New Otari owner here --- MX 5050 BQII

[deckeda]

I acquired this from a family member who didn't need it. It comes from a university's studio and hadn't been touched in probably 5 years. It's a 1982 model but appears to have had a relatively easy life. I passed on the 3340

1) I need something to keep reels on it. I have some old 7" reels I'm looking to digitize. I have a set of XLR-to-RCA adapters on the way and won't be able to lay it down with them attached. Wait---it seems to have a lean-back bar at the top. I'll try that.

2) My only other serious issue at the moment is that at the beginning of most tapes, the tape rides outward between capstan and pinch roller to the extent the tape wants to walk out of the repro head. This doesn't happen on all tapes. If I fast-forward a bit it doesn't happen. Tape handling otherwise appears OK. Yes, I have the "small" reel selection engaged.

3) A lesser issue perhaps is that the take-up guide lever doesn't have any "spring action" to it. It moves easily enough but doesn't spring clockwise on its own.

4) And I need to clean the heads and pinch roller and capstan. Got a link, or just to the pharmacy?

I've read all the Otari threads here so far. What a great resource you all are. I grew up "with lust in my heart" as a kid for such things as this back when they were readily available. Ironically I don't seem to have any use for one today, my short-term project notwithstanding.

[Skywavebe]

Hi Deckeda,
That will be a nice machine once you fix it up. The skew of tape off the Pinch roller may be due to a bent tension arm- this happens all the time in radio and other places. The Pinch Roller may need a good cleaning and if it is no longer soft then off to Terry Witt for a rebuild. Messed up tension arms can be the reason for skew even with a good pinch roller- look at the tape from the take-up side to see if the path is straight. The spring in the arms or the lack of spring action may also be due to lack of a lubrication after a long time.
I would clean the heads- tape path with Naphtha to start and then rely on an alcohol after that. The Pinch Rollers I have gotten from Otari were expensive and some a clear yellow type rubber then other were more like regular rubber similar to the type that Teac used. Terry put on the black stuff but it works great. Naphtha is obtained at a hardware store not a pharmacy.
Let me know if you need other questions answered- I think I have 6 Otari at home now.

[deckeda]

Thanks much, Skywavebe.

Is the Naphtha recommended first simply because it's been sitting a while? The roller "looks" just fine to me; it's the capstan that's ... kinda crusty with buildup. I detected no obvious wow or flutter issues at all when playing.

For what it's worth, the pinch roller seems soft to a careful "fingernail test."

Looking at the tension arm from the side---even without tape loaded---I can see it isn't lined up terribly well with the tape markings on the pinch roller. Good call!

The thing about the spring tension is that it feels like it still has the smooth "viscosity" as it should, it simply doesn't move in its own. Could the spring be broken? Guess I need to find a way to open it up. I already downloaded the 81GB user/service guide. Doesn't seem to address the BQ model but I gather the transports are pretty much the same.

Anything else I "should" do? Hate to fix things that aren't broken but if there's a drop of oil I can daub somewhere, I will.

[rodrigosalvati]

Hello Deckeda,


Do you happen to have a manual for the BQII?

Also, I believe you can switch the deck internally to make it run at a slower
3 3/4 ips. There is a H/L switch. That way your deck would run at 3 3/4 and 7 1/2 ips.


Thanks