Reel to Reel Tape Recorder
Discussion
Hi
Just wondering if any experts out there can help with sorting on old (ancient) reel to reel tape recorder. My father in law passed away last year and when clearing the house the family came across this old tape player:
There are also a few tapes that we suspect have recordings of the siblings voices from their childhood and it would be great to be able to play them back.
I know pretty much nothing about these players and it hasn't been used for many years, but I managed to power it up and get the spindles spinning. I popped a tape on and connected a set of headphones, pressed play and...nothing. Tried another tape and it was just the same.
I guess the head (?) could be the problem.
Any ideas on how I might be able to get this going?
Thanks in advance for any help.
Just wondering if any experts out there can help with sorting on old (ancient) reel to reel tape recorder. My father in law passed away last year and when clearing the house the family came across this old tape player:
There are also a few tapes that we suspect have recordings of the siblings voices from their childhood and it would be great to be able to play them back.
I know pretty much nothing about these players and it hasn't been used for many years, but I managed to power it up and get the spindles spinning. I popped a tape on and connected a set of headphones, pressed play and...nothing. Tried another tape and it was just the same.
I guess the head (?) could be the problem.
Any ideas on how I might be able to get this going?
Thanks in advance for any help.
When you pressed play and then nothing - do you mean no tape movement or no audio?
Highly unlikely it’s the head.
Was the tape laced correctly?
Was the tape the right way round? I.e. you’re not trying to play the backing rather than the tape side?
Did you try each end of the tape? The start or end are likely blank.
Can you hear background hiss in the headphones when you press play?
Highly unlikely it’s the head.
Was the tape laced correctly?
Was the tape the right way round? I.e. you’re not trying to play the backing rather than the tape side?
Did you try each end of the tape? The start or end are likely blank.
Can you hear background hiss in the headphones when you press play?
It could be that you've plugged your headphones into the microphone socket.
I saw one of these when I was younger and I think there was a speaker that would plug into a phono socket on the back ?
Will also be valve technology in there as well I expect. And it will be over fifty years old now. Might be a loose valve or burnt one.
Good luck though. Even if you can't get it working you might be able to find someone who can copy tape to a more modern format.
(In 2070 there'll be a post "I found an old USB stick and an old computer that has some files called MP4. Any idea what I can do with them? I remember my grandparents talking about MP4 songs)
KP
I saw one of these when I was younger and I think there was a speaker that would plug into a phono socket on the back ?
Will also be valve technology in there as well I expect. And it will be over fifty years old now. Might be a loose valve or burnt one.
Good luck though. Even if you can't get it working you might be able to find someone who can copy tape to a more modern format.
(In 2070 there'll be a post "I found an old USB stick and an old computer that has some files called MP4. Any idea what I can do with them? I remember my grandparents talking about MP4 songs)
KP
Hi
Thanks for the replies. When i pressed play the reels did turn, however i had to 'help' them a little as it seemed a bit underpowered!
There was nothing from the headphones at all but the point about plugging into the microphone socket could be spot on - i didn't even think about it needing a microphone.
I will try again this week and, if i get a chance will try to take a peak inside to see there are any valves and if so make sure they are seated properly.
Cheers.
Thanks for the replies. When i pressed play the reels did turn, however i had to 'help' them a little as it seemed a bit underpowered!
There was nothing from the headphones at all but the point about plugging into the microphone socket could be spot on - i didn't even think about it needing a microphone.
I will try again this week and, if i get a chance will try to take a peak inside to see there are any valves and if so make sure they are seated properly.
Cheers.
masterzarlak said:
Hi
Thanks for the replies. When i pressed play the reels did turn, however i had to 'help' them a little as it seemed a bit underpowered!
There was nothing from the headphones at all but the point about plugging into the microphone socket could be spot on - i didn't even think about it needing a microphone.
I will try again this week and, if i get a chance will try to take a peak inside to see there are any valves and if so make sure they are seated properly.
Cheers.
A word to the wise from the owner of a couple of valve amps - probably unnecessary but worth saying. Valves can get very hot and can discharge potentially lethal levels of power. Ensure the unit is unplugged and cooled down before doing anything inside it. I’d actually check valve seating before plugging it in, if you’ve had it unplugged all well. HTH Thanks for the replies. When i pressed play the reels did turn, however i had to 'help' them a little as it seemed a bit underpowered!
There was nothing from the headphones at all but the point about plugging into the microphone socket could be spot on - i didn't even think about it needing a microphone.
I will try again this week and, if i get a chance will try to take a peak inside to see there are any valves and if so make sure they are seated properly.
Cheers.
The heads may need cleaning. Old tape tends to deteriorate and the tape material can come away.
with regards to "it being under powered" the capstain shaft and pinch roller may also need cleaning. The 2 reels spin in order for the tape to go somewhere (it the takeup reel( the one on the right hand side) . Its the pinch roller and capstain shaft that pull the tape across the heads.
Could also be a stretched belt inside the machine
https://www.gearsavvy.com/restore-reel-to-reel-tap...
The machines i use to work on had 3 motors so were slightly easier to work with.!
https://www.mediasos.co.uk/transfer-reel-to-reel-t...
http://www.auldworks.com/awserv/taperes1.htm
with regards to "it being under powered" the capstain shaft and pinch roller may also need cleaning. The 2 reels spin in order for the tape to go somewhere (it the takeup reel( the one on the right hand side) . Its the pinch roller and capstain shaft that pull the tape across the heads.
Could also be a stretched belt inside the machine
https://www.gearsavvy.com/restore-reel-to-reel-tap...
The machines i use to work on had 3 motors so were slightly easier to work with.!
https://www.mediasos.co.uk/transfer-reel-to-reel-t...
http://www.auldworks.com/awserv/taperes1.htm
masterzarlak said:
Thanks for links and advice, very helpful. I will try to have a bit of time with it this week and give the heads a clean and check the drive.
Use Isopropyl Alcohol or nail varnish remover on the heads.. Not too much pressureFor the pinch roller get a piece of a4 paper and tear a strip off, soak it in the cleaning fluid and hold it up against the roller and spin it round (put the machine into play mode for ease) allow the dry before you put a tape on the machine !
I miss the old days of serving machines that can be fixed, now its just CTRL+ALT+DEL boring
http://taperecorder.co.uk/
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