AIWA 3 Head Tape Deck Repair (AD-FF90 / AD-F990)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ธ.ค. 2023
- UPDATE:
So I’m running a 3-part LIVE workshop that takes us on…
A Time Travel Through Vintage Electronics.
We’ll rewind the clock, dive into the tech of the times…
(and study the very history of how things were broken and repaired has evolved)
The workshop is coming soon, but if you're reading this then you're in luck (or not)...
And there's still time for you to sign up using the link below:
www.menditmark.com/mend-mark-...
The workshop dates are mentioned in the link above too.
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Mark repairs a 1982 vintage AIWA cassette deck. This is the Japanese market AD-FF90, (identical to the AD-F990?). Its a very high end machine for the time, but has broken down in multiple ways. Has Mark bitten off more than he can chew? Short answer is, yes!
UPDATE:
So I’m running a 3-part LIVE workshop that takes us on…
A Time Travel Through Vintage Electronics.
We’ll rewind the clock, dive into the tech of the times…
(and study the very history of how things were broken and repaired has evolved)
The workshop is coming soon, but if you're reading this then you're in luck (or not)...
And there's still time for you to sign up using the link below:
www.menditmark.com/mend-mark-workshop
The workshop dates are mentioned in the link above too.
Like others are saying, I am 71 now, and have been an electronics audio service engineer from being a hobbyist at 11 years old and I still do the odd repair and restore old equipment, particularly valve (tube) amplifiers. Trust me when I say, you will not see a better all round technician than Mark. Simply the best.
But why he hates the decks? This AiwA is a GEM. True dragonslayer,nakakiller. All these,660 and 770 and AD-F990 are wayy over average consumer decks. Simply slim design and all are screaming sweet 80`s design style.
There are a couple others that do what Mark does, but he is definitely up there with the best!
Mark is a specialist at the very top of his game.
I also did an apprenticeship in Australia early 1970's era 2 years before we got color tv. Became a radio tradesman and repaired electronic/electrical and other white good items. Great to see this guy fix stuff, he seems to have a great knowlege of most things including RF alignment and mechanical repairs too!
You had me to 'the best'.
Maybe I fell asleep by the time he did wow and flutter, signal to noise and tape head alignment.
He is the best at putting a light hearted approach at electronic troubleshooting though.
Mark your patience always amazes me.That and remembering where every little screw and small part goes.Fascinating.
I'm absolutely lost for words. I've never seen such commitment in these recent times of 'economical repair'. What a find this channel was. Amazing work, such patience 👏
This is by far most detailed repair job I haven't seen in long, long while. MOST IMPRESSIVE part was the motor repair WOW... I don't think hi-fi technicians were this good...well ever.
Wish more technicians like Mark were around. 👍🇩🇰
That’s an Understatement !!!!!
There is no money for a technician to make in repairing old equipment.
The lack of readily available parts and the TIME required to perform the repair would scare most customers away.
An unfortunate reality.
@@johnbedell2376 Sorry but that's just not correct. I have been repairing electronics like Mark does (I also do professional audio and broadcast electronics) for over 50 years now and I am still doing it. People are still paying reasonable money to have their equipment serviced and repaired and if there was no money in it then I wouldn't be doing it still! I don't have too many problems getting the parts I need and I can complete most repairs in a realistic amount of time.
There are - we're just not all doing TH-cam videos. I am too busy repairing to have the time to make videos as well.
@@sw6188 but you have the time to watch Mark mending electronic 😊
We need more people like Mark to avoid dumping products in landfill.
Yes!!!!
Absolutely, because after watching the troubleshooting he had to do for this deck, I WOULD have chucked it in the bin!
agreed. fabulous resource provided to us for free by Mark, by documenting these repairs. love his work
Well, his videos kind encourage people to be braver about approaching solid state amp repairs. Well, me at least.
Yep! but THIS Aiwa really deserved to be trashed! what a piece o junk!
The troubleshooting of the insulation being too thick on 1 side was elite level. Great job.
Fearless technical repair genius. Can’t be more than a few persons in the world like Mark.
You have the patience of a saint, this is the most relaxing electronic repair channel on TH-cam.
This is the best Xmas special I've ever seen.
Honestly, no joke.
Love this channel, and Mark is a complete joy to watch at work.
Zip his trousers up after you're done down there mate 👍🏻
Totally agree my friend.
That's funny, just read your comment after posting mine... I asked Mark to give us episode 2 on Xmas day. : )
@bari
Grow up.
@@BariLopesh wind your neck in, plum.
1:01:40 The compu brain system is for recording. The deck will automatically adjust the fine bias, the record level, and equalization (odd as EQ curve should be set by the tape type detected by the reed switches over the cassette shell). It'll auto rewind back to the starting point, ready to record! It's amazing it had Dolby C in 1982, and could detect if the recording was made with B or C encoding. Smashing motor rebuild Mark!
The EQ set by switches is a rough setting, exact eq varies by tape manufacturers. The 770 and 990 could cal some tapes that no others could do. Dedicated Reel-to-Reel deck owners will have their machines calibrated for specific tape brands and formulations.
In many decks bias is adjusted to get flat frequency response, but that is actually not the right approach. Bias should be adjusted for maximum output and/or minimum distortion or a compromise between the two. Next, recording EQ is set to get flat frequency response (on PB). Only a handful of decks wehere ever designed this way. Apperently this is one of them.
@@pietermol8508 That's really cool. I wonder how good it sounds.
@@pietermol8508 These decks had Dolby HX-Pro (a Bang & Olufsen invention), which adjusted the bias in real-time when the signal contained frequency components which could do part of the bias function. Hence it eXtended the Headroom.
Everything online about this deck/model says introduced 1982, but somehow I'm finding that hard(ish) to believe. Everything about the design and aesthetic (including the flat control panel) screams mid-late 80's to me.
That's a great repair on what was one of the best decks of its time and about as expensive as a Nakamichi (around 125,000 yen in 1982). The auto-selector for dolby B and C depends on a low frequency waveform that is added to your recording when made with this deck. As you are playing an original tape it won't have that signal, ie. you need to select Dolby manually. The compu stuff is used before recording and will adjust bias and level for the tape - you need a tape with the recording tabs in place for that to work. There is a very good chance your Aiwa deck is working 100% already.
Im not an electrician but these videos are almost therapeutic to watch. Another great watch.
Pretty sure he's not an electrician either 🤣
"therapeutic to watch" 👍
@@BariLopesh Yeah Im sure hes more than electrician. Couldn't find the right word. My bad.
An electrician fixes the wiring in your house. An electronics technician fixes your electronic devices.
@@HansDelbruck53 The correct terminology would be electrical engineer 👍🏻
He's really a man who loves what he does.
Got to respect it!
In this disposable society, you actually repair things, Mark you are truly amazing !!!
Can't believe I just sat through an hour of fiddling around with a cassette mechanism - and was enthralled the whole time! Love seeing the trial-and-error, as well as the odd mistake and rectification which is what I love about the channel. Total respect for the work and perseverance, plus the aptitude to work these things out. Great work as usual
I really love watching your videos because, as a retired A/V technician from the 80s to the early 2000s, you work on a lot of the same kind of equipment that I did. I must have worked on hundreds of tape decks right down to rebuilding the cassette chassis, but I must say that I NEVER had to rewind a motor.
I am THOROUGHLY impressed!
Great video. I can't wait for part 2.
Likewise, I would never have gone to the lengths of rewinding the motor. Mark really makes it look so doable. He is in a league of his own - the electronic equivalent of Allan Millyard of the world of motor cycles .
What a talented man you are Mark. To rewind a motor, definitely needs thinking and true understanding of electronics. As a former Physics and Electronics teacher I want to say, you are a pleasure to watch and a gifted and learned man teaching the teachers.
What I like about Mark is that he never ever is frustrated about setbacks... he is never tired...
Winding that motor, I mean who of us would ever tackle that job?
Me, if I had the gear LOL. As a kid I re-wound a miniature coil in the pickup of an old jukebox. That feeling when it actually played a record!
@jonnyfix You're right. I rewound the motor of my parents teasmaid and the joy when it actually worked was fantastic.
He's got a bit of Peewee Herman in him. So endearing, and a good example for all of us.
@@wheatonna yeah, I kind of agree... but Mark is a better person than that I think... Just look what he is capable of doing... you know... no need to play it down or something...
I guess that's really it, he is a nice person with a lot of knowledge and a heap of skills. Let us learn from this guy...
Can't tell you how much I enjoy your work and this particular episode, as I owned an ADF990 and 770 but the 990 back in the day could rival the Nakamichi Dragon, it sounded that good. You could really push the saturation points of cassette tapes without distortion. I used TDK MAXG's and later SONY super metal master tapes mostly.The Auto-Calibration system that you will be fixing next is uncannily accurate and makes this deck next level. I stopped using my machine with the advent of CDR and minidisc etc. I couldnt sell it on, so under pressure from she who must be obeyed, I ended up putting it out for the rag & bone man. It was working when I got rid. Now they can make over £1000 quid in good condition. I have to say I don't regret chucking it out for the money it would be worth, its just that seeing yours and others working and knowing how great they can sound, I miss my ADF990. Its unique and the best thing Aiwa ever made.
I get so many tips from Mark's videos. The idea of using drill bits of various sizes to set things at the correct height is brilliant.
Brilliant Mark, from you getting electric shock in the intro and Belinda’s ball’s dropping and a beautiful tape deck….. what’s not to like 👍😍
"I think Belinda's balls have dropped!" Nearly spat out my tea! It's always a good day when a new Mend It Mark video is posted. Thanks Mark, and merry Christmas!
Yawn.. the old 'tea' line.....How original.
@@TheOptimod We have a cynic in our midst! Who do you work for? The You Tube Comment Originality Squad?
Looking forward to pt2. Amazed at your perseverance…..I would have given up long before. I’m not sure the owner is going to appreciate the bill the hours you’ve put in for the repairs🤣
An astonishingly knowledgeable electronics engineer who fearlessly tackles the most challenging problems with incredible enthusiasm. Mark clearly enjoys his work and is so compelling to watch. Genius!
I've been working in a repair shop for almost 29 years. I had zillions of those motors around. Dumped them all thinking they'll be available forever but something weird happened
I still repair cassette decks and I get a friend who works at an electronics recycling centre to save these motors for me. He is scrapping electronics daily and when he strips something down with one of these motors in he puts it aside for me.
ASMR electronics repair at it's finest! Thank you Mark for your cheerful attitude towards what seems to be everything. Very pleased to "know" you during these wildly difficult situations. You are indeed the epitome of grace under pressure.
Well written! And indeed I do enjoy the audio in Mark's videos, be it ASMR or whatever. Best wishes.
Not ASMR, the emphasis of the video is on the repair and troubleshooting, not some girl who is whispering in a breathy voice...
@@69uremum Settle down there :) No-one is saying ASMR is the purpose of Mark's videos. It is simply a comment on the detail and clarity of the audio which all adds to the presentation. If Mark didn't intend it to be that way he wouldn't go the effort. It's great to be able to see and HEAR what is going on. I know that many viewers of this channel have no interest in electronics but enjoy the videos because of Mark's personality and because they are so well presented, including sharp AUDIO. 🙂
I'll have my own fantasies thank you very much! LOL@@69uremum
@@geoffedwards189 well said,...but those paper towels 😬
I used to do this in the 70s..but didn't have your sophisticated testing equipment. Great to see you repairing stuff..an amazing talent. Brilliant 👏 👏. Well done Mark. 👏
Este video debería llamarse "tengo inmensa paciencia" a la hora de cobrarle al cliente habría que mostrarle el inmenso trabajo que lleva hacer que estos delicados mecanismos vuelvan a la vida. Extraordinario trabajo. Felicitaciones
The best thing in my day, a 'Mark is back' video, nice one mate! They don't make transports like that anymore, just look at those flywheels! Would love a 3 head deck one-day. I think someone's been in there before. The first thing I noticed was that cables were not zip tied inside & the other mechanical 'errors' you picked up. 58:40 😂😂 Happy holidays Mark - another superb video :) thank you.
I'm a big fan of watch repair videos but this is on a whole different level.
Hats off to you Mark.
Well done 🙂👍🇬🇧
Hats off??
The mechanical and lever overlay of those cassette meghanisms boggles my mind. ,and then the application of servos, relays and control mechansims to control all the functions.,and the sheer gritty determination to NOT GIVE UP. Incredible.
Whats interesting with this is that the unit is clearly high-end, but it also looks like someone has been in it before and didn't do nearly as good a job as Mark 👍 it must have taken ages (in real time) to have worked through all the issues. Excellent fault-finding/diagnostics. Really enjoyed the bit when Balinda was running slowly, and the comment Mark made too; I woke up laughing about it this morning 🤣🤣🤣🤣
It also looks like it was produced in small numbers and Aiwa never got round to optimising the rat's nest of cabling!
I could watch this chap all day. Pleasant through and through. Excellent camera work, and even better handiwork. Not to mention gobs of patience.
I bought a new ADF-770 back in the early eighties. Loved it to bits especially how it would record a test signal then play it back to itself and adjust settings to make best record to suit tape used. Wonderful machine.
Your patience is amazing. Most people would have shipped it back with a note saying it needs a new motor and not worth fixing. Great work.
Mark using his outstanding skills and certainly has the patience, well done Mark for another therapeutic video.
Mark, It's nice to see someone that's not afraid to restore electronic devices. Excellent attention to detail by adding Kapton tape to insulate the armature. That motor is now much better then when it left the factory.
Mark, you have my undying admiration for your ability to resolve mechanical and electronic faults. I, like yourself hated working on those cassette decks and I didnt have your patience . Trying to reverse engineer a circuit board in the way you did would have sent my brain into meltdown. Another great video, cant wait for part 2, enjoy you Christmas
Best yet! Awesome to watch a true professional in action - thanks Mark!
I congratulate you friend because these days no one repairs equipment like this anymore, with a lot of dedication like that, congratulations
Great perseverance Mark, with gear of this age you never know who’s previously been inside & what extra faults they’ve caused. A 4 cups of tea repair 👍
Now I understand why Mark takes so long in delivering content to TH-cam. His work is meticulously outstanding. My favorite video to date. I would have thrown this tape deck against the wall at several junctures.... incredible job Mark! I appreciate your work.
It's not his day job.
Yes he does he is pristine!
You are right, but it's not just about what he does to repair a gear. It's also about how he operates the camera and does the post-production. Just watch it again and pay attention to close ups, angles and so forth. I guess it takes quite much of extra time that Mark needs to spend to show us his great work in such extraordinary way.
Your skills and perfection are unmatched Mark. Deep respect! What a great repair so far, looking forward to part 2.
Fuseable resistors, and caps that look like resistors. Always something to learn here. Sweet work!
It took me a minute before I remembered they started using capacitors with the same form factor as resistors. Most resistors use four colour bands to identify their resistance. Notice at 33:38 the capacitor has five colour bands. I can still figure out resistor values from the colours but never memorized the cap colour coding.
Do electronics myself and this is got to be one of the best channels I seen. Just like people like this, he puts the work in and don’t cut corners. I know old tape decks are a pain and can spend a lot of time on them. Fantastic workmanship mate you do. Be nice to see the next episode. Try recapping one of these things it takes ages but if people want a full service it has to be done with all the other things too.
I’ve fixed a couple Sony Walkman WM-F10’s. Just putting them back together is a frustrating challenge!
I love the grinding noise as the machine unwinds the wire! 😊
Blown away by your patience and attention to detail! Fantastic Tech!
what an amazing repair, I cannot think of anybody going through re-winding the motor and fixing all those nagging issues with the tape deck! Can't wait for the next one!
I really enjoyed watching this epiode. Ending the year on such a high note with a quality Japanese tape deck overhaul is pure gold. Two part cliffhangers are as fitting of the 1980's as the tape deck.
Well done, I admire your patience! The computer controlled bias circuitry only comes into its own during recording I think. You put a blank tape in, set it to record, and it makes a test recording, plays it back, and works out the correct bias setting by itself. I wouldn't expect anything on there to light up during playback.
This! It's time to download the user manual....
Not just bias, but level *and* equalization, many 'auto tuning' decks didn't do EQ. This and the 770 can calibrate to some tapes that no other machine could.
What a joy watching you work. I learnt so much in the last hour.
That’s quite a machine and lots of hard work done. Looking forward to the next episode
Great Video Mark, still got an ADF 990.... The Compu Brain system is for recording, put a blank tape in hit start and it will record various test tones while it adjusts the bias,cal and eq.
then it will stop and rewind all setup for the perfect recording, just have to set the REC volume 😎
Always a great day with "Giggles, the Technician". This is now a $3000 cassette player.
😲 Wow! An Aiwa with a genuine Belinda Carlisle Circle in the Sand K7! Euphorically Euphonic! 👏 Bravo!
Just, simply, i cannot believe the patience of this guy🤯
You are definitely one of the fastest growing electronics repair channel I've ever seen. I think it's your ability your presentation and most of all your cheery disposition despite being British haha! I love your channel Mark. You have motivated me to actually desolder sliders from my boards and clean them properly not just spray and pray. Thank you for your videos
Beautiful work! I love these tape decks. I did similar work (hobby) on my AD-F660.
Have to say Mark that was impressive work. Someone had clearly been in there before you and butchered that mechanism - no way it left the factory with springs in the wrong place and ball bearings missing. Looking forward to Pt 2
i think,that ball was too big..?
I used to have an AIWA F990! This brought back some memories, thanks so much, Mark.
You Sir are on a totally different level. Bravo.
Truly impressive to watch. No matter how hard and carefully I would try, something this complex would be irreparably broken in about 10 minutes. You have the patience and skill few possess.
Simply amazing how you take efforts to revive the tapedeck!!! That's the best way of value preservation👍
What an epic. Perfect Christmas watching. Brings back happy memories of fixing my first proper cassette deck.
Hello Mark. I still have 4 of these in the studio. The buttons you don't know are just to auto calibrate the deck. You insert a new tape, push the calibrate button, and the Aiwa will do al the bias adjust automatically. It generates a tone, monitorizes it, make the necessary adjustments, and once finished, it stops and rewind the tape to the beginning, ready to record. I also own a Nakamichi 1000, but I love this ones. Great video, as always, BTW!.
don't you have to set recording on pause before you press that calibrate button? These auto calibration functions were a bit dodgy on some brands on early 3 head decks. Only after 90' they become more accurate and reliable. IMO the best ones were on Technics and Sony top models in mid 90' before the CDs took over. Especially since after 90' a lots of fake brand cassettes flooded the market and this auto calibration function could fix most of them. Double capstan would help with the low quality plastic magnetic media carrier in the cassettes to reduce W&F.
@@beograd07you are right. Must prepare it to record putting it into pause, then press the auto calibration button. The ones I have used to work very well adjusting the tape; remember, Aiwa was a Sony brand…
soon i got two of these adf-770 and same autodata exeter they got. Way over average consumer level,these series are. And what a recorders,better than naka.
aiwa was better than sonny. Only after sonnys bought aiwa away. It kicked sonnys ass very painfully,hahah.@@fichambawelby2632
@@fichambawelby2632 I did not know that. I always wondered who was behind Aiwa. Thanks for the info. I knew most of the decks were using Sony dolby chips and only logic control chips would be locally made (like Nakamichi in some of their decks). And if Sony designed this deck it is a surprise how many connecting wires are inside. Sony is known for a very neat design. And this was obviously one of the Aiwa's top model at the time (1982).
This is an extraordinary work! Fantastic repair! Can’t wait to see the rest. How we hated to work on these back in the day because the boss wouldn’t allow the necessary time to do real troubleshooting. Aiwa where insanely complex and just like in your case, we had to disassemble everything to get access to most parts. Then you had to reassemble before testing because these units had flimsy framings. They almost all had parts soldered on the back of the pc boards. (Often done in shop with Aiwa mod service bulletin)
nothing stops this man Mark what a man to have around when things don't go to plan.
Well done again. A master at work. Love watching you work your way through the problem. Can’t wait for the next video and see you finish the tape deck.
I’m sure your customers appreciate the work you do when they see your videos
Amazing Mark ! You have the patience of a saint.
The Aiwa AD-FF90 is a stereo cassette deck with Dolby B/C and HX-Pro noise reduction, it was introduced by Aiwa in 1982 with a recommended retail price of USD ...
US$ 595,00
Over $1900 today.
impressed beyond words. So few have technical savvy like this not to mention the patience. Thanks for the experience of watching you work.
Amazing job, it takes not only lots of knowledge but also mega patience. Happy 2024!!!
Спасибо тебе, Марк, за твои видео! Мне нравится их смотреть. Я восхищаюсь твоим терпением, оптимизмом и находчивостью!
As someone who has worked on quite a few decks now, I can say that the AIWA AD-F990 and AD-F770 are a bit of a nightmare. AIWA seem to have concentrated their efforts on the heads, transport, and auto-calibration, and left the rest to chance?, very constricted inside. Some decks really test our patience!
I watched it all the way through - great to see someone wind the rotor windings from scratch - much credit to you Mark!
Mark it's always a pleasure watching a technician and artist of your calibre at work - Just plainly great!!👍👏👏
Mark, you are an unbelievably skilled electronics engineer. Pure joy to watch your videos.
"I think Belinda's balls have dropped." That was a good one.🤣
It might be the first time I've heard him crack a "dirty" joke. Unexpected!
@@IlBiggo That's not "dirty", just suggestive.
Brilliant video. About 6 months ago I changed the two main belts on my Aiwa AD 660 machine. That was tricky enough - I can't believe the problems you had to sort out on this machine Mark - well done!
Brilliant, loved this video - your fault finding, perseverence, slills and attention to detail are excellent.
Dare we hope for a part 2 before the end of 2023? 🙂
Amazing dexterity and unbelievable patience. What’s not to admire in Mend it Mark?
Wow, looks very complicated inside! Going to enjoy this next hour watching you sort things out :-)
Well done Mark. Tape decks are amazing but a real Bugger to fix. Great video.
What a craftsman! Mark you an incredibly talented electronics technician. I can't wait for the following episode. Please keep making more videos.
Mate you have quite some patience... I did wonder at the time if you'd put the motor in the right way around!
1:00:22 "Oh dear, I think Belinda's balls have dropped": kwality belly laugh!
"Capacitor police" LOL!
This was my proposed comment exactly. Always requires a lot of patience when you have to disassemble and reassemble the same thing umpteen frustrating times. Thanks for the Belinda time stamp!
Muito inteligente e perfeccionista parabéns 👍👍👍👍🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷
Mark, you are an honest to God genius!
I think you will find the "automatic" light will flash for a short time until the deck works out the correct Dolby setting, or you can just select it manually. The "Compu Brain" system (known as DATA on later models) is to automatically select the correct level, bias and equalization for the loaded tape during recording, so would only light up with a blank tape when you press the "Compu Brain start/reset" button as it goes through its automated calibration process.
And yes, these things are worth a mint!
Wow. That was an amazing repair. Your expertise are unmatched. From rewinding the tiny motor to delicate surgery of the tape transport. Amazing. Can't wait to watch next episode.
For anyone wondering why analog tape decks went extinct, watch this video! Blimey! I say good riddance!
They don't make them like this anymore, for good reasons. That must've been one expensive unit to produce, no matter how cheap the labor. Quite the journey to follow!
Show me 'new' electronics that will work great after 40 years. And I have lower F660 model working and sounding nicely.
I used to have an adf990 (I think) they were one of the best cassette decks available when they came out!
My tapes and players are outlasting my CDs and CD players!
Mmm na, mine or going great. Bit of a service and they are sweet
Another awesome video Mark ! I love that you keep your mistakes/oops in the video. I was blown away when you fixed the motor by rewinding it, crazy cool.
Always amazed with your patience and the fact that you actually do many repairs yourself instead of just trying to find parts and replacing them. Really cool videos and you are always in such a good mood. Great tutorial too. Love your content. Congrats.
Exemplary excellence ! Repairing that motor and rewinding was fascinating . Quite a journey unravelling the other problems. Well done !
What a marathon! It really doesn't help when someone else has been in there. Your persistence is amazing. I'm sure you will nail it in the end.
Thank you so much for that video. that exact model was my most wanted piece of kid as a child. I never managed to have a deck myself :( so now watchin you bring those devices back to life is simply amazing pleasure.
Thank you so much. I watch all your videos and absolutely appreciate your skill and the time it takes to share your work with us. Thanks from all my heart.
What an excellent content for this guy (me) who was working in his first real shop when these came out new, oh the headache these use to give and the patience it taught me.
Thank you Mark. You have inspire me to go that much further with repair.
Rewinding these small electric motors is next level skills and persistence Mark, let alone the motor controller circuit reverse engineering. Top job as per usual.
you are simply amazing. it requires a lot of patience in finding out such type of intermittent issues and you are a man with a big heart and patience and outstanding experience and knowledge. love your work 👏👏👏👏👏
Impressive that you never lose your patience, your motivation to get things working again is crazy, bravo.
I readily admit that I would never have been able to put the cassette deck back together.
Very interesting how you rewound the motor.
Had an Aiwa similar to that, threw it in the bin four years ago. I don't miss it. Simplified my life!