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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 28th Feb 2018, 10:17 am   #1
Dragonfly3r
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Default Grundig TK14 Help

So I recently got given my late grandparents' Grundig TK14 as my mother wanted me to see if there was a way for me to transfer the sounds on some of the tapes to digital format. I found out trawling on the forums that this was possible so I've already ordered the required cables from Maplin and I'm just waiting for them to arrive.

So whilst I was waiting I thought I'd give it a once over to see if everything was working and I've come across a few problems and I'm wondering if anyone knew what I could do to fix them?

1) - Pressing the start button plays the song at a slow speed. If I press and lock the start button in position the tape will grind to extremely slow playback.

2) Fast forwarding/stopping works however when it comes to pressing the rewind button it makes a grinding noise and rewinds extremely slowly but is not as effective as the fast forward.

Also if anyone could tell me what the micro button does, as well as what the red knob on the right hand side is for? I assume it's a record button used in conjunction with the microphone?

Thanks.
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Old 28th Feb 2018, 11:41 am   #2
Tractorfan
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Smile Re: Grundig TK14 Help

Hi,
As so often with old electro-mechanical equipment that has not been used for years, it will need a thorough mechanical and electrical overhaul.
Any old lubricant will have become hard and sticky over the years. You'll need to clean and re-lubricate, only putting grease where there was some before.
Also, the drive belts may be slack and slipping. Plus rubber drive wheels may have hardened and not gripping.(That may explain the grinding noises.)
Once the deck is working correctly, it's a good idea to check the electronics for bad components, mainly capacitors.
There's loads of info in the 'Stickies' at the top of the page.
Cheers, Pete.
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Old 28th Feb 2018, 3:57 pm   #3
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Default Re: Grundig TK14 Help

The drive belt for the flywheel tends to become slack over time, causing loss of friction and slipping as Tractorfan said. Replacement is a bit awkward as the whole head assembly must be lifted to get at the belt, and a couple of linkages temporarily unhooked. It's not terribly difficult though, but care is needed .

As a short-term measure, if the belt is in otherwise good condition (not cracked or deteriorated in some other way), one can cut off an inch or so of the belt, and glue the ends with superglue, then sand down the edges to get a smooth joint.

Regarding rewind, there is a rubber rim on the left hand reel table, which gets hard with age. I've had luck sanding down the surface, exposing new rubber. It's also possible to increase the tension between the reel and the motor hub by bending the arm to the left of the reel table where the spring providing the tension is located.

All this of course requires opening the machine, although it's fairly easy on this model, just four screws on top that must be loosened. Be very cautious if you run the machine in this state though, there is something in the order of 250V DC present on the connections to the Magic Eye valve at the front, and potentially even more dangerous is the mains switch behind the tone control where the contacts are (rather unusually I would say) completely exposed.
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Old 2nd Mar 2018, 2:00 pm   #4
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Default Re: Grundig TK14 Help

The red knob is record to use at the same time as pressing play. The mic switch I think switches between mic input and line input but I can't remember exactly as I had one 45 years ago and the brain's been erased since!
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Old 3rd Mar 2018, 11:06 am   #5
kevinb
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Default Re: Grundig TK14 Help

The Mic switch does switch to mike input
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Old 6th Mar 2018, 11:09 pm   #6
Jon_G4MDC
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Default Re: Grundig TK14 Help

Ah where is the one I used to have I wonder?

I used to listen to it while learning my times tables for the up-coming test in the morning.

It could be that I took it to bits...shame on me now. I know it allowed my first experiments on a magic eye. An EM34 I reckon.

Guilty m'lud...
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Old 7th Mar 2018, 1:08 am   #7
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Default Re: Grundig TK14 Help

Last year I worked on one of these for someone else. The idler wheel for the fast wind had cracked and bulged (pot metal deterioration) and was jamming the whole mechanism up. Removing it allowed playback at least until a spare one was sourced.

Do not try to use the machine in this condition until you've had a look inside.

Also use a junk tape for test purposes - there'll be no second chances if you accidentally erase precious recordings!
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Old 7th Mar 2018, 3:21 pm   #8
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Default Re: Grundig TK14 Help

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon_G4MDC View Post
An EM34 I reckon.
Actually, it's an EM84 in the TK14.

Also, while I don't have the machine in front of me, I distinctly remember that if you twist the record button 90° to the right before pressing it, the erase head is not energized, allowing basic trick recordings by recording over what was previously on the type without erasing it first.
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Old 10th Mar 2018, 9:21 pm   #9
Dragonfly3r
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Default Re: Grundig TK14 Help

Hi Chaps,

Cheers for the info, I noticed that the rewind button actually works perfectly fine when the tape is not connected to another spool or there is no spool on it but as soon as you connect the tape to the opposite spool that is when it goes slow.

I took off the spool and tried pressing rewind button and I found that it pushes the reel at a 45 degree angle to the top right corner which I assume is causing the reel to get caught on something causing the slowing down when the tape is connected to another spool.

Is this the same problem as you've previously answer solution wise or is this an entirely different problem altogether.

Does anyone UK based know of any reputable repairers that might be able to fix the current problems? This tech itself is out of my comfort zone and considering it's my late grandfather's I'd rather not muck it up if I haven't got a clue what I'm looking at nor how to fix it.
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Old 13th Mar 2018, 5:42 pm   #10
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Default Re: Grundig TK14 Help

There are some very well regarded Reel-to-Reel specialists which can be searched out, but they may not be local to you. Do note that they tend to concentrate on high-end equipment. By all means seek out quotes or get help from Members here, but be aware there will be a cost threshold you may not want to cross.
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Old 13th Mar 2018, 10:08 pm   #11
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Default Re: Grundig TK14 Help

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dragonfly3r View Post
Hi Chaps,

Does anyone UK based know of any reputable repairers that might be able to fix the current problems? This tech itself is out of my comfort zone and considering it's my late grandfather's I'd rather not muck it up if I haven't got a clue what I'm looking at nor how to fix it.
I would suggest that you post in this section of the forums:-

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...play.php?f=145
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