<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><HTML><FONT COLOR="#000000" FACE="Geneva" FAMILY="SANSSERIF" SIZE="2">original message:<BR>
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<< Hi everybody,<BR>
<BR>
I have had this SOny DTC-A7 consumer DAT machine since 1994 and it<BR>
yesterday in the middle of a tape started having problems. The sample<BR>
rate flashes like the tape is unformatted when I play a tape. It seems<BR>
to record ok though. So it is not reading the sample rate off the tape.<BR>
I assume, blindly, that it's a cap that has dies, since it's age is<BR>
about right and nothing significant happened between working and not<BR>
working. I had not used the thing in months and it worked for about 5<BR>
minutes before it had problems. I don't want to throw it away, but it<BR>
would be stupid to PAY someone to fix it when they go for about $100<BR>
these days. I just need to read my old tapes.<BR>
<BR>
Any tips? I see a place on the PCB labeled "PBRF" is that Playback<BR>
Reference? Should I replace the electrolytic next to that?<BR>
<BR>
thanks for ANY help.<BR>
<BR>
Mark>><BR>
In a message dated 9/26/05 5:43:07 AM, seb@burnit.co.uk writes:<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE CITE STYLE="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px" TYPE="CITE"></FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" FACE="Geneva" FAMILY="SANSSERIF" SIZE="2">Richard Wentk wrote:<BR>
<BR>
><BR>
> You can sort of clean the heads with a cleaner tape<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
or, better use a cotton bud and some isopropyl alcohol, but for this you<BR>
need to get inside the machine<BR>
<BR>
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" FACE="Geneva" FAMILY="SANSSERIF" SIZE="2"><BR>
FWIW--nothing about caps, but useful if your old tapes are cherished recordings worth your trouble . . .<BR>
<BR>
Here's just one link happened onto via Google:<BR>
</FONT><FONT COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Geneva" FAMILY="SANSSERIF" SIZE="2"><A HREF="http://www.tangible-technology.com/machines/repair_tips.html">DAT Repair Tips</A></FONT><FONT COLOR="#000000" FACE="Geneva" FAMILY="SANSSERIF" SIZE="2"><BR>
http://www.tangible-technology.com/machines/repair_tips.html<BR>
<BR>
I'm no kind of expert (use following info with a large grain of salt), but have limited home studio experience with a Panasonic (SV-3700, IIRC--whichever is one you see everywhere) owned since circa 1993. It's been repaired/maintained twice over that time--the last time about a year or so ago. Both times I'm pretty sure involved some replacement and adjustment of tape transport parts. Nothing a cleaning would properly address, tho' cleaning is damn sure worth a try.<BR>
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If it were my DAT recordings and cleaning didn't work, I'd either get the machine looked at (rather than take my chances with another used model that due to age if not wear may require the same service) or see if the same or compatible machine could used at/rented from a pro studio nearby. Depends on how many tapes you want to transfer to another digital/analog medium, the cost of the studio or machine rental. If time intensive, a properly serviced machine (yours or another of the same model maybe--no personal exper. here but talk of incompatiblities between Sony and Panasonic units etc. etc.) may be your cheaper, more convenient option.<BR>
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I can't recommend any repair place offhand. While happy with the job done both times by the same outfit, the turnaround time on the second repair was several months and entirely due to some organizational transition that may or may not be settled. Whoever works on Sony DATs these days I guess . . .<BR>
<BR>
Please note that DAT tapes themselves have been supposedly judged more or less reliable for 7 years (after recording, I'd guess) and beyond that time less so. The playback quality of any tapes rec. prior to 1998 may be suspect <insert sad faced emoticon here>. And there's no guarantee in any case. Tho' I can say I've transfered about 50 or so DATs, say 90 to 120 min each, to CD-R and had only a few bad dropouts that I couldn't get better in a second take or somehow edit around. But all my transfers happened on the same machine and within 7 years of recording. And I often recorded multiple takes to DAT, and later on (as I became more wary of DAT as a medium) even redundant identical takes. Your mileage may vary.<BR>
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Hope you can get your DAT rolling,<BR>
Kevin Seward<BR>
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