Problems With My eBay-Purchased Aiwa CS-600U
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If anyone cares to know, some hours ago, I managed to begin to open up the Aiwa. This, of course, followed my removing all seven screws that I could find fastening the front and rear panels together and after I managed to remove the front control knobs and switch covers. I had help from certain members: jimmyjimmy talked me into carrying on with it here on the open sub-forum while crazygamer and baddboybill replied to my private messages. I'm hoping that they'll reply to my latest PMs, 'cause I still need a good bit of help with this boombox-entry issue. Here are some photographs that I've taken of the partially open CS-600U:
This is a Nokia Lumia smartphone photograph of the tuner-knob area of my Aiwa CS-600U after I removed the front control knobs and switches today, September 23, 2016. The removal of the front controls followed my removal of the seven screws that I could find that fasten the front and rear panels. Six of the screws are located in the perimeter of the lower 80% or so of the '600's rear cabinet; the seventh is found in the lower centre of the battery bay. I am yet to determine if I have to remove three top-located screws: the twin EXTERNAL ANTENNA screws for the 300-ohm FM connector and the screw located below the base of the telescopic antenna. This photo' shows something that I certainly did not expect: a tiny screw fastening a tiny white wire to a bit of the facade next to the oval from which the tuner-knob stem and the wire emerge. I am not sure how much of an impact, if any, the presence of that screw-fastened wire has on my efforts to open up the portable stereo and examine the faulty cassette-deck mechanism.
This second September 23 photo' shows the cassette-deck bay of my Aiwa CS-600U after I had started to cleave the two portions of the cabinet of this early-'80s excitement-engendering equipment. The various components of the cassette-deck area such as the tape-reel hubs, the capstan, the erase head, the recording head, etc., have all been moved out of alignment with the partial opening of the stereo's cabinet.
Today's third photograph shows the large gap in the left-hand rear cabinet of the Aiwa CS-600U that I have started to open up. I have gotten thus far in the repair attempt by being guided for the most part by members of the BoomBoxery.com community. Also, here in this image one sees parts of the machine's components, including that partly red-wrapped item -- whatever it is -- more or less located behind the left-hand main speaker.
Here is today's fourth photograph of a portion of my mid-repair Aiwa CS-600U. This repair is meant to target the jammed tape-heads mechanism that the auction-won, eBay-purchased unit was shipped with. Here the "gapping" is of the right-hand rear cabinet, obviously misaligning the voltage-selector notch, the AC power jack, etc.
This is a Nokia Lumia smartphone photograph of the tuner-knob area of my Aiwa CS-600U after I removed the front control knobs and switches today, September 23, 2016. The removal of the front controls followed my removal of the seven screws that I could find that fasten the front and rear panels. Six of the screws are located in the perimeter of the lower 80% or so of the '600's rear cabinet; the seventh is found in the lower centre of the battery bay. I am yet to determine if I have to remove three top-located screws: the twin EXTERNAL ANTENNA screws for the 300-ohm FM connector and the screw located below the base of the telescopic antenna. This photo' shows something that I certainly did not expect: a tiny screw fastening a tiny white wire to a bit of the facade next to the oval from which the tuner-knob stem and the wire emerge. I am not sure how much of an impact, if any, the presence of that screw-fastened wire has on my efforts to open up the portable stereo and examine the faulty cassette-deck mechanism.
This second September 23 photo' shows the cassette-deck bay of my Aiwa CS-600U after I had started to cleave the two portions of the cabinet of this early-'80s excitement-engendering equipment. The various components of the cassette-deck area such as the tape-reel hubs, the capstan, the erase head, the recording head, etc., have all been moved out of alignment with the partial opening of the stereo's cabinet.
Today's third photograph shows the large gap in the left-hand rear cabinet of the Aiwa CS-600U that I have started to open up. I have gotten thus far in the repair attempt by being guided for the most part by members of the BoomBoxery.com community. Also, here in this image one sees parts of the machine's components, including that partly red-wrapped item -- whatever it is -- more or less located behind the left-hand main speaker.
Here is today's fourth photograph of a portion of my mid-repair Aiwa CS-600U. This repair is meant to target the jammed tape-heads mechanism that the auction-won, eBay-purchased unit was shipped with. Here the "gapping" is of the right-hand rear cabinet, obviously misaligning the voltage-selector notch, the AC power jack, etc.
Well, I finally did it: I opened up the Aiwa CS-600U. That necessity took place sometime after 5:30 PM Eastern Time this Friday, September 23, 2016. I was -- and, some nineteen hours later, I still am -- sleep-deprived. Of course, there was the apprehension about ever being able to reverse the boombox-stripping and boombox-cleaving steps, returning the stereo to a state of physical intactness and full or predominant functioning. But, with the encouragement and the instructions of Boomboxery.com members like jimmyjimmy19702010, like baddboybill and like crazygamer -- perhaps especially crazygamer, AKA Valter, our young man from Estonia -- I was able to get this far. Well, here's my first photograph of the electromechanical "maze" of my Aiwa CS-600U, with the opened-up machine cushioned by bubble-wrap that is placed on my bedroom desk.
The personally unprecedented -- and, thus, unnerving -- action of opening my early-'80s portable unit had to be taken to reset ("unjam") the jammed tape-heads mechanism of the Aiwa for the stereo to have a chance of playing and recording audiocassettes for the first time in many months or even years. This smartphone photograph is a close-up of the target contraption: the cassette deck. Boomboxers like crazygamer who urged me to "go for it," so to speak, were right about one thing: the interior of the Aiwa CS-600 is somewhat roomy. Gives one a fair chance at working reasonably well in close confines. In addition to the requisite cassette-deck "keys," one does notice the several hard-plastic cylindrical posts. Used for guiding and holding the screws that fasten the front and rear panels of the stereo together, they seem here to rise almost like pillars or like would-be factory smokestacks ...
This is my third photograph of the interior of my pulled-apart Aiwa CS-600U. Components of the cassette-deck system such as the red RECORD function key and the jammed tape-heads mechanism are still more clearly seen here. With procedural guidance and splashes of moral support from other, obviously far more-experienced members of this boomboxing website, I went from being a fellow who only seemed to numb or exasperate readers of my lengthy, arguably oversharing and risk-averse message postings to being a fellow who dug deep to gain the courage to do what he never seriously thought he would have to do: try to repair a boombox.
Northerner
Boomus Fidelis
Mrs. Fatdog
Member (SA)
Much fun has been had this morning at the Doghouse. These posts are much more entertaining when read aloud in my sultry voice. I am toying with the idea of recording them and uploading them.
Until then, I leave you with this
Until then, I leave you with this
crazygamer
Member (SA)
Very good job so far, take a look at your last PM with further instructions ! Although, with this little activity you really do talk a lot 
But you finally got inside which is excellent. Judging by photos, i´d disconnect grey speaker plug from upper left from circuit board- you might risk with breaking contact with such strain to the plug. I can already see that speaker wire is tight so to make your life a lot easier, do yourself a favour and take off the speaker plug, highlighted on the photo with red circle. I can also see a missing counter belt-traces of old belt (marked with blue) : get rid of old traces of perished belts and get yourself a belt kit or ask our fellow members for belt measures, maybe someone knows. 
Good luck !
But you finally got inside which is excellent. Judging by photos, i´d disconnect grey speaker plug from upper left from circuit board- you might risk with breaking contact with such strain to the plug. I can already see that speaker wire is tight so to make your life a lot easier, do yourself a favour and take off the speaker plug, highlighted on the photo with red circle. I can also see a missing counter belt-traces of old belt (marked with blue) : get rid of old traces of perished belts and get yourself a belt kit or ask our fellow members for belt measures, maybe someone knows. Good luck ! 
Hisrudeness
Member (SA)
On the one hand, HR and T-Ster: not kind, guys. Not very nice of you. (Frown)
On the other hand, chaps: if you'd care to look at the "TRYING To Repair My Aiwa CS-600U" topic on the other website, you'd find an update. It graphically somewhat resembles one of the message postings on this 'page of this topic. It probably goes double for you, T-Ster.
And, Valter: thanks for all your coaching so far. I got sidetracked by music -- ironically enough -- and by leaving a message on the other boomboxing website after I started to compose a message to you on this website. You caught up with me and left me helpful markings on one of the photographs that I uploaded here. You probably used an app' like Microsoft Paint to make those highlighting ovals. Good going, young man!
On the other hand, chaps: if you'd care to look at the "TRYING To Repair My Aiwa CS-600U" topic on the other website, you'd find an update. It graphically somewhat resembles one of the message postings on this 'page of this topic. It probably goes double for you, T-Ster.
And, Valter: thanks for all your coaching so far. I got sidetracked by music -- ironically enough -- and by leaving a message on the other boomboxing website after I started to compose a message to you on this website. You caught up with me and left me helpful markings on one of the photographs that I uploaded here. You probably used an app' like Microsoft Paint to make those highlighting ovals. Good going, young man!
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