Cassette deck repair (almost) - early 90's Sherwood DD-3010C 

The timer switch is usually meant to be used with external timers. The idea is that if that switch is on play or record, it will automatically go into that respective function when the unit receives power.

I had a similar issue with wow and flutter. The tape recorder was from the 80's. The lubrication in the bushings throughout the mechanism was slightly sticky. Ended up doing an ultrasonic bath in IPA. Then lubed sliders with lithium grease and bushings with light machine oil. There was a dramatic improvement.

To test the decks without inserting a cassette, you can do it by feeling one of the nails of the plastic to see with which one the mechanism is activated.

You push down on those white connectors and the ribbon cable pulls out, looks like that type anyway from a distance.

You've had all the fun from that machine. I would move on. Was interesting to watch though!

Excellent vid. Particularly enjoyed all the trial & error. 👍 Old mate there in the comments suggesting letting some tapes run for a few hours back 'n forth is a great idea and may show some improvement once those belts 'wear in' a bit.

Clean the pinch rollers or replace if they are hard. Lubricate the motor with oil. The white connectors must be pressed and the cables pulled out.

LOOKS LIKE THIS DECK ITS MADE FROM GOLDSTAR TODAY LG . I LIKE SHERWOOD NAME .

I remember my friend’s older brother purchased a complete Sherwood system back in the late 80s. I was always a bit confused cause in NZ Sherwood was also the name of a wool company, and I wondered why they would make hifi gear.

Nice video!

I'd be interested to see the power supply waveforms on an oscilloscope and see if they go up and down in time with the sound.

ok metholated spirits thats what i used to clean every thing i used to repair stuff i have 25 years in electronics

I was wondering if the motors just haven't been exercised in a long time. Maybe letting some old tapes autoreverse over and over for several hours might help them work better. Seemed to work in my 8-track player when I let it sit to long.

Did you ever get round to sorting this deck out?. I had similar issues with a much older late 70s Sharp deck, replaced the belts, replaced a broken gear, replaced the idler tyres and lubricated everything but wow and flutter was still an issue. It actually did turn out to be the pinch roller which needed replacing. I just measured it with a set of calipers and bought a pack of five from Ebay that were the same dimensions and hole size and it worked. The motor needed a drop of oil too as it was a bit noisy but it now works fine, although getting it apart was absolutely horrendous compared to a more modern deck. Given the cheap cost of replacement pinch rollers it might be worth a revisit and also worth some lubrication and a drop of oil in the motors. Can't hurt.

Ive been caught out by that connector when fixing my amp and wrecked it then found you puch down on the top bit and it releases the wires :s :/

Maybe some of the caps that stabilize the speed are shot?

i have a same connector problem....thanks => @n13ldo "You push down on those white connectors and the ribbon cable pulls out, looks like that type anyway from a distance."

It might get better if used for a while, it needs exercise so to speak - to loosen up.