1981 Hitachi TRK-8290E Mechanical Service & Belt Replacement

[@leefrohock]

Wow, Hitachi TRK-8290E. I had one of those in 1981 and it cost me £179. I always regretted selling it but to buy one now with a working tape deck is near on impossible. very complex inside too as i recall. Tempted to try and get hold of one now i have seen this Video on repairing and servicing as i really miss it. Fantastic sound it had too :D

[@deltic17]

Wow, what can i say, that is incredible. The detail and precision is remarkable. I was captivated, watched it through a few times. Ive been listening to these since 1981 and never knew the intricate workings within, even the selector switch gear mechanism amazed me, who knew? Will be interesting to compare the inner gubbins on the same model, (that cut off wire from the motor for one). My essential Saturday viewing! Brilliant!!!

[@kasperjr]

Good timing...just starting the same unit...with the same belt problem. i missed 2 belts...so i was wondering where they go...now i know ;-) thx

[@user-de6zq5mk1n]

Hi James love the video. Just wanted say i have one of these in for repair where by all the tape button will not go down have had a look around latch bars but just can't see why it will not allow the levers to go down.

[@jamesbennettmusic]

They're a bugger for dried grease. Can't remember if it was this one or the other where the pause button was jammed and I've seen others around with the pause button stuck. If it's on the metal, try a short blast of hot air

[@user-br3rb8jd6m]

These are two Hitachi stereo portable radio-recorder, choose the heavier one between them；because the weight is larger the quality is better.

[@Choober65]

To make a new set of belts last virtually for EVER soak them in 303 Aircraft Protectant for a week, then dry gently with a tissue and allow to dry for 24Hrs.

[@pierrejoaquin]

Hi James, is the only difference between the 8190 & 8290 just the colour differences and the inclusion of Metal tape capability in the latter? You're detailed insight would be very helpful for me. Thank you in advance!

[@jamesbennettmusic]

@@pierrejoaquin no, the 8290 also has a revised mechanism which combines the stop and eject buttons (separate on the 8190) and uses one less belt, likely all done to reduce cost a bit

[@bigcheesevirus]

I have one of these in A1 condition. Just recently, the FM stopped working any ideas?

[@jamesbennettmusic]

@@bigcheesevirus I would look at cleaning the function and band switches - might be a dirty contact there?

[@Lanae8199]

I bought the 1981 model used back in 2017. It plays tapes, but there is a humming sound when playing a tape. Does anyone know how this can be repaired?

[@jamesbennettmusic]

it would need properly diagnosing but one thing you can try is cleaning the long record/play switch

[@garethroberts8268]

Excellent video. I have the exact same model, I'm missing a couple of the volume control sliders, do you have any idea where I might find replacements?

[@jamesbennettmusic]

Thank you. No idea unfortunately, other than stealing them from a donor machine. I think some other models used the same ones but, between all the ones I fixed, I did notice that some were definitely silver, and some were definitely shiny chrome!

[@catalintudor1915]

What deoxit you use for clean all switch slide mechanisms?

[@jamesbennettmusic]

Deoxit D5 for switches, Cailube MCL for fader pots (same company, Caig Laboratories)

[@mariusbrasoveanu7820]

Hi. Did yoy had trouble with the autostop feature? I cleaned and oiled the mechanism, replaced all the belts as you did. I used the same belt kit as you. At the end of the tape the autostop is not triggered. From what I noticed, the belt that drive the pulley that triggers the autostop is slipping. Thanks for sharing this information, your video guided me through the whole process.

[@jamesbennettmusic]

I did another 8290 where the gear which drives the white nylon autostop 'cam' thing squealed a lot. I had to clean and re-grease it and it worked okay afterwards. They are a bit temperamental. Check that the little 'bar' that rides along the cam is moving properly. I didn't have any slipping issues but definitely some dried grease at times.

[@mariusbrasoveanu7820]

Thank you, it make sense, but still I find that belt quite loose. I clean and greased everything, but still looks like need a lot of force to trigger it. I'm looking for a new tighter belt and give it another try. What grease did you use?

[@jamesbennettmusic]

@@mariusbrasoveanu7820 strange, nothing was loose for me, did you fit the belts the same way as I did? I used white lithium grease.

[@mariusbrasoveanu7820]

I'm using same white litium grease. I fit the belts as you did. I look at the mecanism and is ok, no parts missing, bent or broken. I tried turning the pulley by hand and it takes a lot of force to trigger the autostop. The belt has no chance of spinning it. My only chance is to give it another cleaninig and another belt, maybe a 43.5 mm diameter with 1.2 mm thickness. Thank you for your time.

[@mariusbrasoveanu7820]

I managed to solve the autostop problem. The belt that came in my kit was to blame, it was thinner and wider than it should be and it was slipping. I replaced it with a belt with a diameter of 43.5 mm and a thickness of 1.2 mm and now it works perfectly. I left this answer in case someone else is looking for a solution to the problem.

[@danielknepper6884]

Hitachi boom boxes are absolutely a pain in the butt to work on.

[@jamesbennettmusic]

I'm doing a 1984 Philips at the moment and that's a hundred times worse!