I got this deck last summer, and want to try to use it,, went to hifi engine to download teh manuals, and couldn't get em... So, I opened it up, cleaned all teh hard grease off and relubed it,, replaced the burned out meter bulbs, de-oxed teh switches, and tried it out with some very old 7" tapes,,, It seemed to run them slow, so I recorded over them and tried again,,, I monitored teh recordings as I was making them, and switching between tape and source was seamless.... On playing them back, they seem to run faster than they should,,,
Is there any way to adjust play back speed to match the record speed? I recorded them at 7 1/2...
Thanks in advance for any help, or manuals,,, seems like a good deck, like to use it...
Regards,
John
Is there any way to adjust play back speed to match the record speed? I recorded them at 7 1/2...
Thanks in advance for any help, or manuals,,, seems like a good deck, like to use it...
Regards,
John
Took me all of 10 seconds...AKAI GX-230D SM Service Manual free download, schematics, eeprom, repair info for electronics
You need to clean all plastic deposits off all felt braking surfaces (white art brush cut short), clean all belts and drives and rollers (isopropyl alcohol), if you have rubber drive wheels remove glazed surfaces, and then see what you get.
Ask if you need more help.
Dan.
You need to clean all plastic deposits off all felt braking surfaces (white art brush cut short), clean all belts and drives and rollers (isopropyl alcohol), if you have rubber drive wheels remove glazed surfaces, and then see what you get.
Ask if you need more help.
Dan.
Dan,
Thanks for replying, and the DL,,, I tried to get it from Hi Fi engine, but it must have been taken off...
This deck has 3 direct drive motors, AC, I believe, so no belts, etc,,, I cleaned the pinch roller, and bushing, and relubed it...
I will study the manual, and I may then be able to determine if teh problem is mechanical or electrical...
Thanks again for teh help, I will repost as it progresses...
Regards,
John
Thanks for replying, and the DL,,, I tried to get it from Hi Fi engine, but it must have been taken off...
This deck has 3 direct drive motors, AC, I believe, so no belts, etc,,, I cleaned the pinch roller, and bushing, and relubed it...
I will study the manual, and I may then be able to determine if teh problem is mechanical or electrical...
Thanks again for teh help, I will repost as it progresses...
Regards,
John
Re-cleaned and lubed the pinch roller,, still plays the same,,, I'll try to record another tape, and try it again,,, want to see if its a mechanical problem, before making any electrical adjustments/changes....
Regards,
John
Regards,
John
Update...
I made another recording, and played it back, sounds very good,,, only thing different,,, recorded at 3 3/4 instead of 7 1/2,, and just rewound teh tape, without removing either reel...
I noticed in teh SM, at 7 1/2, the motor is set at 1000Hz, and 500Hz for 3 3/4 ,,, they have separate pots, so its possible the high speed is out... Also, possibly there's a component heating problem on teh servo control board, causing intermittent performance...
Still trouble shooting...
Regards,
John
I made another recording, and played it back, sounds very good,,, only thing different,,, recorded at 3 3/4 instead of 7 1/2,, and just rewound teh tape, without removing either reel...
I noticed in teh SM, at 7 1/2, the motor is set at 1000Hz, and 500Hz for 3 3/4 ,,, they have separate pots, so its possible the high speed is out... Also, possibly there's a component heating problem on teh servo control board, causing intermittent performance...
Still trouble shooting...
Regards,
John
Possible fault - watch out for supply reel back tension being too high.....plastic wears off the supply side drum and embeds into felt band increasing friction.
Art brush cleans the powder out of the felt....remove band and lay flat whilst cleaning.
Dan.
Art brush cleans the powder out of the felt....remove band and lay flat whilst cleaning.
Dan.
Wouldn't any friction make it run slower? I can check the drums/belts next time I open it... I since recorded another tape, and it played back fine,,,
I appreciate the info, and teh manual.... Kinda thinking it has intermittent electrical/component problems... If so, I don't have a scope or frequency counter to re-adjust it, if changes or adjustments need to be made...
Regards,
John
I appreciate the info, and teh manual.... Kinda thinking it has intermittent electrical/component problems... If so, I don't have a scope or frequency counter to re-adjust it, if changes or adjustments need to be made...
Regards,
John
Operate the tape speed switch a heap of times...usually they have silver plated contacts that can go dodgy with lack of use.
If you don't care about playing pre-recorded tapes, your absolute speed does not actually matter.
I would be wary of touching the speed trim pots, unless you have a suitable speed cal tape, or can reliably tune speed by ear.
Enjoy your new toy....dodgy WF, dodgy FR, dodgy SNR, dodgy THD...when compared to modern digital systems, but hey, they do have a sonic 'character'.
Dan.
If you don't care about playing pre-recorded tapes, your absolute speed does not actually matter.
I would be wary of touching the speed trim pots, unless you have a suitable speed cal tape, or can reliably tune speed by ear.
Enjoy your new toy....dodgy WF, dodgy FR, dodgy SNR, dodgy THD...when compared to modern digital systems, but hey, they do have a sonic 'character'.
Dan.
Dan,,,
I'm recording on tapes I made in 1970!! Maybe I need some new ones? Never had a pre-recorded tape, so recording records/CD's is all I'll ever do,,, was just surprised when I recorded a tape, then played it back and it was running faster,,, Maybe it needed a little "air time" to settle back down??? Caps reforming, lube to get into the works, etc... Sounds really good. I'm playing it now, with tapes I made yesterday,,,
I cleaned the speed switch, along with all teh other slide and micro switches in it,,, No intention of touching teh imbedded pots, as I know I can't reset em without equipment...
Replacing the bulbs in teh meters made a big difference in its appearance, I used series Christmas tree bulbs....
Analog Pink Floyd,,, It doesn't get any better than that...
Regards,
John
I'm recording on tapes I made in 1970!! Maybe I need some new ones? Never had a pre-recorded tape, so recording records/CD's is all I'll ever do,,, was just surprised when I recorded a tape, then played it back and it was running faster,,, Maybe it needed a little "air time" to settle back down??? Caps reforming, lube to get into the works, etc... Sounds really good. I'm playing it now, with tapes I made yesterday,,,
I cleaned the speed switch, along with all teh other slide and micro switches in it,,, No intention of touching teh imbedded pots, as I know I can't reset em without equipment...
Replacing the bulbs in teh meters made a big difference in its appearance, I used series Christmas tree bulbs....
Analog Pink Floyd,,, It doesn't get any better than that...
Regards,
John
Attachments
Old tapes can become 'sticky'....binder breakdown that causes oxide shedding and speed variation due to drag across the tape path.
Another cause of perceived speed increase is flutter....short term speed variation....causes are oxide deposits on capstan and tape path, and glazed pressure roller.
If the pressure roller is glazed, it needs to be unglazed.
Remove the roller, fit a close fitting machine screw/nut/washers through the bearing hole and spin it in a battery drill at slowish speed and remove the hardened/glazed surface with medium grade wet and dry sandpaper on a flat surface to restore to soft rubber surface, taking care to keep the roller flat and square.
Clean with isopropyl alcohol and refit.
You can also tie up the sensing/guide arms and just let it run without tape for some hours to allow everything to free up/settle in.
Pink Floyd with added noise and distortion....I always thought there was plenty to start with 😉.
Dan.
Another cause of perceived speed increase is flutter....short term speed variation....causes are oxide deposits on capstan and tape path, and glazed pressure roller.
If the pressure roller is glazed, it needs to be unglazed.
Remove the roller, fit a close fitting machine screw/nut/washers through the bearing hole and spin it in a battery drill at slowish speed and remove the hardened/glazed surface with medium grade wet and dry sandpaper on a flat surface to restore to soft rubber surface, taking care to keep the roller flat and square.
Clean with isopropyl alcohol and refit.
You can also tie up the sensing/guide arms and just let it run without tape for some hours to allow everything to free up/settle in.
Pink Floyd with added noise and distortion....I always thought there was plenty to start with 😉.
Dan.
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The roller is very soft, even for its age,,, I thoroly cleaned it and it seems fine...I do believe the old tape is part of teh problem,,, the rollers are getting "brown" again, in teh few days I've been playing them... The speed difference wasn't perceived, Gilmour sounded like a 10 year old girl!!!!! It was way off speed...
Good idea, running it without tape,,, got it for 5 bucks at an auction, no idea how long it was sitting in an attic or cellar....
Yep,,, all the tube amps I build are tuned to "hear Floyd",,, distortion and all... Gotta love it!!!!!!
I'll keep running it, we'll see...
Regards,
John
Good idea, running it without tape,,, got it for 5 bucks at an auction, no idea how long it was sitting in an attic or cellar....
Yep,,, all the tube amps I build are tuned to "hear Floyd",,, distortion and all... Gotta love it!!!!!!
I'll keep running it, we'll see...
Regards,
John
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I re-recorded 4 tapes, all seem fine,,, so, I'll run it until it quits, and see what happens,,,
Thanks again for the help...
Regards,
John
Another Happy Customer...
You are most welcome.
Amongst other things, I have serviced audio for 30+ years.....not too much that I haven't seen.
Any further help, just ask or PM me.
Dan.
You are most welcome.
Amongst other things, I have serviced audio for 30+ years.....not too much that I haven't seen.
Any further help, just ask or PM me.
Dan.
Thanks for the offer,,,
So,,,,,, I have Garrard SL95B thats been in the attic for many years, I cleaned, and re-lubed it, and got it to run well manually, but not automatically... From what I can figure, there's either a spring missing, or, not in teh right spot, I can push a lever under the TT, and it work in auto mode.... If you have experience with turntables, maybe we can sort that out also!!!!!!
I'm a semi retired electrician, always wanted to learn tube audio,,, So, I've been working at it for a year or so...
Regards,
John
So,,,,,, I have Garrard SL95B thats been in the attic for many years, I cleaned, and re-lubed it, and got it to run well manually, but not automatically... From what I can figure, there's either a spring missing, or, not in teh right spot, I can push a lever under the TT, and it work in auto mode.... If you have experience with turntables, maybe we can sort that out also!!!!!!
I'm a semi retired electrician, always wanted to learn tube audio,,, So, I've been working at it for a year or so...
Regards,
John
LOL.
If you go to Vinyl Engine | The Home of the Turntable and register you can download the SM.
The pic above is poor quality, but the best I could manage with Print Screen and paste.
In the middle of the pic you will see a cam wheel (165) with two levers attached (164 and 163).
These levers seize (dead grease) and kill the auto operation.
Remove the cam wheel, remove the levers, (you may have to heat with a hair dryer) cleanse all old lube, refit and relube.
There is also a roller on the end of an arm that follows a groove in the cam wheel...same deal, cleanse and relube.
Also under the arm are levers (127, 128 and 133) that can seize due to dead grease.
The bottom line is that all old grease should be removed, and then relubed so that all parts are freely moving.
I never bothered to regrease, instead used Dexron II auto transmission fluid.
Don't use sewing machine oil because it evaporates and leaves gum behind...back to where you started.
You may need to perform major disassembly to get at every last pivot point/bearing, but the cam wheel is the first one to try.
The drive idler wheel usually needs resurfacing also...same deal, put it in a drill and remove the top layer of hardened/glazed rubber.
Good luck with it.
Dan.
If you go to Vinyl Engine | The Home of the Turntable and register you can download the SM.
The pic above is poor quality, but the best I could manage with Print Screen and paste.
In the middle of the pic you will see a cam wheel (165) with two levers attached (164 and 163).
These levers seize (dead grease) and kill the auto operation.
Remove the cam wheel, remove the levers, (you may have to heat with a hair dryer) cleanse all old lube, refit and relube.
There is also a roller on the end of an arm that follows a groove in the cam wheel...same deal, cleanse and relube.
Also under the arm are levers (127, 128 and 133) that can seize due to dead grease.
The bottom line is that all old grease should be removed, and then relubed so that all parts are freely moving.
I never bothered to regrease, instead used Dexron II auto transmission fluid.
Don't use sewing machine oil because it evaporates and leaves gum behind...back to where you started.
You may need to perform major disassembly to get at every last pivot point/bearing, but the cam wheel is the first one to try.
The drive idler wheel usually needs resurfacing also...same deal, put it in a drill and remove the top layer of hardened/glazed rubber.
Good luck with it.
Dan.
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Ha,,, You weren't kidding!!
Looks like tomorrows project,,, Thanks for the info.. I'll let you know how it goes!!
I'll listen to teh R to R, while I work on it!!!
Regards,
John
Looks like tomorrows project,,, Thanks for the info.. I'll let you know how it goes!!
I'll listen to teh R to R, while I work on it!!!
Regards,
John
You are on your way to becoming expert in audio 😉.
Old gear like this usually suffers mechanical issues like mechanisms, dodgy switches and connectors, and some dodgy solder joints.
When it comes to electronic faults I virtually never bother to break out SM, scopes or other test gear....my Fluke 77 is pretty much all I ever need.
Of course it helps to have a good and varied library of experience stored upstairs...that will come with time.
Dan.
Old gear like this usually suffers mechanical issues like mechanisms, dodgy switches and connectors, and some dodgy solder joints.
When it comes to electronic faults I virtually never bother to break out SM, scopes or other test gear....my Fluke 77 is pretty much all I ever need.
Of course it helps to have a good and varied library of experience stored upstairs...that will come with time.
Dan.
Dan,
Thanks again...
I've been a self employed electrician for 45 years,,, always good at troubleshooting, and usually find that the problem isn't in the book!!!
I've got teh TT opened up, and have a copy of the SM from teh last attempt at reviving it...
The cam and levers you mentioned were one of teh 1st things I cleaned/lubed,,,
I'll get into it a little, to see where I left off, but if I recall, the stopping point was a spring I saw in teh parts diagram, that is missing from this TT... I'll try to find it, and post a pic,,,
Thanks again for your input...
Regards,
John
Thanks again...
I've been a self employed electrician for 45 years,,, always good at troubleshooting, and usually find that the problem isn't in the book!!!
I've got teh TT opened up, and have a copy of the SM from teh last attempt at reviving it...
The cam and levers you mentioned were one of teh 1st things I cleaned/lubed,,,
I'll get into it a little, to see where I left off, but if I recall, the stopping point was a spring I saw in teh parts diagram, that is missing from this TT... I'll try to find it, and post a pic,,,
Thanks again for your input...
Regards,
John
I'm working from hazy memory here lol....always easier with the item in front of me.
Ok, it sounds like you are well on your way to working it out....let me know what the fault was.
Regards, Dan.
PS - what is the auto operation fault...no auto loading, or no auto return/stop ?.
The arm can shift rotationally wrt the mechanism...this can need resetting.
Ok, it sounds like you are well on your way to working it out....let me know what the fault was.
Regards, Dan.
PS - what is the auto operation fault...no auto loading, or no auto return/stop ?.
The arm can shift rotationally wrt the mechanism...this can need resetting.
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