1980's Kenwood Tape Deck - Auto-reverse fix

[@davepost7675]

I'm thankful to Tom Evans for alerting me to this great channel.

[@andrewdolinskiatcarpathian]

We do indeed owe Mr Evans a debt of gratitude 😂

[@griffog2001]

Whilst I'm always in awe of the diagnosing and repair, I'm more amazed at how you can put that jigsaw back together again!

[@stephenyoud6125]

And with no bits leftover!!

[@TimothyKing1]

I'm sure the fact that there's video of the disassembly helps tremendously. Sometimes I take pictures to reference for reassembly.

[@hadibq]

Rule of thumb. Never spend more than 24hr on such stuff unless your memory is insanely good 😅. Yeah, the video helps to remember, but nothing better than a sticky board with a sketch of their locations when back no video was back in the day 😉 this equipment is not the worst I've seen haha

[@lmamakos]

I never realized what a contraption a cassette tape drive was! All those cams, gears, motors, belts... it is just amazing that it ever worked at all! I think that I've seen high-speed vacuum column tape drives for mainframe computers that could move the tape at 200 inches per second that were less complex than what goes on in consumer electronic cassette tape transports.. I am mesmerized by this channel and all of Mark's adventures. I've never really cared that much about audio equipment like shows up all the time, but the journey though these repairs is just captivating. Mark, well done! Thanks for making these videos. And of course, thanks to Tom Evans for helping me and scores of others to discover your channel.

[@jamesbelmont3603]

I admire your tenacity and skill. Many would show their frustration. I love the way you just smile and joke. What a personality!

[@waynegriffiths5143]

Amazing technician Mark. Tape decks are truly terrifyingly complicated mechanisms.

[@geoffparkes]

I bought one of those, new, in the late 80s and it ran beautifully for 20 years. Finally gave up the ghost and I replaced it with a NAD that you fixed (new belt) a couple of years ago (and still going strong). Loved this video and it brought back many, many memories.

[@jeffhansman2829]

If anyone has the temperament for this kind of work, Mark does! He's a model for us all.

[@joshlegg8896]

I have a tape deck from 1982 and it's still working perfectly today

[@Guineh76]

You are truly amazing at what you do. I don’t think I’d have the wherewithal to do these kinds of repairs. I was one of those kids that took everything apart. I opened up a portable tape player, took one look of the mechanism and closed it back up. 😆 one of the few times I was wise as a child.

[@russtill403]

we need more marks in this world,what a fantastic personality he has.thanks for your vids mark ive watched them all.

[@ulrichfrank4270]

Always amazing to see the amount of engineering going into tape-devices of all kinds.

[@soosaisteven3984]

This is a ultimate super messy design. Probably the design of this deck had promised to himself to come up most cranky design. Nightmare for repairman. But Mark had anyway has successfully done it. Great job Mark.

[@boltingskyline5234]

Nice work, Mark! And with Puss coming in for the final inspection😸, I would say that's a job well done!👍

[@Plons0Nard]

Inspired by your good nature, tomorrow I will put new belts on a Sony TCK711S. I will do my best to be as cheery as you and not swear. Love your video's. Cheers from the Netherlands 👍🇳🇱

[@arashnikoubashman6946]

And, did you succeed?

[@Plons0Nard]

@arashnikoubashman6946 Yes, I did. It is fine once again. Cheers

[@tcpnetworks]

In your intro - A big-trax and a Beeb. That's my childhood, right there...

[@cmonkey63]

I've got a little jar that I use to store the leftover screws after a repair job. The difference between a good job and great job is if the jar is empty when I'm done.

[@kevinjekyll1521]

I think tape decks would be one of the hardest audio components to fix, a bizzare mix of electronics and mechanical, only a brave person would even begin to take one on, especially the high end ones, but your approach has given me some new ideas on my failed ones... I just wish had all your tools to go into battle. Great stuff as always.

[@DaXande135]

I think CD players will get even more tricky, when thinking about DACs and all the other decades old digital components that will eventually fail at some point...

[@DerekHundik]

VCR , DAT are difficult too

[@jans2166]

Mark its all so inspiring ( I’m Dutch sorry for the Language failures) I’m a Building technician and have no knowlegde of the complexe scemes . Never the less I Look Hours and Hours Tour Videos . I learned from it Never give up. But the skills you have! Looks like a sort of churgery! You always are so optimistic. I hope to See a lot of your video’s!

[@keithneal5369]

I'm amazed that only 1 piece plastic is broken considering the age of the deck. Your patience is amazing also. Tape decks are a nightmare to work on . I have a technics deck that is u.s . Because of 1 broken plastic cog. Such a shame to chuck it out because of a part that costs pence to make.

[@markmiwurdz202]

@keith neal. You may have already thought of this. Would it be possible to have the broken plastic cog/gear 3D printed? Obviously it depends if you have the gear parts complete. Stay safe and well.

[@keithneal5369]

@@markmiwurdz202 that might work, depending on the cost.

[@WayniKlaru14344]

Thanks Mate ! Great job. A little of patience and knowledge to do it. Another piece of electronic was saved that can to be thrown in the landfill if no one dare to fix. Another vintage audio equipment that can be enjoyed in the years to come.

[@mariomay4821]

Wow Mike,a guy of SA watching you,I must tel you I like you,the way you work and if there's any Technician out there also watching you and say they not learning any more from you then I don't know,you good and I like your mentality

[@RollingLiving]

Between the positive joviality and the technical skills, I'm surprised you don't have a MUCH larger subscriber base already. Love your channel, Mark.

[@Aaron-iz3hk]

I have a Sony WA7ES that has a similar problem with the head not rotating properly when switching directions. Plays great once you manually move the head to its intended position! I was just using it and not changing the direction until I felt more confident to take it on. Thank you for this video! I now have more courage to tackle it more thoroughly.

[@sebastiansekinger5070]

Lovely Cat! Another great repair job too!

[@1975Loeven]

Great video, always cheers me up to watch your work. I have a couple of decks myself that needs belts and attention. Gotta love that wall of instruments as well. Oh, and nice cat btw.

[@Edmilho]

I'm enjoying the video here of Mend It Mark, fixing the tape deck since our friend Jonas from the Dr. Cassette channel is away for a while. Hugs from Brazil!

[@fulwell1]

What a fantastic repair - even included a CAT-scan! 😁

[@canadianexplorer3916]

You always know a man from the UK is getting aggravated when he says "bloody hell" 🤣🤣🤣

[@davidlondon3111]

I thought Eric O was the only one with a cat scan in the workshop …. You are in a select group Mark :)

[@Chellz801]

Seems like your cat came to congratulate you on your successful repair job. You can’t beat that 😊

[@ToddSauve]

I am so glad the days of cassette decks and 8 track decks are gone! Those auto reverse decks never worked properly. The playback head never aligned properly with the tape and you only got high fidelity in usually the forward direction. What a pain! Nakamichi were the only ones to solve that problem and those decks were _so_ expensive it made you question why you loved your stereo and music so much! 🤔🤨🙄

[@IfanJones1968]

Yay!!!! Thank you so much, I had two decks with what I thought was terminal deck failures, turns out was just like this, gummed up rotating heads!!

[@patrickjmorgan]

Love the mechanical fix. Just done same to a model car- I used a sewing-pin.

[@desnick2316]

The part where he start taking cams and gears out gave me anxiety. Especially with old brittle plastic, springs, washers all over the place. I hope people appreciate the skill needed to not just find a problem, but to fix it and put everything back together without stuff snapping or breaking.

[@paullane5297]

Need a can of activator for your super glue,then it goes off instantly,you got the patience of a saint,top work

[@glumpy6079]

I'm addicted to these videos! Thank you 😉

[@davidvivian596]

Blimey Mark, that's got to be one of the most complicated set-ups I've seen on your channel. No wonder the wife's Kenwood mixer didn't work properly either. 🤣🤣

[@douglasodonnell6732]

Your videos are great. Thanks for sharing what you do so well.

[@Edisson.]

Hi, I've never had Kenwood machines, but Belinda made me very happy 😁 Otherwise good work 👍 Nice day 🙂 Tom

[@Vendys1960]

You have nice videos and it's clear that you can do it.🤔,,Greetings from the Czech Republic,, You are very clever.

[@elsaarmstrong-zp6ng]

Manufacturers said don’t allow any hydrocarbon oils near it! Nylon/plastics silocon oil/grease only! Iso pro only for rubber tires, capstone, heads etc. Mark has remarkable patience! Excuse the pun !😅😅

[@fluke196c]

As a kid I stepped on one of those shafts with a large belt wheel, went straight through my foot. Hurts to even find the right words to describe it. I remember pulling it out, and the resistance of my shoe was more than my body provided. OOF!

[@Jack-Fleming]

Tip. Use CA glue combined with baking soda, strong like iron. Keep up the great work.

[@gizfpv]

My god, Kenwood engineers in the 80's had no concept of minimalist design or simplification did they?! The guts of that thing is a overcomplicated mess. If I didn't know any better I would have thought it had been built by a drunk in his shed using a schematic drawn by a 5 year old

[@brianhoskins1979]

I thought there wasn't a hope in hell's chance of that glued on pip holding up. Good repair - I hope it was successful for the long term!

[@markdjdeenix6846]

I just discovered your channel Your content is amazing

[@tech-trials-and-tribulations]

Great Vid! Also the Belinda Carlisle tape was from the late 80s I think. :-D Anyway keep up the good work and top notch content.

[@grantm902]

I sorta knew that motor wire was gonna break. From many a traumatising experience as a younger builder!

[@paulb4uk]

My dad got a kenwood twin deck for £5 i did the belts on it a right pain as it was not easy as this one to get the belts out as the one deck the circuit board made it hard to come out as it was in the way and was not easy to get the front panel to remove ,i try to avoid twin decks now as decent belts can cost nearly as much as some are worth .i still have my aiwa twin deck i bought new in the 90s no doubt will need belts doing it never had much use as i mainly used it to copy cd,s to tape for car use .The decks i use now are an aiwa 3 hed and a pioneer ct 656 3 head and a basic 1985 sony tc fx 220 .Great idea with the bit of wire to add strength .Might be an idea to record some music from the youtube audio library just in case you get a copyright strike youtube can be a bit funny at times with using audio .

[@misterbonzoid5623]

I laugh every time I see you getting shocked in the intro. Sorry. Love your videos; you truly are the Bob Ross of electronic repairers.

[@elsaarmstrong-zp6ng]

He is a real repair man! Many companies would just say it’s uneconomical to repair! Bin it! So much for the EU recycle policy! Fraser

[@22763344]

Señores, tengo una grabadora Sankyo de 1976, que en la parte de mecanismo tiene mejores materiales y piezas de metal que este aparato Kenwood, que a la legua es más caro que cualquier otra cosa. Pero, así es la vida. Le felicito señor.

[@kendom33]

Goodness what a complex mechanism Well. done

[@nealsturges5879]

AMAZING VIDEO '' A REAL WIZZARD YOU ARE '' WITH A HUGE SET OF SKILLS

[@andylamont8111]

These mechanisms rely on the capstan motor running at the proper speed. When a function is selected from the buttons on the deck, the microprocessor pulses the solenoids for specific periods of time. That allows the cams in the mechanism to rotate specific distances, engaging different functions in the mechanism. The whole works can be thrown out of whack if the capstan motor is not running on speed.

[@mr.nobody5422]

Outstanding job. Excellent work

[@deelkar]

If I were the owner I would not mind you wrenching on the parts, because I would be confident that you will make it right in the end.

[@jameslaidler2152]

I wanna pat the kitty! Also, not my favourite Kenwood tape deck. Clever repair though.

[@chrisbartram3034]

Lovely cat and nice job!

[@705johnnyboy]

the tape counter lol,noticed it not working earlier on ,ive fixed a number of decks it doesn't ever feel better when you've put it all together and missed something ahhhhhh....

[@richardputtbach1183]

AMAZING! You are a total professional

[@2010gtoner]

Class stuff Mark

[@kthwkr]

I had almost the same deck. The problem I had in 2010 was the capstan rubber wheel had gotten hard and the tape slipped.

[@glenpitts6813]

You are such a patient man.

[@Digital-Vortex]

Only recently found your channel, love the way you just machine a part or rewind a coil when needed, but just wondering with this one, when you fixed the little plastic piece, I was expecting you to grease the cam wheel with a bit of lithium grease maybe.

[@quanchyplimp]

Wow!, your patience and dexterity are something else Mark, my head and eyes were hurting looking at the rats nest of wires/pulleys/wheels/brackets/springs/etc. I assume you fixed this for a customer, if so, what did you charge if you don't mind me asking?

[@radio-ged4626]

We always used the joke about Kenwood blenders when we did their tape decks in the workshop. Not sure they deserve that rep really.

[@joaoslavov2146]

SEU SORRISO E SEU PROFISSIONALISMO..SÃO. ÓTIMOS...SEMPRE QUERO TE ACOMPANHAR....AMIGO...

[@2112user]

Looking around for parts and your video poped up. Wonder if you might knw where to get a new had for a KENWOOD KX-W8050, all I'm finding is belts, but not in the electronic industy either, so not sure where to look other than Google, or what parts might cross-over.

[@williamsarver2491]

Amazing you never get lost

[@MyLostToys]

" I hope the owner isn't watching" LOL

[@SimonHollandfilms]

well done Mark

[@megkalapnemadom]

23:10 and 29:14 why the play button is lit even when it is not playing? only to indicate the head's direction or what?

[@jeffmcnulty6589]

Have you ever tried the Baking Soda and Superglue method of bonding plastic? It turns into a hard plastic like fix. We use it in the Copier industry.

[@davedrew9328]

Great job loved the cat.

[@nt004b9392]

Another great informative video Mark ,thanks for posting ...nagging question if I may? Did you used to work with Mr R Whale back in the early noughties ?

[@MendItMark]

I did! What a legend. He taught me to solder, and take the piss out of everything. A top mentor!

[@nt004b9392]

@@MendItMark if it's any consolation he got worse as he got older Mark 😉

[@sergeys6263]

Спасибо за интересное кино! Некоторые приëмы буду использовать в работе.

[@Blitterbug]

Moar cat pls! Oh, and brilliant repair too!

[@TexTom1981]

I have ALWAYS had better luck pulling things apart than getting them back into place. This would be a nightmare for me. 31:11 Kitty just wants to make sure there's fresh hair on the cams and gears.

[@marcusharmon8389]

The belt i was wearing 1980 dont go round anymore either lol 😂

[@Alchemetica]

Passed the final inspection by the boss cat.

[@R0n8urgundy]

25:39 might be the most passive aggressive thing ever😂

[@elsaarmstrong-zp6ng]

Reminds me of fixing dictating machines way back in 1970’s, over engineering on Philips, Grundig etc! Solenoids, relays, electrical clutches etc ! Simple Bowden cables would do the same job instead of switches/relays nightmare system! Fraser😅

[@danielmarierock3095]

you are a genius man your video are very amazing

[@leecasey3022]

More cat petting = more views. Trust the science. Also, I'd like to see more cat petting.

[@aakangadi_lampay]

Thank you from Indonesia

[@andrewscott1253]

I want to know what those hidden buttons do. Was it just cheaper to hide the buttons of a more expensive model, than to revise the electronics. Do they work?

[@uxwbill]

The hidden buttons are almost certainly a cost cutting measure and used on a higher end model. One of them had a pause symbol on it and another looked to have a recording symbol on it. There didn't appear to be any circuit board behind them.

[@tejtrambharatt5182]

Brilliant work.

[@richardputtbach1183]

the trying to test with a melted cassette tape is reality at it's best,

[@summerforever6736]

Nice work!!

[@jessejaurretche3851]

Love the cat

[@Ronnie01964]

Man, you're really a funny guy, very excellent video's i may say :-)

[@wheatonna]

Is it true that cam parts must be reinstalled in their original position in order to work again? I would not have had the temerity to disassemble that cam assembly!

[@worldbadminton9852]

bravo, grat

[@juhaerijuhaeri9216]

thanks sir I have tapedeck like this at home,iam from indonesia.. 👍👍👍🙏🙏🙏

[@radarmusen]

One motor and 2 solenoids and a hell of weird gears of plastic and a turning head. I’m surprised it cold hold the warranty at that time.

[@bugsyjonesband]

wasn't there another belt? 18:35 and 23.30

[@तपोभूमिःश्रेष्ठम]

Mark!!! I've X91 modal of Kenwood deck

[@peteschreiber9517]

Love your videos. I bet you had few screws left over. lol I always do.

[@annierenard5954]

very good video, thank you