Hello!
I just picked up a Rotel RD-30f and it’s need of some repairs and could use some help pointing in the right direction.
First up is the eject mechanism is super sluggish and almost doesn’t open on its own. I have a video of that here:
Video
Second is the rewind/fast forward doesn’t work. I press down to engage it but then it immediately stops but the button remains pressed down. If I hold down the button more it will run.
I just picked up a Rotel RD-30f and it’s need of some repairs and could use some help pointing in the right direction.
First up is the eject mechanism is super sluggish and almost doesn’t open on its own. I have a video of that here:
Video
Second is the rewind/fast forward doesn’t work. I press down to engage it but then it immediately stops but the button remains pressed down. If I hold down the button more it will run.
Most likely suspects would be old and dried out grease. All those gears and the 'air brake' need removing, cleaning, and also cleaning of the centre holes and the steel shafts and then reassembling with a dab of a plastics/metal compatible grease on the centre spindles. The teeth of the gears may well be designed to run 'dry' with no grease.
The other problem may well be similar on such an old machine. Old sticky/tropicalised/dried out grease. Also make sure any belts and rubber friction surfaces are not slipping.
The other problem may well be similar on such an old machine. Old sticky/tropicalised/dried out grease. Also make sure any belts and rubber friction surfaces are not slipping.
The belts look ok but I might pick up a replacement kit if I’m about to dismantle everything for cleaning.
What type of grease lubricant do you recommend?
What type of grease lubricant do you recommend?
I always used grease like this which is plastics compatible made by Electrolube. There are sure to be other suitable products though depending on your location:
Ok I was able to fix the eject mechanism with a bit of lubricant.
The grease overall is in goodish shape and nothing is crusty. I’ve cleaned some up anyways and added new grease in some areas. I still can’t figure out why the rewind or fast forward buttons don’t keep engaged after pressing initially. Looks like the mechanism lowers after engaging.
Here’s a video Link
The grease overall is in goodish shape and nothing is crusty. I’ve cleaned some up anyways and added new grease in some areas. I still can’t figure out why the rewind or fast forward buttons don’t keep engaged after pressing initially. Looks like the mechanism lowers after engaging.
Here’s a video Link
It's hard to make out from the video tbh. It's the kind of thing you need to have in front of you to visualise what is happening.
Many issues like this have a simple cause and as with the other issue, dried sticky grease is often an issue. It seems that was the cause for the eject problem. Any grease you can see may look OK but that doesn't mean it is in all those unseen areas. Years of airborne dirt and grime can be an issue.
Perhaps some of metal slides and plates are sticking. You might have to get creative and prod and poke some as you operate it to get a feel for what (might) be sticking assuming that is a factor of course. Try heating the mech with a hairdryer and see if it gives a clue. A drop of iso (isopropanol) on any sliding surfaces can give a clue as well as it thins temporarily anything sticky beneath.
Many issues like this have a simple cause and as with the other issue, dried sticky grease is often an issue. It seems that was the cause for the eject problem. Any grease you can see may look OK but that doesn't mean it is in all those unseen areas. Years of airborne dirt and grime can be an issue.
Perhaps some of metal slides and plates are sticking. You might have to get creative and prod and poke some as you operate it to get a feel for what (might) be sticking assuming that is a factor of course. Try heating the mech with a hairdryer and see if it gives a clue. A drop of iso (isopropanol) on any sliding surfaces can give a clue as well as it thins temporarily anything sticky beneath.