Cassette Tape Player. How it works and how to repair.
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- čas přidán 2. 07. 2024
- How Cassette player mechanisms work and how to repair and align them.
00:00 General information
34:34 Cleaning the Record Playback Switch
49:18 Cleaning the heads and tape path
52:05 Demagnetising the head
53:47 Motor speed adjustment
57:55 Head alignment azimuth with oscilloscope
New video on how the take-up clutch works in play due to the changing tape diameter:
• Cassette Player take u...
This is a great video. I like how you get right into the subject, no wasting time talking about nonsense. Your presentation is very thorough and easy to follow. I'm learning lots. Thanks for the hard work.
Yeah I hate those who tell you what they are going to tell, after a boring introduction etc, etc
I got popcorn out and will enjoy an hour of knowledge share
Fabulous video! Recently, I purchased a vintage Sankyo single cassette deck. Everything worked fine, except the Record button could not be pushed. Now, I found and fixed the problem. The unit works great. Thank you very much.
A brilliant informative video about how to diagnose faults on old tape decks. Thanks 👍
Wow this has been a really good video! I like the presentation style, hope you will continue with such electronic videos. Hope more people would appreciate this channel 🤞🏻
Love it!
Really good information and easy to follow. I like your style and learned a lot. Looking forward to more.
Wow, I learned a lot watching this video. I’m keeping it favorited for reference. I was researching on how i could fix any problems with my boombox with a general service. Thanks mate!
Glad it helped
Ah! This video is so helpful. I feel like I totally understand my tape player now and can make repairs to it.
Looking to repair a Panasonic I bought recently and this video is great for learning the basics of how players generally work
You're a Godsend sir! Doing the Lord's work! I would not have been able to fix my cassette deck without you! Thank you!!!
Very detailed, clear, and easy to understand
Thank you, this is absolutely stellar.
Fantastic video mate. I now know how a cassette deck works and you helped me repair/clean 2 portable cassette players in 24 hours. I've subscribed and look forward to future videos.
Glad it helped. Hopefully I can pass on some of what I learned before I forget it, so people can keep some of this old gear going.
@@StevesElectronicRepairShop hey Steve I got a question. I have an old tqscam tape recorder. It seems the parts that go into the tape when you hit play is stuck out so I cant get the tape in. I think when you hit stop it should go back in and it's stuck out. Do you have any explanation of that? Is it purely mechanical and not electrical? Like an easy fix?
@@greendragon2471 That is a mechanical problem where the deck is stuck in the play/record position with the heads up and pinch roller on the captan. It could be that the bar that latches things in place is not releasing the plate with the heads etc when stop is pressed, or the plate itself isnt moving back for some reason like somethings bent. The first thing to check is whatever the play button pushes on, to see if its bent at all. You could also hold the stop button and see if you can push the heads back down. Hopefully I will have a video up soon were I go over a corroded old 1970s Cassette player and get it mostly working, which shows a bit more detail on mechanical problems like that.
@@StevesElectronicRepairShop omg thank you!!! Also I'm about to upload a video I took of it if you wunna watch it. It's like 2 minutes.
@@StevesElectronicRepairShop just realized the video was private. I made it public
excellent video. excited to work on some broken cassette stuff i've been procrastinating because there wasn't a video out like this a couple years ago when i got it 😂.
I'm currently restoring a Philips portable boombox and take-up reel doesn't turn during playback.
Your very informative video gave me a crash course on Tanashin transport mechanism.
I now know where to troubleshoot.
Thanks!
Fabulous job on this video. Best repair video I’ve ever seen for anything. Bababad. 👍👍
seriously great video. fantastically useful for me and many others im sure
Thanks. I now know what the problem is with my Teac cassette player. I could not have done it without your help.
Glad it helped. Teac made some good decks back in the day.
Very Informative video. Thumbs up! ;)
Excellent video, highly informative and great presentation
Thankyou. Very informative. Cheers
Very informative, thanks a lot
Fantastic video!!! Thank u much
Great video!
Great video. It been really helpfull understanding how the mechanisms work. Good luck with the channel. Thanks
geez amazing channel
You are a life saver
The speed/freq test can be done with a smartphone: generate a 1kz sound with the phone and record the sound on a tape in a reference deck. Then play the tape in the test-deck. Use a spectrum analyzer on the phone to Read the freq.
I like to fix stuff and I always wondered what gets dirty inside these contacts. I see now what is going on inside the deck I am working on @35:00 Thanks for making this video. c];-)
Thank you Steve
Thanks buddy I really appreciate your help. Actually what happened was an old lady down the road had a garage sale and there sitting on a table was 3 suitcase style turntable the 3 band radios and you could actually pick up country NSW, radio stations, and a Pyle diotron cd500 tape deck. She told me that none of them work. She was right about the tape deck but the turntables just needed new cartridge that were a pain to find, but I was able to track some sellers on eBay who deal with vintage record players. Thanks again for your help
Some of those old radios were great. I used to listen to 3XY and 2SM in Hobart on my dads old National 3 band hooked to an old TV antenna back in the early 1980s.
@@StevesElectronicRepairShop oh my god one of the suitcase turntables I got from the old lady is a national 3 band sg-766 with an antenna that pulls out from side of the case and 2 detached speakers. Do you have a shop
Subbed. Great clear video. After replacing the belt (single belt mechanism) I'm pretty sure it's the rubber idler wheel that is the cause of my issues. Old Data cassette player for loading programs into vintage (80's) computers. Good times :) O-Ring replacement was what I was thinking so great to hear you suggest that. Fingers crossed. Chewing a game cassette is worse than music as it literally becomes useless. Any warble and the program wont load :(
I remember having fun with the good old datasette as a kid. You definitely cannot afford to chew those tapes. They are annoying enough already having to wait for them to load.
Thank you
love from India
I have a Mabuchi EG-510 AD, possibly Mabuchi's first electronically governed motor, in my collection. I took it out of an old Sears component stereo system.
I shall use this to make a wrist mounted cassette player 👌
Thanks I managed to fix my deck with this, one thing for some machines too is the auto return switch in on position on 4 tracks can fool you into thinking the deck has failed because it clicks off when the counter zeros at whatever spot you reset-zeroed it at last, worth checking
I forgot that some of the early decks had a memory function on the counter to stop the tape at zero.
So much good information here. But I have an issue when trying to record, the play/rec buttons lock into position but it does not feed the tape onto the take up reel, other than that everything works as intended... and it is a unit with the counter on it. Not sure if it's user error or mechanical error.... Any help would be appreciated.
Im on my way to buying an old defective but beautiful tape radio. Im looking forward to fixing it, probably replacing all the internal stuff. Ill probably get/build a Class A amplifier, add Bluetooth and add a direct output from the head for recording. Ill also probably replace the speakers and install a lot of 18650s for energy storage.
Your video helped me identify fault. I have Denon 1995 era HiFi tape deck with idler fault. Capstan turns, pinch roller engages but take up reel does not turn - the tape spools & unit auto-stops. FF & RW work fine. It is a single belt system. I swapped out entire cassette unit & replacement has cricket chirping from capstan motor but idler works fine. The capstan motor runs a little hot & cassette tape is warm to touch after playing & removing it. I will replace 12V capstan motor when part arrives in the mail as I suspect it has internal fault. The faulty idler I will address once I have access to technical service manual that is also in the mail. If it is irreparable I will use as spare parts if desperate. Servicing capstan motors is not ideal IMO as repair reliability is questionable. I don't want to have to replace anyway after a few months of use.
Hi, I've got a Pioneer ct-w502r dual cassette deck that had the belts get twisted inside of it. I put new belts in it and it played for one song, perfectly. I then tried a second tape but tried rewinding it first, the it didn't automatically stop at the break in the music on the tape and kept making a clicking noise. I had to turn the power off to get it to quit. Then it didn't want to eject the tape or open the cassette door. Do you think the auto stop has failed? Are any parts available to fix this?
Food video. Thank you
It seems to be the right player from my GE double deck radio
Looks like one of the bias resistors on one of the channels is probably a little low, if you could find the power transistor and the 4 bias resistors around it (class A/B) you could replace one with a pot and measure what it needs to be (or just leave the pot in the circuit forever once you get it tuned perfectly.)
Is 1 Khz the standard frequency to set azimuth? Can it be off at higher (or lower) frequencies?
Nice
Question: I have a Technics 630 and it’s in amazing shape other than the right channel drops because of that rec/play switch you mentioned. When I crack it open and hose it with Deoxit D5 it sounds good as new but it will only last a few days before it’s right back. I tried putting a blank tape in every day and just switching the record and play back and forth about a dozen or two times but it seems to never want to go back unless I hose it down again. Is this thing trash? I want to just replace it but I don’t want to spend hundreds on another deck and have the same problem 😭
I need help fixing the auto stop on my Yamaha mt50. I fixed it on a unit like you had that had the plastic arm, on my fostex. this seems way more complicated. a little tiny spring is loose and I dont know where it goes. im worried to fiddle with it and make the machine worse.
my tape deck is an 80s one and when I put the tape in, it plays only when I push the button down hard and in a certain spot
i have a becker mexico 2000 and when i put in a cassette i can't get it back. The two round things just keep down there. Its like they don't respond anymore. Also when the cassette is in there i can't play it, it will go to FM instantly and will keep running the cassette every few minutes. do you know how i can fix this?
I`m just beginning to delve into the cases of factory Jeep AM/FM Cassette Players and recently did an R&R on two 56002467(1991) cases and swapped out the tape modules. Now I have me some rocking tunes. Now I have a couple of questions for you so I can troubleshoot and repair a couple of players. What is the cause of a channel going out, either left or right, in a 2467 and what is the cause of a little lack of volume when you have the volume knob maxed out on a 56009004(1992)? If I knew how to repair tape modules that won`t draw the tape in on their own and seat down into position along with these two other issues then I would have those stack of players whipped. You can hear the tape mechanism running that supposed to draw the tape in after you manually push the tape in and then you have to pull the tape out with needle nose pliers. The 2467 and 9004 tape modules are held in by four screws. The 56003021&19(1988-90) are stationary or soldered. Don`t believe you can take those tape modules out. Gimme some good car stereo 101 Steve.
love the thorough breakdown you gave in this video! my problem is that my cassette deck wont catch the cassette to play (as if the whole deck is dead). Could that be the problem is generating from the motor controlling the gears? or could it be a disintegrated belt controlling the mechanism?
Usually if its a belt you can hear the motor whirring when you press play or rew/ff. If you dont even hear that it may be a problem with the motor or the switch that gives it power.
Another common cause of tape eating is a loose belt. I encountered this problem in a Radio Shack Realistic tape recorder that I bought to part out but decided to repair.
Hi there great video. Just been given a Sanyo rd30 but the auto stop doesnt work. Any ideas please? Thanks in advance
This was super informative, very good to see how the mechanisms inside operate. I’ve been trying to resolve an issue with the record side of one of those double tape decks. On this one, pressing pause & record engages the record function and then you press play to record. It started not responding to pressing both and it only engages pause. I noticed if I fast forward and get the tape moving, I can sometimes get the record to engage, then I can usually rewind it and quickly hit record & pause and it’ll work. I can’t tell if it’s a mechanical issue or not, do you have any insight to what might be going on?
Thanks for reading
There were a few different ways dual decks operated. Do you normally press record and pause and it allows you to see the VU meters and set record levels, and then pressing play starts the recording process? With most decks you would press pause then play and record together to get it ready, and then hit pause to start recording. When you say the record doesnt engage, what does it normally do when it does engage? Does it have mechanical buttons or logic control? The fact it works after FF is used would suggest a mechanical issue is more likely, but that is not definitely the case.
So funny for I was looking for a video like this 2 .months ago
Gday Steve, I enjoy your videos mate! Firstly, happy New Year! I'm trying to get a child-hood 70's Panasonic Take 'n Tape (RQ711-S) cassette recorder up and running again. She's in great cosmetic nick, pristine in fact, but its been idol for decades. I have replaced the belt - all good, motor and spindles running perfectly now. What I'm getting sound-wise though, is loud crackle and pop 90% of the time, whether a tape is inserted or not. When I press Play, Rew or FF, same thing...crackle crackle. Occasionally though - depending on how I orient the machine - rock it side to side, lay it down, or upside down for example, it will play a cassette perfectly. It's an "upright" machine by design, but my best luck has been laying it down face up. Volume control even works when she's running. Move her again though and back to endless loud crackle with no volume adjustment. I have cleaned the head, capstan and pinch roller with alcohol and ear-buds (as I did when I was a kid). So I'm stumped mate, but my repair skills are very basic at best. Any thoughts? Ta mate! Cheers, Mark - Caloundra, Qld. 👍
If the crackle is not affected by the volume control its something to do with the amplifier. I would start with the motor switch on the cassette deck which should be a little leaf switch with a couple of wires connected to it, probably the only wires other than motor and heads. Clean the contacts of that or just bypass it to see if tarnished contacts are the problem. It could also be some other earth or power connection including the switch contacts in the power socket for the plug in power cord. Could also be bad solder joints, especially on things like the volume control, but tapping on or wobbling things like that should make it come and go. It looks like they also have germanium transistors in them, which can do things like that. They are the silver cans with three legs on the PCB, two look to have metal heatsinks attached which would be the amplifier. You could try warming them with a hair dryer to see if it has any effect, or even cool it in the fridge and see if its temperature related, which is usually a faulty transistor.
@@StevesElectronicRepairShop oh mate, this great info! Thanks for that. I will take her apart a bit further and look for those points. The fact that she works perfectly (sometimes) gives me hope 👍 Do you have a physical 'shop' that I could send her to, if I can't find the issue myself? Nobody here on the Sunshine Coast (Qld)... Thanks again mate!
@@markhooper1352 I dont run a business anymore, but my email is in the About section. If you have no luck let me know and we can arrange something.
Your video was very informative and it helped me figure out that I may have problem with weak tension on the pinch roller on an old Panasonic tape recorder (model RQ-309AS) that my son got a charity yard sale. When we placed new cassette it played it very high pitch very fast speed. After taking it apart and then reanalyzing the issue....I noticed that the pinch roller was very loose and wasn't contacting the tape right. Once I put pressure on pinch roller it actually slowed the tape down and allowed music to play music more legible and audible. Anyway you can help me address how fix the pinch roller problem? Any help would be appreciated!
Usually the pinch roller is pushed into place by a spring on the plate that moves it and the heads into place. If you push the pinch roller away from the capstan shaft you should feel a strong spring pushing it back into place. If not the spring could be missing or bent, or whatever pushes it into place might be bent. That is the most likely area for the problem.
FANTASTIC video THANK YOU. I would love to know what are the exact places to lubricate a player (i.e. watch you doing it), and what kind of oil or silicone grease to use? Like, you mention the capstan (where exactly? At what point might you rebuild the motor (working on a Sony Walkman)? Should you lubricate all the gear pivot wells? Any idea how to diagnose a weak (but still spinning) motor?
Normally you only lubricate anywhere where you can see lubricant already on the tape mech, which isnt usually much. With the capstan you lubricate the bearing or bushing that the shaft goes through. With motors you can add some light oil at the base of the shaft into the bearing, or pull them apart and lube both ends of the shaft. With faulty motors I used to check they were getting the correct voltage and then just replace the faulty ones. There is usually some electronics in them which may be possible to repair if a replacement is not available. I have another video where I resurrect an old Sharp in poor condition which has more of me lubricating things. Any light oil or grease should do.
Play buttons are looking on my SD3030 Marantz. Help!
My luxman tape deck wont actually respond to recording.Will play & idicate it recording but dosent ) what do I need to do?..any advice is appreciated mainly use for recording off Fm radio...Thanks!,,,,,,,,Should I trash it & get a nak?
hey steve do you know how to fix a very old Panasonic RQ-L307 Portable Cassette Recorder Player?
What would you replace in an old (20Y+) cassette mechanism if you want it to last for 5Y+ ??
How do you find the speed adjustment? What smartphone app do you use (android? apple?) to check a 3 Khz speed tape?
Can you tell if the pinch roller is so worn that it needs replacement? What is the signal, how to replace it?
What is the sign that you might need to demagnetize your heads? I think I have a demagnetizer tape do those work?
Do you have a recommended piece of music (popular - easy to find) to test & tune the azimuth?
Thanks
Thankyou for the Superchat.
Hi Steve. I liked going through your repair video and your tone is good for this kind of technically challenging repair video. So, it got me reacquainted with the oscilloscope. You are going at a good pace though so one must keep up or use playback. I have a question about a JVC single cassette deck I bought used. There is one annoying issue. It will play for a while maybe 2 minutes or so but stop suddenly and start rewinding itself in the middle of each song (while in play mode). Is that something to do with the auto stop being triggered too soon(before the end)? How would I go about testing it if it is or not and what is the technical explanation in a nutshell in layman's terms? If I have to go about opening the chassis and work safely what would be the source of the issue? mechanical I hope. Could I get at easily and find the problem and change a part in side if I could tell what part I was looking for without too much damage like a belt or something easy and simple to fix without much more disassembly. That is would this be a easy fix. I am electronic / mechanically inclined and somewhat good at trying to repair electronics. I fixed an old JVC VCR once. A changed a chip by desoldering the old one and resoldering the new one into a PCB. The repairman suggested the chip to replace given the symptoms. and details of issue. I used an oscilloscope and signal generator. I remembered the usefulness of these instruments for testing the 1 khz wave signal for the head alignment in your video. I have to get an oscilloscope if I could open up this. By the way when you are checking continuity of the switch you have the power turned off the deck right? I saw when you had the power on to check the voltage at the switch and at the motor. But then you must have turned it off to check the continuity? Thanks for the clear and well explained video. Though most of the mechanical sequence of operations are faster than I can understand. There are gears idlers belts and sprockets and levers everywhere. So I ask you as the man with the experience on all these equipment. Its a JVC KD-A66stereo cassette deck( good condition except for that). Mike
An auto stop problem should just stop the tape. I have never heard of one going into rewind, though its possible decks exist with an auto rewind function at the end of a tape. The first thing to do would be to make sure the takeup reel (right hand one) is still turning when the machine stops and rewinds, and also check the counter is also turning. If either stop then its likely a belt. Also turn off the timer and memory function while testing, though I doubt they are related to the problem. Its likely that its a logic function problem , which means the deck thinks the rewind button is being pressed. It could be as simple as the switch is faulty. See if the rewind button feels the same as the others. Also try pressing gently on it and see if it operates easier than the other functions as that might indicate a mechanical problem with the switch. You could also tap on the circuit boards with a screwdriver handle or other hard insulated thing to see if you can trigger the problem, which might indicate dry solder joints. A deck like that probably isnt the easiest to work on, but shouldnt be too bad. Take photos of everything as you disassemble if you are worried you will forget where things went. You are correct that its normal to test continuity with the power off, otherwise voltages can affect your multimeter readings.
I've been trying to fix a cassette player I recently bought. I think some part must've broken off because one of the heads is loose! The tape will play for about a second before cutting off, but the tape plays fine when I completely hold the player upside down😆
Hi Steve, great video! Just trying to figure out an issue meself. With my Aiwa HS-T37, the none of the buttons seem to be staying down. I can hold them down and the tape will start playing, but whatever latch is supposed to hold them down doesn't seem to be working. Where should I be looking to fix that?
There is a metal plate that slides across to lock the buttons down, and the stop button pushes it back to one side to release any that are locked down. That plate can stick due to sticky grease, or the spring that pulls it into place may break or something it is attached to may break. They are the most common problems but it might be something else.
Great video, thanks for the time. Quick question, I have an old boombox and when you press play the head mechanism does not move up on its own, but will when using your finger. Any ideas on what might be causing this? Thanks!
If its a basic mechanical deck its most likely a lubrication issue like sticky grease. Some mechs have a gear to lift them like the soft touch electronically controlled decks, and it can be an issue with that gear not engaging
Great video and excellent timing too! My poor old Philips dual tape deck has been a bit temperamental lately. The "A" deck seems to be fine, but the "B" deck (used for recording) is having issues. It won't play/record for more than a few seconds and it keeps stopping and it seems to be damaging every tape I put in it. Although, REWIND and FF work perfectly fine at lightning speed! Interestingly enough, the deck will play without a tape in it, but once I insert a tape it keeps stopping. Anybody have any thoughts or suggestions on this problem??
Sounds like a take-up reel problem in play. You could try putting it into play with the door open and put your finger on the take-up reel (the bit that goes through the hole in the tape on the right side) to see if it stops easily. It should have a bit of torque to resist you trying to stall it. If it stops very easily its like most likely a slipping belt or rubber idler tyre. Some decks have a switch above the tape that will stop the deck playing if there is no tape in it, and you may have to push that up as well to get it going.
@@StevesElectronicRepairShop
Yes I think it may be the pick-up reel belt. Thank you for your response.
At Steve's Electronic repair shop, how do you fix the rewind button that won't click all the way and clicks if you hold it and stops if you don't. But only works if you press the pause button. It's a top cassette recorder on a sony boom box.
Sound like there is something faulty in the button latching, but its odd if the pause button affects it. Most of the time its easiest to replace the whole mech with those sort of problems.
Hey amazing video! I recently found a beautiful Technics RS271 stereo cassette recorder online, but unfortunately I'm having some trouble getting it to work properly. The record button is stuck -- I cannot press it down. Also, The motor works fine, and I cleaned the tape head with 91% alcohol, but the audio comes out extremely quiet, and only from one channel (left). With the output turned to max, I have to turn my interface gain up past 1 o'clock to just register a signal. This problem exists both in the headphones out and the line out, which leads me to believe the problem is earlier in the signal flow.
There is a lever that stops record going down if there is no tab in the top of the tape, so I would check that first. Obviously use a tape with a tab or put some sticky tape over the hole if you are using an old prerecorded tape. The lever is at the top left of the mechanism and can be pressed up with your finger through the door to see if the record button then engages. If not you would have to pull the mech out and check it. If there is a play/record switch on the main circuit board then I would clean that with switch cleaner lubricant first to see if it fixes the audio. It could also be that someone has put the head out of alignment, or there is a problem in the electronics. The line out and headphone are both connected right at the end of the audio circuits.
@@StevesElectronicRepairShop Wow thank you so much for your detailed response! This is my first cassette deck, so I did not know about the tab at the top of the cassette tape. I manually pressed the lever and now the record button engages! I unscrewed the back to see if I could find a play/record switch like you show in your video, but I can't tell what's what in there. Is it possible to align the heads without an Oscilloscope, and without taking the whole thing apart? Would it be possible to arrange a short face time with you to show you? I would be happy to pay you for your time, thank you!
@@cezarjacobson927 You can align the heads by ear to get the clearest high frequency response. Hifi decks often have a removable door cover, either two round pieces that unscrew or the plastic front slides upwards and off. You can then access the head adjustment screw when its in play mode. Decks without a removable door cover often have a small cutout under the door that allows adjustment. Its usually the left screw on the play head, but either way you want to adjust the one with a spring under it, turning one way and then back until you find the point of best high frequency response.
when u press stop, and the whole thing disengages, and the tape head mechanism drops back down....mine won't drop back down now. i can't figure out why...do u have any idea?
amazing video. Any idea why a cassette player plays at very low volume and very bassy? It does this on all cassettes I use - the player just doesn't work like it used to. thanks man - subscribed.
Most likely cause is dirty, misaligned or worn head. Could also be that the head is not lifting high enough into the cassette but that is unlikely. If it's clean you could try adjusting the azimuth by ear to get the high frequency sounds the loudest and clearest and see if that fixes it. I forgot to mention in the video that the door cover on most component decks slides upwards and off so you access the azimuth screw while playing a tape in the door frame.
Hi Steve, thanks for the video, there’s a lot of useful information. I recently got a Sony TCM 200dv cassette voice recorder and am having some issues with it. The tape playback is warbling, so I’ll need to replace the belt. The other issues are the playback is very noisy, and when recording either via line in mic or the mic on the unit there seems to be a lot of noise. Am wondering if you had any ideas on the fix? Also do you take on repairs by any chance? Located in Aus
I am not familiar with those. If the noise is still there with line in it must be some sort of electronic problem. What sort of noise is it, eg static, hiss, hum etc?
Thank you for this informational video. Can you do a VCR video same way of this video is ?
I will get around to looking at VCRs some time in the future.
@@StevesElectronicRepairShop How do you know if something is worth fixing before you get too far into it let alone if you can find parts? I've never been able to find parts on anything cassette deck related
@@gleni8651 With the older audio cassette players its almost always something simple like belts which are still available. From the mid 80s onwards most use the same mechs so if you can salvage a couple of them you will have most parts you need. Some parts are still available new as well. VCRs are a different story as they have things like heads and capstan motors fail, as well as various plastic gears and levers that are specific to each mechanism, which is only used in a few models. It doesnt take long to diagnose most of them though. Things from the later 1990s onwards I generally dont touch because they are mostly junk and a waste of time.
I'm Fixing a Yamaha TC-800D (awsome deck) and the playback quality is awful and crackly when engaging. Sound warbles in and out from muffled to full sound in either channel while playing.
This video might have solved the issue with cleaning the Record Playback Switch. Gonna tackle it tomorrow!
Great video. On Auto Reverse decks, is there a sensor which senses silent gaps in the tape or tension on the tape when it reaches the end?
Usually an auto stop type mechanism that senses lack of rotation of the reel but instead of triggering a stop it triggers a direction change.
@@StevesElectronicRepairShop Thank you. I'm asking because I have a car deck (in a 1999 Mercedes) which auto-reverse ANY cassette I insert (even one without any tape) every 5 seconds or so. I'm going to pull the head and open it - probably to make it worse! - and see if anything jumps out at me. Would you suggest I first look at anything resembling the Auto-Stop arm in your diagram? Or maybe make sure the reels are spinning OK? Thanks again
@@firstlast4874 Its a common fault to have them keep reversing. Often just a slipping belt and lack of reel rotation, but can be other things too. I looked at a car cassette mech in this video and think I looked at how auto reverse is triggered. Most mechs are fairly similiar in operation, and only a few manufacturers like Tanashin make most of them anyway.
czcams.com/video/8ay7pKVuLBQ/video.html
Hi there,
Is there a type of lubricant that you recommend for the moving parts like the capstan and the gears and rollers?
I’ve blown my deck out with canned air, but the FF RW and Play all stop and the slightest resistance. Sometimes the Play motion will stop simply from the capstan contacting the roller.
The pinch roller itself isnt usually lubricated, but a light oil will work. The capstan usually uses a light oil or grease in the bearing. If you spin them by hand and they move easily and keep going for a bit when you give them a spin then they are likely fine. Stopping like that is usually due to either a slipping belt or a faulty motor.
@@StevesElectronicRepairShop
Thanks for the prompt reply. I’ll see if I can measure the two belts and find replacements.
Can't find any videos on tape head replacement.
Brilliant video - you really know your stuff! PLEASE help me!! Ive just changed the belts on my Sony V702 auto reverse cassette deck. Put back together again but now when you press play.... the take up reel doesn't move and the tape starts to unwind as the pinch roller etc are all turning ok. Works perfectly in autoreverse however and fast forward and rewind work ok too. Checked everything over and can't see what the issue is - was ok before apart from the belts. Going insane! Any ideas?
Its something to do with the gears or wheels that engage the take up reel, which are usually different in play to rew and ff, though in an auto reverse deck it should swing to both sides so affect both directions. Some of those later Sonys get cracked idler gears that will slip. Since its a dual deck the easiest thing is to remove both mechs from the front and observe what turns in the good one and doesnt in the bad one.
@@StevesElectronicRepairShopThank you! Will have a look tonight
Steve, I loved your video. Very helpful. IO have an old Sony CFD-510 boombox. Original problem is taping eating in play mode. I took it apart and using your video, I think I have the diagnosis. FF and rewind work fine. Playmode: capstan and pinch wheel rote as they should but take up reel does not move. It appears that a pulley wheel with an outer band should engage the reel as looks like it does. That same pulley wheel looks like it should be driven by the a small part of the idler. This does not appear to make cotact when in play mode and thus does not drive the wheel that should drive the take up reel. Any advice on how to solve that problem??
Steve, sorry for lack of editing above. I think you get the picture though. It is the play idler that is not contacting the main idler.
@@jtlenert I had a look at the manual which is available for download if you search for it. It looks like 176 on the exploded view of the tape deck is the play idler and 177 is the arm that moves it into place. Its most likely either a slipping idler due to the rubber being worn out, or the idler arm isnt moving freely maybe due to sticky grease. There may also be a spring to pull the idler into place. Try putting it into play with the power off and moving the play idler back and forwards to see if the lever moves easily and returns to the position where it should engage the other idler and the reel together. If it doesnt contact both of them then its a lever problem, if it does contact but not turn its a slipping idler.
Have you shown a tanishin mechanism before, I would like to see them in comparison with old mechanism or is that the one that you showed last?
There were two later generic mechanisms. The one most of this video shows is actually what is shown on an archive of the Tanashin website. Tech Moan did a video on the other generic mechanism which is the one he calls a Tanashin. I didnt have one of those at the time I did this video, but now have one. Its possible they both came from Tanashin but I doubt it. You can see that mech in this video: czcams.com/video/Urp1hoHrdlw/video.html. Archive page showing the mechanism I used in this video: web.archive.org/web/20200221171330/www.tanashin.co.jp/english/aboutus/history.html
Thanks for the very informative video, but I can’t still figure out how to fix my Aiwa PS002. The problem is when there is no cassette tape inserted, the mechanism works well. But then, when I insert one and press play, it runs for a second and then stops instantly. The rewind, fast forward, and stop buttons work well, but the play mechanism doesn’t. Also, the player is sometimes sensitive. It needs to be knocked or tapped hard just to keep the motor spinning. What do you think is the problem?
Slipping belts or idler tyre is the most likely cause. Have you tried putting your finger on the take up reel like I suggest to see if it has any torque or just stops easily?
What kind of a signal comes off the tape head? I'm wondering if it's possible to get a cassette mechanism working without the rest of the deck and get audio out of it.
Its a fairly low level signal and may need some equalisation to get the frequencies correct. You could wire the head from one mechanism to the head input of another cassette player and it should work fine. Its unlikely to be much good straight into a Hifi amplifier.
Hi, thanks a lot, quite interesting as many people have lots of sentiments to these players from 80s and 90s. Me also, I still love the old analog devices and just tried to revive my Sony FH-B170 fom 91-92. I changed belts, cleaned it and re-assembled. Happily it started working - both decks. But after a while, maybe 3-5 minutes a strange annoying noise appeared from some rotating part presume because after pressing stop, sound dissapears. And it is for both decks. Sound is like high pitch frequency, it is present for FF and REV and also playing. Any idea what causes it? Do i need to clean any parts or lubricate motor? Any advice will be apreciated.
Thanks and cheers. M
I personally cant see myself using Cassette ever again, but its good people are getting old machines going again. The only parts that rotate in all modes are the Motor and Capstan. I would pull the capstans back a bit or right out and put a small drop of oil where they go through the bushing, making sure to clean the part that sticks out on the tape side after so no oil gets on the tape. With the motor, a little bit of oil where the shaft goes into the body may stop it making a noise. Sit the motor with the pulley upwards and put a dab or small drop of oil on the base of the shaft, and rotate by hand and let it soak down into the bushing.
@@StevesElectronicRepairShop Thanks for the advice. On your comment about using cassette player - it is just for FUN, not as needed. I really want to have it in working conditions despite the fact of not using it.
Greetings
This is a really good video and with helpful info. My problem is that my player will not start. The roller does not start at all, I press play and nothing rolls. Should I disassemble it or do something else. My player is also a stereo if that helps.
Sounds like it will need to be pulled apart. First thing to check is whether the motor runs when play or FF or Rewind are pressed. If it does, its most likely the belts
wow amazing! thanks so much. i recently took apart my marantz pmd221 to oil the motor and when doing so caused anew problem somehow. now the player starts really slow and then begins to speed up then automatically shuts off like it’s the end of the tape. maybe i got oil on something that wasn’t supposed to? any ideas?
Sound like a slipping capstan belt or could be the motor. I would try rotating the capstan by hand in stop mode. It should rotate easily and turn the motor as it does. I would then put my finger on the motor pulley with a bit of pressure while rotating the capstan and see if the belt still tries to turn it, or whether it slips against the motor pulley. If the belt seems OK, put a little pressure on the motor pulley and see if the motor can start turning when play is pressed. It should have a fair bit of torque and run fairly fast if you take your finger off. If the motor stalls easily the motor is most likely no good, but it would be worth checking it has the correct voltage. If the belt is slipping it may need replacing, or if oil is on it, clean the belt, motor pulley and capstan and anything else the belt goes around with some alcohol.
@@StevesElectronicRepairShop thanks!
Hi there. How to change the o ring inside there.
Hi Steve, just got one of these players, but I have just had a problem with it,.... the play, f/f and re-wind buttons will just stop after pressing them ?
Hi again Steve, sorted it ....3 screws taken out from bottom of player, then opened battery compartment and took 2 more screws out before I could remove the top and see the mechanism ...then I saw what the problem was, the belt had just come off the wheel.
I have a Yamaha K-350 deck , the stop lever keeps clicking when i turn it on , before I push play or anything , if I push pause it doesn't click , if I push play it plays great and doesn't click , but idle it clicks , I took the entire thing apart and there are two belts on the front , I found if I push the one spinner over and hold it , it stops the clicking , I'm assuming those two belts need much more tension on them , what is your opinion?
Normally if the deck can play, rewind and fast forward all the way to the ends of the tape then the belts would be OK. They tend to start slipping if they lose tension. It sounds like something to do with the idler touching something or having a problem itself, but hard to say without seeing it.
Very nice video man, just one question, is the king pin the cause of a tangled tape? Or faulty belts?
Its lack of take-up reel that causes a chew. That could be a belt or something else.
Great video. Where do you purchase belts and supplies for repairs?
Many thanks !
I get most of them from Wagner Electronics in Australia. I have also been using Ebay belt kits from China and they seem to work OK.
Hi there, I have a problem with my Sharp 9090 70s boombox when i try to play some tapes it struggles to move the tape and then gets stuck or the play button pops back up not sure whats casusing this. have any idea? thanks!
Most likely its slipping belts. It would be going into stop because the auto stop cuts in if the tape stops turning. The fact its not chewing tapes suggests its the capstan belt. It could also be a faulty motor. The only way to check is to pull it apart and put your finger gently on the capstan in play mode and see if it stalls but the motor keeps running. That would mean a slipping belt. If the motor stalls as well its a faulty motor. The capstan or pinch roller could also need lubricating. If its the belt, then its best to replace any other belts at the same time.
Steve's Electronic Repair Shop thanks I will definitely open it up and give it a look and watch tutorials. 🤞🙂 you got a new subscriber.
Super super super 👌👌👌
Thank you. You have some nice cassettes on your channel
I have a 1985 Nissan 300zx and the cassette deck is having issues. Would you recommend trying to find a used deck that works? it looks like a much smaller system than what you have shown in the video.
If you dont care about having the original you could likely find another car unit to fit. If its the type with the two knobs that come through the cars panel and hold the front of the unit then you may have trouble finding one that fits exactly without having to cut the surround, but if its the DIN type rectangular opening others should fit straight in, but you might have to check the depth. Some Japanese cars also have different ways of mounting that arent standard, so more work to try and fit a different unit mechanically in place. Also there may not be a wiring harness adaptor, which means identifying each wire in the car harness and connecting to the correct ones. The main problem with a used unit is finding one that works, and preferably has been serviced and new belts fitted. The old one may only need new belts and be viable to repair, its a matter of finding someone to do the work at a reasonable price if you dont want to try yourself, and they are more difficult to work on than a Hifi deck. Nice car BTW
Dear Steve,
Greetings from India. I have battery of Technics from RS- to AZ Series and Few Sony ES and Nak tape decks with me.
I am very impressed to see your comprehensive understanding of Tape Decks. May i have the privilege of having your mail and and which country are you placed?
Thanks in Advance
Best Regards
Vikram
It seems like I have a very similar mechanism to you but when I hit play, the motor gear is not moved into place to make contact with the takeup spindle gear. It just stays in place. Any idea what could be causing this?
With that Tanashin mech the middle gear only does rewind and fast forward. The other gear under the auto stop part runs off the capstan to run the take up reel in play.
Great video. I have a Panasonic take n tape that will play but the sound will stop working usually after a song or during. If I press stop and then play it might play a song or two and the same thing happens. Any ideas? Thanks.
If it keeps playing mechanically but the sound drops out its most likely a bad solder joint in on the circuit board somewhere. It could also be the record/play switch needs a clean. Try tapping the unit while playing to see if you can make the sound come and go, or after the sound stops and see if it comes back. Also wiggle the volume control and any sockets.
Thank you for replying to my question. After getting into it I discovered that a wire on the tape head was the problem. I re soldered the wire and now it works normal. I think this is a issue with this particular model as I've seen others for sale on eBay that say plays but no sound. Thank you again for your suggestions.
I have a Victoria 6 in 1 record player, one of the functions is a cassette player but when I insert a tape it is just playing static noise, I know they aren’t made the best quality but I like things working and it’s annoying not doing so. I only realised months later when I bought an old tape the player isn’t working and have tried a new tape too same again. Also tried a tape cleaner same result, any advice on possibly fixing it and being able to play a tape?
Dirty heads usually cause a muffled sound, but there is still some music there. If there is no music or whatever is recorded on the tape, and the tape is turning OK, it is often the play/record switch inside the unit needs the contacts cleaning. It could also be something simple like the wires to the head have broken off.
Excellent video. Is it possible to get one without a stop mechanism make it work with one? Could it be added?
Technically its possible if you can get something to push the slide plate that holds the buttons down to one side so they release. It would probably be a fair bit of work to implement mechanically on a deck not designed for it. It would also be possible to electronically detect the take up reel has stopped turning and use a solenoid to push the slide plate. I think one of the Sony or Sharp boom boxes uses a belt from the take up reel to an optical interrupter to trigger a solenoid to stop the deck.
Hi Steve, when I play a tape that ive made the recording on my current tape deck (SONY TC-WE475) one of my channels when i play back is very muffled. I was assuming this might be a problem with the record/playback switch but I cannot see anything that resembles it at all? Could it be much smaller or digitilised on more modern tape decks, apologies, dont really know what im talking about, so hope that makes sense . Thanks.
I assume you have cleaned the heads as that is the first place to start. The later decks use relays to do the switching, a type of electro-mechanical switch controlled by the main IC. Your deck has RY451 which is a rectangular plastic box around 10mm x 20mm, often blue or white with a clear lid, mounted towards the corner of the board near the line in/out sockets. They cause that sort of problem in Sony decks. You could tap it gently while recording to see if the channel comes and goes, or remove the cover and poke the contacts. If the sounds comes and goes on the faulty channel its likely the relay. It might be possible to remove the cover and carefully clean the contacts but often its best to replace the relay if still available. Some sort of contact cleaner spray may work, but often you need to use a slightly abrasive contact cleaning strip. Its also possible the wiring to the heads in those auto reverse decks is starting to fail because they usually have heads that rotate with each direction, and the wires get metal fatigue. Ideally you need to trace the signal with an oscilloscope to find where the fault lies.
@@StevesElectronicRepairShop thanks so much for taking the time to reply, really appreciated. I will go investigate. I would also like to say great video as well. You explain everything very well indeed. Thanks again
@@StevesElectronicRepairShop upon further inspection the tape heads are stained, I've trying to get off with 99% isopropyl alcohol and Coton bud but it won't budge... How abrasive can I be, can I scrape off with some thing, will I damage the head? Thanks again
@@samhandwhich743 I wouldnt use anything too abrasive. I would try soaking anything on there with the alcohol or even water first for a while to see if it can be wiped off with a cotton bud. You could also try a bit of rag which would be a bit more abrasive than a cotton bud. Worst case maybe one of those green kitchen scourer pads would be OK if used gently.
Great video. I have an old GE cassette recorder. It plays, forwards, and rewinds perfectly, but it doesn't record (doesn't spin when record is pressed). I'd appreciate any advice you could give; I'm new to analog audio
Are you pressing play at the same time as record? The record button usually just presses a switch to change the electronics from playback to recording mode. The play button is what gets the mechanical side happening, so they are normally pressed simultaneously to get into record mode.
@@StevesElectronicRepairShop that's it. Thanks
@@fuldaldilgul It was a good question to ask, as those of us that grew up with them just take it for granted that you press the two together. Some were marked to make it clear, but others werent.
Thanks for the video. Have you any advice for a machine that will not record on either the external or internal microphones? The playback is fine. Thanks.
Assuming it has line inputs or is part of a portable unit with inbuilt radio, and it records either of those OK, I would look for a small mic/line slide switch somewhere near the sockets. Some decks have a mic level control too that will cut them off if set to minimum, but usually its an obvious knob near the mic in sockets. If its something like a dictation recorder then its most likely a problem with the mic socket or the connections to it, since the internal mic goes via a switch inside the socket, so a broken connection or pcb track can take internal and external out together.
@@StevesElectronicRepairShop Thanks for the response. This is an older show box recorder with no radio.
@@markschirripa3607 Another thing you can test is to see if it erases an old recording even if it doesnt record anything from the mic. If its not even doing that it has an electronic problem or the record playback switch may need a clean.