Great way to start a Friday watching maestro rescue another deck from the trash. I have been playing with a late 60s Rotel receiver and the main problem (busted solder joints) . Bravo on another job well done.
Lol, I've got a modern stereo with hd streaming, a cd player, turntable AND an Aiwa AD-F800 cassette deck that I regularly record on so that I can play those cassettes on my Sony WM-DC2 Walkman, while I'm on the go. Cassettes are far less convenient than streaming and getting crazy expensive for decent new old stock, but when well recorded on a good deck and played back on a a high end Walkman, like a DC2, they CAN sound better than even the supposedly hd streamed stuff and blows mp3s clear out of the water. No comparison what so ever. Besides, inconvenient or not, playing tapes always takes me right back to a time when life was fun and carefree and I think we could all do with a lot more of that. :-)
You are right, a car from 1987 got me interested in tapes. Once I got all the recording equipment the car player bit the dust, and those are not all easy to get into. Fell in love anyway haha.
wow another DJ who used them in the comments LOL I never used the Akais I used turntables and had one auxilary tape deck which was a bare bones Realistic - I forget what model but that thing was a champ in simplicity , good sound quality and was indestructable
Geez David, you asked why are people still recording in 2021..? Well, I personally listen to radio especially CBC broadcasts of classical or jazz music. And also being in Canada I like to keep up my French language knowledge. So, even if the so-called audio quality is no cd-perfect, it’s good enough for me. Therefore, I appreciate you keeping these old cassette decks going for us who still find them very useful. Thanks for your video work!
Hi Dave !, hope you had a great Thanksgiving! Like the dual camera setup, we get to see a picture in picture video! Thanks again for all your hard work!!
Well I do have 3 cameras. I may use the second one in future videos when i have to dig into stuff as it is actually faster as i don't have to stop and set up the cutaway shot. I just roll both and work away and deal with it in post.
Hi Dave..Great Job!! I have nearly the same Problem on my Aiwa AD F350 not signal at all in Rec Line.But in Play Work Almost Perfect. I tryded twice to repair it ...I give it up..For sure the pole of Rec Line some How not are Conection. Regards
Recording to tape is still completely valid. Perhaps so more now than ever with the rise in popularity of lofi music. There is no other medium that can be manipulated like tape can. The short comings of its sound quality are praised and often exaggerated in lofi music. Furthermore, new music is being released on tape.
Keep telling yourself that. Anything you can do in the analog world you can do in the digital world and can emulate anything from the analog world. I remember seeing a video of a bunch of true blue vinyl believers that said they could tell the difference and did an a-b blind test. They were told to identify the analog recording and were presented with a turn table playing a record and a switch box. They could listen all they wanted to the record that was playing and switch back and forth as much as they wanted. Every single person failed. They all picked what they thought was the record they could see playing. When the examiner running the test talied all the results he walked out into the room picked up the tuentable to show it wasn't even connected. The recording that was being played had just been eq the same as vinyl and had a few clicks and pops and a little sibalence added. Everyone got it wrong. The same test was done with tape and again every last person got it wrong but they thought they were listening to tape or a record. Placebo effect.
@@12voltvids I hear what youre saying and I mostly agree. With respect, let me present a different perspective that may clarify my point. Of course analog techniques can be emulated in the digital world but thats just it. It's emulation. As an artist who thrives on inspiration there is no computer that can truely emulate the analog experience. Thats like saying there is no point in having guitar amplifiers anymore because a computer can emulate it. People will always be inspired and some will still prefer the real analog thing. Plus there are still some things that a computer cannot emulate, I emplore you to discover artists such as Hainbach who use techniques such as destructive tape loops. Furthermore, consider kids these days. They have not been exposed to analog mediums much if at all. For some younger artists, working with analog mediums such as tape have opened their eyes to thinking differently. Also, analog mediums usually present boundaries and limitations which do not exsist in the digial world. That can be a good thing creatively because it forces artists to make decisions. Everything is possible all the time on a computer and that can hamper creativity. I believe, similar to guitar amps, that there is room for both analog and digital to coexist. I use and enjoy both. So yes, tape is still valid. Really appreciate your content and response. I have learned alot from this channel!
Nostalgia and the fact tape cassette has made a comeback, Tape sounds great if done properly on the right equipment, mp3 can go and do one, Vinyl and cassette tapes are back, yippee!! Great video 👍
comeback? what do you mean? All I see is people trying to sell really terrible chinese made low bias tapes in fancy outer shells for extraordinary prices. It's a pretty dodgy market place. Vinyl , never really went away aside from a 4 year period in like 1990 to 1994 where most big companies were not issuing consumer albums but they did in promo form ect the - I've been selling records since 1996 non stop .
@@SPINNINGMYWHEELS777 Top 10 reasons why cassettes are back & why they should stay! / ANA[DIA]LOG ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0P3DwL72ylk.html
@@SPINNINGMYWHEELS777 young kids and the old skool adults are getting into tape cassette, you can buy new old stock, companies are testing the market with basic normal bias tapes, if they see that it's the right time, they will start releasing good chrome and metal tapes again 👍
Had similiar problem on similiar deck, just cleaned the rec level switch (didn't need to open just moved it multiple times) but it has other problems like not playing after stopping and having to remove the power,eject the tape to work again or it would get stuck
I worked for a DJ company and they had the exact same tape decks. They were great because of the ease of use, cue and review and large buttons. One day I had a table collapse and the front panel came apart or maybe cracked the board. I was able to fix it in the banquet hall. Really nice decks.
yikes - I ran a DJ company for 20 years knock on wood that didn't happen to me LOL - I used turntables mostly and those technics 1200s in flight cases.. even though tuff would have probably suffered gimbal bearing damage in the tonearms with a drop like that... I do recall quite a few questionable tables to put the stuff on.. but that was mostly when I was in my teens doing big events at the arena with those fold out tables they keep stored under the stages ect
@@SPINNINGMYWHEELS777 was a banquet hall and the tables were on two platforms. They put the legs of my table almost in the middle and the leg fell through the crack. Lol. No tape decks never skipped or jammed. The aiwa was a real trouper. I had two of them and mixed between them. People didn't know it was tapes either. Quite surprised when they did requests.
Some music producers like to experiment with different methods of destroying sound, distorting it, saturating it, etc. Recording to old tape decks can achieve that.
@@12voltvids exactly !!!! those tools like the tartar / enamel scraper - are great for rubbing off the hard coating on rubber pinch rollers in tape decks without having to take it all apart
That was a nice fast fix, no parts required :-D. The flappy regulator was funny, i was supprised it didn't overvolt anything. Tape counters are not that usefull as there is no standard between decks. I've used elastic bands for tape counters, good enough.
@@12voltvids When i say fast, i really mean within a few hours of segmented time, but some repairs like the tascam may feel like a lifetime. Ok ill shut up now lol.
I DONT KNOW WHERE YOU ARE BUT OVER HERE IN THE UK WHERE GOING THROUGH A REVIVAL OF VYNAL AND TAPE AND CD'S ARE STARTING TO MAKE A SMALL COME BACK AS WELL . SOME PLACES LIKE HMV ARE STOCKING BLANK TAPES AND CD'S AND YOU CAN GET THEM OFF THE INTERNET I'M STOPING NOW IT'S MAKING ME FEEL OLD LOL GREAT VIDEO AS ALL WAYS KEEP IT UP
those modern blank tapes are total garbage. beware. They look pretty but sound like pig shit - and go onto the discogs forum and read about how terrible the modern vinyl pressings are as well.. they want $60 for a new album that's a reissue of a classic album from 1972 which you can get at a record store for $5 any day and the original pressing will sound wayyyy better (in most cases) just a little knowledge to share.
@@SPINNINGMYWHEELS777 or, never mind the nostalgia and just go with digital and streaming. And if you are one of those old school "analogue is better" kinda people, check out Tidal and Roon.
@@ewoutbuhler5217 I sell vinyl records for a living - and have nothing against digital - the market for me decides and Vinyl ships worldwide daily..and many of those records I digitize and listen to in my car which is a real joy - the options are what is great - I even throw on an 8track tape sometimes for a different vibe - just for kicks. Thanks for the suggestions.
I bet you didn't know that the adsl signal on your phone line was also fairly high voltage, well over 100 volts if measured with an rf volt meter but no current, in the microamp range.
@@12voltvids yeah I was mildy 'shocked' when I found that out LOL - honestly though I investigated it when I had a Nortel phone from the 80s and the pads would light up in a beautiful fashion - I had these office phones with the LCD display but they needed a walwart to work so I was like.. where is this power coming from .. tapped the line and got the reading! I personally really like Landline and miss it... way better audio than these smart phones which are wrought with digital distortion not to mention radiation - and now re-reading your comment you're not talking about the DC power - you're talking about the digital sub line.. whoops.
The first pronunciation was correct. I was born in Canada but I’ve been living in the states for the past 45 years. I think your first pronunciation was correct sir!! I was born in Halifax Nova Scotia. I’m 50 years old. Looking to go back to Halifax with my brother over the spring. I’m not sure where you’re located but do you have any recommendations for the Nova Scotia area? I definitely want to go to Peggy’s Cove. Any recommendations you have would be greatly appreciated By the way I think it’s pronounced Aiwa. Sorry I’m a bit of a smart ass. From one technician to another, I think we’re all a bit of a smart ass :-)
Hi do you repair onkyo tx-nr828 receiver? Mine got hot from trying to power martin logan SL3 speakers and went into a protection mode that it will not come out of. I have it in the original box, ready to ship. How can I contact you directly? thanks
Hoping someone here can help me. I have an Aiwa AD-F810 that I replaced the belts and capstan motor. I set the playback speed and randomly days later it's too fast!!!! So I set it again and it randomly goes to fast or to slow. Could this be a power supply voltage going to the motor????
@@12voltvids The motor is New Old Stock..... just replaced.... think I will hook the multimeter up to it and see if the voltage to the motor changes, if i doesn't then it the "new" motor.....
@@426hemicuda1090 unless there is a big voltage change it shouldn't drift as the motor has an internal speed regulator. Motors with 2 wires have the speed pot on the back of the motor and those with 4 wires it is external.
Why cassettes in 2021? Recording setup for my digital session takes more time, editing, track labeling, making sure all the songs are the same volume, etc, etc. Then you need to burn a disk or put it on some kind of solid state memory device, which can fail. I have a lot of music on different formats, digital streaming, CD, records, tapes, VHS hifi, radio. Making a mix tape from multiple sources is much easier for me.
If someone moans about the belt then that here problem I've replaced one before with elastic band it doesn't matter if you use old knicker elastic as long as it works for them well done
@@12voltvids no not for that but I've just for the counter just watching your soldering iron review now you do great work the way you explain things as you go along thanks to you I've repaired two TVs and two power supplies backlight, capacitor and diode problems thanks
@@12voltvids I've had a bad experience with using an elastic band as a replacement for the counter belt on a portable Beta machine. It became sticky after a few months and one day when I went to eject a tape, the elastic band was caught between the gears that drive the threading ring and the mechanism seized and I had to take the unit apart. The annoying thing is these machines don't work without the counter because there's a hall-effect device right on the counter that monitors tape movement.
So you like that hiss and snap crackle and pop of vinyl. No thanks. Keep this is mind. Many CDs were made from the same mix down tape for the vinyl pressing so the sound had already been compressed for vinyl. So there will be no improvement on those CD releases and the CD will reveal limitations on the source tape that is masked by vinyl due to rumble and background noise just caused by draging a rock through a groove. A proper digital recording there is no comparison. If course that means it needs to be a new recording or a new mix from the session tape minimum. A CD made from a 50 year old tape is going to sound like a 50 year old recording plus all the degradation in that tape. Many CDs from the early to mid 80s sounded like crap because the studios were cheap.
@@12voltvids never been into vinyl don't like pop n crackle as you said have 2 high end cd players and 2 high end technics tape decks with ditton 66 speakers look forward watching more your videos 👍
For this one I can’t be sure you fixed it probably you did with the solderjoints but test with and without Dolby. Your test seemed a bit to fast. Also if somebody still likes to record on tape don’t judge if only needed for old cars just let people do what they like :) ….
I can assure you the Dolby works and not need to test. The majority i know that use tape don't use Dolby because it can be heard working especially if you record on one deck and okay on another. Or they record with Dolby b and turn it off on playback. I used dbx when I was using tape for that reason.
@@12voltvids I agree Dolby B is not great, Dolby C is already better and sometimes used it. (Dolby S and dbx did not have a deck with it but specs are better) still Dolby uses some extra circuits in theory the channel could be bad there.If you don’t test you do not really know but assume based on your work experience it works… and ofcourse you have lots of repair experience ;)
@@patrickdeunhouwer5926 It works. The signal passes through the chip regardless if the circuit us turned on or not. It was not recording on one channel because the low pass filter was open on the inductor which is where the audio is brought in and mixed with the bias.
why would the Dolby be affected? I'm very judgy about what people do alone in their cars..especially if they wear a mask and play tapes at the same time. 😎
It distorts the sound. You can hear it working. If you know what you are listening for you can't unhear it. Same goes for vinyl records. Once you know what to listen for they become annoying. Some people can't hear Dolby working others can. Dbx is the same. Once you know what to listen for you can hear it every time. The old mts stereo TV sound for example was dbx companded and you can hear it working. Same for beta and VHS Hi-Fi. You can head the companding working.
@@12voltvids Service manuals mostly care about adjusting the bias frequency with a counter. Some also refer to using VTVM across a test point resistor to derive bias current. Needle meters had RMS and dB. Anyways, I usually see 9-11V for normal, 20-22V for type II, 35-37V for metal (across erase head VRMS). RMS x 2.83 makes them peak to peak and in same ballpark with bias voltages you spoke in the video.
@@somebodyx so by your calculations then the 120v ac from your outlet would be 339v p-p! Rms is calculated as 0.707 of the p-p waveform. Your 120 volt outlet has a swing of 169 volts. Your analog meter is just measuring an average and they become less sensitive with frequency. What I measured was the signal going to the head, on the scope with high impedience probe. I did not reference any manual so I do not know what the voltage should be for this deck. The bias frequency and voltage is specific to each brand and model. It has much to do with the impedence of the head gap width ect.
