I was really pleased with my Beocord 5500 which was an absolute bargin on ebay, only cost me £12.49 including postage. Having replaced the belt which drives the drawer in and out it was working perfectly, until yesterday.

The lights are on but it's just as if there is no cassette in place, won't play, rewind, fast forward, nothing.

Any ideas ?

Hi Sammy,

The rubber "washer" which contacts the continually-turning axle has become hardened and slippery, and is not making consistent (if at all) friction contact with the axle.

I've been through a few of these decks, all with the same problem.

So far, I have not been able to find a supplier with the necessary washers (new).

If anyone on site has any ideas for consistent suppliers of these washers, please advise.

Thanks

Menahem

Hi Manahem,

Do you think this would account for this problem even tho it worked perfectly last week and this week absolutely nothing. Sounds like a slippery washer should start slipping before it gives out altogether ? It's behaving just as it does without a cassette in place.

regards

Sammy 

Sammy,

I had 2 consistent problems with all of these series of decks, which all gave the same symptoms - the first problem I described with the rollers, and the second problem is too much friction on the motor shaft.

To take care of this, you need to remove the motor from the cassette table, and have it sit upright on a flat surface.

If you are lucky enough to have a motor, in which the tiny roller bolt has not seized, you can remove the roller, and then disassemble the motor. Oil the shaft generously with sewing-machine oil (never WD40 or other Water Dispersants). Reassemble the motor, and replace the roller.

If you are unlucky enough (like me) to have a seized bolt, which means that you cannot remove the roller, and therefore cannot disassemble the motor, then you need to be a little more creative in getting the oil onto the motor shaft.

First supply the motor with a 5-6VDC battery source - correct polarity, so the motor turns. You may have to flick the motor roller to get it started.

Then partially fill a hypodermic syringe with oil, and then get the needle tip directly to the shaft at the point where it enters the motor housing - the point of maximum friction. With the shaft rotating, squirt oil at this junction.

Leave the motor running, and after about 5 minutes do it again.

Shut off the DC supply, and leave overnight.

Next morning, repeat the oiling.

Trial and frustrated error has proven this to be the only reliable way of getting enough lubrication into that critical junction.

That's exactly the solution to your "now it works and now it doesn't" problem.

Menahem

I shall give it a go, thanks for the information I'll let you know how I get on

Sammy

Can you tell if the motor runs (feel the capstans if you cannot hear it)?
If the motor doesn't run, check the voltage on it's leads. Something like 12-14 V is to be expected if the
power supply is OK.
If you have voltage but the motor does not run, check the tapedeck belts. Old belts can easily snap or
fall off and seize the whole mech.
If the drawer belt was bad, there's a good chance that the tapedeck belts will be so too.

If the motor runs, try holding STOP while pressing PLAY.
This little trick is normally used for cleaning the tapeheads and will allow the deck to enter
play mode without a cassette installed to bring forward the otherwise hard-to-reach tapeheads.
(Further pressing TURN will toggle the pressure roller used to allow for cleaning both of them).

If it will then play the tape, there's a good chance that a lead from the cassette tray switch has broken off
or the switch itself or the little "feeler" part, that touches the cassette tape housing when inserted,
is bent.
Alternatively, a cable/plug was pulled too hard and has partly disconnected.

Martin

Hi Martin,

Your reputation on these forums is justifiably very high, spot on again, one of the two centre "feelers" has broken off.

I'll have a look at a beocord 5000 I've got to see if they are the same, for now I've bypassed it but my track indicators now simply light up all the way across. (Are these bits available ?). Small price to pay to have it working again.

Many thanks

Sammy

I haven't seen this particular solution to this problem before, but I'll certainly be filing it on my repair card, if I see one of these again - thanks Martin!

Menahem

It looks like the "feelers" in the 5000 are the same, for now the super glue seems to be holding so I think I'll leave it alone, the soldering will be a bit fiddly, and please forget what I said about the track indicators, I was being stupid, (don't ask !)

Sammy