[Boatanchors] Re Tape Recorder Passing Gas?

[peter markavage]

Quote - Why do they all fail after a year and what the heck is giving
these things this gas?   

Probably too much spicy rhetoric being recorded. 
My thought for the day.

Pete, wa2cwa

On Mon, 7 Feb 2005 13:18:50 -0500 "Duane B. Fischer, W8DBF"
<dfischer at usol.com> writes:
> 
>         
> Alright guys, go ahead and laugh. 
> 
> I have purchased four of these $50 cassette tape recorders from 
> Radio Shack. I
> use them for taking notes while on the telephone here in the 
> den/home
> office/computer control center. They last about one year. Then they 
> start to
> make anoise I can only describe as a farting sound! I have cleaned 
> the heads,
> pinch rollers, rubber drive wheel and everything else I can get at. 
> I have used
> pressurized contact cleaner fed through a tiny plastic straw-like 
> tube and
> sprayed the switches as good as I could without tearing the thing 
> apart. Did the
> usual worked the switches X number of times. I tried a new cassette 
> tape. I
> changed from external AC power to internal battery power. Nothing 
> helps.                
>         
> The only thing that makes it stop, is to reach out and smack it 
> several times
> with the fingers or palm of the hand! This generally requires 
> several swats.
> Then it is just fine.        
>         
> Now it does not matter if I press 'play', 'play+record', fast 
> forward, rewind
> etc. They all make the annoying sound! If you do record while it is 
> passing gas,
> or whatever it is doing, you do hear it on the recording. However, 
> this is due
> to the built-in mike picking up the noise and not from the unit 
> actually
> recording a signal from its internal circuits.        
>         
> Why do they all fail after a year and what the heck is giving these 
> things this
> gas?         
>         
> FYI: This is the model that sits flat on a desk, has the push 
> buttons and handle
> on the same end and measures about 5.75 wide by 10 deep by 1.75 
> high.        
>         
> Thanks for your suggestions.        
>         
> Duane W8DBF