Well, let's see......What have I done so far?
1) Completely rebuilt the Tape Transport Mechanism. It needed a complete cleaning, lube replacement, new belts, idlers, and pinch rollers, and several mechanical adjustments for things like the brake pads (which I had to fabricate replacements for...), Head Azimuth Adjustment, and a couple of other things.
This required not one, not two, or even three tear-downs. Nope, I had to pull it out of the chassis, take it apart, and reassemble it, and put it back in the chassis.
The first time was initial "rebuild", where I botched the rebuild of the pinch rollers.
The second time was to replace the pinch rollers with completely new ones.
The third time was to remove and recondition the Reel Motor. I had to polish the commutator, clean the brushes, and carefully clean the contacts that control what the speed the motor runs at by switching the windings. It's a teeny-tiny set of centrifugal contacts that are very delicate. The motor also had the lubrication renewed.
The FOURTH time was to address and issue with the clutches on the tape spindles. These are supposed to let the tape spindle slip and freewheel if something gets jammed, saving the tape from getting stretched to oblivion. They're just little felt pads between two spring-loaded plastic pieces, and as they wear, the torque they break loose at drops, meaning that any extra drag on the tape spindle will cause them to slip.
That repair wasn't photographed because I've found if I take the extra steps to photograph everything it slows me down. It was a real bear to remedy this, as I can't find any info on how to disassemble the "Reel Tables". All I did was spread the two plastic pieces, and put a drop of soldering flux in there. Say WHAT? Soldering Flux? Yep, it's just rosin in an alcohol carrier, and once the alcohol evaporates, it's leaves some sticky residue behind. Kinda like putting some belt dressing on a belt you know should be replaced, but just can't do it at that moment.
So far it's been playing OK now, EXCEPT for all the really bad noise when you jiggle the Tape Monitor switches.
The picture shows the Tape/Monitor switches at the left, and two other switches that worked OK. If you look at the top end of the brown plastic strip, you'll see a black dot, which is where I drilled into the switch so I could flush and lubricate it.
BUT.....I noticed the switches flex like crazy where they're soldered to the board when you cycle them. Oh, boy.....visions of cracked solder joints on the backside of the board danced through my head.....
So, in a preemptive strike, I pulled all the screws out of the Main Board, wicked off all the solder, and replaced it with fresh solder and a dab of flux.
More pix and a follow-up to come. And I haven't even begun the Electronic Testing, alignment, and level setting.........
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I can't even begin to imagine how much satisfaction it must be when you get these antiquities functional. My great accomplishment today was pulling some weeds.
ReplyDeleteHah! That's a qualified "Yes and No"...! Thanks to my friends on Audiokarma, HiFi Engine, and HiFi Haven, I was able to find enough information to do this. And now I understand why the guys who service this stuff are very hesitant to rebuild these decks. I bought the Pioneer because I have a nice Pioneer receiver, and kind of wanted them to match. If I were to do it over, I'd buy a different deck.....
DeleteThat thing is driving you nuts... LOL
ReplyDeleteHAH! Yeah, but it keeps me out of bars at night. It's good that it's not for a paying customer, as their bill would be staggering....
DeleteBUT.....I noticed the switches flex like crazy where they're soldered to the board when you cycle them.
ReplyDeleteInteresting observation. As the biggest parts I can see in that picture, I'd assume they flex the least. Any idea why? Should the springs be replaced with weaker springs?
I'm tempted to say it's a design issue, BUT....The switches aren't used that often, and now that I drilled the holes to flush, clean, and lubricate them, they move much smoother, and flex less.
DeleteSo I'll be kind and say it was a dry/no lube, and random dirt and crud issue making them much harder to cycle.