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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 29th Dec 2015, 9:49 pm   #1
Karen O
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Join Date: Jul 2011
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Default Maplin cassette player kit

Hi have been given a cassette mechanism and associated PCBs that are of Maplin origin. I imagine it is from the 1980s(?)

It is all working rather well but for two anomolies: The counter buzzes on fast forward and rewind! I've checked the motor supply in case it was the motor making the racket due to an unstable controller, but the motor supply is clean. It is definitely the tape counter. Is it a matter of lubricating the spindle that drives the worm gear? If so, what is safe for use on this metal/plastic bearing?

Another issue is that the auto stop doesn't work on fast forward and rewind. It seems the motor stalls when the tape comes to the end, and there is thus no momentum in the flywheel for knocking the autostop (it is one of those mechanisms where a solenoid pushes something into the path of a pin on the flywheel).

I can see a slip clutch - a spring inside the pulley which engages with the flywheel for rewind and fast forward. Has it developed too much friction? Surely this shouldn't be lubed

The autostop works fine on play or record - the slip clutch for the take-up spool is working fine and not stalling the motor.

I made a cassette machine myself using a surplus mechanism back in the 1980s but I was disappointed with the results so it became a computer storage device. This cassette mechanism seems to work very much better than the one I had. In particular, it has impressive bass.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The motor does not stall at tape end. The belt is slipping. Would I be right in concluding that the belt has gone slack and needs to be changed?

Last edited by Karen O; 29th Dec 2015 at 9:52 pm. Reason: Additional information
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Old 29th Dec 2015, 11:13 pm   #2
'LIVEWIRE?'
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Default Re: Maplin cassette player kit

The first thing I would do is change the drive belt. The original will not be available, but a suitable substitute should be available from Maplin, or, failing that, from other suppliers. If that mechanism is the same as one I bought (still have it somewhere!) it was made by JVC and is of quite high quality. That slip-clutch is adjustable, but these normally only affect the take-up spool tension on playback or record. When replacing the belt, which should be about 5% smaller in diameter than the original, clean all drive surfaces. You may find that the autostop then works on both FF & REW without further adjustment. As to the buzzing counter, it may be caused by the gears not properly meshing. Try pressing the zero set button a few times to see if that cures the fault.
If the machine has had a lot of use the pinchroller may be worn. It should certainly be cleaned to remove any oxide deposits, as should the capstan shaft and heads.
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Old 30th Dec 2015, 12:06 am   #3
Karen O
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Default Re: Maplin cassette player kit

I bit the bullet and changed the drive belt. It wasn't as difficult as it first seemed - I managed to get the belt past the lower bearing of the flywheel.

Just as you said Livewire, the autostop now works properly on fast forward and rewind. It bothers me that this wasn't obvious to me - I've hit this problem several times before in the past, yet I didn't spot it immediately. All that aluminium from diet coke cans is finally taking its toll

I changed the belt for the counter too, but it still buzzes a little. Strange. There seems to be rather a lot of play in the 'bearing'. The heads and pinch rollers all look absolutely fine - no sign of wear. I just need to get some servisol on the play/record changeover switch now.

If anybody has the circuit for this Maplin board I would be most grateful. It is labelled 'Maplin HI-FI TAPE K9'.

Last edited by Karen O; 30th Dec 2015 at 12:08 am. Reason: Emoticon fail
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