The postman always strikes twice...!

[Squank]

My postman is on a row these days!!!
He came over on Monday and dropped...*wink*

[Squank]

...this AND a 310 at my door!
pics of the 310 to follow,Because i'm not sure if i'll keep it yet...unless anyone can help with its issues.
In fact both decks are not readily usable yet,but i will give details in the days to come,as i will go through them one by one.
This will be a fun project and i'm gonna need all the help i can get from you Tandberg guys*worship*

[Socal Sam]

Tandberg! I have a 310 and a 330 in the piles. Need to test and find a good home for them.

[Nakdoc]

Once you get to listen to the 330 you will learn about Tandberg's musicality. I wish I knew what makes the difference, but the reality is Tandberg has at least 10 reasons that make the 330 special. Record levels are especially interesting. Tandberg VU meters are AFTER the Dolby and record EQ, and they are peak reading, so you absolutely know when potential tape saturation requires lower record levels.

[Squank]

Once you get to listen to the 330 you will learn about Tandberg's musicality. I wish I knew what makes the difference, but the reality is Tandberg has at least 10 reasons that make the 330 special. Record levels are especially interesting. Tandberg VU meters are AFTER the Dolby and record EQ, and they are peak reading, so you absolutely know when potential tape saturation requires lower record levels.

Nakdoc, isn't this supposed to be a three head deck?
Why I'm only spotting two heads? And which one is the one with the pointed head?
Truth is that it is a very musical deck but the highs are not detailed Or extended at all, sounds like it's all middle frequencies with tremendous body, that's why it has such an organic sound.

[Mark J]

3 heads. 3 discrete heads!!

Erase head is in the area of the first capstan, record is the one next to the playback head and then the playback head. Gotta look carefully to see the three as most look for a dual head for record and playback. A great machine and it was their first of the line so they probably only get better.

[Squank]

Ok,still can't spot the third one and first being which side when looking straight at them,left to right or the other way around?
Anyway, a little review,I bought the deck from a guy in France as working unit for 120€ including the shipping costs.
First time I connected it and put a tape to play it tried to turn it and choked.
After several try outs,I took off the door cover and sprayed some Philips degreaser to the visible metal parts inside, put the tape back in and low and behold I had movement!!!
I then connected it to my system and experienced no highs on the left channel and plenty on the right,output sliders scratchy and a general difficulty on all the buttons.
Cleaned the tape path really good, sprayed some wd40 on the sliders and all the buttons from the top, cleaned the top using glass cleaner fluid and pure alcohol on occasions and played the tape once more...
Now that was more like it! Glorious sound,free movement and no scratching noises whatsoever!
I spent the next couple of hours of the evening by listening to older tapes. I avoided using pre recorded ones out of fear of destroying them, if mulfunction occured.
Tonight after listening some more,I traded it for my Yamaha kx580se and continued listening, until i decided to listen to Pink Floyd's Division Bell, prerecorded tape.
Now on the Yamaha it sounded great and I thought there was no way the Tandberg could compete, being old and not extended high up.
Well, what do you know, it performed better still!!!
In fact I'm listening to the B side as I write this and the sound I'm experiencing is suprisingly good !
The only thing I have to fight now is the sound of the mechanism which is listenable at the quieter momements.
Any suggestions on that?

[tandberg]

Spray ???

''Did you spray??'' -my sister in law always ask my brother......

Did you spray inside the Casettedeck ? Degreaser might be ok, but no lubricant into the casettedoor.....

It's supposed to have 3 heads, if not the 'frog' have stolen one

http://img192.imageshack.us/f/330heads.jpg/

I would have changed belt and capstan bearings, one drop of oil in the motorbearings.

By the way, my friend got the 'Dragon' that Tandberg bought when they decided to make something better , just wanted to tell you, since Nakdok seem to like Tandberg.

[perry]

That's so funny, my wife says the same thing to me every time I leave the bathroom.....

[tandberg]

..that's when she says it to, they used to live in USA, where she grew up....
-But I newer understood what he was supposed to spray in there, they did'nt have any audioequipment in the bathroom, but it could come some 'sound' though.

I see you have a avatar with many small plasticparts, do you want me to send some Tandberg equipment ? *reelspin**reelspin*

[Squank]

Spray ???

''Did you spray??'' -my sister in law always ask my brother......

Did you spray inside the Casettedeck ? Degreaser might be ok, but no lubricant into the casettedoor.....

It's supposed to have 3 heads, if not the 'frog' have stolen one

http://img192.imageshack.us/f/330heads.jpg/

I would have changed belt and capstan bearings, one drop of oil in the motorbearings.

By the way, my friend got the 'Dragon' that Tandberg bought when they decided to make something better , just wanted to tell you, since Nakdok seem to like Tandberg.

No I didn't spray inside the cassette deck, I sprayed degreaser inside the cassette compartment.
Wd40 was applied on the input/output sliders from the top and that might got inside the deck but it was not a large amount, just a spit or two.
I thought that since it's a metal mechanical part a cleaner with some lubricant would work to it's advantage. Was that wrong? Can it damage the deck?

Thanks for the picture, I couldn't identify the erase head.

Quite a few questions in my head.
capstan bearings?
Can I have a picture of those? Can I find them in the market?
If I do all that you suggest it will take away the rumble?
Should I try and replace any capacitors too?
Can the bias of the playback head be adjusted on this deck?
And lastly, should I demagnitize the heads?would that improve the treble response?
Playback heads need demagnitization too or only the recording ones?
I want to do this right and maybe learn a thing or two in the process, so any help would be useful.
This thing has got a sound that if I manage to refine it might perform better than my Nakamichi DR10!

[Mark J]

Please go to Njord's post about the database. It is in the Vintage Audio Literature forum and contains the info you need on the TCD-330. Grab the manual, service manual and brochure which talks about the three heads. There are reviews in different languages for you to find out just how great this machine was when it came out.

In the US we have Caig products called Deoxit.
one is a contact cleaner
one is a fader cleaner lubricant (the input and output level controls)
one is a gold contact cleaner
one is a preservative.

Check out the Caig website for more information and see if products like them or those are available to you. Much better than the WD-40 which is the 40th attempt by the company to make a Water Displacement spray for electric parts that had gotten wet. This stuff is not a lubricant, it is not a cleaner it is not a lot of things but does a bit of a lot of things making folks think it is the right product for the job. It usually is not, but may work in a pinch for the short term.

The Philips degreaser seems to be a contact cleaner which should evaporate completely. Good for cleaning controls but not faders.

Glad to see you are enjoying the machine.

[tandberg]

I've got capstan bearings. Belts too.
Change bearings will not reduce schratching in the pot's, but might reduce mechanical noise, and if they are worn out the capstans will ''wobble'' in the bearings and it will be more ''hungry for eating tape'' Good pinchrollers (wich I not have for sale) is also important. If anyone know a source for Tandberg TCD rollers with a reasonable price, let me know !

If it played better after your spray, you probably did'nt destroy it. It's ony that I've experienced that people spray lubricants into taperecorders and cause big trouble because of oil on belts, pinchrollers, idler/transferwheels.

[Squank]

19056

19057

19058

19059
Here are a few pics of my tcd-310 that i promised earlier.
This one seems to have more serious issues than the 330, but let's take one at a time.
Price paid for this one about 80 euros incl. shipping.

[Squank]

Tandberg,
thanks for the update.I'm not experiencing any scratching anywhere anymore and the deck performs its function like a champ,apart from the noise, which i'm determined to find the way to eliminate.
All the lights are working and all the buttons are functional,it is really in great condition ,considering its age!*thumbsup*

19060

19061

Thank you,Mark J also,for your guidance.

I have somewhere a head demagnitizer,do you think i should use it or it might do damage to the playback performance?
Playback heads do need demag or only the recording ones?I'm only asking because i read the demag process on the recording section of machines.

[tandberg]

I think you should use it. Be sure not to touch the heads and move it away from the TCD before turning de demag. off.

[Squank]

Ok, I did the demagnetization and now it certainly performs better in the higher frequencies!
The sound is very full and robust and listening comparisons with the DR-10 show that the 330 has more body but less air in the performance but it sure sounds more real!
The DR-10 is a better all rounder though, giving the same level of performance no matter how good or bad the recording.
I guess that if I go over the 330 to replace belts and such and manage to take the rumble noise away, the sound will clean up and I will get the more airy performance I'm looking for.
The good news is that I'm enjoying my pre recorded tapes a whole lot with this fresh approach of this deck. It reminds me the difference of the performance I used to get from my Garrard 301 turntable as opposed to my other turntables that have been through my system.
Really cool stuff!!!
One more thing i want to put in consideration is, since last night that I turned off the deck, I came home from work this afternoon and powered it up, put a tape and pressed play and again it tried to spin but stopped. After several attempts with the same result I left it on for about 15-20 minutes and tried again and this time it did work as should. I'm thinking maybe some capacitor changes its readings when its temperature changes. Wind and rewind at the same time were functioning just fine.

[jdurbin1]

Check to make sure the roller/head block is engaging fully. If you can press it lightly to the left (pushing rollers in direction of capstans) and it stays in Play mode, you need to remove the sliding plate and clean/relube the ball bearing points. It has to be able to move fairly freely side to side in order for the play solenoid to latch it in position fully. There are springs associated with this that also have to be installed correctly.

John

[tandberg]

Yeah, the hard grease on the bearing balls are a common problem. Just want to mention that one of my 330 moved freely, but the headbridge did ''fall out'' now and then. After closer investigation I discovered that the capstans now and then stopped because of a streched/hard/slippery belt. Never happened after beltchange. When I laid the old belt on the desk it had a triangular shape after the two flywheels and the motorwheel.
When I dismatled the ''flywheelbracket'' (The grey molded metal block with the bearings) I replaced the bearings as well. I do NOT recommend to knock down new bearings when the molded bracket is inside the TCD, since it need too much force. All these operations : Removing old grease / replace bearings / change belt are operations that is best to do all of them simultanously.

[jdurbin1]

+1

that is definitely the way to go with this series of decks.

John

[Squank]

Last night i got my third Tandberg,the black sheep of the family,as most on this forum have declared in older posts,but i like it!
It looks awesome and the sound is very very good,for all the accusations this little deck has suffered.I got it for 135 euros and it's in superb condition!!!
If it gives me any trouble in the future (not a wish) and i won't manage to repair it i'll just use it as an exhibit in the house.
So here are some pictures...ladies and gentlemen the Tandberg TCD-3034!!!*praise*

[Squank]

Ok,
the Tandberg tcd-3034, took the place of the Nakamichi DR-10
in my system, for some serious listening and to enjoy the privilage of better interconnects .I made a little recording yesterday night and I was suprised at how great it records!*bigthumbup*
I've been listening to it today since I got home from work at 15:00 up until now, which is almost two hours after midnight, non stop!that's 11 hours in a row!
It looks amazing at it's new position!It sounds superb!!!I can't get enough of it!
The only think that turns me off, is that it's performance depends very much on the tape condition.

[jdurbin1]

The 3034 is in fact a really good-sounding 2-head machine. Enjoy it and hope that you do not have to service the mechanism anytime soon *reelspin*

John

[mang6669]

Last night i got my third Tandberg,the black sheep of the family,as most on this forum have declared in older posts,but i like it!
It looks awesome and the sound is very very good,for all the accusations this little deck has suffered.I got it for 135 euros and it's in superb condition!!!
If it gives me any trouble in the future (not a wish) and i won't manage to repair it i'll just use it as an exhibit in the house.
So here are some pictures...ladies and gentlemen the Tandberg TCD-3034!!!*praise*

I recently came across a box of my old cassettes.
That PRIMUS tape is one of them,I have not listened to that one for many years.
I will have to check it out on one of my Tandberg decks!
Enjoy your 3034

Chris

[Squank]

I recently came across a box of my old cassettes.
That PRIMUS tape is one of them,I have not listened to that one for many years.
I will have to check it out on one of my Tandberg decks!
Enjoy your 3034

Chris

Thanks, the tape is a new acquisition for me and although I'm not very fond of the music so much,I enjoy the playing and the production, which is truly great.
You should check it!

[Redfox]

Hi all,
Sure that tcd-3034 is a nice machine!
Hmm, now that I come to think about it, my mother actually bought a tcd-310MkII from new, many mons ago. I guess she still have it, together with her Sølvsuper 12 reciever.

Cheers,
Jacques.

[Squank]

This morning I decided to go deep on the 310.
I opened it up,cleaned any old grease I found,cleaned everything within reach inside,relubed with fresh grease or oil or Vaseline(depended on the different places), changed the main belt and decided to leave the counter belt as is, since it looked fine and worked ok.
This was my first attempt to ever disassemble a cassette deck to such an extend and since everything turned out great I'm left with a great feeling,like I've done something so difficult and important!
Don't you just love this feeling?
Anyway, I'm not done with it yet,I wiil continue another time the service, since it had issues in the electronics department also.
Left channel gives a horrible hiss only and the buttons under the VU meters,if pressed while playing,make crackling noises through the speakers!
In fact this happens even if you press anywhere on the metal fascia of the deck and if you press the VU meters also.
For now I have put everything back together and played a tape,to check that all mechanical functions are ok.
The whole thing now works silently and healthy.
I will update posts on this one at a later date.
Good night (or good day) for now! *wave*

[Squank]

I discovered it while listening to a factory recorded tape that was playing on my Tandberg 330 and it sounded slower than I remembered ( I'm having speed trouble with that one too!) ,so I placed the tape on the 3034 and it sounded faster of course, but again it felt too fast!
So I played back the album on my turntable and of course it was slower than the 3034,faster than the 330 and I'm begining loosing it!!!*bang*
I'm thinking that someone cursed me or something!
Luckily I happen to have the same album on cd also, so I played it on cd too and it was same speed as the turntable...phew...!*sigh*

Now I know how all you 3034 users feel about servicing the deck and I'm afraid the answer to my question, but here goes:
Can anyone guide me as to where to look inside the deck for the trimmer that regulates the speed? *bash* Is it going to be difficult to find it?*whipslap*
I'm not going to open it unless someone guides me, I'm too afraid to risk trying to fix something that simple and result in a much worse scenario in the process.

[tandberg]

....sorry, after spending half hour to find the 3034 pictures....from when I opened mine...I give up. I think the trim-pot is located at the motor (?)

-So, the answer you don't want : I would replace belts and lubricate the motor and flywheel bearings before doing anything else.

I think I recall it's ''only'' 38 screws, a lot of &%¤#"@ !!! and a afternoon to do that. As a 'lazy solution' you could probably lubricate both without dismantling everything. Probably possible to lubricate capstan/flywheel bearing from the front....move the washer and make sure no oil excess on the capstan.....

[jdurbin1]

That is all pretty accurate from my recall of working on the 3034... including location of the speed adjustment. I can't remember if it was on a small board at the back end of the motor or through a hole inside, I think the latter though.

No question on the PITA part. Take pics before you take anything apart, including routing of the harnesses so you don't end up with induced AC noise when it goes back together. Make sure you have good pictures for wherever a wire is soldered to a board, as for sure one or two is probably going to break off and have to be relocated to the correct solder pad later.

John

[Squank]

That is all pretty accurate from my recall of working on the 3034... including location of the speed adjustment. I can't remember if it was on a small board at the back end of the motor or through a hole inside, I think the latter though.

No question on the PITA part. Take pics before you take anything apart, including routing of the harnesses so you don't end up with induced AC noise when it goes back together. Make sure you have good pictures for wherever a wire is soldered to a board, as for sure one or two is probably going to break off and have to be relocated to the correct solder pad later.

John

Thanks John,i'll see what i can do,when i cool off a bit.

[Squank]

...and when everything seem to fall apart...knock,knock...who's there???
Another package delivery!!!
This time it's a Tandberg TD-20A and with that i'm closing the circle of RTR's to own.I will give a thorough listen to all and decide which one stays forever and which one will be sold.(tough choice! *bomb*)
Here are a few pics i took on the spot.

19577

19578

19579

19580

19581

19582

19583

19584

19585

It came complete with spacers,2Maxell reels (one empty,one full) and original nab hubs.
The packing was the worst i've ever experienced for such a machine,(THIS GUY *whipslap* PUT THE DECK ON A CARDBOARD BOX,FILLED WITH PLASTIC BAGS,*fit*NAKED *fit*,AND MAYBE TWENTY STYRO NUTS SCATTERED!!!*bigthumbdown*),nevertheless it survived the trip from Germany with only the front left foot broken.Thank god there are 7 more on it!!!
Has great sound from the off,without any cleaning/demagnetizing of the heads or the tape path.
Construction is not on a par with either the Pioneer or the mighty Technics and its motor is louder too but still it plays GREAT!!!

*reelspin**bigthumbup**reelspin*

[Warped Bezel]

That packer had too much coffee and listened to Accept while packing or something. OUCH

[Squank]

That packer had too much coffee and listened to Accept while packing or something. OUCH

Like I said if I ever get to meet him...*whipslap*

[jdurbin1]

Motors should be relatively silent on that deck... not a good sign. May want to plan on a drop of oil for each of the reel motor bearings and some attention paid to the capstan bearing as well.

Congrats though, these are fabulous machines.

John

[tandberg]

I have a theory.............. most (or at least many) motors have three screwholes.
If the motors have run for a while, the bearing will be worn in the direction of ''the belt-stretch''

If the motor is turned 120 degrees, you'll probably make it last longer. A 10XD motor I saw had a worn out bearing, and the axle had begun to 'dig' into the casted housing, wich caused that the axle broke.

My theory is that if this motor had be turned the axle had lasted longer before it broke, even though it would had some slack, of course.
Check if the motor(s) bearings are tight and the bore is circular, not like a 'U'
And don't use unnecessary tight belts !
If you stop a flywheel with your hand, and the motor stop, you know it's at least tight enough.

[Squank]

Thanks for the tips guys!
After closer inspection I found the deck silent on 3.75 ips and a bit noisy on the 7.5 ips setting,by the way it's a 4track, which sounds indeed that something might need a kind of lubrication inside.
I cleaned the tape path as best as I could and demagnetized the heads and the sound is even cleaner now.
Two more things I discovered that may need some maintenance.
First if you press the upper left,input level knob,it engages rewind.
I discovered that by accident,I took the cover of the knob out to clean it and when I tried to put it back in it's place it engaged the rewind, so something inside might be slightly out of place.
Second,sometimes it plays only on one channel and I have to move the right-stereo-left,switch to either right or left positions to engage the other one. This happened three times until now. I guess its gonna need some cleaning too.
But all in all small issues, nothing serious considering the age,not to mention the journey and its conditions! (*bash**whipslap*)
Anyway, I'm not sure if I want to go through the procedure of opening it right now, since it plays.I'm planning on practicing the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" moto for a while...*wink*
Thanks to all who took notice and dropped a line so far,it helps to share the good and the bad experiences.

[jdurbin1]

That probably means something related to the capstan motor or capstan bearing, since the reel motors really don't change operation that much when going from 3.75 to 7.5 ips.

Take a look at pgs. 7 and 12 of the service manual as it relates to maintenance of those moving parts. That should adddress the noise issues but given the poor packing, you should also look for odd things like bending or distortion of the steel plate that the motors and other moving parts bolt to, due to impact.

http://sportsbil.com/tandberg/td-20a-sm.pdf

The inadvertent engaging of rewind suggests possibility that the boards the switches are on have shifted or are out of position, also from banging around during shipment. I would plan on not using the deck much if at all until you track that down; one of the issues I've seen on these is board cracking or component damage resulting from the lower board getting knocked loose from where it slots into the chassis sides, which can take out parts or lead to the board being damaged. Worth inspecting before minor problems become major ones.

I'll try and scare up an exploded view manual to send Njord for the archives; he has that service manual but I didn't see the illustrated parts manual anywhere. Could be useful to you if you have to disassemble this critter for more service work.

John

[Naknut]

To my eyes there is just something special about how the Tandberg RTRs look. Even with some small issues you have a great deck IMHO.