The Tape Recorder From Outer Space! - Panasonic RQ 44-A

[jlewis184]

i have a similar panasonic recorder. where is the erase head?!

[clydesight]

@jlewis184 The erase head is located next to the record/play head, on the left. This is the configuration for all cassette recorders. However, some machines use a swinging permanent magnet as an erase head, so it is not always visible.

[jlewis184]

@clydesight is it possible to have erase/record/playback all in a single head?

[clydesight]

@jlewis184 HI. YES it is possible to combine them, and quite a few companies did this with both R2R machines and cassette recorders. The Wollensak 5000 series used s combo head, and some stereo cassette decks combined them, as well as some microcassette machines.

[Vinylrecordsneverdie]

Very cool recorder and music!

[clydesight]

@Vinylrecordsneverdie Thanks!

[chabitus]

My recorder must of been an older production as it had a mechanical governed motor instead of the electronic one.

[thatmuse76]

Those were VERY popular. In elementary school I know some of us had shoe box recorders (this was the early 80's) and primarily the girls had the red Panasonic decks. Either they made this model or variations of it up into the mid-1980's as I had a Panasonic product guide (full color, very nice) that had the red cassette recorder. If happen to watch the movie TRON, look at the similarity between their "scooters" and this recorder.

[clydesight]

@thatmuse76

Thanks. Panasonic came out with a number of colorful machines in different styles during this period. Some were blue, some were yellow and I think they even had a green unit. I'll have to look at TRON again... and a NEW TRON is coming soon!

[wildbilltexas]

Panasonic was really experimenting with "Fun" designs in the seventies. Along with the Dynamite 8-Track, these recorders were very popular with the girls in my jr high and high school.

[clydesight]

@wildbilltexas

Thanks for your comment.

Yes, Panasonic was very innovative with their designs in the 70's. They went for the teen market, and "girls" were part of it. After all, as the song goes, "Girls just want to have fun!"

Many of these machines are great collector's items!

[CSquire82]

Hi there, I was wondering if you use something to lubricate those plastic gears! I got an old National cassette recorder which uses a very very similar, if not the same mechanism. After some hours it started making a weird mechanical noise... And then I found out that the auto shut off gear just had one of the teeths broken :(

Fortunately the broken piece was still in there and I'll try to glue it back. But is there something I could use to prevent these plastic gears from breaking? Thanks!

[clydesight]

@CSquire82 A simple white grease from a hardware store can lube the gears. Generally, it isn't the teeth that needs the lube, it is the hub and axle, and a drop of sewing machine oil will take care of that.

Plastic can sometimes rot. Nothing much you can do about it. When it degrades, it will just continue to do so.

[josemneto]

Clydesight:

Is this correct advice?

"Actually the motor itself can be ajusted, there should be a hole in the back of the motor. There's a small speed regulator under the hole and can be ajusted with a mini screwdriver."

[clydesight]

@josemneto Yes, that is correct advice as long as you are careful, see the other comments.

[josemneto]

I bought one, but the write speed is slow, you can help me?

How do I change the speed of play?

[clydesight]

@josemneto

If the "write speed" is slow, the whole machine is slow. There can be any number of causes, sticky gunked up grease and oil, weak belts, or the motor may have gone out of adjustment.

You would need to clean off and replace the sticky grease, replace the belts and possibly replace the motor.

There is no speed adjustment on this machine.

[clydesight]

@clydesight I realizer I was wrong about the motor, it does have that little adjustment hole. See my comment to CoolDudeClem about it. I forgot the age of the machine, by this time, they had started using motors with internal adjustment controls. Still, it is also good to check the belts and grease. That grease can turn to gum.

[josemneto]

@josemneto

Thanks for your help and sorry for my English! I'm from Brazil and I'm using goolge translator to chat with you! After I saw this video on youtube with the song "The Little Man from Mars by Perrey and Kingsley" could not resist and bought a "Panasonic RQ 44-A" and I did the download of the song too ..

Now my recorder Panasonic RQ A-44 plays this music. The Tape Recorder is actually From Outer Space!

Thanks for everything! And where are you from my friend?

[clydesight]

@josemneto No problem. Even if the machine runs slow, you can still record and playback and it will sound correct on that machine. But when you play the tape on another machine it will sound fast. Calibrating just the right speed is hard. I have a video to help: Silly, Silly Tape Recorder IV - Make a Cassette Timing Test Tape!

[josemneto]

@clydesight

Thanks ("Obrigado" in Portuguese language)!

[CoolDudeClem]

@josemneto Actually the motor itself can be ajusted, there should be a hole in the back of the motor. There's a small speed regulator under the hole and can be ajusted with a mini screwdriver.

[josemneto]

@CoolDudeClem Thanks again! But I'm afraid of damaging the recorder. Is there some video that teaches this?

Are you american?

I'm from Brazil and I like cassete recorder. I have 4 recorders (60s and 70s) and a Victrola by 70s.!!

[clydesight]

@CoolDudeClem

Yeah, the motor could be adjusted, but I would use a plastic screwdriver to do it and do so VERY carefully so as not to strip the inner control. I have blown motors using a metal screwdriver before, so a TV tuner adjustment kit would be safer.

[CSquire82]

@josemneto Olá, por acaso você comprou este no Mercado Livre? Se foi, eu também estava de olho nele, mas você foi mais rápido, hehe! Quanto à rotação, talvez a correia esteja frouxa. Pilhas fracas também causam isso (esse modelo não veio com fonte externa, certo?)

[josemneto]

@CSquire82 Oi! Comprei sim no Mercado Livre! Sobre a rotação, levei o gravador em uma eletrônica e o problema não é com a correia, mas do motor! Porém ele está bom, desde que você grava nele e toca somente nele. E é bom, a rotação ser lente, pois assim eu consigo gravar mais músicas e documentários! Ah! Ele não veio com fonte e desculpa se eu comprei na sua frente! O Gravador é muito bom e gravei a música "The Little Man from Mars" nele como no vídeo!

[CassetteMaster]

I just found this same model at an estate sale today, but unfortunately the battery cover is gone.

[clydesight]

Bummer!

Does the machine work?

[CassetteMaster]

It works perfectly.

[Lachlant1984]

Does this machine have cue and review modes?

[clydesight]

No, just rewind and afast forward that disengages the play mode.

[ForgetfulCollector]

Where do you get the ideas for these wacky intros? very funny though. Cool recorder, like the presentation.

[clydesight]

Thanks, I like to come up with something to catch viewer's interest right away, or they will go away. This was one of my sillier ideas. I think the TR looks like a shuttle craft. I DID see one once mounted onto a toy car chassis. I thought of trying that and making it race across the room!

It is a VERY cool tape recorder, I am amazed at the quality.

[wisteela]

A great old cassette recorder. I wonder if they sold them here in the UK?

[clydesight]

Panasonic was/is the name for Matsushita products in the US. I believe elsewhere they use the name "National". So it might have been sold in the UK under that name. The company is so big and popular that I imagine they have a world wide market. The trick is figuring out what name they use, where! In the US, we don't see too many machines that are popular in the UK, so it might be the same in the UK with machines that are popular in the US.

[wisteela]

Over here with have 'Panasonic', and earlier stuff was 'National Panasonic'.

[oviwolf]

Awesome tape recorder!red and cute!it is also great to see the internals of it!Excellent video and music!

[clydesight]

Thanks, it is a fun little machine.

[Lachlant1984]

I used Panasonic tape recorders at school. Panasonic had other tape recorders that had the record button in the centre of the play button, but the ones my school had were a more conventional design, with a slide out handel, and an internal power transformer as opposed to an external AC Adaptor. I sure the units my school had also had a pause button.

[clydesight]

Panasonic has so many models! They are a busy company. Many of the shoebox style machines had additional features to this one. I think they made this one just for fun. Even new, it was not priced very high.

[thecrystalcauldron]

Lovely tape recorder and I just loved the colour.

The music was great.

A brilliant video

[clydesight]

Thanks. The "red" was the most popular color for this machine, I think. I've had that music album for years, a little treasure!

[m134mr]

very nice cassette recorder. and it does make a nice strong recording. Also, the music in the background, very advanced for its time, the way they produced those electronic sounds. fantastic

[clydesight]

Thanks! When this music came out, the album got a lot of attention, it was something most people had never heard before. When I heard the album it got me interested in electronic music, and then Carlos came out with "Switched On Bach", and later Tomita released: "Snowflakes are Dancing", I have been interested in electronic and synthesizer music ever since! I read all about synths and electronic music and I even produced two albums of my own. You never know where things will lead!

[wilkes85]

Cool tape recorder, and I REALLY LIKE THAT MUSIC!

[clydesight]

If you look up "Perry-Kingsley" on the Internet you'll find that they were VERY influential in the electronic music biz. The album is still available as a compilation with their other work. In the 1960's, they were pre-Carlos and though they didn't make much money, they did have tremendous influence. Their whole album is a hoot, and some of the musical jokes are a bit esoteric. Everything they did was with tape loops! Good for them!

[CassetteMaster]

That's a nice recorder! Even though DC bias, it still records with clear sound and not "S"y. The thing at the beginning cracked me up and the music sounds hilarious!

[clydesight]

Thanks! So, could you see the strings? Remind you of any puppet shows from the 60's? I love the look of the machine, it is SO retro. I am ashamed that when it came out, I considered it was not "genuine" and didn't buy one. Well, E-Bay to the rescue!

[kjigmond]

Cool deck. I've owned 2 or 3 of them through the years.

[clydesight]

Thanks. What colors did you find them in? I've seen them in white and red, but I seem to remember there was a pale blue one available too.

[kjigmond]

I've seen white ones but have only owned red.