Cassettes chewed up only when recording - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

PinkCupCake · 1st Jul 2016, 6:29 pm

Hi there, just wondered if anyone can help me, its been a long time since I used my cassette player, its a midi system, works fine when I play cassettes, but today I had a bit of a problem, a friend wanted to listen to some of my mixing DJ tracks, I couldn't find my memory stick for my PC and don't have a CD burner on this PC, then had the brilliant idea of recording it on to cassette, I was sat here thinking. 'Great not long now.' The light was on and it said 'REC' Then it chewed the tape up, it did it with 3 new tapes, it only does it on record, does anyone have any idea what the problem could be please? Thank you.

Dave Anderson · 1st Jul 2016, 7:53 pm

Do you clean the heads, pinch roller and capstan regularly? If the tapes are new it might help if you fast forward then rewind the entire cassette to slacken any tightly wound tape before attempting a recording.

Dave.

Tractorfan · 1st Jul 2016, 9:09 pm

Hi,
A bit more info about the make & model would be a big help, plus a couple of photos (we like photos

)
Some machines only have the erase head in contact with the tape during recording, and it is withdrawn during playback. This may not be aligned correctly and causing the tape to run off course.
Cheers, Pete.

TIMTAPE · 2nd Jul 2016, 11:01 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tractorfan

Some machines only have the erase head in contact with the tape during recording, and it is withdrawn during playback. This may not be aligned correctly and causing the tape to run off course.

Yes that and the fact that in record, more power is consumed are about the only factors that spring to mind. Seems more likely a machine will chew tapes regardless of whether it's play or record mode.

llama · 2nd Jul 2016, 3:28 pm

Further to post number 3, some cassette decks use a permanent magnet for erase, pulling it away during playback. I can imagine such an erase "head" exerting more drag on the tape path during recording.
Graham

ben · 2nd Jul 2016, 6:14 pm

There is very little, if anything at all, that can cause a deck to chew tapes only in record mode, since the headbridge is in the exact same postion during playback. With the exception of very cheap and nasty mechs with permanent magnet erase heads, (usully in portable equipment) but that alone would not cause tape chewing.

If it is a Philips, the erase head may have disintegrated and gone sticky, causing the tape to adhere to the tape path.That's the only thing I can think of to explain this scenario.

Actually, if you tested it on playback with shorter/prerecorded tapes and tried recoridng on new c90s, the thinner tape may have been damaged by a bad pinch roller whereas thicker tapers survived.

we need pictures!

JohnBHanson · 2nd Jul 2016, 9:18 pm

Some cheap tape decks have permanent magnet erase. This is done by pressing a magnet against the tape ONLY in record mode. This is usually embedded in plastic with tape guides. Thus if these tape guides were out of alignment the effect would be to chew / mangle tape only in record mode.

1st Jul 2016, 6:29 pm	#1
PinkCupCake Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Birmingham, UK. Posts: 1	Cassettes chewed up only when recording Hi there, just wondered if anyone can help me, its been a long time since I used my cassette player, its a midi system, works fine when I play cassettes, but today I had a bit of a problem, a friend wanted to listen to some of my mixing DJ tracks, I couldn't find my memory stick for my PC and don't have a CD burner on this PC, then had the brilliant idea of recording it on to cassette, I was sat here thinking. 'Great not long now.' The light was on and it said 'REC' Then it chewed the tape up, it did it with 3 new tapes, it only does it on record, does anyone have any idea what the problem could be please? Thank you.

1st Jul 2016, 7:53 pm	#2
Dave Anderson Retired Dormant Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Slough, Berkshire, UK. Posts: 113	Re: Cassettes chewed up only when recording Do you clean the heads, pinch roller and capstan regularly? If the tapes are new it might help if you fast forward then rewind the entire cassette to slacken any tightly wound tape before attempting a recording. Dave.

1st Jul 2016, 9:09 pm	#3
Tractorfan Dekatron Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: St. Frajou, l'Isle en Dodon, Haute Garonne, France.(Previously: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, UK.) Posts: 3,183	Re: Cassettes chewed up only when recording Hi, A bit more info about the make & model would be a big help, plus a couple of photos (we like photos ) Some machines only have the erase head in contact with the tape during recording, and it is withdrawn during playback. This may not be aligned correctly and causing the tape to run off course. Cheers, Pete. __________________ "Hello?, Yes, I'm on the train, I might lose the signal soon as we're just going into a tunn..."

2nd Jul 2016, 3:28 pm	#5
llama Octode Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: St Osyth, Nr Clacton, Essex, UK. Posts: 1,482	Re: Cassettes chewed up only when recording Further to post number 3, some cassette decks use a permanent magnet for erase, pulling it away during playback. I can imagine such an erase "head" exerting more drag on the tape path during recording. Graham __________________ Half my stuff is junk - trouble is, I don't know which half!

2nd Jul 2016, 6:14 pm	#6
ben Dekatron Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Madrid, Spain / Wirral, UK Posts: 7,498	Re: Cassettes chewed up only when recording There is very little, if anything at all, that can cause a deck to chew tapes only in record mode, since the headbridge is in the exact same postion during playback. With the exception of very cheap and nasty mechs with permanent magnet erase heads, (usully in portable equipment) but that alone would not cause tape chewing. If it is a Philips, the erase head may have disintegrated and gone sticky, causing the tape to adhere to the tape path.That's the only thing I can think of to explain this scenario. Actually, if you tested it on playback with shorter/prerecorded tapes and tried recoridng on new c90s, the thinner tape may have been damaged by a bad pinch roller whereas thicker tapers survived. we need pictures! __________________ Regards, Ben.

2nd Jul 2016, 9:18 pm	#7
JohnBHanson Heptode Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Worthing, Sussex, UK. Posts: 661	Re: Cassettes chewed up only when recording Some cheap tape decks have permanent magnet erase. This is done by pressing a magnet against the tape ONLY in record mode. This is usually embedded in plastic with tape guides. Thus if these tape guides were out of alignment the effect would be to chew / mangle tape only in record mode.