I have a Tascam 424mkIII multitrack cassette recorder going out for sale to my e-mail list at 6 PM Central! (If you're in the market for a 4-track and you're not already on the list, I encourage you to join at https://recdel.com/list .) #recdel #4track

As is common with the Tascam 424mkII, there was a very minor crack extending outward from one of the PCB screw holes — in this case it prevented tracks 2 & 3 from recording/playing back consistently. I probed the broken signal paths and installed four jumper wires to correct the problem. #recdel

Marantz didn't make it easy to reach the PMD 740's headphone jacks! These two had broken solder joints, so I had to partially remove a number of layers of PCBs to reach and reflow them. Also, check out the straight-up *mud* that I cleaned out of the faders! #recdel

Replaced the broken Clutch Assembly in a Marantz PMD 720. (Left is the old one, right is the new one.) Play didn't work when it arrived, now it does! Also cleaned up some evidence of a previous insect infestation. This machine just needs cleaning and testing before returning to the client. #recdel

We spent a number of hours today A/B testing a handful of Library of Congress C-1 machines, swapping parts/tires in and out. The goal: to deduce why some have sluggish FF/RW yet others don't. Getting to the bottom of it! Next we'll swap in a NOS capstan motor to gauge improvement. #recdel

Replacing the capstan motor in a client's Tascam 424mkIII, I noticed the motor wiggling due to hardened rubber grommets. Replaced 'em with still-flexible ones from another machine. Next I'll be 🕵️‍♀️-ing around McMaster-Carr, hoping to stock future replacements. #recdel

Got a working record/playback head transplanted into this Tascam 464. Track 1's record level needed slight adjustment after that, but then all tracks were recording at an equal volume. Satisfying to finally get this machine to the 🏁 line. #recdel

More progress today on a trio of Akai MG614 units. Machine #1 had a broken, unfixable door, so I drilled a hole and bent a paperclip into place — see pics! — allowing a spring to attach and the Eject function to work despite the broken plastic. (Details about the other two in the comments). #recdel

A Sunday night with some Akai MG614s. One had its pinch roller arm fused to the shaft by hardened lubricant, which is always a workout to get loose! Thankfully that's done and now I'm addressing idler tire issues on one and a cassette-loading problem on the other. #recdel