Akai DX57 repair - does not play tapes.

[@gianluca4732]

Congratulations for this great video! I own the AKAI GX-69 from 1993 which is essentially a "facelifted" GX-67, and has essentially the same mecha block but has one motor more (the one for opening/closing the cassette door), and I did the same thing (replaced belts) some time ago. Just a note: to remove the four flat cables connecting the front panel to the motherboard is not necessary to remove the white upper part of each connector, just push it downward (to open the contact springs) and gently pull the flat cable! You have, instead, to remove the upper part when later you will reinsert the four flat cables in order to lock the small contact springs of each connector. For the rest the video is a treasure! Thanks for sharing this. Best from Italy

[@The-Tinkerer]

Ciao Gian! Thanks for your lovely comments and for the tips on removing the connectors. I'll update the description with that note so others can learn from your comment.

[@OntologicalQuandry]

Superb disassembly! It is interesting to watch other 'tinkerers' and enthusiasts trying to fix equipment such as this, but their haphazard methods and clumsy teardowns leave one with the feeling that these machines must have been nearly impossible to manufacture. This careful and thoughtful disassembly clearly shows the order with which things were put together and how easy it can be to service equipment with the right procedure.

[@PeteB]

Thanks Alex, glad you liked it!

[@MMSound-zl4eo]

ЛЕГКО, ПОКА ТЫ САМ НЕ НАЧАЛ ЭТОТ РЕМОНТ.

[@clivesilk3501]

fantastic repair ! pain in the bum that belt slipped off after reassembling it the first time ...

[@The-Tinkerer]

Ha, these things happen!

[@BrainHurricanes]

I was about to ask if you ever put it all back together and had to take it all apart again. Because I sure had to. I guess I got my answer at the end lol. Nice repair.

[@The-Tinkerer]

Yes, that was….annoying! 🤣 thanks for watching!

[@axel2190]

Thanks for this Video, you did it! I wished you cleaned the Mechanismus a little better. You did an awesome job replacing the Belt‘s!

[@The-Tinkerer]

Thanks - yeah, I could spend time going back and cleaning it up better. The priority was just to see if it worked.

[@karolok]

You just destroyed 4 good connectors (2:45) those "covers" were meant to be pushed in order to insert/extract the ribbon cables. Well, one thing is certain i won't let you near my hifi components 😆🤣 other than that a good effort that lead to a working unit.

[@The-Tinkerer]

Thanks. This is why I like to share - others can learn by my mistakes. Pushing them to extract the cables didn't work when practicing - I guess there's better tool to use. It's not like I'll be shipping the unit anywhere for the cables to come loose so I'm not worried about it.

[@vic-op1wm]

Hi, I've disassembled the Akai gx 75 gear. The program gear is lubricated. It's old and I had to clean it up. But unfortunately I can't find a new lubricant that could be a replacement. Could you give us some advice? What kind of lubricant should I use? Or what kind of lubricant you use, If possible, then give a link to the sample.

[@The-Tinkerer]

It's not something I'd considered to be honest. There's an interesting discussion around lubricants in cassette desks here www.tapeheads.net/showthread.php?t=32578 Let me know what you decide on!

[@vic-op1wm]

@@The-Tinkerer Thank you, I will study the question

[@mixamc9797]

And well done with replacing the belts.They are pretty much always a bit of a pain to replace but once you've done it it'll be working for years.And it cost you 10 pounds...well that's a hell of a bargain.I paid £100 for mine but in silver without remote.You've got the genuine Akai one.Perfect.And the manual.Congrats.

[@PeteB]

Thanks. It was fulfilling to restore it.

[@paulwatkins2601]

3:10 those ribbon connectors are you sure that you dont press down on them to release them and after you refitted ribbons lift blocks to lock them?

[@The-Tinkerer]

Pretty sure. The tabs lock down, there’s no release function.

[@paulwatkins2601]

@@The-Tinkerer wasn't meant to suggest that you didn't know what you were talking about but I have encountered connectors where you push down to release the ribbon and when you reinsert the ribbon you just push it back in. hope my comment did not offend you.

[@The-Tinkerer]

@@paulwatkins2601 Ha! Not at all. I'm a tinkerer, not a trained electrical engineer - always learning, always happy to improve, constructive input/criticism welcomed :)

[@huntertube007]

@@The-Tinkerer I can confirm it's press down to release, I didn't realise this until I took them all off as in the video.

[@peters.1960]

Very nice.. i come from Germany and my problem is the counter working .. now.. i can repair ! Thank you

[@PeteB]

Great stuff, hope it goes well. :)

[@ossianhaufe4671]

Why you didn’t clean the housing underneath the chassis?

[@The-Tinkerer]

I'm not sure which part you mean, but this was a quick repair job rather than a complete reconditioning. Have you ever spent a bunch of time working on something only to reassemble it and find it still doesn't work? I just wanted to ensure the repair worked before spending more time on it.

[@huntertube007]

Just spent a couple of hours changing the belts on my DX-57, all was good, played a test tape, and all was good. Screwed the case on and tried to put another tape in and it looks like the transport is still with the tape and the tape counter is flashing... nothing else. The transport won't budge so I can't get the tape out. I can see the new capstan belt and it's not slipped off. Any clues???

[@The-Tinkerer]

Hi Ian, only thing I can think is maybe you've reassembled with one of the screws ether in the wrong hole or longer than the original? I did note there was the chance of this myself when reassembling. Only thing I can think (if you've not done already) is to strip down and try again? Good luck!

[@huntertube007]

@@The-Tinkerer Thankyou. I think it could be the pinch roller and a safety feature to stop the cassette from getting chewed up. I stripped it down again and re-assembled and the same problem. In the meantime I have bought a Technics Direct Drive deck just to digitise a couple of tapes. I am determined to get the Akai up and running again!!

[@targorhems8507]

Thank you very much!!! I have exactly the same Tape - Deck and did the repair in the same way.... Works!!! I also replaced the two rubber rollers( I don't know the english word for this) from the capstan and the Micro-switches from the front panel also a refurbished remote control. It is a new Tape Deck and 31 years old....🤩👍👍👍

[@The-Tinkerer]

That’s great to hear, glad to have been of some help. I should’ve done the rollers too really. Good idea.

[@samankumara7461]

Great job 👍

[@mixamc9797]

Hi ,I just got the same deck.It works great but looking for user manual which is nearly impossible to get.How did you get yours?

[@PeteB]

The unit was bought by my friend from new and he kept it with the device.

[@sabazioss2297]

Whitch are the dimmension of the belt?

[@The-Tinkerer]

I'm sorry, I don't know. I ordered mine from an eBay seller, search for "Riemen für AKAI GX-65, GX-65 MKII, GX-67, GX-69, DX-57, Belts, Service Kit."

[@Outpost1977]

Nice video. It helped me a lot with changing the belts of my DX57. Maybe you know where i can adjust the output volume on one channel of the DX57?

[@The-Tinkerer]

I'm afraid I don't know - sorry!

[@valeriocuccu5960]

However, it is a hard job to replace the belts especially the small ones where you have to remove half of the mechanics..compliments

[@The-Tinkerer]

Thanks. It's a bit fiddly but not difficult if you take your time.

[@paulwatkins2601]

Where are you from you using terms like my mate saved it from the tip

[@The-Tinkerer]

I’m a bit of a mix of Lancashire, Manchester and Midlands.

[@paulwatkins2601]

@@The-Tinkerer I am originally from Rugby but now live in the US

[@ndodhy]

Good confident job done . I'm from Pakistan and mine problem is A&D GX z9100ex cassette deck which has some mechanical problem as it doesn't play rewind or forward even though upon pressing button it shows executing but without mechanical operation. Could you make a video on this cassette deck I mentioned or you can send any link to see plz ? Appreciate your reply....and I'm subscribing. Cheers Nauman Dodhy

[@The-Tinkerer]

Hi Nauman, thanks for your kind words. I'm afraid I don't have one of those cassette decks or have any experience of them. I hope you manage to sort fix it - don't give up!

[@ndodhy]

@@The-Tinkerer sure mate !

[@TheFuchsLP]

Great Video! I just got the same one for free with the same issue. With your vIdeo i might fix it. :)

[@The-Tinkerer]

Good luck! Let us know how you get on.

[@ВиталийМихнёв-в3ю]

HI ! Good video ! I Have Akai DX-59 very nice cassette deck ! 😎👌

[@Hamporkchop]

Great job! I’m currently doing the same with my Akai UC-F3 from 1982.

[@stev6free146]

Cassette decks look incredible complex

[@The-Tinkerer]

There's certainly a lot going on in there! Considering how mechanical they are it's amazing they last as long as they do.

[@salvatorepala1103]

Grazie del tutorial

[@The-Tinkerer]

Prego!

[@dhanapalp9323]

Excellent and appreciate your job sir.

[@The-Tinkerer]

You're welcome. Thanks for your feedback.

[@pablobaldomir9430]

Muy buen deck

[@pablobaldomir9430]

Saludos

[@pablobaldomir9430]

Wow

[@TheAbdulvahid]

3.12 puch plactik 🤦‍♂👿😤😤😤

[@sergeys6263]

Похоже, это самый неудачный механизм от Sankyo.