Folks,
The Clarion machine in my '96 Vx Monterey chews tapes and does not "auto-reverse" without massive "wow". It does, eventually, settle down in mid-tape.
(don't laugh - I only discovered the benefits of CDs a few years ago..and now it's Mini-disks and DVDs..)
Are there belts and things that wear and can be changed, or should I treat myself to a new device?
I have seen drive belts in the Maplin book. Are they worth changing, and is it easy?
rg
(Techno-Luddite)
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Given the effort required to auto-reverse or start playing a cassette, your symptoms would fit suggest a new rubber band is required. I've repaired a few conventional (not in-car) cassette players. The usual cause of failure is a loose or perishing rubber band which slips.
I would say that it probably wouldn't be economical to have the player repaired professionally, but if you're a dab hand with a screwdriver and have a selection of suitable rubber bands available, you could probably fix it yourself. The rubber band is normally square cross-section black synthetic rubber. At a pinch, you could probably get away with a reasonable quality rubber band from a stationery shop.
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Yes whip it out and have a look. The mechanicals of a tape deck are fiddly, but not complex or involved. What do you have to loose?
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rg,
Having repaired scores of tape players in the past, the most likely cause is oxide on the pinch wheels that pull the tape over its pickup head. Get yourself a bottle of surgical spirit and some cotton buds (available from any good pharmacy. Remove player and remove the lid to expose the tape assembly. Using a cotton bud dipped in SS, clean the rubber wheels and the shafts the wheels press against. You can see the result as you clean off the greyish tape oxide from these wheels, leaving them the proper black rubber colour. Make sure you do all th way round each wheel. Also clean the pickup head/s. Using SS is ideal as it does not need cleaninng afterwards and simply evaporates leaving no residue. You can even do the rubber bands that run the player from its motor, but I'm confident the first action will cure the problem. No one ever thinks of servicing a tape player- I do and mine always get done every six months. The results are worth it.
Hope this helps
--
These are the views of Robin the Technician with 35 years in the trade. I fix, therefore I am...
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Actually, surgical spirit does leave a light, oily residue, which is why it's ideal for cleaning electric shaver heads. Still OK for tape mechs though AFAIK.
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Tape Player? What's that?
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Come on r, only one good use for your tape slot and that's to plug in the output adaptor from a Sony Discman.
Save all that rubber band and cleaning fluid stuff.
Would you miss the hiss though?
M.M
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M.M.
Will the Discman need a stylus, and does it make the arm jump when you go over bumps??
rg
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Don't use surgical spirit, it contains either castor oil or clove oil or something and the alcohol will evaporate and leave a sticky residue. Much better, if you're going to Maplin to get a can of IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) I got a big one for a couple of quid that'll probably last me at least 10 years.
I agree about the belts, they go slack and grubby, you can also get Ultrasolv to clean belt residue off the cogs, or you could use IPA as well if on a budget.
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