Akai GX-230D Open Reel Tape Deck - Restoration (Ep. 118) 

When shipping gear.....you need to double box the unit. Fill the space between the boxes with peanuts or bubble wrap. Protect corners with styrafoam corners - prefab or homemade. It is up to the owner to ensure propper packaging. I worked at a shipping depot. You would not believe the way packages are handled in the facility. Not only via the conveyer belt systems, but also the minimally trained workers that are generally not concerned about the parcels. This is even more likely if the package is heavier than a 12 pack of coke. When filling trucks the instructions are to maximize space by all means necessary. The load must be jammed tightly....very tightly with heavy items on bottom under hundreds of pounds of weight on top of them.

I grew up around TEACs, Akai,Sony and many more reel to reels. This is a treat to see. Glad you are bringing this reel to reel back to its glory. GX heads, and a nice sound, these Akai's are a treat for sure.

I have the same Akai. I do restorations myself. Have to finish couple projects before I can start with this one. Thanks for video.

I deal with those microswitches all the time. I open and clean them. It sux but it does the trick. Metal polish on a business card and ipa and deox spray. You are correct that you need to GENTLY agitate the oxidization off. Same as wafer switches or contact pads or rca jacks on dual turntables. The polish melts the tarnish instantly. Nice troubleshoot and fix.

1h45 watching this video. Great job! There's a lot of good on youtube and you are certainly part of it!

Thanks Trevor. I have an Akai GX-285D deck and motors struggling with torque issues as any old deck might. Shall use the knowledge you imparted to us viewers and address my deck. You leave a nice legacy with showing

Thank you for another excelent video!

I really enjoy your videos, great job

Just recently found your channel and am really learning a lot and enjoying your videos. Thanks for doing them and passing on your expertise.

That kind of noise is often caused by a transistor with "black legs" --- also known as tarnish.

I have a Machine like this one and it seems like all the GX-230D Models had the same FF and rewind issues. I have 2 Machines the same Model and after it warms up a while, the FF and rewind work fine. Also it has alot to do with the DARN Glass Heads. As the tape gets old the Tape drags on the Glass Heads and slows it down

I've been sitting on a GX-636 for over a decade, wondering if it'd be worth restoring. All those servos and relays are scaring me ta death!

The tape head didn't shred the tape - "sticky shed syndrome" was a well known problem in the day, affecting many brands of tape. The Realistic was some of the worst, and many back-coated tapes also. Maxell UD-35-90 held up pretty well (non back-coated). Coincidentally my late brother was an applications engineer for Ampex magnetic tape division and was an expert on the subject. He supervised the digital conversion of a Flock of Seagulls analog master that suffered from this.

"MP = Metallized polyester"

Hi, Great video! I just found your channel searching because I got a GX210D with the same can cap for the motors that I need to replace. Motors are getting hot after 45 minutes of play and lacking torque. Can you share the model of those caps you used? or Where you got them?

Thank you. I‘m learning by doing after I‘ve seen your excellent video‘s. Which grease do you use to lubricate all metal to metal slides?

Hello Trevor, I am about refurbishing some old reel to reel, like Akai X201, XD 210 and my current project XD-255. you mentioned the transistor replacement of 2SC 458. what replacement do you recommend. P.s. great channel btw,

It is strikingly often to hear how poorly shipments are handled in your country. Here they know that if parcels arrive damaged, they will be returned straight away. And if this happens too often, it will have consequences for the companies that take care of the shipping. Is this not the case with you?

Hi Trevor, sorry to bother you again. With what type of transistor did you replace the 2SC458s?

Need help with my Akai GX-230D reel-to-reel. can't get my sound to work. Can you help? and how much.