GF-767 stuck on play

[Chill2k]

Hi All, please can anyone give some advice with my GF-767
The stop button will not release the play button, any ideas how to fix this issue?
I have had this box for 40 years and first issue I’ve had.
I appreciate any help/advice offered.
Many thanks

 

[floyd]

Could be a bad belt. You also might have to rotate the flywheel by hand until the heads drop down then the play button should pop back up.

 

[Chill2k]

Could be a bad belt. You also might have to rotate the flywheel by hand until the heads drop down then the play button should pop back up.

Hi Floyd, thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I will give this a try and hopefully fix the issue.
Regards

 

[floyd]

If you look in the tech section there might be a sub topic on these specific series and model sharp.

 

[Chill2k]

Ok great and thank you again I will have a try tomorrow when the light is better

 

[floyd]

The way to the tech section is to click on forums in the drop box menu.

 

[Chill2k]

Hi Floyd, I’ve had a good look through the Tech section and there seems only a post from 2011 talking about taking the unit apart….
This is where I am, gently removing to get to the tape deck 2 flywheel

 

[Chill2k]

Success.....
Removing the tape deck you can see in the previous post, about 4 screws and gently lifting it to get access to the flywheel. rolling the flywheel backed off the pinch roller and head, then the 'stop' button released the 'play' button.
Next step get it all back together and hope all still works. I will post how I get on.
Thank you for your help/advice.

 

[Chill2k]

Well there it is, all back together and booming again. Thank you Floyd.
Speaker grill repair to complete. My son printing me a new fixture on his 3D printer then to decide if to give it the Alpine speaker upgrade.
Those who want to experience the authentic 80’s boombox music look me up on Spotify chris.hill.uk and look for playlist Chill2k-Soul2Funk
I’ve put together a playlist when I was in the 80’s…. Enjoy

 

[floyd]

Awesome I'm glad it works now.
Nice job.

 

[floyd]

If the same thing happens again I would suggest new belts on both decks . it's a hassle because you have to install the belts on the flywheels then loop them around a post while you put the backing plate on then using a pick guide the belts on to the motor pulleys.

 

[Chill2k]

Thanks, great advice.
While I had it all apart I did treat belts, pulleys etc to a good clean.
Hopefully enjoy trouble free play.
I also plugged in a device to cast my Spotify from phone to the input. This gives even more flexibility for playing the Boombox.

 

[dubout]

I have a quick and dirty (read: brutal) solution for this problem if I don't want to open the box. But I don't do this on my dearest boxes:
Open the tape door. (This is the tricky part because if you cant reach the hook that keeps the door closed it will only open by force.)
Put a small strip of masking tape around the capstan.
Turn the capstan by hand or with a plier until the head assembly resets.

It works but the risk of breaking the tape door is high!

 

[Chill2k]

Great point risk breaking the door as these boxes never designed to last 40 years and plastic goes brittle etc.
I’m my case the door was jammed as cassette was loaded and eject would not open the door.
Even as a novice taking the back off was a worry but carefully working through taking lots of pictures on my phone to record where everything goes was not too bad.
Biggest worry was releasing the tape mechanism, but again really careful all ended up well.
Biggest advice for anyone doing this… make sure the unit is unplugged. Taking the back off is a big risk of electrical shock and likely end in damage to the boombox as well.
Thank you for your message

 

[floyd]

Great point risk breaking the door as these boxes never designed to last 40 years and plastic goes brittle etc.
I’m my case the door was jammed as cassette was loaded and eject would not open the door.
Even as a novice taking the back off was a worry but carefully working through taking lots of pictures on my phone to record where everything goes was not too bad.
Biggest worry was releasing the tape mechanism, but again really careful all ended up well.
Biggest advice for anyone doing this… make sure the unit is unplugged. Taking the back off is a big risk of electrical shock and likely end in damage to the boombox as well.
Thank you for your message

I would avoid taking the doors off all together if you can. the pivot Points are notoriously weak and prone to wear. once they break there are solutions but it's a lot of work.

 

[floyd]

I would avoid taking the doors off all together if you can. the pivot Points are notoriously weak and prone to wear. once they break there are solutions but it's a lot of work.

If anything I would lubricate these points on the cassette doors where the pivot Points are to avoid future wear.

 

[floyd]

I have a quick and dirty (read: brutal) solution for this problem if I don't want to open the box. But I don't do this on my dearest boxes:
Open the tape door. (This is the tricky part because if you cant reach the hook that keeps the door closed it will only open by force.)
Put a small strip of masking tape around the capstan.
Turn the capstan by hand or with a plier until the head assembly resets.

It works but the risk of breaking the tape door is high!

I've learned over time to take the tapes out when I'm done because you never know what might happen next time you go to use the Boombox if something goes wonky then you have big problems.

 

[Chill2k]

That’s great advice