AIWA 3 Head Tape Deck Repair (AD-FF90 / AD-F990) 

UPDATE: So I’m running a 3-part LIVE workshop that takes us on… A Time Travel Through Vintage Electronics. We’ll rewind the clock, dive into the tech of the times… (and study the very history of how things were broken and repaired has evolved) The workshop is coming soon, but if you're reading this then you're in luck (or not)... And there's still time for you to sign up using the link below: www.menditmark.com/mend-mark-workshop The workshop dates are mentioned in the link above too.

Mark your patience always amazes me.That and remembering where every little screw and small part goes.Fascinating.

Like others are saying, I am 71 now, and have been an electronics audio service engineer from being a hobbyist at 11 years old and I still do the odd repair and restore old equipment, particularly valve (tube) amplifiers. Trust me when I say, you will not see a better all round technician than Mark. Simply the best.

I'm absolutely lost for words. I've never seen such commitment in these recent times of 'economical repair'. What a find this channel was. Amazing work, such patience 👏

As someone who has worked on quite a few decks now, I can say that the AIWA AD-F990 and AD-F770 are a bit of a nightmare. AIWA seem to have concentrated their efforts on the heads, transport, and auto-calibration, and left the rest to chance?, very constricted inside. Some decks really test our patience! I watched it all the way through - great to see someone wind the rotor windings from scratch - much credit to you Mark!

Im not an electrician but these videos are almost therapeutic to watch. Another great watch.

We need more people like Mark to avoid dumping products in landfill.

1:01:40 The compu brain system is for recording. The deck will automatically adjust the fine bias, the record level, and equalization (odd as EQ curve should be set by the tape type detected by the reed switches over the cassette shell). It'll auto rewind back to the starting point, ready to record! It's amazing it had Dolby C in 1982, and could detect if the recording was made with B or C encoding. Smashing motor rebuild Mark!

An astonishingly knowledgeable electronics engineer who fearlessly tackles the most challenging problems with incredible enthusiasm. Mark clearly enjoys his work and is so compelling to watch. Genius!

This is the best Xmas special I've ever seen. Honestly, no joke. Love this channel, and Mark is a complete joy to watch at work.

You have the patience of a saint, this is the most relaxing electronic repair channel on RU-vid.

The troubleshooting of the insulation being too thick on 1 side was elite level. Great job.

Fearless technical repair genius. Can’t be more than a few persons in the world like Mark.

Wish more technicians like Mark were around. 👍🇩🇰

He's really a man who loves what he does. Got to respect it!

This is by far most detailed repair job I haven't seen in long, long while. MOST IMPRESSIVE part was the motor repair WOW... I don't think hi-fi technicians were this good...well ever.

Can't believe I just sat through an hour of fiddling around with a cassette mechanism - and was enthralled the whole time! Love seeing the trial-and-error, as well as the odd mistake and rectification which is what I love about the channel. Total respect for the work and perseverance, plus the aptitude to work these things out. Great work as usual

I've been working in a repair shop for almost 29 years. I had zillions of those motors around. Dumped them all thinking they'll be available forever but something weird happened

I really love watching your videos because, as a retired A/V technician from the 80s to the early 2000s, you work on a lot of the same kind of equipment that I did. I must have worked on hundreds of tape decks right down to rebuilding the cassette chassis, but I must say that I NEVER had to rewind a motor. I am THOROUGHLY impressed! Great video. I can't wait for part 2.

That's a great repair on what was one of the best decks of its time and about as expensive as a Nakamichi (around 125,000 yen in 1982). The auto-selector for dolby B and C depends on a low frequency waveform that is added to your recording when made with this deck. As you are playing an original tape it won't have that signal, ie. you need to select Dolby manually. The compu stuff is used before recording and will adjust bias and level for the tape - you need a tape with the recording tabs in place for that to work. There is a very good chance your Aiwa deck is working 100% already.

Can't tell you how much I enjoy your work and this particular episode, as I owned an ADF990 and 770 but the 990 back in the day could rival the Nakamichi Dragon, it sounded that good. You could really push the saturation points of cassette tapes without distortion. I used TDK MAXG's and later SONY super metal master tapes mostly.The Auto-Calibration system that you will be fixing next is uncannily accurate and makes this deck next level. I stopped using my machine with the advent of CDR and minidisc etc. I couldnt sell it on, so under pressure from she who must be obeyed, I ended up putting it out for the rag & bone man. It was working when I got rid. Now they can make over £1000 quid in good condition. I have to say I don't regret chucking it out for the money it would be worth, its just that seeing yours and others working and knowing how great they can sound, I miss my ADF990. Its unique and the best thing Aiwa ever made.

What I like about Mark is that he never ever is frustrated about setbacks... he is never tired... Winding that motor, I mean who of us would ever tackle that job?

Brilliant Mark, from you getting electric shock in the intro and Belinda’s ball’s dropping and a beautiful tape deck….. what’s not to like 👍😍

I get so many tips from Mark's videos. The idea of using drill bits of various sizes to set things at the correct height is brilliant.

what an amazing repair, I cannot think of anybody going through re-winding the motor and fixing all those nagging issues with the tape deck! Can't wait for the next one!

"I think Belinda's balls have dropped!" Nearly spat out my tea! It's always a good day when a new Mend It Mark video is posted. Thanks Mark, and merry Christmas!

ASMR electronics repair at it's finest! Thank you Mark for your cheerful attitude towards what seems to be everything. Very pleased to "know" you during these wildly difficult situations. You are indeed the epitome of grace under pressure.

Your patience is amazing. Most people would have shipped it back with a note saying it needs a new motor and not worth fixing. Great work.

Whats interesting with this is that the unit is clearly high-end, but it also looks like someone has been in it before and didn't do nearly as good a job as Mark 👍 it must have taken ages (in real time) to have worked through all the issues. Excellent fault-finding/diagnostics. Really enjoyed the bit when Balinda was running slowly, and the comment Mark made too; I woke up laughing about it this morning 🤣🤣🤣🤣

I'm a big fan of watch repair videos but this is on a whole different level. Hats off to you Mark. Well done 🙂👍🇬🇧

Do electronics myself and this is got to be one of the best channels I seen. Just like people like this, he puts the work in and don’t cut corners. I know old tape decks are a pain and can spend a lot of time on them. Fantastic workmanship mate you do. Be nice to see the next episode. Try recapping one of these things it takes ages but if people want a full service it has to be done with all the other things too.

Mark, you are an honest to God genius! I think you will find the "automatic" light will flash for a short time until the deck works out the correct Dolby setting, or you can just select it manually. The "Compu Brain" system (known as DATA on later models) is to automatically select the correct level, bias and equalization for the loaded tape during recording, so would only light up with a blank tape when you press the "Compu Brain start/reset" button as it goes through its automated calibration process. And yes, these things are worth a mint!

I used to do this in the 70s..but didn't have your sophisticated testing equipment. Great to see you repairing stuff..an amazing talent. Brilliant 👏 👏. Well done Mark. 👏

The best thing in my day, a 'Mark is back' video, nice one mate! They don't make transports like that anymore, just look at those flywheels! Would love a 3 head deck one-day. I think someone's been in there before. The first thing I noticed was that cables were not zip tied inside & the other mechanical 'errors' you picked up. 58:40 😂😂 Happy holidays Mark - another superb video :) thank you.

Mark, It's nice to see someone that's not afraid to restore electronic devices. Excellent attention to detail by adding Kapton tape to insulate the armature. That motor is now much better then when it left the factory.

I used to have an AIWA F990! This brought back some memories, thanks so much, Mark.

The mechanical and lever overlay of those cassette meghanisms boggles my mind. ,and then the application of servos, relays and control mechansims to control all the functions.,and the sheer gritty determination to NOT GIVE UP. Incredible.

Mark, you have my undying admiration for your ability to resolve mechanical and electronic faults. I, like yourself hated working on those cassette decks and I didnt have your patience . Trying to reverse engineer a circuit board in the way you did would have sent my brain into meltdown. Another great video, cant wait for part 2, enjoy you Christmas

I bought a new ADF-770 back in the early eighties. Loved it to bits especially how it would record a test signal then play it back to itself and adjust settings to make best record to suit tape used. Wonderful machine.

Looking forward to pt2. Amazed at your perseverance…..I would have given up long before. I’m not sure the owner is going to appreciate the bill the hours you’ve put in for the repairs🤣

Mark using his outstanding skills and certainly has the patience, well done Mark for another therapeutic video.

I could watch this chap all day. Pleasant through and through. Excellent camera work, and even better handiwork. Not to mention gobs of patience.

Great perseverance Mark, with gear of this age you never know who’s previously been inside & what extra faults they’ve caused. A 4 cups of tea repair 👍

I congratulate you friend because these days no one repairs equipment like this anymore, with a lot of dedication like that, congratulations

What an epic. Perfect Christmas watching. Brings back happy memories of fixing my first proper cassette deck.

Now I understand why Mark takes so long in delivering content to RU-vid. His work is meticulously outstanding. My favorite video to date. I would have thrown this tape deck against the wall at several junctures.... incredible job Mark! I appreciate your work.

Always a great day with "Giggles, the Technician". This is now a $3000 cassette player.

The AD F990 is indeed worth a fair bit being the flagship model. Great video👍

"I think Melinda's balls have dropped" was an absolute spit take from me. Luckily, I keep lenz wipes handy! My poor laptop. Keep up the great work Mark!

Great Video Mark, still got an ADF 990.... The Compu Brain system is for recording, put a blank tape in hit start and it will record various test tones while it adjusts the bias,cal and eq. then it will stop and rewind all setup for the perfect recording, just have to set the REC volume 😎

I love the grinding noise as the machine unwinds the wire! 😊

Just, simply, i cannot believe the patience of this guy🤯

Have to say Mark that was impressive work. Someone had clearly been in there before you and butchered that mechanism - no way it left the factory with springs in the wrong place and ball bearings missing. Looking forward to Pt 2

Well done, I admire your patience! The computer controlled bias circuitry only comes into its own during recording I think. You put a blank tape in, set it to record, and it makes a test recording, plays it back, and works out the correct bias setting by itself. I wouldn't expect anything on there to light up during playback.

I really enjoyed watching this epiode. Ending the year on such a high note with a quality Japanese tape deck overhaul is pure gold. Two part cliffhangers are as fitting of the 1980's as the tape deck.

😲 Wow! An Aiwa with a genuine Belinda Carlisle Circle in the Sand K7! Euphorically Euphonic! 👏 Bravo!

nothing stops this man Mark what a man to have around when things don't go to plan.

You are definitely one of the fastest growing electronics repair channel I've ever seen. I think it's your ability your presentation and most of all your cheery disposition despite being British haha! I love your channel Mark. You have motivated me to actually desolder sliders from my boards and clean them properly not just spray and pray. Thank you for your videos

You Sir are on a totally different level. Bravo.

Brilliant video. About 6 months ago I changed the two main belts on my Aiwa AD 660 machine. That was tricky enough - I can't believe the problems you had to sort out on this machine Mark - well done!

Este video debería llamarse "tengo inmensa paciencia" a la hora de cobrarle al cliente habría que mostrarle el inmenso trabajo que lleva hacer que estos delicados mecanismos vuelvan a la vida. Extraordinario trabajo. Felicitaciones

Beautiful work! I love these tape decks. I did similar work (hobby) on my AD-F660.

Amazing Mark ! You have the patience of a saint.

Good thing a lot of people watched this to make it worthwhile! That was expedition level repair.

Exemplary excellence ! Repairing that motor and rewinding was fascinating . Quite a journey unravelling the other problems. Well done !

Truly impressive to watch. No matter how hard and carefully I would try, something this complex would be irreparably broken in about 10 minutes. You have the patience and skill few possess.

This is an extraordinary work! Fantastic repair! Can’t wait to see the rest. How we hated to work on these back in the day because the boss wouldn’t allow the necessary time to do real troubleshooting. Aiwa where insanely complex and just like in your case, we had to disassemble everything to get access to most parts. Then you had to reassemble before testing because these units had flimsy framings. They almost all had parts soldered on the back of the pc boards. (Often done in shop with Aiwa mod service bulletin)

Well done Mark. Tape decks are amazing but a real Bugger to fix. Great video.

That’s a very impressive skill set. If this was a treasured item of mine, with sentimental value, I’d be absolutely delighted having seen the effort and expertise that you’ve already put into this.

Hello Mark. I still have 4 of these in the studio. The buttons you don't know are just to auto calibrate the deck. You insert a new tape, push the calibrate button, and the Aiwa will do al the bias adjust automatically. It generates a tone, monitorizes it, make the necessary adjustments, and once finished, it stops and rewind the tape to the beginning, ready to record. I also own a Nakamichi 1000, but I love this ones. Great video, as always, BTW!.

The Aiwa AD-FF90 is a stereo cassette deck with Dolby B/C and HX-Pro noise reduction, it was introduced by Aiwa in 1982 with a recommended retail price of USD ... US$ 595,00

Fuseable resistors, and caps that look like resistors. Always something to learn here. Sweet work!

Rewinding these small electric motors is next level skills and persistence Mark, let alone the motor controller circuit reverse engineering. Top job as per usual.

Спасибо тебе, Марк, за твои видео! Мне нравится их смотреть. Я восхищаюсь твоим терпением, оптимизмом и находчивостью!

Amazing dexterity and unbelievable patience. What’s not to admire in Mend it Mark?

Excellent video, excellent repair job. It's one of my favourite cassette decks ( I have the lower speced F770). They are worth a bit of money and offer great performance. I'm really impressed with the capstan motor rebuild!, and your persistance in sorting out the other issues. They are not the easiest of machines to work on, complex and cramed full of........stuff! As regards to the "Data System" leds, they only become active if you hit the "Data System " button. This records a series of tones on the tape while the computer adjusts bias, eq, and record sensitivity to optimise recording quality. This auto calibration system works really well and can be found on many high-end 3 head decks. The idea is that the machine gets the best out of any cassette regardless of type or manufacturer. These systems are not infallible but work well. Hope this helps. I love your channel. Keep up the good work, saving all these lovely old bits of hifi!

Brilliant, loved this video - your fault finding, perseverence, slills and attention to detail are excellent. Dare we hope for a part 2 before the end of 2023? 🙂

Wow, looks very complicated inside! Going to enjoy this next hour watching you sort things out :-)

Having the knowledge, skill and dexterity you have is one thing, but Lord, the patience you have is staggering. I love to repair things too, but you are next level. I owned two Aiwa F-770 in the 80's, they were extremely good machines when working, and I have to say, reliable too, but when they eventually failed, they both had the same motor or motor control problem. I didn't investigate back then because things were moving toward Sony Mini Disc, (which I loved). Thanks for your video, really inspiring.

Another awesome video Mark ! I love that you keep your mistakes/oops in the video. I was blown away when you fixed the motor by rewinding it, crazy cool.

"I think Belinda's balls have dropped." That was a good one.🤣

Mate you have quite some patience... I did wonder at the time if you'd put the motor in the right way around! 1:00:22 "Oh dear, I think Belinda's balls have dropped": kwality belly laugh! "Capacitor police" LOL!

What a marathon! It really doesn't help when someone else has been in there. Your persistence is amazing. I'm sure you will nail it in the end.

That capacitor pretending to be a resistor was a good one. That final rotation on the motor to allow more room was amazing.

Muito inteligente e perfeccionista parabéns 👍👍👍👍🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷

For anyone wondering why analog tape decks went extinct, watch this video! Blimey! I say good riddance!

impressed beyond words. So few have technical savvy like this not to mention the patience. Thanks for the experience of watching you work.

Mark, you are an unbelievably skilled electronics engineer. Pure joy to watch your videos.

That’s quite a machine and lots of hard work done. Looking forward to the next episode

Best yet! Awesome to watch a true professional in action - thanks Mark!

What an excellent content for this guy (me) who was working in his first real shop when these came out new, oh the headache these use to give and the patience it taught me.

Hello Sir, I really love to watching your videos because I have been an electronics audio service engineer from being a hobbyist at 15 years old and now I am 48.

Holy moly a task. You impress time and time again. As an old radio mechanic, I really like to see how professional you are, your good humor is also fantastic. I look forward to seeing the continuation and always look forward to new exciting videos from you

Excellent work, congratulations, unfortunately my English is not that good, but I don't need it to follow a man who is passionate about his work. I like watching you because I see quite a few tools that I could never get my hands on since everything I do is amateurish. Keep up the good work so that the younger ones can learn as well. Of course, it goes without saying that the repair and restoration of old machines always has a special relationship for us elders.

Mark is really an inspiration, for me at least. I had a Sony tuner with a problematic adjustable coil, and after watching a video of his doing a winding of his own (for a vintage turntable cartridge) I decided to follow his example and I ended up repairing it. I always enjoy your videos (and I am amazed by your equipment, especially for mechanical repairs!).

"Belinda's Balls have dropped"!!! That made me laugh out loud Mark, thank you!!! What a marathon this fix is turning out to be, can't wait for episode 2..

The ammount of commitment and handyness in this video are insane! i myself repair tape decks as a hobby and the most complex thing that i have ever worked on was a Grundig CF-5500 deck. but this is on a whole different level!!

It's very nice to have the right tools! Your amazing Mark!

I can only say WOW... Mark is AMAZING at his craft.

He who catches a flying C-clip must be pure of heart!