how to service vintage audio a Yamaha K 540 cassette deck #1

today I am tackling one of my favorite decks, the "bomb proof" Yamaha K-540 together with my 14YO that asks all the right questions !. The outcome was rather disappointing as we couldn't finish it all in one go but look at the end what went wrong
Yamaha K-540 tape deck cassette deck repair servicing, changing belts, cleaning
my name is Rene, from 1985 to 1999 I used to repair in and out of warranty cassette decks and walkmans for Kenwood, Yamaha , Pioneer, Sanyo and other brands and with the current increasing interest in analog audio, and cassette decks in particular, I started this channel to share tips and tricks that I have picked up over the years.
I will mostly do 'end-to-end' video's about repairing, servicing and adjusting the deck from beginning to end with a lot of talking , showing , tips etc and very little editing. If you have any questions or particular video's you would like to see just reach out and maybe I can assist ?
#cassette #cassettetapes #cassettetape #cassettecollection #cassetteculture #tape #cassettecollector #cassetteigclub #cassettes #kassettape #tapes #kaset #jualkaset #analog #cassettejunkie #kasetjadul #vintagehifi #yamaha #cassettedeck #AnalogSound #VintageAudio #AudioRestoration #VintageCassetteDeck #ClassicAudio #AudioEnthusiast #VintageElectronics #AudioNostalgia

[@RonScortan]

Nice repair, and a smart daughter at your side 😊

[@cassettedeck-walkman-repair]

i like working with her !

[@nikossoursos7032]

Lovely, funny and very informative!

[@cassettedeck-walkman-repair]

Thank you ! , stay tuned for part 2 where we hopefully get rid of the W&F 😊

[@jasonhandy8442]

It's good to send quality time with your daughter and learning something 👍👍

[@cassettedeck-walkman-repair]

absolutely ! , and i love that she is so interested ! and she asks the questions I dont even realize need to be answered

[@wepif]

Another nice deck and great that you have a very interested helper

[@cassettedeck-walkman-repair]

i love that she is so interested ! and she asks the questions I dont even realize need to be answered

[@cassettedeck-walkman-repair]

Brings a better atmosphere and keeps it fun ! Also shows it’s not some black magic that were doing 😂

[@AJComputerServicesUK]

Hi Rene & Robin or is it Ray & Robyn? Another fine Video squire, That Deck looks quite similar to my KX-400, Not sure about the internals as I’ve never took the top off mine but it still works fine, Well to my ear anyway, I’m definitely looking into getting some Test equipment, I’ve downloaded Spectroid for my Android Phone and looking at either getting or making a Test Tape plus I’m also interested in getting hold of the NAK T-100 W&F Analyzer & an Oscilloscope possibly at some point in the future… Anthony - Birmingham/UK 🇬🇧

[@cassettedeck-walkman-repair]

we listen to everything but officially its Rene & Robin ;-) . the kx-400 is an auto reverse deck if i remember correctly ? so that has a different transport from the k-540 which is not an auto reverse

[@AJComputerServicesUK]

@@cassettedeck-walkman-repair Ah ok & thanks for correcting me Rene, Another difference I’ve noticed is that the 400 uses a mechanical (wheel) counter whereas the 540 uses a digital (led) counter if I’m not mistaken?

[@russellpenn1738]

I have the same cassette deck and it has problems with flutter - low frequency. I know I need to replace the belt because it is very old. Would that fix the low frequenvy flutter and where did you order the belt from? Thanks.

[@cassettedeck-walkman-repair]

low frequency is typically the belt or the pinchrollers / capstan , those are the slower rotating parts. what i normally do is put a tape in the deck with a steady tone (3000 Hz) and listen and while listening try to pin point the fluctuation to a rotating component that has the same speed as the fluctuation you hear. I ordered from a local EU supplier but they do ship worldwide : www.thakker.eu/en/belts/tape-deck/yamaha-k-540-belt/a-2321/

[@Kevin-lp3pu]

Can I send you my nakamichi bx-300 for repair?

[@cassettedeck-walkman-repair]

@@Kevin-lp3pu where are you located? If you are outside of Europe shipping will probably prohibitively expensive as i am in Europe

[@sylvaind9086]

Kid is annoying...

[@cassettedeck-walkman-repair]

Yes , teenagers can be annoying

[@brianwood5220]

@@cassettedeck-walkman-repair Yes, but it's the path of life and growing up. Your a patient dad who want's to impart his knowledge to the younger generation. I like this format of your video's, you just got a new subscriber. Thanks for sharing.

[@cassettedeck-walkman-repair]

@@brianwood5220 thank you so much ! i was just contemplating another kind of retirement ;-) , all jokes aside , i like working with my kids , i just spend 6 years 24/7 with them watching them grow (up) and i am glad they're not completely fed up with me , so whenever she wants to help , ask questions and be 'teenager annoying' i welcome her to come and assist