Sony TC-758 reel to reel won't play

What you are probably looking at is either a worn out/deteriorated drive belt(most likely fixable) or a broken gear(probably not fixable). In any event the source of your trouble should be easily observed if you remove the rear of the unit.

Clicking noises would seem to implicate either partial engagement on a set of gears or a gear that has broken teeth. If that's the case all I can say is I wish you good luck finding parts.

Hope this helps.

Chris

mechanism

forward

yes, you the OP are the one in a position to uncover the mechanism, observe its action, see where its going wrong and fix it. These sort of problems are not well suited to asking remote advice about.

NT

For this sort of repair, you are better off to find an old coot (like me) who used to fix these 40 years ago. They can usually spot the problem in less than a minute.

Looks like mainly lubrication issues, but this mechanism also uses belts to accomplished the auto-reverse by flipping the head block around. This belt (or 2 - don't exactly remember) will also need changing, and the head block removed and disassembled for re-lubrication. This type of repair is best left to professionals.

Mark Z.

The belts are probably like old rubber bands, cracked, hard, not flexible, etc. I have actually used similarly sized new rubber bands as a temporary belts just to see if things would work. Getting the correct belts will be a problem, so using the rubber band approach will at least give an idea if getting the belts will solve the problems.

H. R. (Bob) Hofmann

Mark D. Zacharias wrote:

Mr. Mike wrote: > I have a Sony TC-758 reel to reel tape recorder which was given to me by a > friend. It hasn't been used for many years, but allegedly worked prior to it > being given to the friend. But now it doesn't work properly. >

Now THAT goes back to '73-'76 - the auto-reverse version of my TC-755. Mark Z. says to leave it to someone who is comfortable stripping it down and he's absolutely correct. Sell it on eBay?

Somewhere in the garage I have a service manual on the 755 which is close enough to get it going but unless you have some old 1/4" tapes to transfer, why bother? Parts are difficult to impossible to get. The heads were "F&F" (ferrite and ferrite) which sounds good on paper but in fact had terrible life. Look at them under a microscope and you likely see the gap full of pock-marks. When they were new, they worked well but it only took a few hundred hours to deteriorate. BTW the Akai GX (glass and crystal ferrite) were crap, too. Your computer sound card and some software is a better recorder than the analog decks ever were.

FWIW, you have it threaded wrong in your video. Tape goes under the movable, OVER the first fixed guide, through the head area, over the last fixed and under the movable.

The pinch roller solenoid(s) (I think there are 2, 1 for pause) have microswitches to lower the power input after they pull in. Those micros, (also used under the transport control buttons) are known PITA devices. Not reliable at all. Assuming the linkages aren't gummed up, may be why you're getting the 'clicking'.

GG

some

you need to first see if the heads and electronics are in good condition before spending good money on it, but it looks like a nice deck and probably worth persevering with.

chances are, the lubricant or grease on the pinch roller mechanism has hardened and just needs replacing, but that is the simple part. First you will have to dismantle it which would probably be beyond you if you have no experience. it may be easier to post your area on yahoo groups reel to reel (need to join first) or

(there is a forum with an english section). to see if there is anyone within a rerasonable distance of your home to whom you could take the deck I am sure you will get some results that way. regards,

-B.

Hi, I would like the 755 manual scanned in and sent as pdf-as I collect Sony SM's?

Mr. Mike wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Ugh, I have done so many of these in my day it is not funny. I just got tired of doing them and now do TV sets, more fun. Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!

Okay, I saw your video. You want to really know what is wrong and how to fix it, for real? Okay, listen up.

The "rubber wheels" are called pinch rollers and they must engage the "rotating pole" which is called the capstan. This pinching of the tape between the pinch roller and the constant motion of the capstan is what gives the tape a forward (Or reverse) motion that is constant and steady, just what you need for playback.

What happens when you push play is that part of the mechanics is to move those pinch rollers against the capstans. This is done either by a solenoid or just a mechanical lever moving another lever which pushes the pinch roller against the capstan. This lever is actually an L shaped lever or could be straightish, but the fulcrum of this lever is actually a sleeve bearing and when it was in good condition, was lubricated with a good quality machine oil. Now the oil is all dried up and has turned into goo. You must remove all the crap on top of the machine and take the top plate off to expose this lever.

Carefully remove stuff, a little at a time, and lay it out so that you can remember how to put it back. A digital camera will help here, take pictures as you go along to make yourself a diagram of how to reassemble the unit when you are done. Remove this lever and clean it out with Q- Tips and alcohol, acetone, nail polish remover, or whatever good solvent you have laying around. Lubricate the shaft and the inside of the sleeve bearing with good quality machine oil, 3 in One works good, and reassemble everything. Adjust as necessary and you are done. The machine will work again. Now you probably will need all new belts and maybe the rubber idler tires (Rubber traction wheels) inside might also be dried out. If they are not too bad, they make a rubber reconditioner to make the wheels soft again. The belts will have to be replaced.

Is it worth all this trouble? Probably not, but you did ask and you got your answer. Cheers.

--
~Ohmster