percent identical to the 244, I've made about 20 videos on DIY refurbishing it, heres one of the early videos, czcams.com/video/HEwaZeIjxdk/video.html if after watching those you're still not sure, hit me up in the comments
@@Tetrakan Thanks, that helps, time to open her up!
💜🧡🙏🧡💜
Awesome. The Godfather 246. One just went on eBay a few hours back for £520.
I saw one go for £750 a few months back. Looked mint but needed belts, i.e. the seller had no way to property test electronics either.
Rob friedman where is that door dammit i'm pissed too
watching this video made by a genius hoping to fix a 246 that someone probs burned me on... son of a gun that's a lot of wires dude. thanks a ton for making this! is there a part 2?
@@travisraab I got u fam czcams.com/video/GZPd_0q_TJk/video.html