Cam for Akai DS4000 - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

kestrelmusic · 18th Dec 2019, 3:33 pm

I have just been given an Akai DS4000. As seems pretty common with these machines, the play/record cam has crumbled away. I think it should be possible to make a replacement, starting with a block of aluminium, by cutting and filing it to shape. However, the old one is too knackered (to use the technical term) to be used as a pattern.

Replacements are available from a firm in America, but would cost over £100 including carriage and import charges. This is probably more than the machine would be worth, especially as there is no guarantee that there are not electronic faults as well!

Does anyone by any chance have, or could make, an accurate drawing with dimensions? The cam I am looking for is roughly a "clover-leaf" shape.

Station X · 18th Dec 2019, 3:54 pm

The record/replay cams I've seen look like those in the attached picture. Bear in mind that there are at least two variants with the slot for the control shaft set at a different angle to the cam lobe.

If this is what you require, I'll happily loan you one for copying.

Welsh Anorak · 20th Dec 2019, 5:09 pm

I think you could start a cottage industry making these if you're successful with machining a replacement!

kestrelmusic · 20th Dec 2019, 11:55 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Station X

The record/replay cams I've seen look like those in the attached picture. Bear in mind that there are at least two variants with the slot for the control shaft set at a different angle to the cam lobe.

If this is what you require, I'll happily loan you one for copying.

Many thanks for this. Unfortunately this is the one that fits under the deck to operate the record switch. The one I need is a strange looking object - picture attached found on the web.

Radio Wrangler · 21st Dec 2019, 12:24 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Welsh Anorak

I think you could start a cottage industry making these if you're successful with machining a replacement!

Looks like an extrusion could be tooled up, and then just sliced to turn them out in bulk. Drill, tap holes and Shazzam! s they say.

David

dave walsh · 21st Dec 2019, 2:07 am

There was, actually, a bit of a cottage industry not that far back W A and crumbly cams were a bit of an obsession on here with people repeatedly referring to this same problem. There were several threads as I recall! I bought one "new" cam but so far, I've been lucky! It was reported that even when "copies" were made they sometimes weren't individual enough for a particular machine and had to be modified

.

What a shame they used "pot"/"monkey" metal for this vital part in what are really good machines in my opinion. With one motor and a stripped down mechanism [like the Sugden Record Deck] they gave ordinary folk a recorder that was and looked more sophisticated overall, with access to longer recording times, especially mono, at a price when something more "professional" would have been well out of reach. That's why a lot of them were sold

My comparison would be the delightful siralan and his Amstrad WP/Computers later selling [and flying out of the door] at £500 or less, when a comparable IBM machine seemed to cost around £5k. I think you would have needed a lot of ability with the IBM computer as well so it was fairly ground breaking!

Dave W

18th Dec 2019, 3:33 pm	#1
kestrelmusic Hexode Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK. Posts: 466	Cam for Akai DS4000 I have just been given an Akai DS4000. As seems pretty common with these machines, the play/record cam has crumbled away. I think it should be possible to make a replacement, starting with a block of aluminium, by cutting and filing it to shape. However, the old one is too knackered (to use the technical term) to be used as a pattern. Replacements are available from a firm in America, but would cost over £100 including carriage and import charges. This is probably more than the machine would be worth, especially as there is no guarantee that there are not electronic faults as well! Does anyone by any chance have, or could make, an accurate drawing with dimensions? The cam I am looking for is roughly a "clover-leaf" shape.

18th Dec 2019, 3:54 pm	#2
Station X Moderator Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4, UK. Posts: 21,289	Re: Cam for Akai DS4000 The record/replay cams I've seen look like those in the attached picture. Bear in mind that there are at least two variants with the slot for the control shaft set at a different angle to the cam lobe. If this is what you require, I'll happily loan you one for copying. Attached Thumbnails __________________ Graham. Forum Moderator Reach for your meter before you reach for your soldering iron.

20th Dec 2019, 5:09 pm	#3
Welsh Anorak Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: North Wales, UK. Posts: 6,927	Re: Cam for Akai DS4000 I think you could start a cottage industry making these if you're successful with machining a replacement! __________________ Glyn www.gdelectronics.wales

21st Dec 2019, 2:07 am	#6
dave walsh Dekatron Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Ramsbottom (Nr Bury) Lancs or Bexhill (Nr Hastings) Sussex. Posts: 5,817	Re: Cam for Akai DS4000 There was, actually, a bit of a cottage industry not that far back W A and crumbly cams were a bit of an obsession on here with people repeatedly referring to this same problem. There were several threads as I recall! I bought one "new" cam but so far, I've been lucky! It was reported that even when "copies" were made they sometimes weren't individual enough for a particular machine and had to be modified . What a shame they used "pot"/"monkey" metal for this vital part in what are really good machines in my opinion. With one motor and a stripped down mechanism [like the Sugden Record Deck] they gave ordinary folk a recorder that was and looked more sophisticated overall, with access to longer recording times, especially mono, at a price when something more "professional" would have been well out of reach. That's why a lot of them were sold My comparison would be the delightful siralan and his Amstrad WP/Computers later selling [and flying out of the door] at £500 or less, when a comparable IBM machine seemed to cost around £5k. I think you would have needed a lot of ability with the IBM computer as well so it was fairly ground breaking! Dave W