Voice recorder problem! Please help if you can...

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Hi all,
I just got an Olympus Pearlcorder S702 microcassette voice recorder off
of eBay (there's mistake #1)...for my musician's needs as a way to
listen to myself, I don't need anything fancy.
It has this really weird problem....all functions work beautifully
except the record function. I checked it out, and the rotating drivers
that hook onto the casette spin just fine, except when I hit rec/play,
when it spins for a short time and then fizzles out. Sometimes it spins
longer than at other times, but wait long enough, and it will stop
rotation. This causes the recorded audio to waver everywhere in pitch,
and generally sound ugly. Batteries are new.
Is this a matter of lubrication/cleaning, or did I buy a cheapo
piece of trash, or is it mechanical, or hopeless...etc...?
Ideas.....!?
Thanks....
Chloe H.

 

[Arfa Daily]

Hi all,
I just got an Olympus Pearlcorder S702 microcassette voice recorder off
of eBay (there's mistake #1)...for my musician's needs as a way to
listen to myself, I don't need anything fancy.
It has this really weird problem....all functions work beautifully
except the record function. I checked it out, and the rotating drivers
that hook onto the casette spin just fine, except when I hit rec/play,
when it spins for a short time and then fizzles out. Sometimes it spins
longer than at other times, but wait long enough, and it will stop
rotation. This causes the recorded audio to waver everywhere in pitch,
and generally sound ugly. Batteries are new.
Is this a matter of lubrication/cleaning, or did I buy a cheapo
piece of trash, or is it mechanical, or hopeless...etc...?
Ideas.....!?
Thanks....
Chloe H.

Are you sure that this is not normal operation for this item ? Many of these
little dictation machines go into a " record ready " mode when you press
play and record, but need a further button press and hold, to actually start
continuous recording. This is to prevent battery and tape wastage. The short
run when you first go into record ( ready ) is to separate individual
recordings.

Also, some models have VOX ( voice activation ). My wife used to use an
Olympus Pearlcorder a few years back, and I'm pretty sure that this had
something odd about recording, that we puzzled about when she first got it.
Can't remember the model number, though. If you haven't got a user manual
for it, you should probably try and find one online, or failing that, pop
down to your local Office World store, and ask one of the nice friendly (
!! ) sales assistants if they know the model, and what you're doing wrong.

Arfa

 

[Jim Land]

If you haven't got a user manual
for it, you should probably try and find one online,

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_support_product.asp?id=1206

 

[Bennett Price]

As others have suggested, look for a VOX switch and turn it off; it may
be labeled "VCVA"

Even if you get that problem solved I suspect you'll be very unhappy
with the results. Microcassette recorders are great for voice but
terrible for music: very limited frequency response and terrible wow
and flutter.