Otari MX5050 MKIII-4 playback problem

D

Danny Hays

New member
Hello. I just joined this forum and I'm not sure where to post this. I worked at Universal Studios FL for 20 years. I have an old Otari MX5050 MKIII-4 that was a prop from an old venue, Murder she wrote, when they changed it to Herc and Zena, now it's Transformers. I want to sell it on Ebay along with the roll around stand, Auto locator with roll around stand, but it has a problem I need to fix first. During playback, when it gets into the middle of the tape, it starts having an inconsistent playback speed problem, as if the pinch roller is worn or capstan is worn. Like tape slip. The capstan is worn smooth where it touches the tape but if I remove the tape and hold the tensioners in and press play, I can barley stop the pinch wheel from spinning. Maybe the supply reel that spins the other direction to keep the tape tension right, is pulling back too hard, causing the tape to slip. The machine needs a good cleaning and calibration. Is there any internal adjustments I could make to fix this? Any advise would be appreciated.
If this isn't the right place to post this question, is there a better place to post it? Thanks for any help I can get. Danny
 
Yes, it does. I played several parts of the tape and it does leave black little curls of residue on the guides. I may have other tapes buried in my closet, but they will be old too. If I press on the pinch wheel towards the capstan while playing, it plays fine. I found a pdf on it, showing how to clean and adjust the pinch wheel. I'll try that. I'd hate to have to buy a new half inch tape just to see it the tape is the problem. I'll post the results. It doesn't do it at the beginning of the tape, only when it gets into the middle which points to the machine I think . Also fast foward slows down the further into the tape I get. I appreciate your responces. Have you ever worked on MX5050 MKIII-4 machines before? or any Otari multi track machines. They should mechanicaly be similiar. feel free to post any more advice. Thanks again. Danny
 
Alll the signs point to dirty guides. If the machine slows in fast forward, it is because the tape is sticking to a stationary part.
CLEAN! CLEAN! CLEAN! 90% of tape recorder problems.
 
All signs point to SSS. Please read the sticky (HAHA) thread about it at the top of this sub-forum.

As you will learn from that thread, you can bake the tape to get temporary relief of the syndrome. Then clean the crap out of the machine, put on the freshly baked tape and chances are you will discover that the machine is fine.
 
I'll try that. Clean everything that touches the tape, and bake the tape. What temperature and for how long do you recommend? Thanks for the replies. Word processing????
 
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