Cassette Deck Basics

[Mr. Lin]

I'm having issues with my deck at the moment, and when I asked about it in another thread the responses I got made it clear to me that I have a lot to learn. I know some of the basic parts in the cassette deck, but there are many things I honestly couldn't point out at the moment if you named them. So, are there any online resources that could help me get started with this? I'm a fast learner, but there's a lot I don't know yet in the world of tape.


Dave

[Scorpion8]

Well, make sure you bring a good arm full of beer and come on over..... we can go over decks in detail. Otherwise the pictures are hard to see from over there ....

I doubt they make a Tape Decks for Dummies book (not to insinuate that anybody is a dummy, that's just the name of the series) but it would be handy. I've found few references besides years of experience. Any other AK'ers or TH'ers near you?

[Rat44]

Ask away. Most of us have a little experience with tape decks. I started out in the mid 70's with Pioneer and Technics decks. I always preferred the sound of tape. The turntable was just the means to get the music onto tape.

[Acoustic]

Ask away. Most of us have a little experience with tape decks.

I think we all can take that advice and collectively share each others thoughts about anything from basic maintenance to upkeep... without attitude*fm* err... by being objective. Yea, that's what I meant to say.*hypnot*

[NAD613]

Here's a link that may prove helpful:

http://www.vintage-electronics.cc/cassetterepair.pdf

[Acoustic]

Here's a link that may prove helpful:

http://www.vintage-electronics.cc/cassetterepair.pdf

Other than insert DeOxit where they say WD-40... it's a good primer.

[NAD613]

Other than insert DeOxit where they say WD-40... it's a good primer.

This guy does complete restorations of cassette & RTR decks, as well as other hi-fi equipment. He completely tears the deck down, does a full cleaning, replaces all belts, lamps, etc... If I need a deck fully restored, I'm sending it to this guy.

[Acoustic]

This guy does complete restorations of cassette & RTR decks, as well as other hi-fi equipment. He completely tears the deck down, does a full cleaning, replaces all belts, lamps, etc... If I need a deck fully restored, I'm sending it to this guy.
I've heard this guy is very good and reliable. Most techs won't use WD-40 on pots because the repair won't last as long and WD-40 will gather dust and dirt because it doesn't evaporate like DeOxit does. And it's a difficult clean up on the inside of the equipment. It's just a better product to use for the job.

[NAD613]

I've heard this guy is very good and reliable. Most techs won't use WD-40 on pots because the repair won't last as long and WD-40 will gather dust and dirt because it doesn't evaporate like DeOxit does. And it's a difficult clean up on the inside of the equipment. It's just a better product to use for the job.

Oh, I don't doubt that. I'm just saying that if I need a deck restored, I'm sending it to this guy. I've run across other websites where they are very wishy-washy in describing their repairs & if they'll do a complete restoration or not. Some won't commit to doing a complete restoration, or will give you the old "we can't find the part" or "it isn't worth our time" or "we can't get that part".

Then, there are others, like this guy, who I think see it as a challenge to do top-notch work on equipment a lot of shops won't touch. Some of these guys have machine shops where they can fabricate parts if they need to. They are true craftsmen & take a lot of pride in their work, bringing back to life tape machines.

[Acoustic]

Oh, I don't doubt that. I'm just saying that if I need a deck restored, I'm sending it to this guy. I've run across other websites where they are very wishy-washy in describing their repairs & if they'll do a complete restoration or not. Some won't commit to doing a complete restoration, or will give you the old "we can't find the part" or "it isn't worth our time" or "we can't get that part".

Then, there are others, like this guy, who I think see it as a challenge to do top-notch work on equipment a lot of shops won't touch. Some of these guys have machine shops where they can fabricate parts if they need to. They are true craftsmen & take a lot of pride in their work, bringing back to life tape machines.

I agree. I've heard nothing but the same about his work.

[niklasthedolphin]

Well, make sure you bring a good arm full of beer and come on over..... we can go over decks in detail. Otherwise the pictures are hard to see from over there ....

I doubt they make a Tape Decks for Dummies book (not to insinuate that anybody is a dummy, that's just the name of the series) but it would be handy. I've found few references besides years of experience. Any other AK'ers or TH'ers near you?

If any of you guys read Norwegian, Danish or Swedish, you might understand the Tandberg released: "Innføring i Båndopptakerteknikk"
Translated: "compendium/induction into tape recorder technichs"

It can be found here: http://www.kallhovde.com/tandberg/baandopptagerteknikk.pdf

"dolph"

[Mr. Lin]

If any of you guys read Norwegian, Danish or Swedish, you might understand the Tandberg released: "Innføring i Båndopptakerteknikk"
Translated: "compendium/induction into tape recorder technichs"

It can be found here: http://www.kallhovde.com/tandberg/baandopptagerteknikk.pdf

"dolph"

German yes, Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish, no.

[Mr. Lin]

Ask away. Most of us have a little experience with tape decks. I started out in the mid 70's with Pioneer and Technics decks. I always preferred the sound of tape. The turntable was just the means to get the music onto tape.

Ok, let's get our hands dirty then. I'm also going to ask some questions I think I already know the answer to, just to verify what I believe I know. I've numbered them in case you feel like answering my questions about one topic and not another.

1. Let's start with the heads. I understand the benefit of having two heads, one for playback and one for recording. Why is it better to have three?

When I'm looking inside my Nak, how can I tell which head is which? One is silver and one is black. I believe the problems I'm having at the moment are with the recording head.

What is the purpose of demagnetizing the heads, and what happens when it's not done in a timely manner? Should everything in the cassette well be demagnetized, or just the heads?

2. Capstan: what is it? Why is it so important? And what is the advantage of the "dual capstan motors" I always see on higher-quality decks.

3. Are cassette decks either belt driven or idler drive, or is it a combination of the two? What does a tire idler do? I know my model Nak, the BX-1, is notorious for having tire idler problems, and the AK member I bought mine from replaced the idler just before sending it to me, plus he sent me a link to instructions for changing it, which he said might be necessary roughly every two years.

I'll leave it at that for the moment. If there's something any of you think I might not know that I really should be familiar with, please by all means tell me. Thank you for your continued patience.

[Rat44]

The third head is for monitoring the tape as you record.
The heads and all metal parts build up a magnetic charge over time.
It will affect the sound.
I will have to pass on the Nak stuff , I have never owned one.

[Mr. Lin]

The third head is for monitoring the tape as you record.


Then how am I able to monitor my tape while recording with a two head deck? Or does one of the heads do two jobs?

[Mr. Lin]

I just found this page describing basic cleaning and demagnetizing procedure, which I'm sure most of you already know, but I'm hoping this thread will end up being useful to Tapehead members in the future.

http://www.soundfirst.com/cleandemag.html

[Fast Forward]

[QUOTE=Mr. Lin;2946]Then how am I able to monitor my tape while recording with a two head deck? Or does one of the heads do two jobs?[/Quote On a 2 head deck you don,t have the luxury of being able to monitor ,what you hear is what you get and you have to make your level adjustments ,re-wind start your source over and record ,on my Nak 600 I could press play.record,then pause,,play my source adjust my levels ,start my source over and release pause, eliminating the need to rewind the tape might be worth a try on your old 2 head ,some people say that 3 heads are better than 2, I won,t argue the point but i,ll put my old 2 head nak against a lot of 3 heads except for a 3 head Nak

[macster]

What model Nak do you have?

The head layout for my Naks are as follows, starting on your left.


Small head is the erase head

Next small head is the record head

Finally, the large head is the playback head.



A three head tape deck is desireable so that you can compare (in real time) the source with the recording, in other words you don't have to guess what the recording will sound like you can hear it. Also, if you desire you can switch back and forth from tape to source and moniter what's going on in real time.*reelspin*

M~

[Web Police]

The purpose of the third head is to split apart the playback and recording. In a two head deck there is one multi purpose head used for playback/recording. By making these heads separate they can be optimized for their particular task.

In three head decks you can use the record head to lay down some tracks and then hear the tape playback through the play head right after recording it. this allows you to hear how the tape sounds right after recording it. Two head decks do not allow you to do this as you can only listen to the source you are recording from.

Almost any tape deck will allow you to record/pause so you can play the source and adjust the meters for the proper recording level.

The capstans are the rotating spindles that drive the tape past your decks heads. The pinch rollers keep the tape in contact with the capstans. Dual capstan motors compared to a single capstan motor is like a two wheel drive truck compared to a four wheel drive truck. You get more accurate tape travel speeds and tensions and therefore keep the tape traveling over your decks heads with less speed variations.

Here is a link top some cassette deck information.

http://cws8.crutchfield.com/S-cZXOwl6BwjN/Learn/learningcenter/home/cassette_faq.html

[Mr. Lin]

Thank you all for the help so far, I've learned a lot just from what you've all written, and Web Police, that's a good link. I'm the type of person who likes to know as much as possible about things, and IMO a good way to learn and study is to cross reference, or read what is essentially the same basic information from multiple sources explained in different ways. This was also very useful in learning about turntables and basic electronics.

One thing that hasn't been answered yet is the subject of types of motors in cassette decks (other than the dual capstan motor issue), belt, direct drive, idlers, etc. Anything anyone wants to share about that would be great.

Macster my Nak is the lowly BX-1. But [obviously] I'm new to this, and the BX-1 is the first nice cassette deck I've ever owned, thus this is the first time I've really ever been serious about recording as far as high quality tape and equipment goes. I know my Nak is considered bottom-of-the-line, but I tell you, many of the tapes I've made from CDs lately sound really good, and it has me all excited about getting a much nicer deck. When I say much nicer I mean one of the best Naks out there, but I haven't yet decided exactly which one, which will also have to do with exactly how much I'm willing to spend. That will be a topic for another thread.

[stuwee]

Something I didn't see mentioned is that the record and playbck head are in one physical part, to save some money, they still sound very good, the main purpose of having them seperate is mentioned above, it's just a feature to be used as a tool to making better recordings. The only reason that a physically seperate play and record heads will sound better is The manufacturer is making a statement deck and spending more $$ to push the envelope.

The motor/capistan part is the same thing, it's only purpose is to make the tape move across the heads at the perfect speed everytime. It's obviously more complex which makes refurbing more $$, so there are +'s and -'s to the whole thing. Depends on what you're trying to achieve. Welcome to the cassette condrum. And Mr. Lin, you thought TT/arm/carts were complicated. More from others on "As the reel spins"*reelspin*

Craig

[macster]

I'm new to this, and the BX-1 is the first nice cassette deck I've ever owned, thus this is the first time I've really ever been serious about recording as far as high quality tape and equipment goes. I know my Nak is considered bottom-of-the-line, but I tell you, many of the tapes I've made from CDs lately sound really good, and it has me all excited about getting a much nicer deck. When I say much nicer I mean one of the best Naks out there, but I haven't yet decided exactly which one, which will also have to do with exactly how much I'm willing to spend. That will be a topic for another thread.


Okay, I also have a BX150, which is a two head deck like the BX-1. From left to right you have, the erase head, then the Rec/PB head. Metal tapes are recorded withe peak values at +5 and normal/chrome tapes are recorded with peak values at +3.

M~