Category Archives: Shop Projects

Tape Machine Rebuild

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The Tascam 34 is a 1/4″ quarter-track format machine with 4 channels.  This one arrived with brake issues, so it would spill tape when stopping from fast wind mode.  There’s also some shipping damage, a burned out meter #2 lamp, a bad REC indicator, and dirty relay contacts.

First order of business was to strip it back to the chassis and begin work on the brake mechanism.  Then to get the reel back tension just right (change the capacitors on the motor control board)

Mechanical and electrical alignment is now complete and the dress panels have been straightened out. Now it’s time to rack it up and wire up to the line amplifiers with military-style cotton looming.

Since the incandescent lamps are no longer available, it was time to design and build some LED replacements…

At this point, it can join its half-track counterpart in the studio.

Thanks for looking!

Sharp Aquos 70″HD TV Installation

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This week, I was commissioned to install a new HD TV. The client wanted it mounted to the wall and it was requested that no cabling be visible. image

First we laid out the location of the new tv on the wall with masking tape.

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We then installed new hardware to mount the tv and to accomodate wire runs and a surge suppressing outlet.

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Nakamichi MR1 Cassette Deck Maintenance

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Nakamichi MR1Occasionally, a piece of control room equipment needs to be decommissioned and taken into the workshop for service.  This time it was the Nakamichi MR1 Cassette Deck. This deck uses three motors to handle the tape.  These motors depend on each other for proper operation and if one malfunctions, the whole machine stops working.  In this case, the spooling motor had a dead spot and the machine would stop playback to keep the transport from eating the tape.

Nakamichi Disassembly 1

The transport assembly was removed from the machine and taken to the test bench for further dissembly.

Nakamichi TransportOnce the transport was disassembled, the motors could then be dismounted and cleaned.

Nakamichi Spooling MotorThe spooling motor was disconnected, opened and cleaned.  You can see the three major components of the motor.

Nakamichi MR1Once all the components were serviced, the machine was reassembled and recommissioned.  mr1-2