My adventures with the Texas Instruments Program Recorder.

On September 4, I found a beautiful Texas Instruments Program Recorder on eBay and bought it from MAKBONE2012.  It was delivered on September 13 and the packaging was really well done.   I bought this one because the seller said it was tested and working.  I bought a new set of Duracell ‘C’ batteries, put them in along with a tape.  The simplest test I could think of was pushing the fast forward button, nothing.  I tried the rewind button and again nothing.

I contacted the seller and told them what happened, the response was very quick along the lines of; that’s weird, I’ll issue a refund.  I got the whole refund right away.  I asked what I should do with the recorder, toss it, was the reply.

I go back to eBay and find another one, which was also said to be tested and working.  I order on September 22, and it arrives very quickly in good shape.  I try my simple test with the new Duracell batteries.  Fast forward, click, nothing.  Rewind, click nothing.  Rats.

I go out and buy another set of ‘C’ batteries, this time Energizer.  Same test, same results.  I try them in the first recorder which I haven’t tossed yet and get the same results.

It seems unlikely that two tape machines that were tested and working before I got them would not work.  I’m looking them over, no visual signs of damage.  I do notice something I had not paid attention to.  On both machines, they had six buttons for controls, but they also had a slide switch on top.  One setting was Play/Record and the other was Pause.  Both were set to Pause.  I moved the switch to Play/Record and tested it.  The machine quietly starts to fast forward, I push stop and try a rewind, resulting in it quietly rewinding.

I grab the other set of batteries and put them in the first player, move that switch and away it goes.

Now for the hard part.  I had this first player from MAKBONE2012, that works.  I can’t keep it and the money, so I contact him through eBay, let him know what a dummy I am and issue a refund back to him.

Now I have two program recorders and in my searches, I found several people selling cables for using two recorders with the TI.  I ordered one, which came in right away and am now set up to use them both.