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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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29th May 2020, 2:36 pm | #1 |
Diode
Join Date: May 2020
Location: Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, UK.
Posts: 3
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Wurlitzer C 115 cassette jukebox
Hi Guys
This is my first post and my cassette player is a Wurlitzer C 115 I hope someone here knows what that is (Google it if not). It takes 10 cassettes and plays them in turn as the carousel rotates. There are two tape decks one plays one side of the tape then it moves to the next position and the second deck plays the other side of the tape. The player was in a bad condition when I got it, I've now got the cassettes sequencing but as soon as the cassette is put into the play position the heads come down and make contact but then it is almost immediately removed and put back into its carrier. Any ideas why this would happen? The tape is not at the end of its travel when you would expect this to happen, the undriven spool is free to rotate and there's no binding. |
30th May 2020, 3:42 pm | #2 |
Octode
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: Owston Ferry, North Lincolnshire, UK.
Posts: 1,704
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Re: Wurlitzer C 115 cassette jukebox
Hi and welcome, I don't know your specific model but I would check that the tape drive is running and that the cassette tape take up spool tries to turn. If the take up is working, check for a motion sensor that might need cleaning or reconnecting if it has got detached in the wiring. The tape motion sense could purely be mechanical in operation, so check for ease of movement and that it is located correctly. Can you get the 'b' sides to play on the second deck? Could be a switch that senses the head movement that has a problem.
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30th May 2020, 5:12 pm | #3 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4, UK.
Posts: 21,289
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Re: Wurlitzer C 115 cassette jukebox
I've known some cassette decks to use an opto-sensor and a slotted rotating disc to sense when the spools stop rotating. Sometimes belt driven along with the tape counter.
Broken belt?
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Graham. Forum Moderator Reach for your meter before you reach for your soldering iron. |
31st May 2020, 10:01 am | #4 |
Diode
Join Date: May 2020
Location: Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, UK.
Posts: 3
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Re: Wurlitzer C 115 cassette jukebox
Hi Moderator, yes it has an opto sensor on both decks, when the heads make contact it does appear to momentarily slow the tape considerably, maybe that's it. I do have the circuit diagram if that would help?
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31st May 2020, 11:38 am | #5 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4, UK.
Posts: 21,289
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Re: Wurlitzer C 115 cassette jukebox
In the circuits I've seen part of the circuit checks for a chain of pulses from the opto-sensor. If the pulses stop the mechanism is stopped.
It's possible your decks detect slowing of the pulse chain, which may be down to a mechanical fault like a tight cassette or a sticky mechanism. Some opto-sensors won't work in the presence of ambient light, so you may have to do tests with any covers fitted.
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Graham. Forum Moderator Reach for your meter before you reach for your soldering iron. |
1st Jun 2020, 10:56 am | #6 |
Diode
Join Date: May 2020
Location: Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, UK.
Posts: 3
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Re: Wurlitzer C 115 cassette jukebox
Graham thanks for you input, I've now moved forward somewhat, it's not the opto sensor. There is a motor which operates the mechanism which brings the tape heads down into contact with the cassette, there is a slide switch on the cam at the point where the heads touch the tape and this is not operating the tape controlled play relay to hold the heads in this position. If I manually operate the relay at the appropriate moment the heads stay in contact with the tape as they should and if I had sound (2nd problem!!) I would here it!! I need to work out why the slide switch is not operating the play relay. The slide switch does work so it's back to the schematic.
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