Repair DAT?

[natpub]

Just buy a good working used one. Even the bench fee to open one up is gonna be more to the price that excellent used boxes are goin for. It's like VCR's, just toss em and get another.

[Phil Cibley]

The last remaining DAT transport manufacturer, Alps just stopped making them.
Long term prognosis for DATs looks bad.
That said, sometimes a tape eating problem is as simple as dirty pinch rollers.
Try cleaning them first with 99% isopropyl alcohol and see if it works any better.
The next most common problem would be an out of alignment tape path which requires a special test tape and a scope. Not a DIY job.
If I didn't need the machine to play old tapes, I wouldn't fix it unless it was something simple like a dirty roller or guide.
Phil