This is the first taperecorder repair video, I have seen, where I got the feeling of "yeah, maybe I could do that too". Great video and happy to see the machine working again. Thanks.
Thanks, I'm glad it helped! I've rooted around in a couple of machines, but I think reel to reels are a little easier because everything is kinda hefty. A cassette deck may or may not have something plastic that will snap off first time around, but reel to reels are pretty hefty.
With the help of your video I was able to repair my X-1800SD. The detailed description as you were disassembling and cleaning gave me the confidence to tackle changing the belts, cleaning the capstan for the 8track player, replacing one of the cams and most importantly, replacing the capacitor motor. Thank you so much for posting this!
I have this exact same machine I got it from the original owner that bought it in 1968 , that is still in excellent working condition and from my own experience with this machine and also a Sony Machine the VU meters are much more active during Recording , when recording to Tape , Crank the Volume Knobs up until the VU meters are running right around 0 and you will get a very "Hot" recording that will actually not play back at 0 on the Vu meters , these are a VERY nice Machine I have used Mine A lot in the last couple years , knowing what i know about the cams breaking I use mine VERY gently , Mine still has the original belts
This was certainly an extraordinary amount of time to do both the video shots and disassembly/assembly. I will be replacing the cams on an Akai machine soon and I will know exactly what to do now. Thank you so much.
Thanks for the great video. I am checking mine out for sale after sitting for more than 10 years. I remember how popular these were when i was stationed in S. Korea in early '69. I bought mine used many years later and it was like new. I acquired the accessory kit with 15 IPS capstan and wheel, 7" take up reel and blank reel, new felt tape pads, and it came with a new operator's manual; the kit cost $232 in 1970 as I have the customs declaration for the purchaser. It also has the electrical schematic from Akai! Also in the kit were 2 microphones with stands. The 8-track capstan was very dirty and after cleaning it is now playing a tape. I am an old man and downsizing hence the sale.
Thank you ... Your patience is blessing ... I have had similar setbacks with stripped screws and belts ... Part of the problem is always getting to the part that needs servicing and finding replacements and or putting it all back together ... You are exellent in relating your difficulties across to us mere mortals ... Keeps it real for people like me ... Thank you ... One note ... When you used the word catastrophe i almost fainted from laughter ...i have experienced that a few times and could not find the right term ... Please continue to bless us with your projects ... Ps ... Your closeups and visual clarity is superior ... Much love and respect ...
I found the remains of a mouse in mine. He got in,,, and didn't get out! I had to replace some bare wiring. Unit was in the basement. Your video really has helped me slog through my X-1800 SD!!
Ah, you work in a tech shop? That's awesome! And thanks very much, I'm glad I was able to help. It's tricky to get into the player on the surface, but once you're in it's easier than initially thought to get it back together. Hope the restore goes well!
I know the feeling, I just purchased a gx4000d . Cleaned tape heads and path. Put a tape on turned to play, nothing so I took back off to check belts they were dry but not broken, so I wondered what was wrong. Dumb me forgot to feed tape under auto stop lever lifted lever up an yes…… it worked besides scratchy pots everything works. I was so happy…. Now I can listen to my tapes
I have a Teac 7300 on my bench, I stripped out all the boards (12) to clean it up but when I re-assembled it - it was dead! After weeks of many different parts and much arse scratching I looked at the schematics (Again) and discovered that an edge connectors pin numbers were in Reverse of the boards connection! I had returned it so it matched hence it crapped out! Great vid! Electrotanya are a great site for Service Manual downloads! All free and up to 5 a day.
Thank you soo much , I have a akai mod 9 which is virtually the same as yours . My cams have disintegrated, thanks to you I feel I can tackle the repairs now . A fellow Rush fan as well 😁
Ah, I gotcha, ive heard Akai used what was called the Roberts mechanism, which is hopefully universal in their early players. I'm glad the video helped, good luck with the cam replacement! And awesome, Rush are the best! 😁
No problem, I'm glad it helped. :) It's a bit of an odd combo unit, but the 8 track was inserted correctly, but I get why it seems that way. The 8 track player is mounted on the back of the unit, and the capstan for the 8 track player is on the same flywheel and capstan assembly as the reel to reel side. The 8 track player was mounted on the opposite side to negate the need for a second motor and capstan. I guess it made for a more economical assembly overall, since 8 tracks run at 3 3/4 speed as well. It's kind of an odd gear system sandwich.
I just bought a beautiful X-1800SD and it sounds great! The motor is noisy though, and while listening to 8-track tapes it got to track 4 and slowed down. When I pushed the track selector button to get back to track 1 the button just went into the unit with no resistance and no track change. It may be one of these cams. I found 2 groups on FB and joined them. I just need to know where to get the printed cams. I hope they'll hold up as well as the previous cams did. I can't thank you enough for this video! Having seen it, I know now that I can do this and bring my deck back to life again. I've subbed your channel and will download this video for my library! 😎👍 All the best. Luther
Doesn't it feel great? Nothing like getting a piece of gear working again; it's a great rush. No pun intended. This was just what I needed to see, as I'm staring at our GX-230D that's showing all the signs of needing the reel motor caps replaced. Not terribly hard unless you're visually-impaired. Then it takes longer... ;-)
Absolutely, I love finding different Hi-fi components and seeing what I can get working again. I've done a lot of tinkering and belt replacements on different things, but I'd really like to get into the electronics side as well. Learning to solder, and how to identify bad parts and replace them I think would go a long way as a next step. Hope the recap on the GX-230D goes well, I've heard quite a few good things about that one as well!
@@OfficialSoundtracker I'm going to see if the local Maker club wants a project to replace the caps. It's less of a concern than it was, as a beautiful TEAC X-7R MkII just dropped out of the sky into our laps. That may soon become the preferred "recording deck" hooked to a dbx encoder and the 230D might migrate to another room. I love open-reel decks; they sound great and are far more interesting to watch. In 40 years I haven't gotten tired of 'em.
Around 1990, I was eyeing a reel-to-reel in my relatives' house. "Hey, I want that," I thought to my own self. Upon them moving to Las Vegas, they gave it to me. However, the pinch roller was bad for the many years of use. Oh, well.
That's a pretty sweet gift, I'm sorry to hear the pinch roller was bad though. Perhaps it could be replaced? I'm pretty sure there are kits available for it?
@@OfficialSoundtracker A headlight is indispensable when working on rtr's leaves both thands free. Another good tool to have is one of those big articulated lighted magnifying lights. Excellent video! Very interesting and informative. Right now i am trying to find out why my Roberts 450A the right VU meter keeps going into the red in playback even after doung the proper adjustments on the record level when i am making a recording.
Nice repair. I’ve never owned the Akai 1800D, because the cam switches is started to deteriorates overtime since it was made of pot metal and starts to break according to what “12voltvids” says. The Sony and Panasonic are much better than the Akai and Roberts tape recorders.
Thanks, i just hole the 3d printed plastic holds up in the deck. :) Yeah, that was the issue when I had first gotten the deck, the cams were just rotted, but I think I'm fortunate as the electrics still seem to work properly. I'm looking into other reel to reels as well, I'd love to see what a 10 inch machine is capable of
Oh! so real gud!! Very professionally mechanism how to put it back showing! Would you show me the tape upper heads and lower head how working when tape passing throgh the way. Thanx a heap! From South Korea 🇰🇷 Incheon
Thank you, I appreciate it! I am planning on making another video showing how it works as well, the upper heads and lower heads from what I have been reading are an odd arrangement where one head outputs a Bias current and the other is just the audio signal, but I am still double checking the facts on that one. I am looking into it :)
Thanks for the vid. What is the length of the capstan belt?(replacement TRR6 13.250") What is the length of the counter belt? (replacement = 14.250" RR7)< Wrong for mine. wax string shows 13.875" I have to stop till I verify the measurements. :(
Ahh, I hate to say I never really verified measurements. I've done so many belt replacements on cassette decks thst I just kind of base it on feel. Usually I find when I buy a belt kit for the particular deck I have on Ebay though, the measurements are correct. I've only ever had it be off once by about a millimeter (idler tire in a nakamichi.) Are you replacing with belts thst you have in a set or didnyou buy from a seller somewhere?
What optimal maintenance does the Teac A6600 have for proper maintenance of the player? Oh, you have to grease and lubricate some part of the module, thank you, regards, Hello , I have a question about how to clean the heads of a Teac A6600. Can you make a video about it on the A6600? Is isopropyl alcohol used for cleaning? and how to clean it, thanks a greeting and a good like from a subscriber,,,,,
Could you please direct me to where you bought this cam replacement kit for the Robert’s 778x? I only see some listed on Analogueclassics site and they are individually sold for ~$25 dollars each. This video is very helpful, thank you! 🙏
I hope u see this question but I’ve this one exact same machine but everything works (well not everything) my reels goes in reverse and forward but it will not play when i turn it on play, can u give me any advice on my problem ?
Hey there! I may have some advice yes, this is speculation as I've never had this problem but I've had it happen with other tape decks. On this one though, if you move the lever into play and it's a dead stop, it may well be the cams, as that's what happened with mine. If it's staying in play but moving very slowly or not at all, and If you've already looked at the cams and the belt, the next thing I would look at is the rubber on the rollers behind the faceplate. At 19:20 in the video, the faceplate is off and you can see 5 wheels. Two are the supply and takeup reel, the three in the middle connect to the motor in a sort of direct drive fashion. When you notch it into play, the wheels will move into place and start the tape moving forwards or backwards. Again, just speculation, but in some cases I have had rubber that was good enough to get fast forward and rewind working, but not play. If It's sluggish in play, I'd check that.
@@OfficialSoundtracker 0k Thanks my guy, unfortunately I’m not as astute as you when it comes to being a guy with the tech skills you have, but I’m gonna try to break it down by following yur vid, thanks a million.
Hi very nice video, I have an Akai X-330D speed selection issue. The 3-3/4 IPS and 1-7/8 IPS speeds are fine, but the 7-1/2 IPS does not spin. Is this a case of bad run capacitor?
I'm glad that worked for you, although I didn't have that experience. On mine the cams were completely deteriorated, so they needed to be replaced. While gluing them might work temporarily, I'd still advise a replacement because they are still deteriorating, and will likely break further down the line.
Hi just saw your video on replacing the belts and cams on Akai X-1900SD..i have to do the same can you tell me where you found the cams. I've looked over and nothing.
Hello Gilbert, I found the Cams and Belts on Ebay, I'm not sure if there are still any available there but I have seen a few on other sites as well. Some sites like Tapeheads also advertise parts sellers, it's worth taking a look around there.
Oh man.. I literally need to do the exact same job on my x-1800sd the cams for mine were all brittle and just broke apart.. do you think you can post a link to all the items you bought for this job?? I would greatly appreciate it.
Hi friend, my name is Leonardo, I'm from Peru, I have a reel to reel the same, I want to give it life, I already got the girdles and others but I can't get that spare part you showed, in my country there is none, but I saw your video and It gave me a lot of hope of bringing it back to life, which would make me very happy, I would like if it were possible to provide me with that spare part and get in touch. I am very grateful in advance, have a nice day.
Maybe you did this off camera but I didnt see you inspect , clean or replace any of the following items which I certainly I would have done if I had the machine as far apart as you did. The items you seem to have overlooked are the heads, pinch roller, capstan, idler wheels, and no lube of anything. If you didnt give these items any attention Id say you got lucky it played tapes , but you may be redoing this repair down the road in a short while.
Some of that did happen off camera yes, inspecting the rollers, Idler and capstan all happened when I was giving the main flywheel the alcohol scrub. Lubrication however, completely slipped my mind until I had put the unit back together. So far it seems to handle tapes well, but yes, it's best not to skip out on lubrication for sure.
Just got one from a 70 year old welder. Cams are garbage. Haven't watched video or looked for parts. Thank you for providing the map for this adventure
Hello Paul, I found the Cams and Belts on Ebay, I'm not sure if there are still any available there but I have seen a few on other sites as well. Some sites like Tapeheads also advertise parts sellers, it's worth taking a look around there.
Hi there, thanks for the excellent video. I have the same machine. But It want play. forward and revese are working great. but when I try to play a tape it want work. Any idea's. thabk from the netherlands.
Is there any way I could send my Akai reel to reel for you to fix it for me. I've looked and can't find anyone to fix it. One guy said to send it to Dallas and there's a place that would fix it. But it would cost more than it's worth. HELP!!
I have this model. What are the symptoms of the failing cams? Mine seems to function mechanically but the belt seems to be slipping. I have never gotten an 8-track to work. The unit will pull the tape out of one. Electrically, the amplifier doesn’t work but I can use the line out jacks. Recently, I have had interest in servicing it and I think your video will help tremendously. Thanks for posting it!
Ah, the failing cams happened pretty immediately. The four cams actuate different things depending on what you are using the unit for (playing and recording move different levers, same with FF and rew) and for me the biggest symptom was I could turn the switch to Play, but the cam broke, and while I could turn the play dial, nothing would happen. If you look inside at one of the cams, you'll see if they are failing by their appearance, mine had a lot of obvious cracking and splitting because the material they were cast from was wearing out. Belts definitely slip when they are this age, it's like when they start to break down they lose their grip or something. For the 8 track, I tend to find that a lot of them are just not cleaned properly. try running a q tip with isopropyl alcohol over the play head, as well as the capstan. if the capstan is dirty, the gunk on it could be pulling the tape along with it, and thus out of the cartridge. I've lost a few good tapes to bad capstans :( Electrically, unfortunately I don't know enough to give useful feedback for, but I hope this is a good start. Good luck with the repair!
Can anybody help me with more information as to what the cams actually do? I've got an akai 4000db which appears to be fully functional yet when I took the back off to clean the unit, part of the c-2 or middle flipper cam fell out. I've since ordered a replacement set, but the unit plays, rewinds, records, and fast forwards normally.
It was a while ago now, but I've just checked, it's still on the website HiFi Engine. Essentially Google "hifi engine akai x1800sd manual" and it should pop up, then on the main page for the unit you'll see download links for various manuals with little flags to identify country / language. While you will need to make an account, once that was all set up it's essentially free downloads if they have manuals posted, which for this unit they do.
@OfficialSoundtracker thanks but I found that earlier. One must be “registered” and they are not accepting new registrations at this time. Oh well. I’ll have to depend on your marvelous video. Enjoying it tremendously so far. Thanks for making it.
Aceton to remove nail polish on screw heads first. Next time. Use some creeping oil. And try to unscrew. If not use very thin drill bit and put in center of screw! Drill in, and reverse . And the screw comes out most of the time. If not just drill it out, like drill screw fysically to nothing. Then, or srew came out but you have damaged treads anyway. Just retread. It's so bulky metal. You can't really scr w it up!
Thx for showing this. Nice Relayer 8track. Where did you get the 3d cams just in case I ever need them? Did you research how to get those motor screws off? Is your VU light working?
Any time, it was quite an adventure getting it working again. Both the cams and belts I found on ebay, it seems another enthusiast was tired of harvesting cams out of other Roberts/Akai mechanisms and decided to 3D print them. They're technically called the Tyree Akai Cam Set, though the ebay listing doesn't describe them that way. On the screws, I haven't gotten them off yet, but I have looked into methods for doing so. This is one I've had success with on other machines, the screws are large enough that I may be able to grip the sides with pliers at the head and give them a quick twist to break the seal. Otherwise I stand the risk of striping them, and I don't have the drill bit that everyone mentions that can self tap into a stripped screw. The VU light isn't working, no, I need to look into how to replace it. I'm about 85% sure it's one of those soldered in bulbs.
@static1994 thanks again, I asked because my light 3 on the 8 track is broken at the bulb wire flush. Have you any info about these strange bulbs? How about Blue LED for the VUs? So mine died after I put OEM Akai vintage metal reels on it this week. My tech has me changing the starter capacitor. Thanks to your video I had this thing apart in minutes. Im doing a full restore and belts. According to my repair tech, he says those dont look like oil ports, usually never part of a screw and always labeled. I cleaned the shafts with WD, then RC motor oil. It spins like a top now.
@@OfficialSoundtracker Ohh I found out why your 60hz button is out. Did you figure that out? There are two slots in an arm which can change the 'gearing' of the belt. You are now running your belt on the front sprocket, which is smaller. You may want to put that back. Take the motor off and you will see what Im talking about!
While I don't have much info on the bulbs themselves, I feel as though I've seen them before. I haven't been too deep into the amplifier section of my Akai, but if its the one I think it is, the bulbs are small and immediately have wires attached to them, running from the glass? Either that or they are inside of fuse tubes. Vintagehifiaudio sells fuse type bulbs, I've always found them a pretty interesting anomaly. I'd like to try an LED replacement in the deck, it's a good strong unit and I'd like to do more with it. I'm glad my video could help, getting it apart was a little challenging for me, but now that I've poked around inside it should be a cakewalk. I love taking apart decks just to see how everything comes together. I looked at the original service manual from the 70s, it looked to me at the time like the oil ports were covered by the screws and I didn't want to go any further with it having been stripped. What parts did you lubricate? How is your restore coming along?
I hadn't reconciled that one yet either, thanks so much for the tip! I'd really like to get it 100% again, and I'll be taking a look at the 60hz button this weekend for sure!
Links to the parts are more or less impossible unfortunately, as I purchased the parts on Ebay and the auctions for them have ended. I have found similar makes and models from some Googling though, and do see relisted parts from the same manufacturers time to time. As for the links to the music, it's part of the obligation. TH-cam has a free music library, and for some songs the stipulation to using them is that those links need to be included to give the artists credit.
Heh, yep. Back when the synthesizer was new there were a lot of odd albums, space and sound effect stuff, and "Switched On Bach" was one of the earliest albums that took the synthesizer as a serious instrument and attempted to put sounds to music. It's a pretty good listen in my opinion :)
Hey, I found a set on ebay: www.ebay.com/itm/124541057143?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=124541057143&targetid=1262749490102&device=c&mktype=&googleloc=9001699&poi=&campaignid=15428034462&mkgroupid=133947154481&rlsatarget=pla-1262749490102&abcId=9300763&merchantid=101688076&gclid=Cj0KCQjwvLOTBhCJARIsACVldV1N0OfgL82YMxs4Yxv80MYkwITCEzyWWRyBMafTX56-y01P_LymQpwaArKkEALw_wcB
Hello, I'm sorry but I only attempt repairs on my own equipment. My usual tip though is if you have a record store in your area, the people there may know of a local equipment repair tech, especially if they sell vintage stereo equipment alongside their records.
It's interesting, when I edit videos I do it on a desktop and use a particular set of speakers, the levels seemed fine to me at the time. This did intrigue me though, so I decided to play it back on a laptop, and I see what you mean now. I'm not sure why there is such a drastic change between the different speakers yet, but I'll keep it in mind for future videos. I'm planning to keep music in because it sounds better to me to have at least something playing rather than long periods of silence, but I will definitely pay more attention to mixing the audio from now on. Thanks for letting me know!
This is the first taperecorder repair video, I have seen, where I got the feeling of "yeah, maybe I could do that too". Great video and happy to see the machine working again. Thanks.
Thanks, I'm glad it helped! I've rooted around in a couple of machines, but I think reel to reels are a little easier because everything is kinda hefty. A cassette deck may or may not have something plastic that will snap off first time around, but reel to reels are pretty hefty.
With the help of your video I was able to repair my X-1800SD. The detailed description as you were disassembling and cleaning gave me the confidence to tackle changing the belts, cleaning the capstan for the 8track player, replacing one of the cams and most importantly, replacing the capacitor motor. Thank you so much for posting this!
I have this exact same machine I got it from the original owner that bought it in 1968 , that is still in excellent working condition and from my own experience with this machine and also a Sony Machine the VU meters are much more active during Recording , when recording to Tape , Crank the Volume Knobs up until the VU meters are running right around 0 and you will get a very "Hot" recording that will actually not play back at 0 on the Vu meters , these are a VERY nice Machine I have used Mine A lot in the last couple years , knowing what i know about the cams breaking I use mine VERY gently , Mine still has the original belts
This was certainly an extraordinary amount of time to do both the video shots and disassembly/assembly. I will be replacing the cams on an Akai machine soon and I will know exactly what to do now. Thank you so much.
Did you fix it?
@@paulthepainter2366 I did! The cams work beautifully now!
Thanks for the great video. I am checking mine out for sale after sitting for more than 10 years. I remember how popular these were when i was stationed in S. Korea in early '69. I bought mine used many years later and it was like new. I acquired the accessory kit with 15 IPS capstan and wheel, 7" take up reel and blank reel, new felt tape pads, and it came with a new operator's manual; the kit cost $232 in 1970 as I have the customs declaration for the purchaser. It also has the electrical schematic from Akai! Also in the kit were 2 microphones with stands. The 8-track capstan was very dirty and after cleaning it is now playing a tape. I am an old man and downsizing hence the sale.
Thank you ... Your patience is blessing ... I have had similar setbacks with stripped screws and belts ... Part of the problem is always getting to the part that needs servicing and finding replacements and or putting it all back together ... You are exellent in relating your difficulties across to us mere mortals ... Keeps it real for people like me ... Thank you ... One note ... When you used the word catastrophe i almost fainted from laughter ...i have experienced that a few times and could not find the right term ... Please continue to bless us with your projects ... Ps ... Your closeups and visual clarity is superior ... Much love and respect ...
I found the remains of a mouse in mine.
He got in,,, and didn't get out!
I had to replace some bare wiring.
Unit was in the basement.
Your video really has helped me slog through my X-1800 SD!!
That device arrived to work today and you're saving me so much time, thanks a lot ! Hope I'll fix it successfully 😃
Ah, you work in a tech shop? That's awesome! And thanks very much, I'm glad I was able to help. It's tricky to get into the player on the surface, but once you're in it's easier than initially thought to get it back together. Hope the restore goes well!
I know the feeling, I just purchased a gx4000d . Cleaned tape heads and path. Put a tape on turned to play, nothing so I took back off to check belts they were dry but not broken, so I wondered what was wrong. Dumb me forgot to feed tape under auto stop lever lifted lever up an yes…… it worked besides scratchy pots everything works. I was so happy…. Now I can listen to my tapes
Ahhhh, I have done that more times than I care to admit 😁 its way too easy to forget to put the tape on the auto stop control arm.
I have a Teac 7300 on my bench, I stripped out all the boards (12) to clean it up but when I re-assembled it - it was dead! After weeks of many different parts and much arse scratching I looked at the schematics (Again) and discovered that an edge connectors pin numbers were in Reverse of the boards connection! I had returned it so it matched hence it crapped out! Great vid! Electrotanya are a great site for Service Manual downloads! All free and up to 5 a day.
Thank you soo much , I have a akai mod 9 which is virtually the same as yours . My cams have disintegrated, thanks to you I feel I can tackle the repairs now .
A fellow Rush fan as well 😁
Ah, I gotcha, ive heard Akai used what was called the Roberts mechanism, which is hopefully universal in their early players. I'm glad the video helped, good luck with the cam replacement!
And awesome, Rush are the best! 😁
Great video. I just pick up an x 1800SD and this was helpful in learning how to service it. Works great now!
Very good video about Akai X 1800SD👍, mine is broken, I am trying to fix it now, this video Will Help a lot, thank you 🙏
Did you succeed?
Fantastic video,an your back ground music is perfect,in process of buying that deck today.Thank's !
Using this now. Thanks. At 18:35, I believe you’re inserting the cartridge upside-down.
No problem, I'm glad it helped. :) It's a bit of an odd combo unit, but the 8 track was inserted correctly, but I get why it seems that way. The 8 track player is mounted on the back of the unit, and the capstan for the 8 track player is on the same flywheel and capstan assembly as the reel to reel side. The 8 track player was mounted on the opposite side to negate the need for a second motor and capstan. I guess it made for a more economical assembly overall, since 8 tracks run at 3 3/4 speed as well. It's kind of an odd gear system sandwich.
저희 집에 동일한 모델이 있어서 관심있게 보았습니다. 감사합니다
I just bought a beautiful X-1800SD and it sounds great! The motor is noisy though, and while listening to 8-track tapes it got to track 4 and slowed down. When I pushed the track selector button to get back to track 1 the button just went into the unit with no resistance and no track change. It may be one of these cams. I found 2 groups on FB and joined them. I just need to know where to get the printed cams. I hope they'll hold up as well as the previous cams did. I can't thank you enough for this video! Having seen it, I know now that I can do this and bring my deck back to life again. I've subbed your channel and will download this video for my library! 😎👍 All the best. Luther
Doesn't it feel great? Nothing like getting a piece of gear working again; it's a great rush. No pun intended. This was just what I needed to see, as I'm staring at our GX-230D that's showing all the signs of needing the reel motor caps replaced. Not terribly hard unless you're visually-impaired. Then it takes longer... ;-)
Absolutely, I love finding different Hi-fi components and seeing what I can get working again. I've done a lot of tinkering and belt replacements on different things, but I'd really like to get into the electronics side as well. Learning to solder, and how to identify bad parts and replace them I think would go a long way as a next step. Hope the recap on the GX-230D goes well, I've heard quite a few good things about that one as well!
@@OfficialSoundtracker I'm going to see if the local Maker club wants a project to replace the caps. It's less of a concern than it was, as a beautiful TEAC X-7R MkII just dropped out of the sky into our laps. That may soon become the preferred "recording deck" hooked to a dbx encoder and the 230D might migrate to another room. I love open-reel decks; they sound great and are far more interesting to watch. In 40 years I haven't gotten tired of 'em.
i have Sony tc-270 i bought in early 90s its still works good
Around 1990, I was eyeing a reel-to-reel in my relatives' house. "Hey, I want that," I thought to my own self. Upon them moving to Las Vegas, they gave it to me. However, the pinch roller was bad for the many years of use. Oh, well.
That's a pretty sweet gift, I'm sorry to hear the pinch roller was bad though. Perhaps it could be replaced? I'm pretty sure there are kits available for it?
@@OfficialSoundtracker I did not have it for decades. I graduated to different techs.
@@OfficialSoundtracker A headlight is indispensable when working on rtr's leaves both thands free. Another good tool to have is one of those big articulated lighted magnifying lights.
Excellent video! Very interesting and informative. Right now i am trying to find out why my Roberts 450A the right VU meter keeps going into the red in playback even after doung the proper adjustments on the record level when i am making a recording.
@@OfficialSoundtracker You can use a painters brush to use while you also use the vacuum cleaner.
Nice repair. I’ve never owned the Akai 1800D, because the cam switches is started to deteriorates overtime since it was made of pot metal and starts to break according to what “12voltvids” says. The Sony and Panasonic are much better than the Akai and Roberts tape recorders.
Thanks, i just hole the 3d printed plastic holds up in the deck. :) Yeah, that was the issue when I had first gotten the deck, the cams were just rotted, but I think I'm fortunate as the electrics still seem to work properly. I'm looking into other reel to reels as well, I'd love to see what a 10 inch machine is capable of
isopropanol works wonders on cleaning gunk off of capstans.
Oh! so real gud!!
Very professionally mechanism how to put it back showing!
Would you show me the tape upper heads and lower head how working when tape passing throgh the way.
Thanx a heap!
From South Korea 🇰🇷 Incheon
Thank you, I appreciate it! I am planning on making another video showing how it works as well, the upper heads and lower heads from what I have been reading are an odd arrangement where one head outputs a Bias current and the other is just the audio signal, but I am still double checking the facts on that one. I am looking into it :)
That bar looks like is the one that keeps the flywheel in place.
Great sound the akai's
hi there is a 1800ss i have worked on 2 of them quad model 2 ic's were bad in the deck runs super now
Excellent!
Thanks for the vid.
What is the length of the capstan belt?(replacement TRR6 13.250")
What is the length of the counter belt? (replacement = 14.250" RR7)< Wrong for mine. wax string shows 13.875"
I have to stop till I verify the measurements. :(
Ahh, I hate to say I never really verified measurements. I've done so many belt replacements on cassette decks thst I just kind of base it on feel. Usually I find when I buy a belt kit for the particular deck I have on Ebay though, the measurements are correct. I've only ever had it be off once by about a millimeter (idler tire in a nakamichi.) Are you replacing with belts thst you have in a set or didnyou buy from a seller somewhere?
What optimal maintenance does the Teac A6600 have for proper maintenance of the player? Oh, you have to grease and lubricate some part of the module, thank you, regards,
Hello , I have a question about how to clean the heads of a Teac A6600. Can you make a video about it on the A6600? Is isopropyl alcohol used for cleaning? and how to clean it, thanks a greeting and a good like from a subscriber,,,,,
Im struggling with an Akai X-201D with has a problem with one channel that keeps falling back. I might open it.
Could you please direct me to where you bought this cam replacement kit for the Robert’s 778x?
I only see some listed on Analogueclassics site and they are individually sold for ~$25 dollars each.
This video is very helpful, thank you! 🙏
You have any idea what kind of light bulbs are the ones that the akai use?
Hi, anyone know a good site where you can get the cam/flipper kit and belts?
Can you share where you ordered the cams from? I am struggling to find replacements
I hope u see this question but I’ve this one exact same machine but everything works (well not everything) my reels goes in reverse and forward but it will not play when i turn it on play, can u give me any advice on my problem ?
Hey there! I may have some advice yes, this is speculation as I've never had this problem but I've had it happen with other tape decks. On this one though, if you move the lever into play and it's a dead stop, it may well be the cams, as that's what happened with mine. If it's staying in play but moving very slowly or not at all, and If you've already looked at the cams and the belt, the next thing I would look at is the rubber on the rollers behind the faceplate. At 19:20 in the video, the faceplate is off and you can see 5 wheels. Two are the supply and takeup reel, the three in the middle connect to the motor in a sort of direct drive fashion. When you notch it into play, the wheels will move into place and start the tape moving forwards or backwards. Again, just speculation, but in some cases I have had rubber that was good enough to get fast forward and rewind working, but not play. If It's sluggish in play, I'd check that.
@@OfficialSoundtracker 0k Thanks my guy, unfortunately I’m not as astute as you when it comes to being a guy with the tech skills you have, but I’m gonna try to break it down by following yur vid, thanks a million.
Saludos , buen trabajo
Hey, do you have a link to where you ordered the cams? I have the exact same model and am looking to replace mine. Thanks
Where can I order the belt and cam kit? That you Mr, master Tech. Thanks from Amarillo, Texas, Date Jan 2024.
Hi very nice video, I have an Akai X-330D speed selection issue. The 3-3/4 IPS and 1-7/8 IPS speeds are fine, but the 7-1/2 IPS does not spin. Is this a case of bad run capacitor?
What is your feedback about this AKAI?
Great 😮🎵
Crumbled cams? Mine work again after super gluing all the crumbles back together. Then draining the rest of the glue into the cracks and crevices.
If the cheap machine had vacuum tubes it would have been worth the effort.
I'm glad that worked for you, although I didn't have that experience. On mine the cams were completely deteriorated, so they needed to be replaced. While gluing them might work temporarily, I'd still advise a replacement because they are still deteriorating, and will likely break further down the line.
Hi just saw your video on replacing the belts and cams on Akai X-1900SD..i have to do the same can you tell me where you found the cams. I've looked over and nothing.
Hello Gilbert, I found the Cams and Belts on Ebay, I'm not sure if there are still any available there but I have seen a few on other sites as well. Some sites like Tapeheads also advertise parts sellers, it's worth taking a look around there.
Oh man.. I literally need to do the exact same job on my x-1800sd the cams for mine were all brittle and just broke apart.. do you think you can post a link to all the items you bought for this job?? I would greatly appreciate it.
Hi friend, my name is Leonardo, I'm from Peru, I have a reel to reel the same, I want to give it life, I already got the girdles and others but I can't get that spare part you showed, in my country there is none, but I saw your video and It gave me a lot of hope of bringing it back to life, which would make me very happy, I would like if it were possible to provide me with that spare part and get in touch. I am very grateful in advance, have a nice day.
Where did you get the cam parts from?
Maybe you did this off camera but I didnt see you inspect , clean or replace any of the following items which I certainly I would have done if I had the machine as far apart as you did. The items you seem to have overlooked are the heads, pinch roller, capstan, idler wheels, and no lube of anything. If you didnt give these items any attention Id say you got lucky it played tapes , but you may be redoing this repair down the road in a short while.
Some of that did happen off camera yes, inspecting the rollers, Idler and capstan all happened when I was giving the main flywheel the alcohol scrub. Lubrication however, completely slipped my mind until I had put the unit back together. So far it seems to handle tapes well, but yes, it's best not to skip out on lubrication for sure.
Does anyone know where to get these 3D printed cams from Tyree? I've done a google search but no luck so far... Thanks - Luther
where can i find the cam kit? i have looked and look ugh thanks anyone :)
Hey, I noticed the Ebay listing I had gotten them from isn't up anymore. Try this site:
analogclassics.com/product/akai-reel-to-reel-play-record-cam/
That 8 track just makes it harder to work on the rtr.
how can I buy the parts from you?thank you
Hello, I found the parts on ebay, the best way to get them would be to search your model number and the parts you are looking for. Hope this helps!
Just got one from a 70 year old welder. Cams are garbage. Haven't watched video or looked for parts. Thank you for providing the map for this adventure
Hi, Where do you get the belts and cams? I also have a power supply problem,but I am looking into that now. Peace to you and yours. Paul...
Hello Paul, I found the Cams and Belts on Ebay, I'm not sure if there are still any available there but I have seen a few on other sites as well. Some sites like Tapeheads also advertise parts sellers, it's worth taking a look around there.
Hi there, thanks for the excellent video. I have the same machine. But It want play. forward and revese are working great. but when I try to play a tape it want work. Any idea's. thabk from the netherlands.
That is usually a broken or slipping belt. FF and REW will still work with a bad/broken belt (on this model).
If the capstan shaft does not turn in PLAY it is the belt.
Any chance you could take a picture of the power connector block?
Shown at 14:33 back left
Is there any way I could send my Akai reel to reel for you to fix it for me. I've looked and can't find anyone to fix it. One guy said to send it to Dallas and there's a place that would fix it. But it would cost more than it's worth. HELP!!
I have this model. What are the symptoms of the failing cams? Mine seems to function mechanically but the belt seems to be slipping. I have never gotten an 8-track to work. The unit will pull the tape out of one. Electrically, the amplifier doesn’t work but I can use the line out jacks. Recently, I have had interest in servicing it and I think your video will help tremendously. Thanks for posting it!
Ah, the failing cams happened pretty immediately. The four cams actuate different things depending on what you are using the unit for (playing and recording move different levers, same with FF and rew) and for me the biggest symptom was I could turn the switch to Play, but the cam broke, and while I could turn the play dial, nothing would happen.
If you look inside at one of the cams, you'll see if they are failing by their appearance, mine had a lot of obvious cracking and splitting because the material they were cast from was wearing out.
Belts definitely slip when they are this age, it's like when they start to break down they lose their grip or something.
For the 8 track, I tend to find that a lot of them are just not cleaned properly. try running a q tip with isopropyl alcohol over the play head, as well as the capstan. if the capstan is dirty, the gunk on it could be pulling the tape along with it, and thus out of the cartridge. I've lost a few good tapes to bad capstans :(
Electrically, unfortunately I don't know enough to give useful feedback for, but I hope this is a good start. Good luck with the repair!
@@OfficialSoundtracker thanks for the reply. I just received the replacement belt from eBay and hope to get it installed soon.
Can anybody help me with more information as to what the cams actually do? I've got an akai 4000db which appears to be fully functional yet when I took the back off to clean the unit, part of the c-2 or middle flipper cam fell out. I've since ordered a replacement set, but the unit plays, rewinds, records, and fast forwards normally.
Please please please tell me how to get the operators manual!!!! I looked all over the internet and couldn’t find one in English.
HELP!
It was a while ago now, but I've just checked, it's still on the website HiFi Engine. Essentially Google "hifi engine akai x1800sd manual" and it should pop up, then on the main page for the unit you'll see download links for various manuals with little flags to identify country / language. While you will need to make an account, once that was all set up it's essentially free downloads if they have manuals posted, which for this unit they do.
@OfficialSoundtracker thanks but I found that earlier. One must be “registered” and they are not accepting new registrations at this time.
Oh well. I’ll have to depend on your marvelous video. Enjoying it tremendously so far. Thanks for making it.
Aceton to remove nail polish on screw heads first. Next time. Use some creeping oil. And try to unscrew. If not use very thin drill bit and put in center of screw! Drill in, and reverse . And the screw comes out most of the time. If not just drill it out, like drill screw fysically to nothing. Then, or srew came out but you have damaged treads anyway. Just retread. It's so bulky metal. You can't really scr w it up!
CAPTAIN!!
Thx for showing this. Nice Relayer 8track. Where did you get the 3d cams just in case I ever need them? Did you research how to get those motor screws off? Is your VU light working?
Any time, it was quite an adventure getting it working again.
Both the cams and belts I found on ebay, it seems another enthusiast was tired of harvesting cams out of other Roberts/Akai mechanisms and decided to 3D print them. They're technically called the Tyree Akai Cam Set, though the ebay listing doesn't describe them that way.
On the screws, I haven't gotten them off yet, but I have looked into methods for doing so. This is one I've had success with on other machines, the screws are large enough that I may be able to grip the sides with pliers at the head and give them a quick twist to break the seal. Otherwise I stand the risk of striping them, and I don't have the drill bit that everyone mentions that can self tap into a stripped screw.
The VU light isn't working, no, I need to look into how to replace it. I'm about 85% sure it's one of those soldered in bulbs.
@static1994 thanks again, I asked because my light 3 on the 8 track is broken at the bulb wire flush. Have you any info about these strange bulbs? How about Blue LED for the VUs? So mine died after I put OEM Akai vintage metal reels on it this week. My tech has me changing the starter capacitor. Thanks to your video I had this thing apart in minutes. Im doing a full restore and belts. According to my repair tech, he says those dont look like oil ports, usually never part of a screw and always labeled. I cleaned the shafts with WD, then RC motor oil. It spins like a top now.
@@OfficialSoundtracker Ohh I found out why your 60hz button is out. Did you figure that out? There are two slots in an arm which can change the 'gearing' of the belt. You are now running your belt on the front sprocket, which is smaller. You may want to put that back. Take the motor off and you will see what Im talking about!
While I don't have much info on the bulbs themselves, I feel as though I've seen them before. I haven't been too deep into the amplifier section of my Akai, but if its the one I think it is, the bulbs are small and immediately have wires attached to them, running from the glass? Either that or they are inside of fuse tubes. Vintagehifiaudio sells fuse type bulbs, I've always found them a pretty interesting anomaly. I'd like to try an LED replacement in the deck, it's a good strong unit and I'd like to do more with it.
I'm glad my video could help, getting it apart was a little challenging for me, but now that I've poked around inside it should be a cakewalk. I love taking apart decks just to see how everything comes together.
I looked at the original service manual from the 70s, it looked to me at the time like the oil ports were covered by the screws and I didn't want to go any further with it having been stripped. What parts did you lubricate? How is your restore coming along?
I hadn't reconciled that one yet either, thanks so much for the tip! I'd really like to get it 100% again, and I'll be taking a look at the 60hz button this weekend for sure!
Captain!!!!!
Where did you buy the new belt?
I bought the belt in a set on ebay, search for the model of your deck with "belts" in the search bar, they should pop up.
The content of this was great, just lose the noise
Many will come in my name, says The Lord , ....yet...
But only one way to The Father...Shema!!!
How about some links to the parts and manual, we don't need links to the distracting music.
Links to the parts are more or less impossible unfortunately, as I purchased the parts on Ebay and the auctions for them have ended. I have found similar makes and models from some Googling though, and do see relisted parts from the same manufacturers time to time.
As for the links to the music, it's part of the obligation. TH-cam has a free music library, and for some songs the stipulation to using them is that those links need to be included to give the artists credit.
Pumping iron power i see.
Electronic Bach?
Heh, yep. Back when the synthesizer was new there were a lot of odd albums, space and sound effect stuff, and "Switched On Bach" was one of the earliest albums that took the synthesizer as a serious instrument and attempted to put sounds to music. It's a pretty good listen in my opinion :)
@@OfficialSoundtracker one of the tapes that came with my 1958 webcor mono has that synth bach on it 😊
Please can you repair mine,,
Please
Does anyone could send me the manual?
You can get it at hifiengine for free.
need belts
Hey, I found a set on ebay:
www.ebay.com/itm/124541057143?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=124541057143&targetid=1262749490102&device=c&mktype=&googleloc=9001699&poi=&campaignid=15428034462&mkgroupid=133947154481&rlsatarget=pla-1262749490102&abcId=9300763&merchantid=101688076&gclid=Cj0KCQjwvLOTBhCJARIsACVldV1N0OfgL82YMxs4Yxv80MYkwITCEzyWWRyBMafTX56-y01P_LymQpwaArKkEALw_wcB
Can you repair mine ?
Hello, I'm sorry but I only attempt repairs on my own equipment. My usual tip though is if you have a record store in your area, the people there may know of a local equipment repair tech, especially if they sell vintage stereo equipment alongside their records.
Your kilograms was off. 😊
Heh, probably so. 😅 I'll have to use the Googles to convert next time
v-meter not fund............
Garbage oil and wrong alcohol so not a seasoned one who works on this. If he can do it you can probably too.
The background music is very distracting, can you NOT use it
It's interesting, when I edit videos I do it on a desktop and use a particular set of speakers, the levels seemed fine to me at the time. This did intrigue me though, so I decided to play it back on a laptop, and I see what you mean now. I'm not sure why there is such a drastic change between the different speakers yet, but I'll keep it in mind for future videos. I'm planning to keep music in because it sounds better to me to have at least something playing rather than long periods of silence, but I will definitely pay more attention to mixing the audio from now on. Thanks for letting me know!
where did you buy the replacement parts ?
Most of my parts shopping is done on ebay when I'm looking for new components, though sometimes (rarely) I have to salvage parts from other decks.