Good electronics repair shop?
I recently went into my attic and pulled out my old 1990s 4-track Fostex X-26 tape recorder. I was hoping to transfer some of my old band tapes to the computer. Alas, it is dead. While it turns on, the motor appears frozen, and the device hums. (I don't mean there's line noise when you plug a speaker into it, I mean the device itself audibly hums, even when not using the tape controls.)
I have seen online that some people repair theirs. It's probably beyond my skill level to do so, though. (And I don't really want to do it myself.) I have contacted a few shops near me (Los Angeles), but have gotten no replies, unfortunately. I was wondering if anyone here knows of a good shop that would repair an older device like this.
I have also contacted some places that claim to do cassette to digital transfers, but none have replied to my questions about whether they can deal with a 4-track recording. Also, just looking at their prices, it seems like it would cost significantly more to have them convert my tapes than to get the recorder repaired. (And I'm not sure what's on all of the tapes, so I don't really want to hand over some embarrassing practice tape or tape containing some out-of-context banter between takes on it.)
I've looked online for a used one, but all the listings I've found have been "for parts only", which is what mine would be if I were to sell it. And knowing how these things go, they probably all have the same broken part. So any recommendations are appreciated!
If transferring the tapes is your ultimate goal and the recorder itself is just a means to that end, you should try calling the libraries of nearby institutions of higher learning. Many college libraries maintain a collection of thoroughly obsolete playback devices for long-dead formats for archival purposes, and you may be able to gain access as a community member or for a nominal fee.
Interesting idea! That never would have occurred to me! I'll see what I can find.
Rather than looking for a shop, I would suggest you see if there are any local hackerspaces that have anyone that might be willing to help you out.
In my experience, hacker spaces tend to attract the sort of folks who might have both the skill and interest in a 'weird' project like this. But that means no warranty or guarantee of any kind that they'll be able to get it working.
Interesting thought. If we weren't at the tail end of a pandemic, I would definitely consider that. Maybe in a few more months it will be a little safer. I've got no rush on this. I've already waited 20 years. What's another few months to a year?
Sounds like the motor seized up. You'd have to disassemble it, remove the motor, open the motor and clean/oil it properly, then put it all back together. I've done this for fans dozens of times, it's not that difficult for the motor itself. YMMV depending on how well built the rest of the device is.
Yeah, I probably could. That would take care of one problem. But the electronics or at least electrical pathways through the device seem to have issues, too. The output meters read as if a strong signal is on the line even when nothing's connected to the device and there's no tape playing back. So there's definitely more to it than just the motor. I definitely don't think I could fix that aspect of it.
Honestly, why not open it up and try to fix it yourself? Mechanical things are easier to fix than most people imagine.
Many cassette decks use belts to transfer motion from the motor to the tape transport, so if yours has that, it’s extremely likely to be the culprit. Especially if this wasn’t a problem the last time you used it.
So, I've been thinking about this. While I couldn't find any working units on eBay, I did find and purchase one today from reverb.com. I was really hesitant to repair my unit myself because I wasn't sure if I botched it if I'd be able to find a replacement or get it repaired. (And having written to a few shops, I've gotten some replies from shops saying they don't repair those models.) But now that I have (or soon will have) a working replacement, I'm less scared to mess up my non-functional unit. I'm thinking that once I get my tapes converted to digital, I'll try fixing the broken unit, and if I can't, or I make it worse, it's no big deal because I have a working unit if I need it.
One idea might be to see if you can find local people who are into amateur radio. They'll often know other people who are fantastically talented with analog electronics and are looking for interesting projects. A lot of the people into it just love to tinker with random broken things, and have acquired amazing skills over the years. I also agree with the other comment about finding a library that might have archival equipment.
For future reference, I wouldn't recommend turning on the recorder anymore until it's been fixed. A seized motor can be repaired, but a motor that's been burnt out will have to be replaced. Kinda wish I had more free time for myself because I'd be willing to fix it for you if I did. I dabble with repairing all kinds of older electronics for fun and if you're calling shops in LA, you're probably not too far from me.
If you don't want to repair it yourself, I understand and won't argue that you should. But you should be aware that the repairs probably aren't that serious. At worst you might need to replace some capacitors. You'll definitely need to unstick and re-lube the drive motor, or order a replacement if needed. Most likely you would need to replace the drive cable which transfers motion from the motor to the spindle, if there is one. Some earlier floppy and cassette drives had these, others were directly driven by the motor. Probably wouldn't hurt to wipe the read head with some isopropyl and a q-tip either. 30 years of dust gathering in your attic could have deposited some dust on the read head, which would impair playback quality and scratch the media.
So you're looking for someone (anyone really, maybe even friends or family) with soldering skills just in case, and enough free time to clean/service the drive and order replacement parts.
Yeah, I think I'll take a swing at it once I receive my new(er) unit, per my reply to Akir above. Thanks for your suggestions!
They sell a Handy USB Cassette Player and Tape-to-MP3 Digital Converter.
Frankly though, the chances of twenty year old tapes sounding that great are low.
These are 4-track cassettes, so they wouldn't work with a typical cassette player. You'd only hear 2 tracks on one side of the tape at a time, and the tracks on the back side would be backwards.
As for the quality — I guess we'll see. They've been stored indoors at room temperature and kept away from extreme heat or cold, though certainly not treated like you would an archive.
Does the fast rewind still work?
It appears the most common problem is with the belts, over time they degrade, and I think on your model the fast rewind uses a different belt, so it still may be operational.
Or if you live in Miami, you could give these guys a go...
https://digitizingworld.com/products/transfer/audio/4-track-cassette
No, fast rewind doesn't work, unfortunately. And I did live in Miami at one time, many, many years ago, but not any longer.
Still could be the belts, easy fix.