Otari MX 5050 MK III 8 motor/brake problem

A

allandall

New member
So I just bought an Otari MX 5050 MK III-8 for $150, a steal right? But the right motor is being sketchy. It won't move. It moved for a smidgen for a little bit, and then stopped. We opened up the side, when we thought it might be a loose belt, but it doesn't use belts. THought it might be a burnt motor, but the motor didn't smell burnt out. I think the brake might just be acting improperly. Also, my pinch roller was very sticky, which from what I've been reading seems to be a problem with the Otaris. So I covered it in a thin layer of electrical tape. Is this a really awful idea? this is my first analogue tape machine, so be kind!! THANKS!

Jonah
 
cool

I saw that one on craigs list and considered it for a moment. Let me know how it turns out. I thought that it was a steal even if you had to sell it for parts.

Do you have any experience with restoring old decks?

Good luck on this!

--Ethan
 
No, not yet! but this sounds like a may be a fun challenge. I'm going to take off the side panel again tomorrow and see if anything looks loose. Again, if anyone knows anything that would be awesome! PS, I'm sure it's the same one I bought! I'm in portland, and I went to vancouver to get it!
 
I'm sure that you will get a new pinch roller for it so the black tape is OK to let you test without mucking things up.I've used blue masking tape myself.

Live in vancoujver and work in beaverton. Perhaps I'll be able to drop by sometime if you get in a jam. Right now I'm hammered at work.

If nothing else you have a great learning tool. You should get all the manuals that the internet has to offer. (for free if possible)

Regards, Ethan
 
If the pinch roller is gummed up,

then the brake solenoid is probably gummed up too. If the brakes don't fully release, the reel motors won't spin effectively.:eek:;)
 
For this problem,

some disassembly is required. If the brake solenoid is gummed up, it will probably have to be removed, disassembled, cleaned & refit, although it depends on the extent of the rubber's deterioration.:eek:;)

If you remove the brake solenoid from the chassis, mark it's mounting position first!:eek:;)
 
Dave already mentioned a lot of the stuff but I though I'd chime in from my own experience. I'd first remove the rubber washers from ALL of the solenoid plungers, including motors and pinch roller, no matter if they're good or not. Just tear them off. Don't worry about finding replacements. All they do is make switching more quiet. When you have all of these removed, do as Dave suggests and clean the plungers with some lint free cloth and 99% alcohol. You may opt to spray a burst of contact cleaner with silicone in there but that's optional. And of course the pinch roller must be replaced.
 
I got a mx 5050 bII 2 and i just cleaned and completed a maitenanceon it. Its very easy , everything is basic. Remove the top-back cover and everything will be obvious. Check the brakes and the tention on the springs. You can actualy lift the brakes with your fingers and see if the motor spins.

My motors only spin one way , dont know if its ok or not, but both are spinning easily going inside, but spinning outside is very hard.

Take some aerosol spray and clean everything (dust) inside. I had a lot of scratches on the face of mine so i painted it and now it looks great (no imprint though , you must know this machine in order to use it ,lol )
 

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