fixing some old Japanese Walkmans

[@ashens]

That Cassette Boy sounds cursed. I think it needs a fresh soul

[@elliotcoll]

Have you got a link?

[@TanookiSuit]

@@elliotcoll I'm sure he's got one slightly used one there.

[@J-1-9-8-3-K]

They both sound cursed😭💀

[@ericpode6095]

Perhaps it should be renamed The Cassette Child?

[@jpmiller9385]

I am literally obsessed with cassettes so this video is a paradise for me

[@kel953]

They're cute

[@gottapes]

same

[@colbybarker8877]

Me too I have all the US released tapes need UK now hmu

[@tomputnam5364]

That Sony is absolutely gorgeous. The kind of Walkman I used to linger over before handing over £19.99 for another Alba. Pretty sure I got through Walkmen at a rate of 1 every 18 months.

[@gnarltonfischer960]

The capacitors are probably wonky in the Nintendo one. That was my first thought when I heard it. If it was just the belt being uneven it would have lapses of good and bad and sometimes even fast and slow. The smaller belts still sounding slow instead of wonky and too fast mean that the motors aren't getting enough power to handle the change the in tension. And with the potentiometer at max and it being slightly better, it means it's gotta be a power issue. Older boards like that, as I'm sure you know, are pretty capacitor crazy. It doesn't mean that ALL the capacitors are out of whack, but some quick work with a multimeter should figure it all out. And because the board looks as simple as it does, that really should be pretty easy to do.

[@gnarltonfischer960]

If you do decide to do it, I don't think it'd be worth a full video, but if you have like an hour or two to kill or you're just bored out of your mind, it'd be a nice way to pass the time. It might make for a good youtube short too.

[@BrainHurricanes]

Could also be the pinch roller not spinning freely, or too much tension.

[@PowerPandaMods]

When I lived in Japan in 2007-2011, there were cassete players smaller than the cassette itself. They kind of just wrapped around the bottom of the cassette to turn the wheels and read the tape, but the top of the cassette was just hanging out the top. They were really cool.

[@eggsamillion]

I think it's cool that this channel has kind of turned into what the Retro Future used to be. I love it, keep up the good uploads.

[@Killericon]

It's the life cycle of all creators - primary channel takes off, production quality goes up and tone goes less casual, creator makes second channel for less casual content.

[@emreayar2652]

Tip: cut a little bit of the spring of the battery terminal so that it isn't forcing as much.

[@julieboruta]

On the red gameboy walkmen.

[@Omega_Mark]

When you have a problem with audio speed, it's very often that rubber roller that touches the tape and that silver metal shaft. If the rubber dries up, it will much harder press against that shaft (when engaged) and it will be harder for the motor to keep it going. Try replacing that roller or at least adjust the tension spring on it, so there is less pressure.

[@Omega_Mark]

When you adjusted the pot to make the motor faster, you put much more pressure on the motor. This may cause motor burnout and definitely will drain the batteries faster.

[@Omega_Mark]

Btw, the proper name for it is "pinch roller."

[@ItDaBiz]

The absolute engineering precision of old Sony stuff always fascinates me. Seriously ahead of their time making stuff like this when everyone else was still making nuggets well into the early 2000's.

[@herrfuchsig]

You have my sincere thumbs up for „nuggets“. I wonder if Wade would have 1 gritted the Cassette Boy

[@Florian00]

WM-102 is one of my favorite designs, A WM-R202 was the first one I ever got and fixed and I'm still using it

[@Zveebo]

This felt like a Techmoan x Elliot Coll crossover (very much a good thing)

[@kje.123]

the cassette boy is a perfect vaporwave sampler lol

[@Dopamine833]

Nice episode of Techmoan Elliot, thoroughly enjoyed it!

[@markwood6299]

Thanks for including the technique for the volume wheel! Fixing up a WM-F101 I picked up in Japan, and the construction is pretty much identical. Would not have tried that without the vid...

[@Omega_Mark]

6:30 That's why you have a hard time inserting these batteries. That big blob of solder on the spring prevents it from further compression. Rework the cable and remove that big blob and you will have no problem inserting and removing the batteries.

[@eduardolarrymarinsilva76]

He was having the same issue before, I think the solder blob was how it came from the factory

[@butchdeadlift7551]

That Walkman is so aesthetically pleasing.

[@Club_Michas]

Old Tape Players tends to have a seized up motor, playing and fast forwarding/rewinding the tape for a while will bring it back to normal.

[@rhen1215]

For best sound quality make sure to lubricate and grease everything!

[@rockaholictom]

That Walkman is amazing. I have a WM-D6C and it takes 4 AA's which is insane but it's robust and still perfect like ~35 years later. Great video!

[@laserhawk64]

Capacitors in my experience are usually a popular "parts cannon" approach, and rarely actually at fault. There _was_ the Capacitor Plague in the early 2000s, but really, for the most part, it's just not an issue for most devices most of the time, outside of that, and the farther back in time you go, the more you can be sure of that. Obviously there are exceptions and all, here and there, but remember the difference between coincidence and causality, please! _Far_ more likely it's the case that whatever oil or grease was put on the mechanicals when the Nintendo-mimic player was at the factory has since turned into petroleum glue simply from age, temperature, and chemistry all doing their usual dances together. I'm a computer nerd with a devout love of retrocomputing, and this is a VERY common fault in older disk drives. The last time I replaced capacitors, meanwhile, was on an XP-era Dell that was a Capacitor Plague victim and somehow never got upgraded or tossed out. Meanwhile, I've replaced faulty memory in Commodore 64s, de-gunked disk drives aplenty, and at some point I have a Panasonic hardware word processor I need to pull back out off the shelf and adjust the RPM sensor on its floppy drive, because it uses a very weird, very proprietary drive (26pin pin header style connector with no separate power connector -- no, it's not a slimline style thing, it's like a desktop drive minus eight pins!) and it has a belt-drive spindle... with a belt you can't replace without futzing up that sensor, whose position is non-trivial. But capacitor issues in 80s and earlier stuff? In my experience... naaah. Doesn't really happen, except in the minds of people who don't know enough about the electronics they're trying to work on and want an easy answer rather than bothering to do their homework properly. Don't get me wrong, you sound really good with the mechanical side of it, but... I dunno, man, maybe it's time to go learn you some Forrest Mims books...

[@Heymrk]

To me, cassettes were peak music listening. I loved the analog sound with the hiss. And if you walked too fast or ran, there was a wobbly sound. Don't get me wrong, digital is great for its precision, but not as much fun as the mechanical buttons on a Walkman and watching the gears spin. I miss those days.

[@codecoderr7495]

that's because analog works better at lower frequencies. And that means less noise and impedance on circuitry, which transfers pretty well back to headphones. DSP / DAC can fake that, but it'll never be the same because of the normalization of volume fragments into 2 log (-n bits)

[@codecoderr7495]

if you synthesize musical notes instead, you're able to emit signals relative to 2 log (-n bits) volume fragments, which is what DSP & DAC can do much better, ends up with an organic analog-like signal, like video game consoles does by using DSP / DAC units.

[@MatSpeedle]

When I'm rebuilding cassette players I'll always try and relube any of the moving parts with a very tiny amount of watch oil. It's increbly thin so ideal for getting these motors and wheels moving.

[@BasVoet]

I remember hooking my dad’s cassette recorder up to the television and spending hours recording music from MTV and TMF (a Local music channel). Had lots of music to listen to in my walkman. Great memories.

[@dr_ned_flanders]

There is a My Mate Vince Video where he fixed a walkman with a similar problem. Turned out to be a stiff tape pincher wheel. The tape was running fast because the tape pinch wheel wasn't touching the cassette tape. When it was freed up it provided the necessary friction to slow the tape transport speed down.

[@zenmelodyy]

i love the look of those old hand drawn circuit boards. they look so cool

[@rembrandx]

Maybe you could ask the 'Techmoan' guy, he's done a lot of old skool audio repair on his channel + he's in Britain too. Oh, maybe even do a collaboration.

[@sdjmchattie]

When MyMateVince was working on tape players recently, they were slow as well and one thing he adjusted was the tension between the rubber roller and the metal spindle near the play head. Not sure why it would be off, but in his case the two trapped the tape so tightly that it couldn’t pull through the head assembly at the right speed.

[@PinBiohazard]

I want to see you fix more obsolete tech ngl I love seeing this stuff come back to life as we live in such throwaway culture its great to see it live

[@yeismeload]

God I love that Japanese Walkman with the teal, and it's in such good condition for its age. **Chef's kiss** I had the yellow Sports Walkman and later standard grey Discman, then a minidisc player during my undergrad. Out of all of them, the walkman was definitely the most impactful and my favourite as a kid in the 80s-90s.

[@f5203]

I was sad. But 08:16 made me chuckle. Just the "ok you know what" felt slightly frustrated and genuine.😂❤

[@dilley_esq]

That walkman is sick!!! the black and chrome is fire

[@GentleEnt]

Man I'd love to see more repair videos for walkmans. This was really interesting

[@codecoderr7495]

Coto: now this is what i'm talking about. Regards from Chile, from a fellow developer.

[@austinkoeppen6122]

The red one probably just needs some new caps.

[@Chaggy1978]

Definitely worth replacing them to find out.

[@Bleats_Sinodai]

The issue with the Gameboy Walkman could also be a worn out pot. The carbon track can crack/flake with time, so replacing the trimpot could fix the issue. I had a similar issue on my Tokuma, and I simply removed and reinstalled it from the other side of the PCB (I had space to spare in the enclosure), which let me use the untouched side of the carbon track to adjust the speed since the trimpot is actually wired from only 2 legs.

[@THEDOGE1000-hx4qj]

Huh Walkman? I did not think he would repair these

[@unitedunitedunited_]

He repaired a lot in the past

[@HaralHeisto]

When you're doing cassette repair videos, it'd help to have some royalty free music to demonstrate the players with. If you look at how TechMoan does it, he's recorded tapes, minidiscs etc with music from the KZbin audio library. I know it's not as much fun as being able to play some random Enka tape you found in a Hard-off, but it lets us get a better before/after impression.

[@Omega_Mark]

Sony WM-102 was released in 1987. This was a quite fancy and expensive model back then.

[@Omega_Mark]

I gotta say this Walkman you have is in an exceptional condition. Definitely a keeper.

[@robbiemer8178]

I suspect that the biggest problem with the Cassette Boy is that it was always a POS. Even when it was new. So you may have got it as good as it ever was. Possibly, replacing capacitors might help but even that will not get it to sound anywhere near as good as the SONY. Thank you for the excellent video!

[@sinixsinix1843]

It's good to see a lot of variety on the channel. good job!

[@richardcooper]

Back in the day I had a Sony Walkman which also picked up TV Stations on the Radio, I can still remember listening to the original Top Gun Sound Track, Danger Zone, departing Hong Kong runway via 747 :) probably in 1997-8

[@ice_aspect5847]

I would say that your guess with the motor with aged lubricants is mostly correct. I'd like to add that all other moving parts would fall under the same boat. If you used some lithium grease in a spray can, it should help soften and free the parts and let them move more freely.

[@trevorflaps]

That Walkman is absolutely *chef's kiss*

[@merman1974]

The way that belt looped around in the Walkman seemed overly complex and more prone to problems. But the battery clip-on/slide-on is a neat idea.

[@SavingPrivateBob]

As an audiophile, listening to music strictly at 24-bit on bluetooth earbuds capable of producing that level of quality, this video was hilarious for me. Even though I've zero experience soldering Walkmans, I knew right away what to expect lol

[@HyperGamma]

Love these sorts of videos, keep em coming!

[@Agri458]

Wow thanks elliot! I love these videos please do more

[@natehans1832]

It's been a while, but I love your Walkman repair videos!

[@jasonhaygarth3889]

I think its time you buy a soldering third hand to hold all those difficult little things, but brilliant idea none the less

[@SonicManEXE]

I love the intro! It’s short and sweet

[@fluffycritter]

Cassette boy, or instant vaporwave machine?

[@abombfletcher]

Elliot: "this sound awesome!" Us: ............ cool story bro..... loved to have heard it... barf

[@GzMp3]

Love your content Elliot

[@tenchuu007]

Been a while since you did cassettes, eh? A bit rusty, but I'm happy to see it back. You got me started on cassette repair!

[@MathiasVen]

Put the Belt of the Cassette Boy in boiling hot water and let it tjere for few Mins. It will straighten out again. I use that Method on old Consoles. Works good

[@James_D.]

Nice!

[@chrismifsud7154]

Use tweezers for the volume knob. Super easy and effective.

[@MatteMoon48838]

I do say, I missed these videos on Walkmans

[@HitnRunTony]

Gotta love that cassette quality audio

[@tenchuu007]

The problem with the GB one is that you didn't put in a game cartridge. I'd go with a Nintendo first party game for best clarity.

[@richardcruzjr]

cheap portable players aways had issues with the speed being wrong. They were not made for high quality playback. You should try using the proper grease on any plastic gears and oil the metal capstan and see if the motor has a port for lubrication. Leaving the player on is a good idea as you've done. I've repaired 4 walkman and 3 home cassette decks in the last 2 years. Sometimes it's necessary to play them with fresh lubrication to allow for it to work into all friction spots.

[@TheSkaldenmettrunk]

The cassette boy doesn't look bad but a bit off.. the walkman looks beautiful.

[@cs8712]

those cassette boi proportions 😂

[@lostworldofjj]

i really wanna get a original walkman again but DAMN they cost often as much as a ps5 or even two ps5! crazy how people always think just cause its old or retro its all of a sudden a diamond thats worth a shit ton of money especially since most of em probably aint even working

[@robsquared2]

That first play sounds like it's haunted by the soul of Elmo.

[@iJamieM]

I bought a second hand cassette player and the audio sounded horrible on it, turns out if it just hasn’t been played in a really long time the motor genuinely does just need a few minutes of play through to get back to speed from being turned off for so long! It’s a common thing apparently ◡̈

[@Felix24148]

I've got an old Walkman that also had a radio and alarm clock in it. It was my go-to for years before getting an MP3. I haven't used the Walkman in years. Not sure what to do with it anymore

[@rollingtroll]

Anything cassette repair 101; Get the belt with which it runs smoothest, let run for 4 hours, THEN adjust :D.

[@rhen1215]

It’s flutter for 3 possible reasons. 1 you need a better belt. That is just a fact the jumble belts are always terrible. 2 you need to oil the motor. It uses a super cheapy motor and you need to drop a bit of oil on the top of it and let it seep in. Run the Walkman for a minute with no belt then clean the motor spindle up. 3 mayyyybe caps im not quite sure.

[@richardbriansmith8562]

Awesome Video Elliot Coll

[@SirenaWF1]

It's probably components as licenced ones didn't use the same quality of parts to cut on final cost. I'd also oil the motor with machine oil as the parts in that nintendo one are probably not nearly as precise. It is astounding at the quality difference between the Sony which probably cost at least 6 times more than the cheap Nintendo one. I think when that Sony one was new, it was probably 150.

[@havarhen]

Awesome :-) I think you might've forgotten fastening the cable you replaced in the red one. I guess it might get snagged on the motor.

[@sirwalkboy]

that red one is literally the reason my name is the way it is

[@GreatSageSunWukong]

You can just replace an old rechargeable lithium too, if the box is the same I assume they just contain one of those blue sleeved ones like all the old tools and things used

[@Tim_3100]

Crazy cool

[@Synthematix]

Well done, youve got me laughing my ass off here.

[@Z3R0FiR3]

red casette player made that song sound vaporwave.

[@stefssj1291]

My dude that cassette was surely haunted

[@Pacificbell]

That cassette boy I need one

[@game_master_rukia]

you definitely want to change out the capacitors but it looks cool for what it is

[@hanssalazar8373]

We need a second part for the Gameboy Cassette with some cleaning and polishing. Pleeeeeeeeeeease.

[@kennybacchus1488]

Fixing. Some. Old. Japanese. Walkmans

[@Dee_Just_Dee]

I can't help but think that the Nintendo licensed walkman might have been a piece of junk from the day it left the factory. There's a stark difference in quality between Nintendo's gaming products and the miscellaneous merch they allow their name to be put on. I've had some Nintendo T-shirts that were paper-thin, and I vaguely remember getting an N64-braned film camera in the 1990s that wasn't even as good as a disposable camera.

[@nickjc1999]

8:50 homie listening to chewbacca

[@NameName-dx8lb]

I bought a WM-DD2 a few months ago for 50€ (with the travel case). You can gues what problem it has.

[@Neolite87]

What soldering iron / tip are you using 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🥳

[@teknikal6969]

Ive a really nice old Walkman from a long time ago isn't much bigger than the cassette itself.Remember it used a chargeable rectangular cell which I presume is long dead but also has a single AA battery attachment. Im wondering now if its worth anything I presume it still works but its been years.

[@AndrewStottisTheIndiWerWlf]

I would guess the belt drive motor on the cassette boy is dying. Although I would be curious if you could power it with an external power supply if anything would be different.

[@qistinasofian]

I love this kind of video! I love cassette! What is the model of the walkman btw?

[@namesurname4666]

you should try waiting and see if it speeds up overtime,that's what happened with mine but after you don't use it for a while it will be slow again

[@Kumimono]

I suppose the capstan on the Game Boy, I mean Cassette Boy, could be dirty. But I'd assume thorough cleaning is part of your routine with these. They can be a bit finicky, with regards to the belt length. Even the shortest one seemed to be a bit too loose, to my untrained eye. And, that is one lovely looking Walkman.

[@EmeraldHill-vo1cs]

I'm in need of a new walkman belt out here in oz, was the techdeck belt up to par?

[@ComposerKuandohan]

That turquoise and black Walkman is beautiful, what a find! How much was it in Japan?

[@Charsept]

It seems I've picked a rough time to get into these. I just checked the eBay prices for the wm102 and sheesh. I was hoping this could be my cheap hobby. 😅

[@bonas0663]

8:10 DankPods reference

[@ThePlanet_L.I.]

Look into the brand " We Are Rew!nd " ( exclamation point is an upside down letter i ) they have reinvented the cassette player walkman

[@johneygd]

If only sony would sign a deal to make the cassette boy,that would,ve completed my life🤣

[@ilovebeansprouts2600]

do you have any specific instruction for how to put the volume wheel back on?

[@H2Oredfirefox]

You can certainly see the difference in quality between them🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@hweh1]

I have a CD Walkman that is white and plays the radio with headphones!