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Vintage Tape (Audio), Cassette, Wire and Magnetic Disc Recorders and Players Open-reel tape recorders, cassette recorders, 8-track players etc.

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Old 26th Oct 2018, 9:24 pm   #1
Lancs Lad
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Default 1989 Aiwa hifi. Cassette player problems.

I'm a very new member to this forum, so am chary of doing anything wrong!

I bought a hifi in 1989 with my 21st birthday money. It was an Aiwa brand, with a separate turntable. And I bought a Sharp CD player to go with it. And it was really good until 2000 when my new sister-in-law offered to sell me her JVC hifi for £20! It was too good a bargain to miss. The speakers were just so good!

Anyway, I mothballed the Aiwa and Sharp until very recently when I fancied playing my vinyl again (and the CD player on the JVC packed up) and I swapped back to my original hifi.

The situation now is that the 30 year old cassette mechanism seems to be kaput and I wondered if it was repairable? The rubber belts will have perished, won't they? Is it worth me buying new ones and trying to dismantle it to replace them?
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Old 27th Oct 2018, 9:51 am   #2
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Default Re: 1989 Aiwa hifi question.

There's a very good chance it just needs new belts, particularly the main capstan belt. You will need to work out the belt dimensions and order a replacement from somewhere like CPC. The belts aren't expensive.

Belt changing can be anything from trivially easy to complex and difficult. Take the covers off and have a look inside.
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Old 31st Oct 2018, 9:05 pm   #3
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Default Re: 1989 Aiwa hifi question.

Hi Lancs lad,
Might I add that when measuring up for the belt size deduct about 8%-10% or so and buy a belt of that slightly 'reduced' diameter, (so if you measure a circumference of 100mm, get something around 92mm or so to replace it with, so it will fit the loop with some reasonable grip/tension - otherwise you'll have the same symptoms of a stretched belt!
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Old 1st Nov 2018, 3:17 am   #4
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Default Re: 1989 Aiwa hifi question.

Post the model number of the Aiwa unit. One of us may recognize it and be able to give specific help.
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Old 1st Nov 2018, 2:27 pm   #5
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Default Re: 1989 Aiwa hifi question.

Hello Whiskas and co.

Thanks for all the excellent suggestions. The Aiwa unit is labelled Stereo Component System CX-45, and the twin cassette mechanism is just a standard manual push-button type. Not a fancy logic-controlled affair like my JVC! Not sure if that makes any difference to the inside workings.

Also, if I do end up taking it apart, is there anything in particular that I should avoid touching? I've heard worrying tales about 'stored voltage' (capacitors?) and I would rather not get a nasty shock if it can be avoided.
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Old 1st Nov 2018, 2:34 pm   #6
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Default Re: 1989 Aiwa hifi question.

There is no risk of significant electric shocks if the unit has been unplugged from the mains for a few minutes. Transistor equipment operates from relatively low voltages.
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Old 1st Nov 2018, 2:48 pm   #7
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Default Re: 1989 Aiwa hifi question.

Relieved to hear that, Paul. Thanks for such a swift reply.
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Old 1st Nov 2018, 5:48 pm   #8
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Default Re: 1989 Aiwa hifi question.

An update on the Aiwa saga.

Both cassette decks will now play and record very well, even on high-speed dubbing. Maybe this is because the unit has now been in a heated room for a couple of weeks (and plugged in for the same length of time) so everything has warmed up again.

The problem is that both fast-forward and rewind are unresponsive - not even a hint of any movement or motor noise. Yet, as soon as I press either function keys, the auto-stop triggers and it returns to the off position. It's the only non-logic cassette deck with auto-stop on fast wind (as well as on play and record) that I've ever come across!

So, does that sound like it's still a belt problem? All thoughts are very welcome!
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Old 3rd Nov 2018, 9:02 am   #9
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Default Re: 1989 Aiwa hifi. Cassette player problems.

Not familiar with that unit per se:
Could be a belt, drive idler, clutch, sensor- some used magnetic reed switches and the switches were failure prone on the U.S. models.
It's really hard to tell for me, without looking the unit over. The FF/rewind mech could be gummed up too.
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Old 3rd Nov 2018, 11:47 am   #10
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Default Re: 1989 Aiwa hifi. Cassette player problems.

Having looked at pics of similar models online, this is a simple mech, I would not be surprised if one motor handled both transports. The usual scenario is that a thinner belt which connects the fast wind idler to the capstan or even motor itself has failed.
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