Teac A-2300SX reel-to-reel tape deck repairs

In 2012 I repaired several problems of a Teac A-2300SX tape deck, including a sticky pinch roller mechanism. This is a short version of the original multi-part video:
Part 1: • DrCassette's Workshop ...
Part 2: • DrCassette's Workshop ...
Part 3: • DrCassette's Workshop ...
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[@nathanpintar2318]

Ive got to say just yesterday I fixed one of these that I got from a thrift shop. your fix video saved me I had the same problem with the stuck pinch roller. I had to leave the screw a bit loose but I wanted to thank you.

[@DrCassette]

You are welcome, I am glad my video was helpful :)

[@peterw1213]

Sooooo nice to see all metal mechanism built like a tank ...To really last long. Many internal parts are custom special made OEM with TEAC logo printed for value-added look & feel.

[@rpk5568]

You understand that the pinch roller solenoid is a mechanical adjustment for pinch roller pressure. I love that Teac specs to use a spring scale, a device that you can't by today. I'm going to be helping someone do this repair this week and I think we'll draw circles around the mounting screws.

[@dudleyrathborne9849]

Hello there . I bought a new TEAC 2300 SD in 1978 . I used it till 2021 .In 2011 I had to replace the record and playback heads . Wore the gaps down so that high frequencies disappeared . In the end the capstan motor bearings dried up and locked up .I have kept the unit with the hope that maybe some day I can get it up and running again . Thanks for your video .....DGR

[@killmore75]

The young DrCassette!

[@peterallen4331]

I just did this and do not believe the solenoid position is critical as it does not control any pressure. Also I found it help full to use a mini gas torch to heat up the stuck shaft to melt the grease and make it easier to remove. Also when removing the flywheel/ Capstan there is a screw cover on the front side and under that a small rubber washer that should be removed to make the shaft capstan slide out easier. The whole process is not that bad I used some silicon grease when replacing the parts.

[@profibere]

A very well designed and carefully built equipment. However, the cassettes machines have developed more then the reel to reel tape decks. In my opinion, the reel to reel machines are more well fitted to a museum... However, I appreciate its construction. Clearly it was made to last a long, long time, and it really did.

[@davidpoppy8838]

A 4 track 1/4" machine running at 7 1/2 ips provides 8 times the amount of recording medium per second than does a cassette (16x at 15 ips). Although there has been a lot of development of cassettes and cassette decks, they can not compete with high quality reel to reel for audio fidelity. Neither types of decks can match modern digital recorders for fidelity either, but analogue equipment is prized for the subjective quality of the sound produced as well as the pleasure gained from watching and using these remarkable pieces of equipment.

[@Poppinwheeeeellllllieeeeez]

I use this machine 1x per week.

[@splatlunch8812]

@@davidpoppy8838 Yes You dont see them using cassette decks in the recording studio. Not until digital tape became a thing.

[@kennynvake4hve584]

That rubber on the capstan shaft that came out is a small gasket...remove the cap from the front of the machine and you can get to it. The cap unscrews.

[@jewllake]

Nice! I have my late father's 4010S

[@theedrstrangelove]

This was never meant to be used with a home Hi Fi set. It was designed to be used as the mastering deck with one or two Teac A-3340 or A-3340S multi-sync 4 trac recorders.

[@SDsailor7]

What type of lubricant does the solenoid require? anyone know? Thank you

[@gabrielhamburger8823]

Man Dr Cassete THE BEST !!!!!!!

[@DrCassette]

Thank you :)

[@MoggysHiFiAntics]

The round aluminium front of the capstan is easily removed. Simply turn it with your fingers anti-clockwise. If recalcitrant then use soft jawed pliers.

[@DrCassette]

Yes, I found out about that later...

[@augvoorde2]

What is the ac power adapter called? I have been unable to locate one for my reel to reel.

[@sudhirsumongkol8972]

Thank you.

[@EricLDC]

Help i have the akai reel to reel with the 8 track built in. It suddenly is conductive. It shocks the heck out of me. Wtf? The cord is fine no nicks or anything. So it's not the cord. Any advice?

[@TheVintageNewbie]

My power button won’t stay in when I press it. Any idea how I can fix it? Thanks!

[@DrCassette]

Seems like the latching mechanism in your power switch is worn out. See if you can find a suitable replacement power switch.

[@luizamoczydlowski2522]

it should say drcassette 2022

[@DrCassette]

No, the video was originally recorded in 2012, this is just a new edit of the original video

[@nickfrench7372]

Must have been a bit hard to get into the back of the machine when it came to getting the capstan wheel and the solenoid driven mechanism out to clean and relubricate them and reinstall carefully back into place. Would've required a lot of time and patience altogether.

[@HammondDirk]

Nice machine! How do you think it compares to a Revox A-77?

[@thedoc2716]

Dr cassette would you consider makeing a remote control fot it and upload to youtube

[@DrCassette]

This machine was sold some years ago, I don't have it anymore for any new projects.

[@uher-audio]

High Quality Made in Japan. Revox and UHER cannot keep up with that 😃

[@DrCassette]

Believe it or not, I do like Uher more than Teac :)

[@uher-audio]

@@DrCassette Schau mal auf meinem Block nach.

[@Poppinwheeeeellllllieeeeez]

@@DrCassette yer biased....cant blame you.

[@rusuclaudiu1988]

For each video you make, the German accent decreases :). Thank you for the videos btw. Edit. Is from 2012. Your German accent got heavier actually

[@DrCassette]

I hated that strange accent that I had developed back then and I am happy that the English I speak these days is more neutral and therefore easier to understand.

[@orangie8426]

Aww no... the German accent makes you sound like a true repair guy professional... And it sounds really cool!! Please please don't lose it. .

[@NiteGrooves]

@@orangie8426 The sound of a true german enigneer, like Kraftwerk :D As a half German, I can see why we don't like our recognizable accent..

[@jimmyjoejeeter2366]

Excellent video! I have a Teac 330010, I notice sometimes the tape slips off the pinch roll, I stop the deck at start it back up and it works. I was wonder what would make it slip off the pinch roller in-ward toward the deck? I notice it does the same thing on my Pioneer RT 701 deck too once in a while. The pinch rollers don't look that bad. Any advice would be great. Thanks.

[@DrCassette]

Unless the mechanism is severely misaligned, this problem is caused by the rubber pinch roller. Try cleaning it with an alcohol based window cleaner. If this doesn't help, move on to isopropyl alcohol (IPA). If this still doesn't help, move on to lighter fluid. If you can see that the pinch roller has gone out of shape, you will have to very carefully sand it with a very fine sandpaper until it is round and even again.

[@Poppinwheeeeellllllieeeeez]

Sounds like user error to me. Derpa derp!

[@SDsailor7]

@@DrCassette Is the replacement power plug easy to replace as far as the wiring go? I am looking to buy one of these same models and it is missing the power cord. Thank you

[@dudleyrathborne9849]

Hi there Jim . I have both a TEAC 2300 SD and a TEAC S 3340 S . Both bought in late 1970s' . The pinch rollers should never ever be cleaned with any alcohol product . Alcohol dries out the polymers in the rubber and causes the pucks to dry and become hard and glazed . While they will now make them look clean , alcohol is actually worsening the tape problem .In my experience ,the pucks are so large and removable ,I found that with a tooth brush ,a nylon scrub pad and a touch of liquid dish soap ,carefully rubbing the surface of the puck cleans all the dirt off and leaves the rubber like new . Then just dry with paper towels . When reinstalling , use a touch of light oil and replace the cap . Your now ready to go .....DGR

[@Poppinwheeeeellllllieeeeez]

Did you oil the motors? I have this unit and have seen people use 3 in 1 electric motor oil via the fill tube.

[@DrCassette]

No, in the end I never lubricated the motors while I had this machine. But back then I read that the motors should be lubricated with a special oil designed for sintered bearings, not just any sort of general purpose oil.

[@swingmanic]

@@DrCassette I used a synthetic oil after disassembly and used a small hypodermic syringe through the 2 clear tubes on the outside of the capstan motor..Also check the start/run capacitor at the same time.

[@dirkg3343]

@@DrCassette A little bottle of that special oil for the motor bearings was included with the new A-2300SX I bought in 1978. I lubricate the motors from time to time, the unit still works great. Of course i also head to apply new lube to the pinch-roller mechanism, clean the switches and potentiometers and replace a noisy transistor - but anyway a well-built and long lasting piece of audio equipment!

[@swingmanic]

I sprayed the sides of my A-3300SX in a black acrylic which I think brings it into the 21 century...Personally I like it!!

[@sh0t734]

Can you help me on this wierd issue ? Last morning i powered on my onkyo integra ta 2550 to play a tape as usual. But i ve noticed some sort of static noise during playback, even if there is no cassette in place. Holding the pickup reel while it's spinning , the static noise also slows down , if i completely stop the reel (resulting in the motor to stall) , the noise also completely stops. Desoldering the reel motor - static noise stops. What could be the problem ?

[@DrCassette]

The commutator of the motor has a problem, causing it to generate sparks when running. The sparks cause RF disturbance that gets picked up by the audio circuitry of the cassette deck. You will have to either disassemble and repair or replace the motor.

[@sh0t734]

@@DrCassette Yes but it happened so suddenly , i oppened the motor and cleaned it , the sound didn't even change a bit.

[@DrCassette]

@@sh0t734 When the carbon brushes of the motor's commutator assembly fail, the noise appears instantly. Cleaning of course will not help when the carbon brushes are worn out. Seems like you will need a new motor.

[@sh0t734]

@@DrCassette could bad capacitors produce that ? Or is the motor the only source it could be from

[@sh0t734]

@@DrCassette I ve just put in a brand new motor but noise is still there , only at a slightly different frequency now...

[@thedoc2716]

I bet singer sewing machine oil would be verry aceptable after all the tollerance of a sewing machine is just as high as for the motor for a reel to reel tape recorder

[@DrCassette]

Sewing machine oil is what I often use in mechanisms, these motor bearings however need a different type of oil.

[@ColdSphinX]

Did you change your microphone setup? You sound different ^^

[@DrCassette]

This video was originally recorded in 2012, on a Panasonic HDC-SD707 camcorder. I re-edited the video to shorten it and to make it more enjoyable.

[@user-dt5zu5tv7z]

我也有一台

[@kennynvake4hve584]

that power socket looks like a standard computer outlet.

[@DrCassette]

The replacement power connector I installed is indeed just a normal IEC socket, commonly found on computer power supplies.

[@purplespecter]

@@DrCassette is it clever to connect the ground pin of your new supply to the ground of the machine or will that introduce noise ?

[@solarr2]

👍🇵🇱🇵🇱👍👍🤘😁😁😊