Being an idiot, I managed to break it.
It chewed a tape badly enough that the only way to clear it was to dissasemble the pinchroller. It wound around the roller several times before it stopped. Straightforward enough you might say - but the axle pinged off the pinchroller and vanished.
More importantly, I had to figure out why it ate the tape. It means something's mechanically wrong with the deck. Usually it's a sign that the take-up torque winding the tape onto the spool isn't right - or that the tape is sticking to the pinchroller, or something else more complex is afoot
The take-up torque on this deck is provided by an electric motor, so it shouldn't be going wrong, should it?
Ran a old unloved tape through it on the inkling that something might've been off with the takeup. Running it without the pinchroller would run it at whatever speed the second motor would drive it at. The speed ramps down naturally as the tape gets towards the end. Sure enough right at the end of the tape - the takeup started to hunt and stall strangely before eventually stopping. It jerked, sped up and slowed down.
When I cleaned the mechanism originally, some of the paint wore off the back of supply side gear. There's a pattern on it that's used for a sensor for the auto-stop. It seems that pattern might also perform some sort of speed control. At least, I guessed as much and restored it with a little permanent marker.
Received a replacement pinch-roller assembly from eBay - ones form a KX580 fit well enough. I needed it solely for the axle - but swapped the entire assembly because why not? There was a slight difference between the two - the old one from the 300 seemed to taper of lightly on one side - the one from the 580 had a slight dome. I'm guessing there might've been a bit of wear on it.
Oiled everything a second time with silicone oil, and a little lithium grease on anything that slides.
Somewhere in there was the solution. It's definitely a lot happier now. Though, a few tapes are still leaving marks of oxide on the capstan - it's only newer tapes so I suspect this is the cause more than anything. They did it on the Nikko deck too
----
Recording 'works'. Haven't done more than verify that it works and sounds fine.
The Freiren soundtrack hits a little different on tape --- the tape rolls ever onward.
It chewed a tape badly enough that the only way to clear it was to dissasemble the pinchroller. It wound around the roller several times before it stopped. Straightforward enough you might say - but the axle pinged off the pinchroller and vanished.
More importantly, I had to figure out why it ate the tape. It means something's mechanically wrong with the deck. Usually it's a sign that the take-up torque winding the tape onto the spool isn't right - or that the tape is sticking to the pinchroller, or something else more complex is afoot
The take-up torque on this deck is provided by an electric motor, so it shouldn't be going wrong, should it?
Ran a old unloved tape through it on the inkling that something might've been off with the takeup. Running it without the pinchroller would run it at whatever speed the second motor would drive it at. The speed ramps down naturally as the tape gets towards the end. Sure enough right at the end of the tape - the takeup started to hunt and stall strangely before eventually stopping. It jerked, sped up and slowed down.
When I cleaned the mechanism originally, some of the paint wore off the back of supply side gear. There's a pattern on it that's used for a sensor for the auto-stop. It seems that pattern might also perform some sort of speed control. At least, I guessed as much and restored it with a little permanent marker.
Received a replacement pinch-roller assembly from eBay - ones form a KX580 fit well enough. I needed it solely for the axle - but swapped the entire assembly because why not? There was a slight difference between the two - the old one from the 300 seemed to taper of lightly on one side - the one from the 580 had a slight dome. I'm guessing there might've been a bit of wear on it.
Oiled everything a second time with silicone oil, and a little lithium grease on anything that slides.
Somewhere in there was the solution. It's definitely a lot happier now. Though, a few tapes are still leaving marks of oxide on the capstan - it's only newer tapes so I suspect this is the cause more than anything. They did it on the Nikko deck too
----
Recording 'works'. Haven't done more than verify that it works and sounds fine.
The Freiren soundtrack hits a little different on tape --- the tape rolls ever onward.
Oh sweet meteor of death
Fall upon us.
Deliver us in fire
To Peace everlasting.
Fall upon us.
Deliver us in fire
To Peace everlasting.