any Sony cassette experts here?

[ecc83]

My TC-K611S has given years of service though I don't use it much now but about a month ago I tried to play a cassette and the head/pinch roller assy servos forwards but then does not engage and drops back.
Any ideas what to look for? Limit switch not engaging?

Dave.

 

[sweetbeats]

Hey, Dave, any idea what type of mechanism accomplishes the headblock assembly motion? Belt and pulley or is it a cam and gear arrangement? I can tell you it sounds like a common issue with some of the later generation Tascam decks that use a plastic reduction gear and cam assembly to raise and lower the headblock assembly as well as actuate the pinch roller. The lubricant on the shafts dries out and one or more of the gears become, in some cases, considerably tight and difficult to rotate, even to the point of breaking when the motor tries to drive them. I’ve encountered this three or four times now with Tascam machines, and, fortunately, in each case there were no broken components yet. So it was literally a simple process of pulling the transport assembly out, and disassembling that as far as necessary in order to remove the gears, thoroughly clean the bores and respective shafts, which in a couple cases required gentle removal of varnished lubricant from a shaft with a razor and a careful burnish with Scotch Brite, and then a conservative application of Lubriplate 105 lubricant…right as rain.

 

[ecc83]

Hey, Dave, any idea what type of mechanism accomplishes the headblock assembly motion? Belt and pulley or is it a cam and gear arrangement? I can tell you it sounds like a common issue with some of the later generation Tascam decks that use a plastic reduction gear and cam assembly to raise and lower the headblock assembly as well as actuate the pinch roller. The lubricant on the shafts dries out and one or more of the gears become, in some cases, considerably tight and difficult to rotate, even to the point of breaking when the motor tries to drive them. I’ve encountered this three or four times now with Tascam machines, and, fortunately, in each case there were no broken components yet. So it was literally a simple process of pulling the transport assembly out, and disassembling that as far as necessary in order to remove the gears, thoroughly clean the bores and respective shafts, which in a couple cases required gentle removal of varnished lubricant from a shaft with a razor and a careful burnish with Scotch Brite, and then a conservative application of Lubriplate 105 lubricant…right as rain.

Thank you for your swift and detailed reply Mr S. I fear age, macular degeneration in left mince and so very poor short range depth perception* now makes such work impossible for me. I shall have to see if there is a tech within easy reach of me.
Shame because it is an excellent machine. A rip of a CD onto TDK SA is very hard to tell from the original.

*I can toss screwed up paper into a bin 2mtrs away with about 90% success but soldering at <300mm is a trial, sometimes a painful one!

Dave.