X2000R Take Up Issue

[fasterbyelan]

Hi,

I have owned my X2000R since new and it has performed faultlessly until now……………!

After running for a few minutes it stopped running. Checking it I have noted the following -

When run is press, direction being irrelevant, after a couple of seconds the player stops. This is due to the take up motor not turning and hence the tension sensor senses the slack tape and stopping the machine. As mentioned it does this in both directions. Rewind in both directions works fine and the capstan seems to work correctly (the belt is original), the tape being fed across the heads.

I have cleaned the internals of dust and checked/lubed the bearings.

Can anyone suggest a cure?

Karl

[Skywavebe]

Hello Karl,
That would seem to point to either tension adjustments or a bad something on the control board. The motors are controlled by the opto sensors in the tension arms. If these sensors get dirty or the mechanical items get out of
of position then that will cause the motors to do strange things.
I would have to look at what you are talking about to determine the exact nature of the problem but I am sure it can be repaired. I have had a couple of those in here in the last few months. If you are asking to be able to repair it yourself, you will need a Voltmeter, some tools and a service manual. A Tentelometer might also be needed.
The references have to be confirmed at the test points before any more troubleshooting goes on. Then a few other factors can also be looked into. The Belt may be loose and depending on how long it has been on the machine- if it is original it needs to be replaced.
If you need further assistance- contact me directly.

[fasterbyelan]

Thanks for your reply.

A quick update.

I have been working through the circuit diagram and the motors are stopping due to the Low Power signal from one of the processor's going low and switching the motors off. I'm not sure why the signal is changing state - the CPU many have a fault or it is just responding to another change in state? I have checked the supply to the CPU, which is at 5 Volts, and the tension control seems to be working correctly. As I said earlier, the tape rewinds in both directions correctly and for the 3 secs prior to the motors stopping the machine plays correctly (and sounds normal).

If anyone knows what the Low Power signal actually represents I would be grateful if they could pass info on, until then I will continue to investigate!

Karl

PS I have replaced the belt, the original whilst servicable, was a little longer than the new one! Not bad for 25 years

[tapetech]

I doubt it's a CPU related problem. My first guess would be a dirty pot that controls tape tension. I've seen that a lot. With a fine tip marker, carefully mark the settings for the play take-up tension pot and the play back-tension pot. Then clean both pots by turning them back and forth many times (or with a small amount of switch cleaner). Put pots back to the marker settings. Put deck in play and turn the pots...the tension arms should smoothly go up and down. If jumpy, the pots are still dirty. Also, I'm assuming the pots are at the original factory settings. If someone has messed with them in the past, then you may end up with incorrect tape tensions. If so, have someone with a recently calibrated tape-tension tell you the heights of the arms. You can then adjust the pots to get the same heights (I'm assuming you don't have a tape-tension gauge).