Hello
I'm completely new to reel to reel and just got an A3440.
At the moment I don't have tape (just ordered some) but I was testing it out to see if it worked.
When I lift the arm up and press play, record, fastforward or rewind, the reel holders turn but with the left one always going clockwise and the right one always going anti-clockwise.
If I put the two reels on the machine would this not damage and pull on the tape?
When the reels are put on, do the directions change so that they're both going one way?
Is my machine broken, is this a common problem, is it an easy or difficult fix?
Thank you in advance

>>the reel holders turn but with the left one always going clockwise and the right one always going anti-clockwise

THIS IS EXACTLY HOW IT SHOULD BE! No faults.
The idea is that the reel supplying tape is powered with less torque, so it tries to pull the tape backwards, thus keeping the tape under tension at all times.

With tape on, it will behave as you expect.

Cheaper machines achieve this back tension with friction pads, but doing it by means of the winding motors is the preferred method on all better quality machines.

What a relief that it's working fine.
Thank you for your help