1992 Sony UX Pro "Unboxing" and Repair

[@ThriftyAV]

Likely a manufacturing issue and not age related. It might be fun to contact Sony regarding their FULL LIFETIME WARRANTY that is promised on the seal! I wonder how they would respond.

[@TechieZeddie]

Probably will replace them with those HFs that were made along side Maxell URs in Indonesia. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZPSenh_oNGphNU

[@davidhunt240]

Yup. I had a box of 10 UX-Pro I bought back in the mid 90s that were like this. The Sony Centre I bought the tapes from said they had a whole load like this, they were all made in France, I got a couple of boxes of older Japanese made UX-Pro and those were fine. I guess there was something wrong with the manufacturing process. Luckily, this is an easy fix :-)

[@TechieZeddie]

@@davidhunt240 oof, that sucks. I have 7 more of these France made tapes. :(. So far no rattles so still hoping for the best.

[@davidhunt240]

@@TechieZeddie Fingers X :)

[@Lucrativecris]

@@davidhunt240 Must be from the France manufacturing plant i never seen something like this

[@antoinevanlankveld5504]

I saw something about lifetime warranty on the inside of the jcard😉

[@TechieZeddie]

I saw it and even kinda pointed at it feeling kinda ironic, lol. If they were to replace it, it would probably be replaced with a 2012 Sony "HF" that's really a Pangang Maxell UR. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZPSenh_oNGphNU

[@grbluen]

Thanks Zeddie! I still have some nos tapes like those. I'll have to check them!

[@TechieZeddie]

I have so many NOS tapes that are sealed, and I don't want to open them all just to check! In fact, that's a collector's nightmare! We want to keep some sealed because that's part of the allure of the blank tape design! (Don't get me wrong, use a few, keep a few!)

[@tobymummert3035]

Wow! This is sick! I never tried to "destroy" a welded cassette that way! Never entered my brain! Now I know! Thanks!

[@TechieZeddie]

I think I could have probably opened it up without breaking the tabs if I was a bit more careful will prying by that area. But I was going to destroy it anyways, so who cares, lol. Although I found out that it was such a clean break, I could've probably glued it back together.

[@tobymummert3035]

@@TechieZeddieI was just thinking about the gluing back together. What's a good glue that is safe and that'll work??

[@TechieZeddie]

@@tobymummert3035 The one that came to mind is just careful use of crazy glue - maybe the gel kind so you have more control.

[@tobymummert3035]

@@TechieZeddie Sounds about right. I shall'll to try that someday😎😎

[@Curi0u50ne]

Give that new old stock tape a sniff, once it’s out the wrap🤗

[@TechieZeddie]

I always do, lol.

[@sting64az]

I guess I'm the first one to give you a thumbs up for an awesome review and repair...Patience is a must in keeping the tape in control...Knock on wood I have never experienced any defects on a cassette like that in my years but with more than 200 NOS cassettes never know if there is one like that..I would guess if a cassette was dropped hard and being the age of the plastic things like that would crack and break off?..Keep up the good work...

[@TechieZeddie]

Thank you for the thumbs up and kind words! Not sure what happened there. I don't see any obvious impact on the cases, so I doubt it's from a drop. With both breaking, I'm guessing it's due to age. Some plastics can get brittle with age.

[@cubdukat]

Yikes. Cassette surgery. I remember having to do that a couple times back in the day. Don't know if I could do it again these days (thank you, arthritis). Still, it might be worth it to try again.

[@TechieZeddie]

It's worth it these days when they're so expensive!

[@jasejj]

What an odd fault! Those hubs/clips aren't any different to billions of others manufactured down the years, so for them to break apart is most peculiar. I'd be carefully investigating the other end of the tape as it's highly likely there's a problem on the other hub that's being kept in one piece by the compression of the tape pack.

[@TechieZeddie]

I did FF to the other end and both were fine (thankfully!). Whether they will hold up is another question. After all, they were under all that "weight" of the tape pack whereas the other retainer wasn't.

[@davidhunt240]

@@TechieZeddie I think the reels of tape were made in a different process and the empty take up reel tape wedge was stamped in place with a misaligned tool. Back in the day, I bought a box of 10 UX-Pro and over half had this problem, when I returned them, the Sony Centre I bought them from was already facing lots of returns. I haven't seen this problem since, so maybe it affected a few batches. It could also just be another problem that buyers of NoS tapes have to watch out for. At least it's a relatively easy fix, later UX-Pros are ultrasonically welded, so need a lot more work to repair.

[@randyharrigan4790]

i always sawed the corners of the shell on those cheap sony hf with a pocket knife

[@tarstarkusz]

What needs to be fixed later? Is the hub installed upside down? Is that what you mean at 22:22

[@TechieZeddie]

Yeah, or so I thought. Turns out that I was wrong. It was done that way from the factory. I found out because when I FF to the other end, it was also like that. Oh well! OCD crisis averted!

[@Rompler_Rocco]

Yes, my understanding is that the hub should be flipped around so that the tape is attached to the left side and pulled around the top of the hub. This correction will greatly enhance the OCD tape enthusiasts' ability to fall asleep tonight ;)

[@TechieZeddie]

@@Rompler_Rocco haha, yes. :)

[@inforobob]

What about using the hub and/or retainer from a replacement shell? As in the new shells you can buy many places online? I would have tried that first.

[@jasejj]

I guess a matching part from a junker tape is cheaper and neater than throwing money at the problem. Personally I'd have cheaper out and tried to use hubs from a genuinely crap cassette rather than destroy a serviceable one, but that's 'cause I'm a tight wad lol.

[@TechieZeddie]

Thankfully the Sony HF I broke was NOT serviceable. That's the same tape I showed in another video that was squealing like crazy. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hXPNi4ygo9CeZpY

[@inforobob]

@@TechieZeddie If in a new shell, it might not have squealed. In fact that is often true. Shells are pretty cheap.

[@TechieZeddie]

@@inforobob where can you buy replacement shells? That would be cool!

[@inforobob]

@@TechieZeddie www.tracertek.com/index.php?app=cms&ns=display&ref=splash has them as well as repair kits. Others have them as well. I bought Tracer's repair kit but haven't gotten around to repairing any cassettes yet. Hopefully this weekend or over the holiday I will get a least one done.

[@drdolby1585]

The best Type ll Cassette ever made , in my opinion. (outside of France ;-) )

[@HammyTechnoid]

I'd have to say, I've never seen one labeled "Made in France" before... unique.

[@TechieZeddie]

Me neither. This is a first. Bought it from a seller in Mexico. Is this an EU version?

[@KR1275]

The guide is made of plastic. Only the early models had a ceramic guide. Weird defect btw.

[@TechieZeddie]

Good to know. It does feel heavier than the Metal XR though.

[@tarstarkusz]

For all the bragging about the shell being "high density" and whatnot, they really should have put bearings for the moving parts. The two rollers and the two reels should have bearings and bearing surfaces. I'm sure they could use a little graphite as the lubricant.

[@kennynvake4hve584]

I take a screwdriver and go into the welded tapes at the protection tab's, under them, and work you way around..

[@TechieZeddie]

I was in a hurry. :)

[@daniellefko6527]

I have got Sony HI-FI 60 mins tapes from eBay the shell and hubs are the same. Taped music on these cassettes.

[@TechieZeddie]

How did they sound?

[@daniellefko6527]

@@TechieZeddie No drop outs whatsoever and sound it very good with no Dolby N/R a few hisses good tape is SONY HI-FI 60 mins.

[@TechieZeddie]

@@daniellefko6527 Type I tapes can still sound good if made well. I personally like the TDK D for performance and audio quality, Maxell UR for a mix of performance and nostalgia, and Sony just for nostalgia (I find the other two seem to sound better on units that cannot calibrate).

[@musicstevecom]

I have the same Problem w the Sony HF-60 1990 to 1992 w white Hubs and white clips, when I rewind the tape and the clip broke so I unsealed another NOS and the white clip also broke. The HF-90 NOS are good so far (Same year but a different eBay seller) Do you still have Your Onn Walmart tapes? I used mine as a donor for the white Clips also The Onn have nice donor cassette case. Looks like another Decade problem showing up w SONY white Hub / Spindle? I did both sides the other one was good. let me know if the other one Breaks?

[@TechieZeddie]

I haven’t had a chance to do anything with cassettes lately. I returned the Onn tapes because they were too expensive to keep for just spare parts. I have a lot of used cases already that I can cannibalize if I need to.