Servicing a SONY DAT machine (Pictorial)

jascha said:
Help with Sony PCM-2700 please:
I recently made a recording on this unit on a used tape I have to say but had a few drop outs (about 5) on a two hour tape. The unit was aligned and the rf caps replaced. What could be the issue please as this has happened before. The drop outs are just a split second but enough to ruin a recording. I could check the guide alignment again but doubt it’s the issue. Cheers.
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Dropouts from my Sony PCM-7010s have ALWAYS been from bad tape, or for not having first recorded time-code from start of tape to tape end before recording audio. Demagnetize your used tape and re-record absolute time-code before recording audio. If the 2700 does not allow you to produce absolute time-code by itself, just record entire tape with no audio input before recording audio. One more thing stick with Sony Pro DATs or Maxell's.
 
I never pre-recorded tapes for time code before recording audio, and never had any dropout beside bad tapes or bad decks.
 
hdrobien said:
I never pre-recorded tapes for time code before recording audio, and never had any dropout beside bad tapes or bad decks.
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Well, that's good, nevertheless, any DAT that has interrupted time-code is problematic for a multitude of reasons dependent on the recorder's presets such as:
24641850610_4e18b0dc44_z_d.jpg
auto rewind, time code start function, time code stop function, time code locate function, and more. As I recall, the Operator's Manual for my PCM-7010F's recommend first recording desired time-code and in fact the recorders have handy SUB recording button to record or re-record time-code, without effecting audio already recorded. Usage of this feature will eliminate dropouts which are produced from mechanical malfunction reading the time-code rather than a physical audio loss. The bottom-line is this: getting continuous time code is important. Using a relatively long tape for multiple recording sessions without first recording time code for the full length of tape invites dropouts.
 
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SterlingOne said:
Dropouts from my Sony PCM-7010s have ALWAYS been from bad tape, or for not having first recorded time-code from start of tape to tape end before recording audio. Demagnetize your used tape and re-record absolute time-code before recording audio. If the 2700 does not allow you to produce absolute time-code by itself, just record entire tape with no audio input before recording audio. One more thing stick with Sony Pro DATs or Maxell's.
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Thanks. I don’t use timecode, and all I used it for was to record via a satellite tuner audio analogue out signal and into the xlr inputs. I don’t have a tape demagnetiser sadly, just a reel to reel head demagnetiser. I shall clean the heads and try again with a different tape. Some of the few drop outs happened to coincide with a peak in the signal even though I was not pushing up the recording levels. A coincidence perhaps. I was using a Sony DAT 124 tape. I shall erase this tape fully and re record something and see what happens. As it seems to be an irregular fault I’m always afraid that it happens when I don’t want it to. Cheers
 
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jascha said:
Thanks. I don’t use timecode, and all I used it for was to record via a satellite tuner audio analogue out signal and into the xlr inputs. I don’t have a tape demagnetiser sadly, just a reel to reel head demagnetiser. I shall clean the heads and try again with a different tape. Some of the few drop outs happened to coincide with a peak in the signal even though I was not pushing up the recording levels. A coincidence perhaps. I was using a Sony DAT 124 tape. I shall erase this tape fully and re record something and see what happens. As it seems to be an irregular fault I’m always afraid that it happens when I don’t want it to. Cheers
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Even though you do not use Time-Code, what's known as Absolute Time-Code is read/generated along with audio. It permits you to locate a recording point on the tape by setting/using the recorder's tape locate function set to that number, or get to the point just by playing the tape forward or backward to the number. Yes, if you are recording from analog you could have peaks which would produce distortion but that would be heard as clipping like distortion. I think your problem is bad tape, or just tape which has a broken Time-Code chain. It's an easy fix.
 
SterlingOne said:
Even though you do not use Time-Code, what's known as Absolute Time-Code is read/generated along with audio. It permits you to locate a recording point on the tape by setting/using the recorder's tape locate function set to that number, or get to the point just by playing the tape forward or backward to the number. Yes, if you are recording from analog you could have peaks which would produce distortion but that would be heard as clipping like distortion. I think your problem is bad tape, or just tape which has a broken Time-Code chain. It's an easy fix.
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There’s no distortion, just a split second silence. Is the easy fix what has already been suggested such as erasing the tape? As this is a digital format do I understand that an analogue tape bulk eraser would erase such tapes? Thanks for all the support.
 
jascha said:
There’s no distortion, just a split second silence. Is the easy fix what has already been suggested such as erasing the tape? As this is a digital format do I understand that an analogue tape bulk eraser would erase such tapes? Thanks for all the support.
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It is still magnetic tape and a bulk eraser will do it, or just run the DAT through the recorder from beginning to end, re-recording the whole thing without any input to the recorder. Now, the primary reason to bulk erase is to get the recording rate setting off the tape. For example if you began your last recording at 44.1 from a fresh tape you will still be committed to 44.1 even if you have reset for 48.
 
Thanks for the update. I’m not sure if the previous recording was also done at 48k as my last one I did. My guess is yes. I shall try and find a bulk eraser as it will be useful for all my analogue tapes too.... or build one :). I shall have a try this weekend when I’m back home :). Cheers
 
jascha said:
Thanks for the update. I’m not sure if the previous recording was also done at 48k as my last one I did. My guess is yes. I shall try and find a bulk eraser as it will be useful for all my analogue tapes too.... or build one :). I shall have a try this weekend when I’m back home :). Cheers
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Please post your results. BTW, did you know the 2700 is a movie star? There's a scene in "A Clear And Present Danger" where a rack of them can be seen. I liked the 2700 very much but it was about twice the price of the commercial 87ES, so I bought the 87ES. Only thing that was problematic was it conformed to SCMS and this was a headache so I ended up getting a pair of PCM-7010F's which I still use today. Fun stuff.
 
I will try to get pic of my dat drive not opening all the way, it looks like the arm is not touching the switch, does anyone knows what size is the belt is for opening door mechanism.
 
I had found issue with board on mine dtc-690 the ds2012 that is attached to chaise became loose and it may affect my door opening and seems my power goes off and on. What is the best way to fix it .
 
Found. It is either q903 or q905.

It has a different reference on the schematic: 2sd2061.

Check the service manual, there should be a kind of metal clamp holding it against the back plate.
 
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