My First Sony Cassette Recorder TCM-4000

The TCM-4000 is a "my first Sony" line of cassette recorders manufactured in Japan by the Sony Corporation in approximately 1988. This is a mono tape recorder with the ability to record sound through a microphone. It has fast-forward, rewind, play, record, and stop, control buttons. There is a rotary control for the volume on one side, and a microphone jack socket on the other side. It requires four "C" size dry cells for the power supply. This unit is not mains or adapter powered and does not have any power sockets.

At its heart is the TA7628HP integrated circuit (IC) manufactured by the Toshiba Corporation. It is a single chip tape recorder solution, which consists of the preamplifier and power amplifier blocks. This IC also has an automatic level control (ALC) circuitry, which is useful when recording from a microphone. Interestingly, there is no electronic voltage regulation for the motor as it draws power directly from the batteries.

Cassette Recorder

Integrated Carrying Handle

Microphone Socket

Cassette Compartment

Tape control Buttons

Cost / eBay

It was an expensive luxury item for the rich at a time of inflation. Many children would have played with this toy until it broke, and a broken one would have ended up in landfill. It had a plastic push-button mechanism that did not take kindly to impact and therefore not very many survived in the UK. However, it was sold all over the world so there should still be many still in their original boxes. If you have one in mint condition with the box and manuals, then it could fetch a packet on a good day on eBay.

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