I bought it with everything working except the tape player. This forum has help me along the way. I have replaced the the broken plastic piece that pushes the heads up when play is pushed. And the belts and the idler tire and pinch wheel. My new problem is that the speed of playback is too fast. Sounds like the chipmunk's. I tried to adjust the speed on the motor and that helped a little but even turned all the way down it’s still too fast. I also but the old belt the largest one from the motor back on and it’s the same issue. I didn’t find one other adjustment pot but it doesn’t seem to make any difference. I am a complete novice this is the first time I’ve ever tried something like this so please be gentle. Thanks in advance and let me know if you need any more details. Also is the motor supposed to be spinning at all times then it’s powered on?
Restoring a realistic 14-776 I need help
- Thread starter Smalltalk
- Start date
You said you replaced the pinch wheel but the symptoms you describe is consistent with a pinch roller not gripping the tape adequately. In use, the take up reel runs slightly faster than the capstan. This is deliberate to ensure that the tape does not feed too slow otherwise the tape will have slack & bunch up and get eaten. The process that keeps the tape at the correct speed is the pinch roller putting sufficient pressure on the capstan needle so that the needle dictates actual tape speed. If the pinch roller is the wrong size (diameter too small), composition too hard (slick) due to rubber turning to plastic, or insufficient spring pressure to the roller, then the take up reel will actually pull the tape past the capstan needle faster than it should resulting in a chipmunk sound.
Thanks for your response. I replaced both rubber wheels. I think I will try the old pinch wheel and see if that fixes it. It’s very difficult to find replacement parts. I couldn’t find wheels that said they are specifically for my boombox so I measured the existing pinch wheel and got one slightly larger because I assumed the original shrank. And it sounds to me it’s still not large enough to pinch the tape against the capstan. Or is there another possible issue like the spring being too weak? Thanks again!
Tinman
Member (SA)
Yes, the pinch wheel should be in contact with the capstan shaft.
The pinch wheel spring is supposed to keep the rubber wheel in contact with the capstan so it can pull the tape through at a constant speed.
Your take up reel is pulling it past those two at a faster speed hence the chipmunk sounds.
The pinch wheel spring is supposed to keep the rubber wheel in contact with the capstan so it can pull the tape through at a constant speed.
Your take up reel is pulling it past those two at a faster speed hence the chipmunk sounds.
Make sure that the pause mechanism is not stuck in the pause position. During pause, the pinch roller drops slightly from the capstan needle.
When you say 3D printed part, are you referring to the head mounting plate? Because what you are showing is generally the condition that the 3D printed head mounting part is supposed to fix, if installed correctly, and not broken. You'll have to re-examine to ensure that it is installed properly and not broken. The tail of the head lift spring is really strong and under a lot of tension. It has to nest in the pocket in order to work properly and supply the needed "lift" for the head and pinch roller to go high enough. If you need further advice on this part, you can try and PM user Transistorized (or maybe he'll chime in) on how to properly install that part. He has done many of them.
Also there was a condition mentioned by a user Docs (search his posts) where he described and fixed a problem that causes a similar issue. If I recall it was some part of the mechanism that was gummed up. If I recall correctly (it was an old post) he repaired it by cleaning it. His thread shows the part in question and what he had to disassemble to get to it.
When you say 3D printed part, are you referring to the head mounting plate? Because what you are showing is generally the condition that the 3D printed head mounting part is supposed to fix, if installed correctly, and not broken. You'll have to re-examine to ensure that it is installed properly and not broken. The tail of the head lift spring is really strong and under a lot of tension. It has to nest in the pocket in order to work properly and supply the needed "lift" for the head and pinch roller to go high enough. If you need further advice on this part, you can try and PM user Transistorized (or maybe he'll chime in) on how to properly install that part. He has done many of them.
Also there was a condition mentioned by a user Docs (search his posts) where he described and fixed a problem that causes a similar issue. If I recall it was some part of the mechanism that was gummed up. If I recall correctly (it was an old post) he repaired it by cleaning it. His thread shows the part in question and what he had to disassemble to get to it.
Thank you for the replies. I will check my installation of my head lifter piece. Maybe the spring isn’t correct. But I will definitely look for Docs post because I believe that may be my problem. There does seem to be old lubricant that is all gummed up and preventing proper lift. Thanks again!