BX-100 Issues

[83glt]

First post. Please be gentle... I'm sure the following is a familiar tale, so I appreciate your patience.

I found a BX-100 at a local thrift store for $20. It powered up in the
store but wouldn't play, ff, or rewind. Took it home and just started
pressing the buttons - the lights would come on but nothing would
actually work. A few minutes of this and all of a sudden the deck came
to life and started playing, ff, rew, and recording without issue.
That was two weeks ago. I've been giving it heavy use over that time
enjoying many of my tapes that have been stored away in boxes. It
would intermittently revert to not working but only momentarily and it
would always start working again after a minute or two.

Now, everything shut down again. It won't play, ff, rewind or record.
Also, the play/ff/rew/rec/pause lights don't come on and I don't hear
that "click" that I was hearing, both when it wasn't working right
initially and after it started working fine. Just the stop and 'up'
master fade, as well as the lowest level indicators lights turn on. I checked
the idle tyre and found that a mod had been done at some point
replacing the tire with gears.

I also took the top cover off and noted that when powered on, the drum
that turns the cam shaft spins for a second or two and then stops.
Beyond this, I have no idea....

I have basically no electronics skills or even equipment. Should I
even bother with this deck? I was able to make some fine recordings
while it was working, it sounded great and after having a deck again I
realize I want a functioning cassette deck. This fleeting encounter has me very excited...

Any ideas on what the problem might be? Is it a cheap fix? I thought
it might be the cam control motor, but now with the lights not coming
on when the buttons are pressed, I'm thinking it might be something
more complicated and expensive to fix. I know I can find a working
BX-100 on ebay for less than what it would cost to have this one
fixed. But then there's the risk of the replacement deck failing as
well at any time. Should I just invest in a better Nak model? I'd like
to have 2 decks as well though to record tape to tape and this would
make a fine back-up.

All of that said, if it's worth fixing, does anyone have an idea of
what could be wrong?

Thanks very much, and this a great forum.

[CanJet]

I'm not exactly sure what the problem would be. I'm one of those "have to see it to have a chance to fix it" guys. There are many more technically knowledgeable members here and I'm sure someone will post to help.

As far as the BX-100 goes, it's a fantastic 2 head deck. I literally just sold my yesterday (only because I have others higher in the Nak line). It was the first Nak I got and luckily for me it worked perfectly.

If you look through the forums here you'll see many votes for it as one of the best 2 head decks made.

You're right that it may not be worth a fix because they are quite common and are regularly available reasonably cheap. Unless someone here posts a no-brainer fix for yours, my inclination would be to seek out another one in good working and cosmetic order for about $50 and keep your first one for parts if needed. *hope*

[83glt]

Thanks for the prompt reply. I may actually have a line on another for $20 w/original box and manual, which usually means it's been well taken care of. We'll see... If the one I have now can be fixed easily/cheaply that would be great because I could then have the two decks. Hopefully someone will chime in and tell me I just have to blow on it somewhere.

[CanJet]

Just giving it some more thought. The spinning cam should be the slack take up. It'll spin then stop I believe. Sounds like a power cut out problem really, especially if the lights go out. Transport problems shouldn't affect the lights at all. The master fader buttons on Naks are always on "up" at power on.

Original box and manual usually means "cared for" (you are correct)

Attached a PDF of the user manual for you.

Cheers.

[Nakdoc]

Your problem is a common one, caused by a sticking cam motor. Follow the links on Naks.com to the Scott Johnson site diy repair post. A quick squirt with Deoxit "fixes" 80% of these motors.

[westgate]

Your problem is a common one, caused by a sticking cam motor. Follow the links on Naks.com to the Scott Johnson site diy repair post. A quick squirt with Deoxit "fixes" 80% of these motors.
what he said.
on one of my mr-1s (with ~same issue), before the deoxit, i gave the top of the cam motor a sharp smack with my forefinger (with power on) and the cam motor went back into the proper position. turned power off, then i squirted the deoxit into the slots on the back of cam motor.
that was ~5 months ago, deck is still running strong.

YMMV

[83glt]

Thanks so much guys. I'm going to give it a shot and let you know how it works out. I did pick up that other BX-100 off Craigslist. Came with original box/foam, manual and Nakamichi rca cables. Seems to be working great. That'd be great if the first one can start working with a little deoxit. Two decks for $40? This would please me.

[westgate]

That'd be great if the first one can start working with a little deoxit. Two decks for $40? This would please me.
spoken like a true Tape Head!*bigthumbsup*

[83glt]

Well now I'm really confused... pleased :) ... but confused. I pugged it in again, powered it up, and now it's working fine again. I feel like tomorrow the problem will likely be back ... and so on. Is this symptomatic of it just needing the cam motor cleaned?

Thanks again for your help. Definitely happy I found this place.

[Scorpion8]

Is this symptomatic of it just needing the cam motor cleaned?

It is. It depends where the motor comes to rest. If it's on the same dead-spot, it needs a cleaning. If it misses that dead spot, then it will start up fine the next time. When in doubt, flush and clean!