Tascam 122MKII - press play no sound, meters don't move

There is either a cam belt that is lose or the flywheel assist can not move the head base due to hardened grease. It needs to be serviced.

I can imagine 2 cases for your problem:
Either there is a mechanical problem and something is not allowing the "play mechanism" to go all the way up to the clip position when the cassette is in the housing,
Or the tape isn't rolling up properly. Some of these deck's have some kind of protection and when the tape isn't rolling properly a system stops the play procedure. Check if both of the rollers for the tape are spinning around properly. In case of not spinning, run the cassette fast speed forward and backward in order to come to the proper state. Also check without any cassette is any roller spinning around or not?

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Most likely a cam drive belt

There is an idler wheel behind the platen ( black plate behind the cassette)..replace the idler wheel.

The guy in texas is Marrs communications

the tascam 414 is a 4 track recording studio which uses standard cassette tapes- meaning they only play in one direction, because the tape is full. The 414 records at double speed so that recording fidelity is increased. When you have made a recording you want to mix you then dub your recording though the outputs into another standard tape recorder or whatever you have available, be it a cd recorder or your PC. So, when you listened to your recording on a standard tape player, you were not only hearing it at half speed but you were only listening to 2 of the 4 tracks. The other tracks would only be heard if you flipped the tape over, and they would be heard running backward. I would have though the 414 had a swich to allow it to also record at standard speed to but I guest it does not.

The DAT machine needs new belts and maybe some cleaning. These fail all the time due to old belts that lose the tension that is required.

there is a mechanical problem in your tape deck. probably a losen rubber band. it clicks because the rubber is too lose to move the mechinal parts. so when you power off, it losen the whole machanical parts..it is very easy to replace..opend the deck and check it out..good luck

This is a problem with the process called 'tape loading' - pulling the tape loop out of the cassette and wrapping it around the spinning video drum, engaging the capstan and pinch roller and reel rotation. If you're NOT still under warrantee you should at least open the VCR and Check all the belts above and below the deck. Belts can appear to be firm but if they do not return immediately to their relaxed length when you stretch them 25%, they will need to be replaced. With the cover off, observe the behavior when you hit play. (You may need to put a piece of cardboard over the cassette to block external light from interfering with the start/end tape sensors). Assuming this is a basic VCR (no instant start features), you should see: 1. The video head drum begins to spin. 2. the roller guides move smoothly on the tracks, wind the tape around the drum, and stop snuggly pressed against the 'V-stopper' at the end of the tracks. 3. The pinch roller moves into position and presses the tape against the capstan. 4. The tape begins to move and is wound up by the takeup reel. 5. The picture and sound appear on the TV. With a 'rapid or quick start' (or it may be called something else) transport, the tape moves to a half-loaded position when the cassette is inserted. This is at an intermediate position partially pulled out of the cassette but not wrapped around the drum. On VCRs with a real-time counter and/or index search capabilities, the tape will be in contact with the control head. With an 'instant start' transport, the tape will fully load around the spinning drum when the cassette is inserted but the capstan will not engage and no tension will be applied to the tape until you press PLAY or REC. (After about 5 minutes, the drum will stop and it may unload to the half loaded or unloaded position.) Note that for VCRs with a real-time counter and/or index search capabilities, the tape must be in contact with the control head (but not the video heads) for all relevant modes. These VCRs (which include many modern units) must therefore pull the tape at least partly out of the cassette. In all cases, the completion of the sequence results in approximately the same mechanical configuration during PLAY.

This is a problem with the process called 'tape loading' - pulling the tape loop out of the cassette and wrapping it around the spinning video drum, engaging the capstan and pinch roller and reel rotation. With the cover off, observe the behavior when you hit play. (You may need to put a piece of cardboard over the cassette to block external light from interfering with the start/end tape sensors). Assuming this is a basic VCR (no instant start features), you should see: 1. The video head drum begins to spin. 2. the roller guides move smoothly on the tracks, wind the tape around the drum, and stop snuggly pressed against the 'V-stopper' at the end of the tracks. 3. The pinch roller moves into position and presses the tape against the capstan. 4. The tape begins to move and is wound up by the takeup reel. 5. The picture and sound appear on the TV. With a 'rapid or quick start' (or it may be called something else) transport, the tape moves to a half-loaded position when the cassette is inserted. This is at an intermediate position partially pulled out of the cassette but not wrapped around the drum. On VCRs with a real-time counter and/or index search capabilities, the tape will be in contact with the control head. With an 'instant start' transport, the tape will fully load around the spinning drum when the cassette is inserted but the capstan will not engage and no tension will be applied to the tape until you press PLAY or REC. (After about 5 minutes, the drum will stop and it may unload to the half loaded or unloaded position.) Note that for VCRs with a real-time counter and/or index search capabilities, the tape must be in contact with the control head (but not the video heads) for all relevant modes. These VCRs (which include many modern units) must therefore pull the tape at least partly out of the cassette. In all cases, the completion of the sequence results in approximately the same mechanical configuration during PLAY. Several likely possibilities when it shuts down: 1. Everything occurs as above, picture and sound appear for a few seconds, but then the VCR unloads the tape, ejects the cassette, goes into REW mode, stops, or shuts off. Two common causes: The takeup reel does not turn and tape spills into the machine. This is sensed by the microcontroller which aborts record or play and attempts to save your valuable cassette. Most likely cause: old/dirty idler tire. As a test, turn the idler tire inside-out. The fresh surface will now work well enough to confirm this diagnosis and will continue working long enough for your replacement idler tire to arrive. See the section: "General guide to VCR cleaning and rubber parts replacement". The takeup reel is turning properly but one of the reel The takeup reel is turning properly but one of the reel rotation sensors or its electronics is defective. As a test, check to see if the tape counter is changing at any time during the loading and