Report from mass production line: TEAC A-860 (x2)

[elektospiro]

this is is my thru love from the first time i saw it on internet. i cried many nights and finally got it. i bought them in unknown condition. it took three months to finish project about them witch include:
-cleaning first of course
-checking working condition
-looking for new pinch rolls or replacement. i contacted easily with teac service department but all components for this model are gone. the only way to find something are parts in points of service all around the world - mission impossible.
-adjustment using copy of service manuals
-fun of recording from cd and vinyl
one of them is now in 100% working condition the other one can not record because of failer of BIAS OSCILLATOR showing in "full story" pictures. if anybody have it or know haw to do replacement please let me know. i will try to get inside of this small box some day to cheque what is in.

full story:
https://picasaweb.google.com/110340960129324761372/TEACA860?authkey=Gv1sRgCOTF0c_eoZy2aA#

 

[jancumps]

Beautiful, and well documented.

 

[goldear]

That's a very impressive old machine!

 

[Jonny Ramone]

Looks like their answer to the Nakamichi 1000. 4 channels and DBX? Neat.

 

[peteruk]

Hope they sound as good as they look.
Well done !.
Very interesting to see how you sorted the rubber pinch wheels.
I keep intending to try the same idea on a reel to reel pinch wheel.
Peter W...UK

 

[FAB1]

Does that say Esoteric Series?

Cool.

The transport controls are the same as the Tascam 4 trk reel machines.

 

[chan tran]

Very good looking machine! I can see the transport was designed significantly from that of the Nak. I can see that it has 4 direct drive motors for both capstans and reels, while the Nak usually only has 1 for reel drive and 1 for capstan. While Nak generally use cam motor to move the head gate this Teac seems to have solenoid for that function. It sure looks like a great machine.

 

[elektospiro]

Looks like their answer to the Nakamichi 1000. 4 channels and DBX? Neat.

i record only on two decks now: pioneer ct-f1000 and teac a-860 and everything playing on my nak 1000 sounds better then original but teac has more natural sounds. i have few more teak's machine 400 series and all tend to natural sound.

 

[elektospiro]

Hope they sound as good as they look.
Well done !.
Very interesting to see how you sorted the rubber pinch wheels.
I keep intending to try the same idea on a reel to reel pinch wheel.
Peter W...UK

i like the sound of my a-860. it is not the best but good enough to satisfy me. i do not use dolbyB in my recording sometimes a dbx only. dbx is something new for me and i keep trying it. it works not noticeably in my 860. some people complain that you can hear a "breath" of dolby in recording. it is a real fun to record cd on tape and than play it from tape and fill a "nicer" sound.

i ordered over a ten different sizes of pinch rolls from electronic store in europa and selected most adequate one. they should be wider and i think completely flat on a surface. most of pinch rolls in cassette tape deck are slightly round across.

 

[elektospiro]

Does that say Esoteric Series?

Cool.

The transport controls are the same as the Tascam 4 trk reel machines.

yes it is, at least for me.

 

[elektospiro]

Very good looking machine! I can see the transport was designed significantly from that of the Nak. I can see that it has 4 direct drive motors for both capstans and reels, while the Nak usually only has 1 for reel drive and 1 for capstan. While Nak generally use cam motor to move the head gate this Teac seems to have solenoid for that function. It sure looks like a great machine.

it is the only one cassette tape deck i know with belt tension mechanism like every car has and separate boards for recording and playback for both dolby and dbx system. i just love this 18kG (40LB) of medieval style of electronic made from wood and iron.

 

[SkywaveTDR]

Hello elektospiro,

This machine had stumped many technicians at the factory service level.
It has a lot of peculiar problems and of course the black edge card connectors that crack. The bias oscillator might be one I have in stock, but if you pull the unit you have apart it has mostly capacitors, a couple of transistors and of course coils. I do not think it should be hard to fix. I will see what I have in stock.
I have many Teac decks but the A860 is not one of them. I could have had one but I am sure it was in bad shape sitting at the service facility all those years in smoke environment.
Let me know where you are writing from. I am in the USA- Chicago area.

Sam Palermo, Chief Engineer
skywavebe@sbcglobal.net

 

[clydeselsor]

Very impressive looking machine!

 

[elektospiro]

Hello elektospiro,

This machine had stumped many technicians at the factory service level...
I

Sam Palermo, Chief Engineer
skywavebe@sbcglobal.net

i have a copy of service manual for a-860 but it says nothing about oscillator.
i am from canada niagara area.

 

[Ragnar_AT]

18kg?!?
Can you say solid... what an incredible deck!

 

[henrikspc@ho]

Hi
Any chance you have the service manual in a format that can travel through cyberspace?
Email that is......

 

[aefabian]

Hi,
Did you try to replace the bias oscilator by one of other tape teac, like the A-610R.