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.