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[zywot66]

hi all again. thanks in advance for any help what so ever. We are  using an Otari MX5050 usually with 468/+3 tape. recently we purchased 75 reels of 3M-996. i should mention that before the said experiment with the 996, i had a session the same day that went smooth using the 468 tape. the tape machine seemed to be fine.
 
1. when i went to align the machine record head for +9 tape i noticed the pack on fast wind and play is really uneven. the 468 always packed nice in all modes of transport.
 
2. Also noise coming from either the pinch roller or the capstan showed up with the 996, more like a squeaking. i recently oiled the capstan. the 996 definitely seems to be a much thicker tape. could the tapes quality's be the culprit. im pretty sure 468 has been the tape of choice for most of the machines life. what do you suppose is happening and should i be concerned?
 

3. i am also now getting instability on channel one record head,  
fluctuations on a 1k tone actually all tones. channel 2 is pretty solid. before i put up the blank tape i had my MRL on and the repro checked out fine. not to long ago, a couple of weeks, i had  
checked azimuth and zenith.
 
4. also im trying rebuild/ put together another working mx5050 from the seven machines we have sitting around for a back up and road use. so im to the point where i need a spring gauge to measure tension on the pinch roller. any tips on tensioning tape machines?

thanks again, this web-sight is the best.
mgentry

[Dave Hecht]

Been years since I've used 996, but it s definitely a stiffer tape, which can cause various tape path issues. When it was commonly used, I'd tension all my machines with it and all other tapes worked well. As for your questions:

1. Could be tension related or slitting related. Try a different reel.

2. Try another reel of 468 as a test. If noise goes away, it's tape related. Could be due to change in tension, as well as possibly needing a transport alignment. Also, clean / check tape path for any excess shed/oxide/residue.

3. flip the tape over and see if the problem moves to the other track. If so, you're dealing with slitting issues / edge damage. If problem stays on track 1, check tape path for alignment/stability issues.

4. Not really. every transport will have a different tensioning procedure. Best to follow the instructions in the service manual, unless you're very familiar with the correct procedure.

Dave Hecht

[zywot66]

thank you so much. i will report back promptly with any new news. may take me a bit.

[zywot66]

ahhh! another quick Q. for the (old?) wise ones...i have found a spring gauge used on ebay for 33.00 bucks! new they go for about 300 for the analog version. whats the chances that i will be disappointed from buying used. are they simple tools that can be trusted to work after years of service? or should i just spring, no pun intended, for a new fresh one?

mgentry