As a Gen Z not afraid to get her hands dirty, I've always been fascinated by tapes, video, audio, even those insane magnetic wire recordings from the early 1900s... Just never had a chance to take one apart. I experienced the very tail end of VHS and cassette tapes so they're more of a relic novelty for me, but the fascination is still there. Did some research, saw tape enthusiasts saying to learn how to service a deck because you'd spend extortionate amounts for refurbished vintage decks. I'm gonna pick up an untested tape dictaphone or something to practice and use this video as a guide. Thank you!! 💜
I just acquired an old Panasonic portable recorder that is not playing and the head has that same brown dirt as you show at 5:40. Some of it came off with a quick rubbing. I guess I'll have to keep working it. I also believe that your cautioning of sketchy places to buy belts should be taken seriously. You pack a lot of useful information in your videos and it was smart to make this one brief. In general I avoid a lot of videos that I might be interested when they require an extended time commitment. I hope this one attracts new subscribers for your channel.
@cassettedeck-walkman-repair ok whew great! Thanks for this, mate. I am so glad I didn't use polish. I'm waiting on a vintage JVC deck to arrive. I did a business with a close mate of mine for it. He is was servicing it it and adressing whatever issues it had (minor) & giving it the usual "run in period" I am thinking of buying afew more later on, to have as "spare" units.
@@cassettedeck-walkman-repair I've been looking for a JVC single cassette deck for a while and there's a seller on ebay that has it. He said the only problem is that it keeps eating the cassette tapes. I assume it's one of the problems you mentioned in this video? Possibly?
@@beotheguitarist 98% sure its one of the things i mentioned , unless its a JVC with Sankyo transport then the 2% can be the back tension belt on the supply reel
I recently found a Sony TC-W250 in the trash. Both belts in both drives have turned into goo. It looks like a lower end deck, and it was free, so it would be a good candidate as a first cassette deck repair.
Awesome find, I hope u succed in bringing her back. Where I live, nobody throws away gear like that. They give away or sell, or sell for high prices. 😢
Thanks for creating this video. If I can add my specific experience is that the single most important thing to lubricate in ageing cassette decks is the capstan motor front bushing, it can make a huge difference in vibrations, IM noise and current requirement. Also it's quite often the case that I can find jammed parts (for dried hardened up old grease). The other part that cannot really be overlooked is how to properly clean the capstan shaft and how to judge a pinch roller. The capstan shaft should be cleaned with isopropyl alcohol and a cotton bud if the oxide isn't stuck to the shaft, it makes the process much easier as it will rub instead of slipping atop the oxide dirt, if the deck has had oxide left in there for years the shaft needs to be polished with steel wool. A hard worn out pinch roller will likely give flutter to the playback, while a flat spot caused by prolonged (days, months, years) contact with the capstan rod will likely cause wow. The pinch roller must be scrubbed from side to side exactly how you show in your video, preferably with isopropyl alcohol. It can also be treated with softening and cleaning fluids that are commercially available. I notice you didn't mention anything about the back tension which in the Kenwood deck of your video seems to be provided by a slipping strip much like a VHS brake. It is essential that the supply hub offers some resistance while turning as a non properly tensioned tape will inevitably spill at the capstan. On closed loop dual capstan machines that tension is offered by the closed loop design of the 2nd (supply) capstan and pinch roller.
@@jeffcline7689 thank you Sir ! I like making them and just hitting 1000 subscribers just is awesome , I stayed up for that so now i have to go to bed apologize to my wife 😎
I had an issue with my portable shutting off due to the auto shutoff mechanism. I found a solution. The auto shutoff doesn't work now, but that doesn't matter to me as much as being able to play a cassette. This video is interesting and educational.
Mooie video, heb me gelijk geabonneerd op je kanaal. Zelf recent m'n oude jaren 90 Sony TC W370 voorzien van nieuwe riemen (wel via Ebay maar bij Thakker vandaan), loopt weer mooi maar gaat naar m'n idee na een poosje toch een fractie langzamer lopen. Twijfel of ik het niet helemaal goed schoon heb gemaakt (oude riemen waren tot snot). Maar was een leuke klus, je leert er een hoop van. Misschien toch nog eens een paar andere riemen er in proberen of nog een keer goed schoonmaken. Moet ook de teller nog een nieuwe riem geven. En m'n twee walkmans die ik nog heb toch ook maar eens weer proberen fatsoenlijk te laten lopen :D
Excellent video, appreciate your well explained video. I do have one problem I wonder if you could give me some advice with. I have a Kenwood KX 67W duel cassette deck for my home stereo that I picked up at a thrift store. The problem I'm having is when I push the power button, the until with automatically power on and both cassette decks will both start spinning at the capstan rod. If I push stop on either deck, nothing changes, the both just keep spinning on both decks. Any advice would greatly be appreciated, thank you !
@cassettedeck-walkman-repair Thanks for your reply, glad to hear that. Personally that's the first time I've ever owned a cassette player that does that.
Recently bought a 2nd hand Technics midi hifi SH-eh500 but the tapedeck RS-EH600 doesn't play a tape. You press play but it stops almost immediately. Previous owner said it was not used for years. If you press play it play for a second. Turn the head over as if the tape is at end of side then stop. Ans the band is pulled out a bit. Those 2 black that sticks. What you think is faulty. Thx
Great video! I’m dealing with a rewind problem on a Sansui SC-3100. All belts replaced, everything works except rewind. Looks as though the torque is low in the rewind mode. Is replacing the tires on the idler wheel the only solution? The SM does not mention the size and I don’t want to make a mistake in ordering the wrong size. If you know what the tire sizes are for the two idler wheel tires and the spool tires (left & right) and can share that, it would be awesome. Thank you again!
Do you have any suggestions or a video recommendation where it sounds great except there is a mechanical noise when running, even if there is no tape in the deck?
Just curious; mechanical and electronic components can be replaced, but what about the heads ? A long long time ago I had a relative cheap Philips open real deck with so called 'long life' heads which wear out over time, not so 'hard' as more expensive FSX heads. Are replacement heads still available somewhere ? Or do you rely on donor decks ?
@@jaapgraanstra281 heads can be ‘relapped’ which means you (crudely stated) sand them down and repolish them , but this is a very time consuming and expensive process. Your best bet would be a donor deck or measure the heads coils and see if you can find something similar new or new old stock
killer video, thanks for this. I have a Marantz PMD 360, when I got it, it was playing but I needed to clean the volume pots which got it working just fine...it crapped out the other day and now the take up reel won't run when I hit play, the speaker seemed to be going as well. I'm a little nervous to open it up because I don't want to mess it up further but this video was great with some pointers. Any chance you've taken a PMD 360 apart before? Any other tips?
Hi , I need help, I was using my old cassette player, I change a tape but one of the pinch roller is in up position, and now it doesn’t want to start play wing/turning, the roller is firmly in up position
im trying to troubleshoot my cassette recorder 3-5362a. it makes annoying high pitched noises, whenever I rewind but then goes away, and the tape wont play it will slow down. I cleaned the circuit board and the bands are strechy and fine. any tips?
Hello there, and thankyou very much for your video. I have a pioneer dc-92 that i have rescued from my attic and neither tape decks are happy. Before i take it apart and investigate could you please recommend a company that sells quality rubber belts for this in UK or Europe please. I want to sell this machine on as it is in fantastic condition after reading an article on the BBC website that stuff like this is now in huge demand?!?! Hence me going into attic to retrieve mine! The record deck had a melted yukky band in it and i have ordered a new one of these, and i am guessing the tape decks have a similar fate, but i am yet to open the machine up yet. It has been in a box in my attic since the late 80's early 90's!! Wish me luck!!
@@neiladkins6726 thank you for your kind words , in the video description i have a few good belt sources in various continents, please have a look at those and good luck with the repair !
Mijn Harman Kardon CD91c is in Maart voorzien van een nieuwe motor en nieuwe snaren.. Maar er klopt niets van . Alleen in de opwarmfase ( zo'n 12 minuten ongeveer ) klinkt ie zuiver maar zodra dat voorbij is , zakt de snelheid in en gaat ie ongelooflijk vals klinken . Hoe kan dat . Ikzelf denk dat de motor niet krachtig genoeg is . Hij is ook een stuk kleiner . De originele motor heb ik erbij terug gekregen .. Voor de restauratie had ik dit probleem totaal niet . Het ding klonk weliswaar niet mega zuiver met de oude snaren en oude motor maar het was binnen de perken .. Graag je reactie
Hi, I just wanted to record a song using my JVC KD-W55 cassette deck, but the song didn't appear, instead there was noise. Then I tried touching the button with my hand and the noise decreased. Is there something wrong with the ground wire connection or is there something broken with other components? Thanks.
hi i have a couple autoreverse decks that for some reason sometimes when you press play forward after inserting a new tape, it tries and fails, then starts playing reverse (autostop). but then forward will work fine again after this
@@foxyr4bbit most likely the tape rotation detection , does it have a mechanical counter with a belt or digital counter ? (Which brand model are they ?)
@@cassettedeck-walkman-repair hi thanks so much for the response! one is a yamaha kx-r430. that has a mechanical counter the other is an onkyo ta-rw344. this is my friends that i was fixing up. this one has a digital counter i thought maybe it was a similar issue since they had the same exact symptom
@@foxyr4bbit the problems are probably the same for both , the digital counter probably has a dirty sensor or dirty reflectors behind the reels , i show the reflectors behind the reels in teh video
What about when the "fingers" are not reading a cassette, but I can push on the fingers and get it to register so that the deck activates. Just clean the contacts? They seem delicate.
@@cassettedeck-walkman-repair i have got different devices (panasonic cassiever, panasonic boomboxes, sharp decks, sansui decks, shoebox recorder etc.) was looking for a retailer that sells good quality square and flat belts that i could buy in bulk for my stash cheers
Yeah the belt situation is a problem. It’s great they are being reproduced but a lot are out of the spec that is required. If you need to replace belts on a 30 dollar deck That is a good deck the so called specialty belts are 30 and 40 US dollars. That’s not worth it because it still will be tight so the Amazon belt kits are the answer. With the 50 piece belt kit for 10 bucks You may find a few belts that are good enough for wow and flutter and still sounds good. I found that you will find the right size belt in the amazon belt kit assortment , and it all seems good until you measure wow and flutter. The problem is the belts are too thick making it to tight. The belts I measured were 0.04in to thick. It makes the difference of being in spec or way out in space. One belt I couldn’t figure out what was wrong until I noticed a small very hard to see rubber bump imperfection. It caused it to be terrible. So for comparison- a factory belt measured 0.24in thick. Amazon belt measure 0.28-0.29in thick . Quality control for the belts must be a lost art. Belts have to perfectly smooth and uniform thickness and width. The top end decks need this to hold amazing specifications.
I accidentally had my bare arm on top of the power supply when my Sony CD/Tape Player was plugged in. It was shocking me and felt like a light burning sensation. It's probably the worst high voltage part to come in contact with and it wasn't that bad at all. Not near as risky as a powered on CRT television. But as long as you're not careless/wreckless you should be fine.
As a Gen Z not afraid to get her hands dirty, I've always been fascinated by tapes, video, audio, even those insane magnetic wire recordings from the early 1900s... Just never had a chance to take one apart. I experienced the very tail end of VHS and cassette tapes so they're more of a relic novelty for me, but the fascination is still there. Did some research, saw tape enthusiasts saying to learn how to service a deck because you'd spend extortionate amounts for refurbished vintage decks. I'm gonna pick up an untested tape dictaphone or something to practice and use this video as a guide. Thank you!! 💜
Worth every second to watch. Appreciate your time
@@attn2020 thank you for your kind words !
I just acquired an old Panasonic portable recorder that is not playing and the head has that same brown dirt as you show at 5:40. Some of it came off with a quick rubbing. I guess I'll have to keep working it. I also believe that your cautioning of sketchy places to buy belts should be taken seriously. You pack a lot of useful information in your videos and it was smart to make this one brief. In general I avoid a lot of videos that I might be interested when they require an extended time commitment. I hope this one attracts new subscribers for your channel.
@@Veedthetg thank you 🙏 i realized that shorter video’s have their place as well . Keep cleaning the head until all the brown stuff is gone !
Cam u use a polish to get the brown stuff off?
@ only as a very last resort, i personally don’t i would polish with alcohol and a qtip
@cassettedeck-walkman-repair ok whew great! Thanks for this, mate. I am so glad I didn't use polish. I'm waiting on a vintage JVC deck to arrive. I did a business with a close mate of mine for it. He is was servicing it it and adressing whatever issues it had (minor) & giving it the usual "run in period"
I am thinking of buying afew more later on, to have as "spare" units.
Thanks for this video. I learned so much!
you are more than welcome ! i thought it was good to just go back to the basics for awhile
@@cassettedeck-walkman-repair I've been looking for a JVC single cassette deck for a while and there's a seller on ebay that has it. He said the only problem is that it keeps eating the cassette tapes. I assume it's one of the problems you mentioned in this video? Possibly?
@@beotheguitarist 98% sure its one of the things i mentioned , unless its a JVC with Sankyo transport then the 2% can be the back tension belt on the supply reel
I recently found a Sony TC-W250 in the trash. Both belts in both drives have turned into goo. It looks like a lower end deck, and it was free, so it would be a good candidate as a first cassette deck repair.
@@thomasburns1846 i am sure you’ll do great !
Awesome find, I hope u succed in bringing her back. Where I live, nobody throws away gear like that. They give away or sell, or sell for high prices. 😢
Thanks for creating this video.
If I can add my specific experience is that the single most important thing to lubricate in ageing cassette decks is the capstan motor front bushing, it can make a huge difference in vibrations, IM noise and current requirement. Also it's quite often the case that I can find jammed parts (for dried hardened up old grease).
The other part that cannot really be overlooked is how to properly clean the capstan shaft and how to judge a pinch roller. The capstan shaft should be cleaned with isopropyl alcohol and a cotton bud if the oxide isn't stuck to the shaft, it makes the process much easier as it will rub instead of slipping atop the oxide dirt, if the deck has had oxide left in there for years the shaft needs to be polished with steel wool. A hard worn out pinch roller will likely give flutter to the playback, while a flat spot caused by prolonged (days, months, years) contact with the capstan rod will likely cause wow. The pinch roller must be scrubbed from side to side exactly how you show in your video, preferably with isopropyl alcohol. It can also be treated with softening and cleaning fluids that are commercially available.
I notice you didn't mention anything about the back tension which in the Kenwood deck of your video seems to be provided by a slipping strip much like a VHS brake. It is essential that the supply hub offers some resistance while turning as a non properly tensioned tape will inevitably spill at the capstan. On closed loop dual capstan machines that tension is offered by the closed loop design of the 2nd (supply) capstan and pinch roller.
Always like your shows. Thank you for taking your time to make these videos.
@@jeffcline7689 thank you Sir ! I like making them and just hitting 1000 subscribers just is awesome , I stayed up for that so now i have to go to bed apologize to my wife 😎
I had an issue with my portable shutting off due to the auto shutoff mechanism. I found a solution. The auto shutoff doesn't work now, but that doesn't matter to me as much as being able to play a cassette.
This video is interesting and educational.
What a superb video. Thank you.
@@breezebenitses397 thank you for your kind words !
Lepo objašnjeno 👍
thank you !
Great to see another who loves cassette tapes. What do you think about the Pioneer dual decks?
some are ok, some are bad, just like all the other dual well decks ;-)
Mooie video, heb me gelijk geabonneerd op je kanaal. Zelf recent m'n oude jaren 90 Sony TC W370 voorzien van nieuwe riemen (wel via Ebay maar bij Thakker vandaan), loopt weer mooi maar gaat naar m'n idee na een poosje toch een fractie langzamer lopen.
Twijfel of ik het niet helemaal goed schoon heb gemaakt (oude riemen waren tot snot). Maar was een leuke klus, je leert er een hoop van. Misschien toch nog eens een paar andere riemen er in proberen of nog een keer goed schoonmaken. Moet ook de teller nog een nieuwe riem geven.
En m'n twee walkmans die ik nog heb toch ook maar eens weer proberen fatsoenlijk te laten lopen :D
@@ro9967 langzaam langzamer looen zou ook nog een iets te strakke snaar kunnen zijn , suc6 met de reparatie!
Great, thank you for the sharing
Thanks for watching!
Excellent video, appreciate your well explained video. I do have one problem I wonder if you could give me some advice with. I have a Kenwood KX 67W duel cassette deck for my home stereo that I picked up at a thrift store. The problem I'm having is when I push the power button, the until with automatically power on and both cassette decks will both start spinning at the capstan rod. If I push stop on either deck, nothing changes, the both just keep spinning on both decks. Any advice would greatly be appreciated, thank you !
@@Gauntlet1985 thats normal with these decks on power on the motor start as well
@cassettedeck-walkman-repair Thanks for your reply, glad to hear that. Personally that's the first time I've ever owned a cassette player that does that.
Excellent video
Recently bought a 2nd hand Technics midi hifi SH-eh500 but the tapedeck RS-EH600 doesn't play a tape. You press play but it stops almost immediately. Previous owner said it was not used for years. If you press play it play for a second. Turn the head over as if the tape is at end of side then stop. Ans the band is pulled out a bit. Those 2 black that sticks. What you think is faulty. Thx
Pls guide us to set main gear of kenwood kx70
i have an audio issue one channel only nakamichi bx-125e leds show channels are working but no output on 1 channel even with headphones, any idea?
@@mike311271 have the caps been replaced ? Those are problematic in naks
Great video! I’m dealing with a rewind problem on a Sansui SC-3100. All belts replaced, everything works except rewind. Looks as though the torque is low in the rewind mode. Is replacing the tires on the idler wheel the only solution? The SM does not mention the size and I don’t want to make a mistake in ordering the wrong size. If you know what the tire sizes are for the two idler wheel tires and the spool tires (left & right) and can share that, it would be awesome. Thank you again!
Do you have any suggestions or a video recommendation where it sounds great except there is a mechanical noise when running, even if there is no tape in the deck?
Typically that sounds like a dry running bearing / motor
Just curious; mechanical and electronic components can be replaced, but what about the heads ? A long long time ago I had a relative cheap Philips open real deck with so called 'long life' heads which wear out over time, not so 'hard' as more expensive FSX heads. Are replacement heads still available somewhere ? Or do you rely on donor decks ?
@@jaapgraanstra281 heads can be ‘relapped’ which means you (crudely stated) sand them down and repolish them , but this is a very time consuming and expensive process. Your best bet would be a donor deck or measure the heads coils and see if you can find something similar new or new old stock
killer video, thanks for this. I have a Marantz PMD 360, when I got it, it was playing but I needed to clean the volume pots which got it working just fine...it crapped out the other day and now the take up reel won't run when I hit play, the speaker seemed to be going as well. I'm a little nervous to open it up because I don't want to mess it up further but this video was great with some pointers. Any chance you've taken a PMD 360 apart before? Any other tips?
Hi , I need help, I was using my old cassette player, I change a tape but one of the pinch roller is in up position, and now it doesn’t want to start play wing/turning, the roller is firmly in up position
im trying to troubleshoot my cassette recorder 3-5362a. it makes annoying high pitched noises, whenever I rewind but then goes away, and the tape wont play it will slow down. I cleaned the circuit board and the bands are strechy and fine. any tips?
Hi Rene, what type of oil do you use when lubing the motor bearings?
@@HighPoint_Aud_Elec i use isoflex pdp-65 , oil for sintered bearings
Hello there, and thankyou very much for your video.
I have a pioneer dc-92 that i have rescued from my attic and neither tape decks are happy. Before i take it apart and investigate could you please recommend a company that sells quality rubber belts for this in UK or Europe please. I want to sell this machine on as it is in fantastic condition after reading an article on the BBC website that stuff like this is now in huge demand?!?! Hence me going into attic to retrieve mine! The record deck had a melted yukky band in it and i have ordered a new one of these, and i am guessing the tape decks have a similar fate, but i am yet to open the machine up yet. It has been in a box in my attic since the late 80's early 90's!! Wish me luck!!
@@neiladkins6726 thank you for your kind words , in the video description i have a few good belt sources in various continents, please have a look at those and good luck with the repair !
Mijn Harman Kardon CD91c is in Maart voorzien van een nieuwe motor en nieuwe snaren.. Maar er klopt niets van . Alleen in de opwarmfase ( zo'n 12 minuten ongeveer ) klinkt ie zuiver maar zodra dat voorbij is , zakt de snelheid in en gaat ie ongelooflijk vals klinken . Hoe kan dat . Ikzelf denk dat de motor niet krachtig genoeg is . Hij is ook een stuk kleiner . De originele motor heb ik erbij terug gekregen .. Voor de restauratie had ik dit probleem totaal niet . Het ding klonk weliswaar niet mega zuiver met de oude snaren en oude motor maar het was binnen de perken .. Graag je reactie
ik denk een te zwakke niet originele motor en/of te strakke snaren waardoor de snelheid gaat varieeren
Hi, I just wanted to record a song using my JVC KD-W55 cassette deck, but the song didn't appear, instead there was noise. Then I tried touching the button with my hand and the noise decreased. Is there something wrong with the ground wire connection or is there something broken with other components?
Thanks.
hi i have a couple autoreverse decks that for some reason sometimes when you press play forward after inserting a new tape, it tries and fails, then starts playing reverse (autostop). but then forward will work fine again after this
@@foxyr4bbit most likely the tape rotation detection , does it have a mechanical counter with a belt or digital counter ? (Which brand model are they ?)
@@cassettedeck-walkman-repair hi thanks so much for the response! one is a yamaha kx-r430. that has a mechanical counter
the other is an onkyo ta-rw344. this is my friends that i was fixing up. this one has a digital counter
i thought maybe it was a similar issue since they had the same exact symptom
@@foxyr4bbit the problems are probably the same for both , the digital counter probably has a dirty sensor or dirty reflectors behind the reels , i show the reflectors behind the reels in teh video
@@cassettedeck-walkman-repair thank you, i'll take a look!
thank you buddy!
No problem! i am glad its interesting
What about when the "fingers" are not reading a cassette, but I can push on the fingers and get it to register so that the deck activates.
Just clean the contacts? They seem delicate.
what would you consider a good source for belts in europe? i really need some :)
@@KekmanForTheRestOfTheWorld which brand / model please ?
@@cassettedeck-walkman-repair i have got different devices (panasonic cassiever, panasonic boomboxes, sharp decks, sansui decks, shoebox recorder etc.) was looking for a retailer that sells good quality square and flat belts that i could buy in bulk for my stash
cheers
@@KekmanForTheRestOfTheWorld for bulk belts try russell industries , as you s you know the sizes they have good belts
russellind.com/downl.htm
@@cassettedeck-walkman-repair thanks you, i'll check them out
thanks for this video! linked it on my site :)
@@foxyr4bbit thank you 🙏 much appreciated
Do you think this applies to a duplication system? I've been digging into a kaba duplicator and am struggling a bit
@@AnthonyPenizotto might very well be , they are ‘just’ multiple cassette transports
Yeah the belt situation is a problem. It’s great they are being reproduced but a lot are out of the spec that is required.
If you need to replace belts on a 30 dollar deck That is a good deck the so called specialty belts are 30 and 40 US dollars. That’s not worth it because it still will be tight so the Amazon belt kits are the answer. With the 50 piece belt kit for 10 bucks You may find a few belts that are good enough for wow and flutter and still sounds good.
I found that you will find the right size belt in the amazon belt kit assortment , and it all seems good until you measure wow and flutter.
The problem is the belts are too thick making it to tight.
The belts I measured were 0.04in to thick. It makes the difference of being in spec or way out in space. One belt I couldn’t figure out what was wrong until I noticed a small very hard to see rubber bump imperfection. It caused it to be terrible.
So for comparison- a factory belt measured 0.24in thick.
Amazon belt measure 0.28-0.29in thick .
Quality control for the belts must be a lost art.
Belts have to perfectly smooth and uniform thickness and width.
The top end decks need this to hold amazing specifications.
@@universalhead great and explanation! Thank you for your reply
Grazie per le tue spiegazioni ,mi puoi indicare quale è il fornitore di cinghie e ricambi per cassette deck ,ti scrivo dall’Italia,grazie ancora
try this seller , i have very good experiences with him : ebay.us/JlvCli
I have a pioneer CT-W53 the power won't come on.
That gear not working and head portion is jumping
Why no warning about high voltages?.
@@skeelo69 because i am not the pampering warning type ?
I accidentally had my bare arm on top of the power supply when my Sony CD/Tape Player was plugged in. It was shocking me and felt like a light burning sensation. It's probably the worst high voltage part to come in contact with and it wasn't that bad at all. Not near as risky as a powered on CRT television. But as long as you're not careless/wreckless you should be fine.