Sony Tapecorder TC-260

[Renagde]

Hi all, Just a question or two. I have been offered a Sony Tapecorder TC-260 for a resonable price and wondered if anyone has any thoughts on what i may expect with such a machine. Its offered working in that not tested with tape but working motor that plays at both speeds and FF, RW working. He says he tested the motor by holding down the tape sensor. I was thinking of this to begin my collection of machines.

[Welsh Anorak]

You could do far worse. It's a transistorised machine and hasn't much in the way of nasty dissolving belts and idlers to worry about. Electronically they're also pretty good - typical Japanese quality. It may well need a service before serious use, but as a starter machine it's a good one, and the amplifier section is easy to get at.

[Ted Kendall]

Agreed.

[Renagde]

Many thanks for the info, much appreciated

[ben]

How mechanically minded are you?

I have worked on a few Sonys of this era, and because they have one motor and one control lever, there are a number of levers and rods and linkages used to distribute the motor drive motion and select the functions. The grease will likely have turned to treacle after 45 years, so considerable disassembly will be needed to clean it all off and reapply. No matter what the seller says, this will be necessary to get it working reliably. It is not too bad if you have an aptitude for such work, take it slowly and are methodical, but expect to spend 3-4 hours minimum.

As Glyn says, the electronics should be fine. Some contact spray on the pots might well be all that's needed.

edit: to give you an idea, I attach a doc with images of the sticky linkages!

[Renagde]

Thanks for the info everyone, the machine arrives today so ill post my progress if thats ok

[Renagde]

Arrived today, everything looks good so far but the brakes need replacing/servicing. Throws a loop on stop from the left spool so thats the brakes right? Also can anyone tell me if this is correct for this machine. When going from forward to pause should it ff? Thats what this does and when that happens you can hear the audio running very fast. Isnt it supposed to stop there before i move to FF. I have posted pics of the switch positions. I would like to thank everyone in advance. This Forum is the Best place for n00bs like me

[Welsh Anorak]

As Ben said earlier, the most common problem is (luckily) just hardened grease on the pivots of the moving parts. Move them by hand - any drag and it's in need of re-greasing. Remove the clip, then ease the lever up and off - a hairdryer is useful here. Then degrease and relubricate. In fact, it's not bad practice to do this on all the pivots. Having done this, you may well find the faults disappear.
The machine looks very nice and clean, BTW, so I wouldn't expect any nasties.

[Renagde]

Hi all, Thanks for the info. On the subject of grease, what type would be best, all I get searching is stuff for car bearings or copper gease and the like. Dont want to use stuff that will give more problems than it cures. On a different note, does the main swtich selector come off with force or is there a screw im missing? Dont want to give it some force and end up snapping it or marking the plate. Sorry for all the n00b questions but trying to make my learning curve as slight as possible

[Welsh Anorak]

Don't worry too much about the grease. A light lithium will do - general car grease is too thick unless used for where a lever travels along a metal surface. 3-in-1 oil is handy for pivots, and a bottle of sewing machine oil for bearings is invaluable.
I don't THINK there's a screw you're missing. Often placing two pieces of insulated wire below the knob, one each side of the spindle, allows you to lift it up with even force so no damage can happen to the knob of the trim.

[Ted Kendall]

Superlube works well for me. If the function knob has a retaining screw, it will probably be visible looking from the back (or top, if vertical) of the machine. Otherwise it's more likely to be a straight pull. A button stick is a useful tool here.