I did post this before but i am guessing my embedded youtube video broke the rules here..

anyway, i have a faulty Fostex R8 on my hand and wondered if someone might have some advice, please check out the link below and let me know

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm2_WsTKCVY

In short, the fault is only on playing tape, it rewinds and fast fwds ok but on playing it will run for a couple of seconds then grind to a rather sad halt.

the video includes a quick demo of the machine with the front off so you can see the gears working.

Many thanks in advance.

I am aware these are quite cheapo tape machines and most would say "what the hell are you bothering for".. well, someone gave it to me so.. what the hell!

Quote jim 2tall:

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I did post this before but i am guessing my embedded youtube video broke the rules here..

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No, not at all. Your original post is still where you posted it, in the Vintage Gear forum.

Hugh

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Technical Editor, Sound On Sound

the right hand hub should be pulling the tape a fraction (winding it anyways) and the capstan as mentioned should be pinching with the rubber roller to pull it thru

have you tried running it horizontaly? It's got 4 rubber feet on the back to do that. You'll need to either put it on top of a horizontal rack (if you've got the rack-ears for it) or mount it horizontaly on a piece of wooden board with a hole cut at the back to let the conection cables and mains cable cable pass thru and out the back. Usualy you can run a tired fostex horizontaly anyways.

or open her up & replace the drive belts. also you can clean the capstan rubber with mild detergent to remove any grease

also the capped larger tape-guides (one under each spool). They arent powered but they can get crap in them... the top unscrews and the plastic guide disks just lift off. You can clean any gunk off that might have gathered behind the guide wheels, and lube the spindle with a tiny bit of graphite grease from a car spares shop then replace it all.

i think thats what i did with my A8 before the heads packed up. I still have an old A2 and that runs 100% fine when standing horizontaly but falters if stood verticaly, i cant be arsed to replace the belts cos i rarely use it.

Also, you can minimise strain on the motors by running off enough tape length just for each new song. Get a brand new spool onto the machine; add a spare empty spool to the right hub, forward/wind some tape onto the empty spool, enough length for the one song (5 or 6 minutes or whatever), then cut the tape. Then rewind that short length of tape back onto another spare empty spool, and you then have a new spool with just enuff tape length for the song. That way the motors have less spool-weight to heave around when forwarding rewinding etc, and you end up with one song per tape spool. Combine that with running it horizontaly and it'll prolly work ok for another 6 months to a year.

It's 2 possible stop-gap solutions anyways until you service it (if u decide to).

thanks doc.


I think it may be the drive belts.. one last question.. where do i get the drive belts? is it a case of just take em into maplin?

Be amazed if Maplins have anything that will work.
Since you obviously have internet access, why not google Fostex support & ask them for a source? If they come back and say it is too old, or they want a fortune for the belts, there are several advertisers in the back of SOS that "do " reel to reel.

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Me? But I`m such a loveable old bugger!