Akai MG 1212 / 1214 needs repair

TalismanRich said:
A machine shop would probably be quite pricey to do a one off part like that. Perhaps you can search for places who scavenge parts from old dead machines, or hunt for dead units before they get tossed in the recycle bin. Many people don't bother fooling with old units like that once they break.
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Sounds like a better plan.:D
My statement came from my own personal experiences. I used to have some friends who had a machine shop, who were also musicians. I was spoiled. The two brothers would make me anything my heart desired.

I realize not everyone is that fortunate.
 
I was thinking about whether a 3D printed part would be robust enough. If this is a metal part and broke, it's unlikely that a plastic part would last. You would have to superglue the old part together in the first place to scan it. Maybe if you found someone with a CNC, it could be done.

The problem with finding old parts is that the Akai is somewhat rare. I don't know anyone who has used a 1/2" cassette recorders. 4 and 8 track reels, cassettes, hard drive recorders... I've seen those. The MK20 tape is a bit of an odd duck. It's a proprietary system, and I really don't remember any stores around here selling them. Tascam, Sony, Fostex were the brands that were found back in the day.

I wish him luck on finding the part, tho. Sometimes you get lucky.
 
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TalismanRich said:
Like I said, I've never even seen one of the Akai's, much less the guts.

In that case a printed part MIGHT work. I couldn't tell from the picture. It looked more like magnesium or pot metal from the color.
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Yes, it is indeed made from metal, very lightweight though, tin I assume.
 
More likely its just pot metal, which usually contains a large amount of zinc. Pot metal it cheap and easy to use for castings, but tends to distort or fracture easily. Many low cost guitar bridges are pot metal, and they can sag over time.
 
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Well, to me the whole tape-sections electronics look flimsy manufactured aswell, which is not to much fun to repair. But there are several other small issues to it. I think it’s not possible to load a tape manually without the slider, so this should be the first step before doing the tiny stuff. But cause of that, I even can’t tell, If the heads are alright anyway 😄🥴

But I like the sound of the mixer and want to multitrack to tape…
 
sweetbeats said:
Oh interesting…I think it’s plastic in the 1212…that’s why I jumped to that conclusion.
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Nice, I imagine that could make it possible to try it with a 3D-print from plastic, since 1212 and 1214 share the same Cardridge architecture?
 
'King elephant in the room! MEASURE the freakin resistor with a digital meter! I am sure it is a Metal Film type and they are super stable. I have found them 'browned out' and yet their value is still within 10% of nominal.

I think it is a component that just got left in the mixer and is not needed. It should be obvious by inspection if such a resistor is missing from a PCB.

Dave.
 
Fte said:
Nice, I imagine that could make it possible to try it with a 3D-print from plastic, since 1212 and 1214 share the same Cardridge architecture?
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You could, but bear in mind what was mentioned earlier, 3D printed parts don’t fare well in structural applications, and the OEM 1212 part is also a problem area in terms of failure…probably moreso than the 1214 part. So if you were going to go the 3D print route you’d maybe want to have several printed and expect, depending on how much you use the 1214 and for how long, you’ll be replacing it again at some point. Also, just because the 1212 and 1214 use the same media doesn’t mean the transport parts are the same. That part might be in terms of the form, but I have no way of knowing.
 
I think 3D print stuff has become a lot stronger? There was an episode of "Wheeler Dealers" where they needed a small plastic catch for a car sun roof that is all but unobtainable so they got some printed. It looked as though it had a pretty hard life?

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
I think 3D print stuff has become a lot stronger?
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It depends what material you use. ABS is supposed to be longer lasting than the more popular PLA but is more difficult to use. It requires a higher temperature and a bed with decent adhesion. Apparently all my Christmas presents from my son are being 3D printed - or at least that's why he says I'm not allowed in his room!
 
Hey,

So, my flat-mate‘s father knows s.o. owning a machine shop. They want to look at the piece, or probably weld it back together again and re-bend it, at least. That would be very good news. If they can’t rebuilt it, or in case such process would be too expensive for a single tile, I would consider let the welded slider 3D-scan&print and do it like sweetBeats suggested plus with ABS plastic that jamesperrett mentioned. Let’s see, I should get an answer soon…
 
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