Yamaha KX-930 cassette deck repairs [3/3]

[@dykodesigns]

That is a nice looking unit even without the missing button.

[@orlando1a1]

All's well that ends well. Well done Mr Cassette for a first class repair on a cassette player doomed to the scrap heap, but now given a new least of life.

[@antraciet]

Pitty for that missing button, but a nice deck you found and repaired. Good job.

[@seantweedie9268]

Great video and keep up the good work! Also I wish more tape decks had a fast rewind feature built in to them.

[@bob7872]

It's really great how not only you find these machines, but you can fix them too! Love these repair videos!

[@hi-fihaven2257]

Great three part video series. Nice looking deck. Very interesting to see the repair process. Thanks for posting this!

[@lewis72]

Yamaha made some excellent cassette decks back in the day. I have a KX 500 from 1988. It's only a 2-head deck but it has nearly all of the funky functions that this one has. I also bought the optional remote control for it, which allows you to programme the cassette to play tracks in any order. You can also search for a track at a desried number of tracks from where you are already.

[@umeshupadhyay...]

Thank you very much Dr Cassette for all the three videos on this Yamaha Deck .Your patience,honest statements ,camera work and above all your good and clear English made me to understand the things very nicely as I am from India and csn mot understand the English of British or American accent .I have been watching your videos on other deck repairs also and all of the videos are very nice .The deck manufacturers from Japan or any other countries should have at least 30 to 40 pct of the rubber belts ,pinch rollers and other essential rubber parts of the nimber of decks they manufactured .The stock if such rubber parts would not make a deep hole in yhtir bottom lines .Many of such beautiful decks if those decks era ate lying idle or made theur ways to scrape dealers or so . Thank you again, Dr Cassette .

[@lmull3]

That's a nice deck! What a find for free.

[@GeorgeEI7KO]

Tidied up nice in the end. The missing button Tripping out my OCD however lol.

[@ARIKIP]

Enjoyed the 3 videos. Great to see another good cassette deck back in action. Look forward to more videos.

[@AnalogueInTheUK]

Great work!

[@mahmoodbhattp5823]

Nice work sir ...thanx

[@numinousbookofreview]

Beautiful machine and you did a great job of bringing it back to life.

[@DrCassette]

Thank you :)

[@mausermann7918]

Nice deck, great save!

[@HammondDirk]

Thanks a lot for sharing, I got a KX-W900, which might need a belt job done soon, and has probably a similar mechanism with similar difficulties! And I was pretty impressed that the automatic tape calibration can actually compensate for the wrong tape setting.

[@johnnyg1700]

I bought a very nice condition one of these recently and the Yamaha sounds really good compared to others especially with the amorphous head fitted, great sounding deck and better than most out there.

[@cuoresportivo155]

It's awesome that the auto tape tuning can adjust the bias far enough to record a type 2 tape as a type 1. That means we can get much better results rcording chrome tapes for use in the new generation walkmans, with the proper EQ

[@oliverlotus]

Lovely deck. I have a similar looking KX-530 2 head which i love. Keep up the great videos.

[@jamesjackson2766]

I have this tape deck and it sounds awesome. I am putting in a second belt though. The one I had installed disintegrated after 4 years.

[@nasraroshan7875]

Hi, For that missed button, you can make it by cutting and grinding from a piece of grey plastic and put it there or you can draw it in a 3d software and 3d print it!. But it depends to have patience. Good luck.

[@crebegea]

This doesn't look like much but it turns out, it is a pretty competent deck in the end!

[@thevintagehifiambassador8524]

Kenwood KX-7030is a little similar. 7 hours work for 2 belts replaced. Only a 2 seconds buzz when play. Cleaned only the sensor with dirt because of the melted belt. the othersensor looked perfect. Main belt correctly installed, turning freely. Electronic eject buton works, display dimming works. fast forward, rewinding makes no tone. Only tone is a 2 seconds buzz when pushing play and no movement at all. Before belt replacement the Deck played and then stopped as the belts were ruined. Now nothing. Could it be that I resoldered the motor at the very end of the bracket as the cable was so short and that there is no contact ?? Thanks.

[@mushroomsamba82]

Nice deck, shame about the missing button. Maybe you could have one 3D printed?

[@DrCassette]

I don't have a 3D printer and I don't have the knowledge required to create a 3D model. This might change in the future, but for right now I'm fine with that one missing button.

[@jasejj]

@@DrCassette You'd probably need to get all six main buttons printed anyway to avoid a horrible clash.

[@kjererrrt2381]

this machine is beautiful.

[@eugene4817]

Auto tuning on that deck does tune both - bias and level. Using painter's masking tape to cover missing tub makes it easier to see and to remove without leaving sticky mess.

[@DrCassette]

I know the Auto Tape Tuning does more than just adjusting the Bias. But the process went so fast, I didn't get to finish what I was about to say...

[@ralphreinhardt6020]

That was a very nice repair job, well done sir.👍👍

[@DrCassette]

Thank you :)

[@mapp4751]

i do like this deck looks like a good find!

[@wilhelmmuller9235]

The automatic tape type detector did not correctly detect the tape type because of the scotch tape from the edge of the cassette shell ... 0:48 of the video .The display show Type1/Normal, but this cassette is a Type2/Chrome. That is the reason why autotuning failed.

[@DrCassette]

Please watch the whole video ;)

[@privatjanhorstmann1583]

Thank you very much for your helpful instruction - i have repaired my KX930 RS based on your detailed information :-) Just one final question, the soft opening function is to fast - how can i make it smooze - should i take some greece into the cylinder - or another aproach? Best, Jan

[@DrCassette]

There are different mechanisms for the soft eject. Some high-viscosity grease might make this mechanism work a bit better. It must be high viscosity, otherwisely it might make it worse

[@josecastano447]

What a beautiful looking tape deck!👍

[@MitchellHang]

I watched your videos on the repair process for the Yamaha KX-930 and changed the belts on my deck. Everything seemed fine at first, but the machine would stop a few seconds after I pressed play, rewind, or fast forward. I made sure I made the right connections and that the belts were in place. What do you think should be done in this case?

[@DrCassette]

It seems like your cassette deck is triggering the auto stop for some reason. In the second part of this video you could see the black and white pattern on the takeup and supply reels. There are optical sensors next to these parts. Make sure everything is clean, and that the sensors can read the pattern correctly as it turns. If any one of the sensors doesn't detect the pattern moving, it will trigger the auto stop.

[@MitchellHang]

DrCassette I cleaned the old belt residue off the left reel and it still stops once in a while. I'd also like to mention that there is some dirt on the pinch roller and capstan (noticably some brown layers on both). Do you think those need to be cleaned as well? Should there be any parts that should be installed (aligned) in a certain way?

[@MitchellHang]

Never mind, turns out that the sensors themselves still have some belt residue on them. Cleaned them up, and it works fine!

[@lesrogers7310]

This deck looks vastly superior to my old KX-580. Also the control mechanism is quieter and the tape door is straight so it is of higher build quality.

[@RBSVader]

Yamaha 930s series, i think, are last devices with decent build quality. Maybe some 950s also, but later they started to "cost optimize".

[@seantweedie9268]

Also (because I love saying also) are you going to be doing more electronic repair videos? And if so is possible if you can do a full demonstration video as well. Kind of like what you did with the Aiwa AD-f910 or the Fisher CR-wz1.

[@DrCassette]

I will of course make more repair videos. Not sure about the demonstration videos though, those I can really only do if I have some free time.

[@AudioMobil]

Gute Arbeit! Mein KX-670 sollte auch mal überholt werden, habe ich Mitte der 1990er Jahre neu gekauft für stolze 647,00 DM. Leider pfeift (vermutlich) das Lager des Capstanmotors, da dieser ständig läuft, sobald das Deck eingeschaltet ist. Ist insgesamt deinem KX930 recht ähnlich, bei mir wurde jedoch bereits die Beleuchtung des Cassettenfachs eingespart. :)

[@stevenbowie7683]

on the REC test on playback (monitor) were you using any Dolby NR. Obviously using NR will cut off a percentage of high end frequencies on playback. My memory recalls that you wanted to have NR setting on during record in order to have best results.

[@DrCassette]

Yes, the setting of the Dolby system should be the same for recording and playback. I may have made a mistake in the video.

[@HammyTechnoid]

Great repair job...!!!

[@DrCassette]

Thank you :)

[@abc-ni9uw]

Please go the tip and get a trinitron. My passion. Many thanks for the update video. Greetings from London England

[@DrCassette]

I do have several Sony Trinitrons, including some professional PVM and BVM video monitors. You don't often find Trinitrons at the dump.

[@saarike]

Excellent repair!

[@revolvingtoto007]

nice job done , greetings

[@DrCassette]

Thank you :)

[@jeffscomp]

Nice unit 🙂

[@HDXFH]

Great deck

[@tasossaverios6379]

εχω ενα teac v2030s το οποιο αλλαξα ημαντα capstran και pinch roller οταν ειναι κρυο ο χρονοδιακοπτης γραφει στην a side 31.27 και στη b side 31.15 ειναι προβλημα στο μοτερ αν και το εχω λυπανει

[@garyzod8818]

It's all Greek to me.

[@pliedtka]

Good you admit that you forgot about lubricating the motor. How about the capstans - supposedly 0-W20 full synthetic works well, since it's hard to get the very proper synthetic oil as used, let say in Revox-Studer machines. I have little favour to ask - can check if the capstan motor is Mabuchi EG-530AD-2B on this deck - seems like this motor is still available on eBay. How do you like the sound of this Yamaha comparing to others.

[@DrCassette]

As shown in part 2 the capstans spin very freely. So my rule to never touch a running system applies. The motor however seems a little noisey, that's what reminded me that I forgot to lubricate it. Why do you want to know the motor number? I have the deck all assembled now and I wouldn't like to pull it apart again - sorry. I am not one of these crazy High End Audio people with golden ears. The cassette deck sounds good and that's all that matters to me. Only if something sounded off I would consider comparing it to another deck.

[@pliedtka]

@@DrCassette You have the deck assembled - too bad, too late. That mechanism is used many machines - 1000s of them were produced and most likely use the same motor I listed, I just don't remember from my memory. So, your motor makes noise - most likely due to worn or dry bearings. I used to be partial to how things sound, the Hi-end got me latter and I absolutely don't claim to have Golden Ears, in fact on contrary constant tinnitus in one of them. But, I hate crappy sound, or maybe many products and music sound worse than decades ago.

[@DrCassette]

Do you happen to know who made the mechanism? Just out of interest. The motor noise is not critical, it's the normal noise these DC motors make except it's a little louder than what I would call normal. I have the cassette deck already sitting in the HiFi rack, it would be a mess to pull it back out. Sorry. Right now it's playing an old TDK SA-X cassette with Klaus Doldinger on it. Recorded in the 80s with Dolby C, the Play Trim control does an excellent job of restoring the treble so that the Dolby C expander works correctly. Also thanks for your detailed replies to some other peoples' comments, they are very welcome.

[@pliedtka]

@@DrCassette the mechanism could be made by Sankyo, one of the OEM firms for Japanese companies that made cassette decks, but not 100% sure, since there was at least one other company which was very popular. I have to check. Seems like this mechanism and it's derivatives, was one of the most popular for non Direct Drive machines - AKAI, Onkyo used it as well, seems also very similar to later Nakamichi. As for Aiwa possible on 800, 900 series. The best Aiwas like the one mentioned by the person from Mexico have 2 belts - one from capstan motor to trailing capstan fly wheel and one between the two capstan fly wheel s - so this mechanism might be different. JVC and Sony most likely used their own mechanism, at least on Direct Drive 3headers. Not sure what Teac used in their top machines. You know haven't opened a lot of them for very long while since not many are around anymore and no blank quality tapes are available and as I said before you have much more luck in Germany in finding working ones than people somewhere else. There are a lot proud people in Russia, Poland, Czech Republic and so, that have nice decks in working condition, and yes I use them to play tapes from 80's as you do, partly because well recorded ones sound better than MP3s from KZbin, partly because there are some very interesting stuff people recorded on them. And yes, some 25 years ago I was after this machine (930) and did listen to it, but was short on $ 😠😭.

[@DrCassette]

Yeah, Sankyo was a very popular manufacturer of cassette mechanisms. I could imagine Matsushita would have manufactured a lot of mechanisms for both Technics and Panasonic, but not sure if they also made mechanisms for other companies. Their motors were quite popular. I would expect Sony to build their own mechanisms, because everything else wouldn't be complicated enough to be part of a Sony. A few years ago I replaced the belts in a Sony TC-KE600S cassette deck, that was something else! I had to do everything twice because I somehow messed up the timing on the first attempt which caused the mechanism to jam and not do anything. I didn't make a video of that repair because I knew it wasn't going to go to plan :D

[@Wilson84KS]

Sehr schönes Stück Technik, diese Modulbauweise in so eine großen Gehäuse ist einfach super, auch das Tapedeck-Modul ist ordentlich aufgebaut... wieviel Mühe und Zeit man früher da rein investiert hat für diese Mechanik, das Deck vom Sony-Würfel ist noch eine Ecke feiner und raffinierter, aber so kenne ich das von Sony auch... einfach toll anzusehen und jetzt funktioniert es auch wieder richtig. Versuch mal den Taster aus Plastik oder Holz zu schnitzen, wenn du das Holz lackierst wird es hart, um feine Kanten hinzukriegen besser vorher ein wenig das Holz mit Lack vollsaugen lassen, bist bestimmt selbst schon einige Ideen durchgegangen, aber damit hab ich echt gute Ergebnisse hinbekommen, Plastik fuselt beim schleifen und es sauber glatt zu kriegen ist sehr schwer, bei Holz hat man das Problem nicht.

[@DrCassette]

Ach, hast du das Sony-Cassettendeck doch lieber repariert? Kann ich verstehen, schlecht war das System ja nicht... Tatsächlich war und ist das Nachbauen des fehlenden Knopfes keine Option für mich. Das ist so eine komplexe Form, das bekommt man nicht so hin, dass es ordentlich aussieht. Und ein 3D-Modell daraus zu erstellen, mit dem ein 3D-Drucker einen Nachbau erzeugen könnte, ist auch nicht ohne. Da verwende ich meine Zeit lieber auf andere Reparaturen.

[@Wilson84KS]

Ne, habs nur beim Zerlegen gesehen, den sich um 180° drehenden Kopf finde ich am coolsten. 3D-Druck ist auch garnicht fein genug, um sowas kleines damit herzustellen, man müsste den Knopf hinterher fein schleifen und lackieren, ansonsten würden die Schicht-Streifen mehr auffallen, als der fehlende Knopf. Naja, ist halt auch nur eine optische Sache, da muss man schon abwiegen, obs einem die Zeit wert ist.

[@DrCassette]

@@Wilson84KS Ach so, alles klar... Die drehenden Tonköpfe sind bei Autoreverse-Cassettendecks zum Standard geworden, waren aber tatsächlich die größte Schwachstelle dieser Geräte, denn wenn der Mechanismus ausleiert und der Kopf nicht mehr sicher von einer Position in die andere bewegt wird, oder locker wird, dann stimmt die Justage nicht mehr und der Ton wird schlecht. High-End-Cassettendecks hatten deswegen in den meisten Fällen kein Autoreverse.

[@MarceloJavierMazaLuparia]

Hello my good Doctor! Here I come again for my dose. I'd like to know your opinion on what deck (brand) to get to do proper capturing of audio cassettes. I was looking for something cheap (or that I can get for cheap...) and that I can repair (I bought several packs of belts with asorted sizes), lookin for models that have bias control and filter selection. I was thinking of Tascam, AKAI, Nakamichi (kinda over my budget) or Sony (the direct drive models), maybe Yamaha too (kindda hard to get here the hi-end models). Would you recommend any other brand or particular model? Thank you again for sharing your knowledge. I really apreciate your comments and opinions.

[@DrCassette]

Yamaha cassette decks are quite good for transferring cassettes because they have the Play Trim function. This allows you to restore the treble on older cassettes, so that the sound is better and the Dolby expander works properly.

[@MarceloJavierMazaLuparia]

@@DrCassette Finally got a nice Teac V3000 for 18usd. It has some issues (some missing knobs and seems some buttons were fixed) but it plays smoothly. However, to my ear, might be flutting a bit or maybe it's a little bit fast. Will ask a friend for a scope for measuring. Also how would you recommend to "tune it"? I was thinking of putting a blank cassette (I found 2 brand new unopen in my old cassette box) and make a recording with the deck while playing a cd or dvd with a digitally generated 1khz freq. Then play the cassette on the deck. If it's out of freq, I can adjust the capstan.

[@darthjarjar6358]

Hello! I have a question about my double cassette deck (Yamaha KX-W302). It has auto-reverse on both decks, great model. However, for some reasons, on deck A (the recording deck) , on side A it plays fine, but on side b it runs a little bit faster. Is that normal for an auto-reverse model or is it my cassette deck? I forgot to mention that on deck B (the playback deck), it runs ok on side A, but on side B it runs a little bit slower. Any suggestions?

[@DrCassette]

That is a very strange problem. All I can think of is make sure all the drive belts are okay and not loose.

[@darthjarjar6358]

@@DrCassette Now it's working fine. I got this deck about 4 months ago and i think it was not used for years because the tape counter belt was MELTED and I needed to replace it. Also, the deck was running a bit slower and I needed to adjust the speed (so definitely the belts were a bit loose). However, after I played a few tapes on it, now it is playing at the correct speed. Thank you!

[@shelxp]

Is that only a 2 motor mechanism?

[@ColdSphinX]

I'd print or CNC a new button for that deck. If you make a sketch with the measurements I could help. Falls du nicht sowieso einen Hackerspace oder so in der Nähe hast. Gruß :)

[@DrCassette]

Vielen Dank für das Angebot, das ist sehr nett. Aber jetzt, wo da drin alles mit Epoxy vollgeschmiert ist, ist es zu spät. Irgendwann will ich mich auch mal mit 3D Druck befassen. Aber das Yamaha-Deck ist für mich jetzt erstmal fertig ;)

[@danpenner79]

i would love to own that tape deck.

[@audiovintage3566]

Are you a teacher i live in México l have an aiwa xk s9000 has the opaque sound l raise the head a little and it sounds good but nobody knows how to adjust the head l hope l can help greetings from México

[@pliedtka]

So you have the beautiful Aiwa. You can download the service manual for it, that's for start. Now, the heads on them aren't the greatest - hard permalloy on recording head and amorphous on playback, I think, but still very good. (I had to get rid off my JVC 3header 'cause the heads were worn out and NLA, causing scratches on the surface of the tape). So first check the condition of the heads. Most decks have imminent roll off above 15kHz due to gap being to large and the tape traveling to slow to reach 20kHz - in 1960s when they designed compact cassette at Philips nobody ever expected it be capable of being a Hi-Fi medium, so it is sort of a miracle how Japanese companies were able to squeeze its potential to the maximum. If your tapes were recorded on different machines then the EQ on them is slightly different from one another and azimuth also could be ever so slightly, but don't play too much with it because you will cause a big mess. If you still think there's not enough highs, there are some tricks to boost the highs in playback amplifier, but you need someone who knows electronics. The Yamaha, just like 930 featured by Dr. Cassette, used the Play Trim which is basically a tone control between playback amplifier and Dolby chips. Other than that someone would need to have schematic and Spice CAD simulator like LT spice to simulate transfer function of the playback section and possibly change some capacitors and resistors, but don't expect miracles. I think your Aiwa works best with Metal tapes and better Chromes. I wouldn't expect Hi-Fi quality playback from Normal tapes it. And please remember that the specs for frequency response on cassette decks are with 3dB tolerance. Tapeheads.net is a great forum if you want to learn more about analog recording and ask some questions.

[@karimdailyjazz]

yamaha is very nice cassette deck

[@JamesE707]

I've just realized, this is a dual capstan machine!

[@mmx23i]

how do you lubricate the capstan motor? It has a special hole to lubricate it?

[@DrCassette]

No, you just apply the oil to the shaft and let it run down into the motor bearing. If you also wanted to lubricate the back bearing, you'd have to disassemble the motor (not recommended!). Do not put oil into any holes of the motor, it does not belong there and will likely cause damage!

[@mmx23i]

@@DrCassette thx, nice work on this beautifull machine.

[@allanredford6070]

really excellent video. a thoughtful, patient approach, you tech you....) worth the effort.seems design and construction was better than the absolute minimum quality they could get away with. think Yamaha had a 'trim' control rather than tuning function, on some models, to adjust bias. unit may have been made for Yamaha by an poem.like the 3-head arrangement.congratulations on a great job. where did you find belt kit?

[@DrCassette]

Thank you! The belt kit came off Ebay.

[@arfurmo8844]

Missing button? That is what 3D printers are for!

[@LittleRichard1988]

Not everyone has a 3D printer.

[@happyvibes4575]

What is the music that you used?

[@DrCassette]

This is just some license-free music generated by the ScoreFitter program.

[@chekiechekie]

The SA is a Type 2 cassette but you put tape over the write protect tabs which also covered the hole where the tape sensor recognises the tape type. Therefore it is recognised as Type 1 as shown in the display, and that is why your recording sounds too bright!

[@DrCassette]

Please watch the whole video before commenting ;)

[@chekiechekie]

@@DrCassette good suggestion! Point taken, sir!

[@svenschwingel8632]

@@DrCassette I was wondering the exact same thing, because almost every japanese tapedeck had a basic calibration towards the TDK SA/ Maxell XL II cassettes. Calibration was only ever really needed for the two-layer tapes like the SA-X and other "exotic" stuff like real Chrome BASF's.

[@martinnevey7258]

Greetings from Scotland. ...aaarrrgh a missing button ....couldn't live with that....sad eh?

[@johnbrynjones123]

Good man, patient, honest,-- Newfie?

[@DrCassette]

Thank you! I am from Northern Germany ;)

[@MMSound-zl4eo]

@@DrCassette бременхафен живет моя сестра.

[@BurhanRana]

That music !!!

[@DrCassette]

This is license-free music generated by the ScoreFitter program. Love it or hate it, it is there to stay. I have had too many problems with music copyright in the past.

[@BurhanRana]

@@DrCassette no no... I mean to say that this music is fantastic. I played it over and over....!!! Love it....

[@BurhanRana]

@@DrCassette one little advise... Do record some music on a cassette from youtube audio library and use that cassette in every video. That's really easy!

[@DrCassette]

I don't trust the license terms of the KZbin audio library. I want to be able to upload my videos to anywhere I want, and not just to KZbin.

[@vnegentsov]

You can buy one KX-330 for 20$ and take the buttons from it.

[@T-mert]

i'm gonna repair my sony tape as soon as i go to my family's home LOLLLLL but im not sure how can i buy those belts

[@user-rc4ul9ci1c]

what's the name of this song I liked it if you can put in the comments I appreciate

[@DrCassette]

This is just some license-free music I generated using the ScoreFitter program.

[@clockworx8968]

@@DrCassette Could you maybe upload this music somewhere?

[@DaXande135]

@@clockworx8968 I have already found it, but I forgot the name :/