"New" Akai M8- Not recording?

[Malkit]

Hi Folks,

On a whim, I picked up an ebay special- an Akai M8, minimally tested. (the seller confirmed that it passed audio)

Well, I just unpacked it and the first channel sounds great! (those tube amps) The second channel appears to have volume issues and be dead, as no sound comes out of it and one of the tubes isn't glowing.

My problem, however, is deeper than the second channel- this unit doesn't record! It allow monitoring from the record head as well as playback from the play head, but nothing gets recorded. Not even faintly. Am I missing something? How might one troubleshoot this? I checked the basics- record light on, tape rolling, meter pinging...but when I stop and rewind, nuthin.

Any ideas for a newbie?

I picked up this deck as a more exotic alternative to my Fostex R8, but- like all things wild- some scars will be present!

Thanks,

Malkit

[Scorpion8]

I checked the basics- record light on, tape rolling, meter pinging...but when I stop and rewind, nuthin.

Any ideas for a newbie?

First of all we check the "obvious". Did you flip the TAPE/SOURCE switch back to TAPE when you listen to playback? If it's on SOURCE, and the source is off, there'll be no sound or meter movement. Oh, and check HiFi Engine for the OM. Am pretty sure they have it.

[westgate]

welcome, malkit.
did you clean the heads and guides with 91% isopropyl alcohol on q-tips?
(dirty) heads and guides with gummy deposits from previous tape usage can keep a signal from getting to the record head or from the playback head. it's very important to do first thing and then keep them spotless always.

[Malkit]

hi Folks,

I will clean the heads tomorrow, thanks for the advice. I usually do them on a weekly basis, but I just wanted to test this machine out before heading home from the studio.

What is a Hifi Engine and OM? Pardon my ignorance over the shorthand!! The only options there are are "source monitor"- on/off. No playback with the switch either way.

Thanks,

M

[Scorpion8]

What is a Hifi Engine and OM?

HiFi Engine, your "best" first place to go look for manuals: http://www.hifiengine.com/

OM = Owners manual, SM = Service Manual. HiFi Engine usually has one or both, plus brochures. A great place to join.

[Malkit]

Thanks, Scorpion. I checked the Hifi site, but nothing for the M8. I'll become a member, anyhow, as it's a nice resource.

Some additional info- when I'm recording, the tape will often slide off the pinch roller. I'm hoping this is just grime, or the fact that the rubber pieces that hold the reels in place keep popping off. Terrible design there, BTW.

Thanks for all your help, folks. I'll let you know what ends up happening after a good cleaning.

Best,

Malkit

[westgate]

Some additional info- when I'm recording, the tape will often slide off the pinch roller. I'm hoping this is just grime, or the fact that the rubber pieces that hold the reels in place keep popping off. Terrible design there, BTW.

Thanks for all your help, folks. I'll let you know what ends up happening after a good cleaning. Best, Malkit
while you're cleaning try cleaning the p-roller with soap and warm water (i use a toothbrush to scrub the surface). some use the head cleaning iso alcohol to clean the p-roller also and report no ill effects. actually, i've done it also, no harm done.

if that doesn't help, take some very fine grain sandpaper and very lightly scuff up the surface of the p-roller (i use a fine edged fingernail file).

either procedure will let the p-roller better grip the tape.

the roller will most likely need replacement tho. contact terry witt.

edit-oh. re rubber reel holders, try putting the deck at a slant, if possible. or on its back. at least til you/we can figure out better holders.

[Malkit]

Thanks, Westgate.

So I cleaned the three heads, p-roller and capstan very thoroughly with q-tips. Surprisingly, there wasn't much gunk. I then proceeded to demagnetize the heads, rough up the p-roller and put the machine on its back, so the rubber caps wouldn't pop off the reels.

Same issue, though. I don't think it's a cleaning related issue, as it's not making any noise at all.

The previous owner said it passed audio, so I'm going to try running some pre-recorded material through it to see if the issue is with the play head.

Quick question- the recording head is attached to a small elbow opposite the play head. When I engage record, that head is lifted up closer to the play head, but it doesn't make contact with the tape. Is that standard recording behavior, vis a vis the magic of magnetism? If not, that might explain why nothing seems to get recorded.

Thanks!

- Malkit

[westgate]

Same issue, though. I don't think it's a cleaning related issue, as it's not making any noise at all.

The previous owner said it passed audio, so I'm going to try running some pre-recorded material through it to see if the issue is with the play head.

Quick question- the recording head is attached to a small elbow opposite the play head. When I engage record, that head is lifted up closer to the play head, but it doesn't make contact with the tape. Is that standard recording behavior, vis a vis the magic of magnetism? If not, that might explain why nothing seems to get recorded. Thanks!- Malkit
sorry my tips didn't help.
re record head 'lifting', maybe the mechanism that does the lifting is dirty and needs cleaning then relubing.

[DaveInVA]

The Akai M8 has Crossfield heads AND a mechanism that moves the Crossfield bias head from underneath to focus the bias across the back of the tape to the record head on the other side. I've had several of these units that had open coupling caps that caused r/p channel missing/distorted problems. Also treat the controls gently as the pig iron cams that the operation levers move are brittle and can break. Also check all plug in head connections between the transport and r/p amps.

Dave