nightcustard

I presume you saw my last post with a photo of where the spring end goes? You might well be able to nudge it into position from the outside but if I were doing the job, I'd accept my lot and strip the mechanism down - there are too many bits of irreplaceable hardware nearby just awaiting a loose jab with a pair of pliers or screwdriver!

It's not an easy view to get with the mechanism in place but I hope you can see the end of the spring in your photo should be as shown in this one.

It's not been easy to get a good view of the spring in-situ without stripping the mechanism out and it's defeated my photographic skills! However, the end of the spring that's sticking up in yours should be tucked behind the pinch wheel shaft, as shown in this photo.

That's your foul - I'll send a pic of mine this afternoon 😁

That's your foul :-). Here's what mine looks like.

You're no doubt correct - I started the job anticipating only having to change the belts and wanted to disrupt as little as I could in the process. As it turned out, it probably would have been better doing what you did. Good for future reference!

I haven't experienced what you describe. Does the door close properly without a tape in? From the way you've worded your question, I suppose it does. That would eliminate a simple mechanical misalignment. There's a little lever at the top right hand (as you look at the deck - see photo) which if gently pushed upward simulates a tape in position. With the deck powered, push the lever up and keep it there. You should hear a click from the mechanism and you can now select play, rewind etc. so you can confirm it's not in any odd 'mode'. If you're able to confirm that, then it's mark one eyeball time - looking for anything which might be fouling the door mechanism. Good luck!

The left hand pinch roller was pretty easy to remove (it's documented in the Instructable) and it certainly wasn't riveted in place - I suppose the other one will be similar. Mine were in reasonably good shape so didn't need replacing - hopefully yours will be likewise. The black goop is not nice stuff to get on your hands or anywhere else for that matter - be careful! As for the idler wheel, I think I'll have to investigate rubber reconditioning.... Good Luck with your deck!

Hi! Thanks for your comments and glad to hear another couple of these lovely machines might have a few more years of life. Since I wrote the tutorial, the idler wheel on my machine has started to play up again - it looks like a replacement is needed. Either that (which is probably a forlorn hope) or some way of rejuvenating the rubber is needed - any thoughts?

Hi Penolopy - thanks for your nice comment. I'll take some more photos and add them to the Instructable. Please let me know if you need anything else 😁

Yes, UK 😁. The speed change may be belt related so give them some use before making adjustments. More likely is speed control circuit component ageing though bearing lubrication loss may also be a factor given the motor was manufactured around 35 years ago. The latter would probably show up as wow or flutter. Good luck!

Hi - here's the photo of the back of my motor showing the hole. Hope it's of use. Regards Mike

Hi! Thanks for your nice comment - it's always pleasant to get positive feedback :-)Unfortunately I can't answer your question directly as I don't have a copy of the service manual (and - horrors of horrors!) I didn't check/adjust the speed post repair other than doing a listening test. However, I believe a free copy can be had here: http://www.hifi-manuals.com/Aiwa/ADF-770/downloads but as this requires a sign-up I haven't done it myself (and I can't confirm or not whether you get bombarded with spam as a result). Alternatively, at least one of the comments below mentions adjusting the speed, so you might like to try asking the author. That said, it's almost certain the speed adjustment is built in to the motor - tape decks of this vintage often used motors with a small speed adjustme…

Hi! Thanks for your nice comment - it's always pleasant to get positive feedback :-)Unfortunately I can't answer your question directly as I don't have a copy of the service manual (and - horrors of horrors!) I didn't check/adjust the speed post repair other than doing a listening test. However, I believe a free copy can be had here: http://www.hifi-manuals.com/Aiwa/ADF-770/downloads but as this requires a sign-up I haven't done it myself (and I can't confirm or not whether you get bombarded with spam as a result). Alternatively, at least one of the comments below mentions adjusting the speed, so you might like to try asking the author. That said, it's almost certain the speed adjustment is built in to the motor - tape decks of this vintage often used motors with a small speed adjustment pot accessible at the rear of the motor (in fact, I've just checked the photos of my repair and there is a hole at the rear of the motor opposite the connections). Please proceed with caution though, and make sure any adjustment you make is reversible!

Thanks Dave - ...and I've only just seen your comment! Glad you liked the design and I'm pleased to be able to say it's still in operation and has worked flawlessly from day one. Unfortunately, the lockdown has so far this year curtailed my car use (as has the new dog but that's another story!). Cheers :-))

Thanks Dave! I'm really pleased with it myself - one of my better efforts! Good luck with yours :-))

The Steampunked result looks really good and is food for thought....many thanks for presenting this 😁

Hi BJ and thanks for your comment - it's always pleasant to hear from a fellow enthusiast and it's very rewarding to hear one of my Instructables (which, if truth be told, can often take just as long if not longer to put together than the task it's describing!) is appreciated. Since I wrote the 770 piece we acquired ourselves a lovely* but time-consuming border terrier - I consequently have a number of unfinished or even unstarted Instructables awaiting a possible future time when the BT is able to entertain himself without getting himself into trouble ;-) Cheers, Mike* except when he's not.

Hi DimitriThanks for your kind comment - thankfully I didn't have to replace the pinch rollers but just cleaned them. I haven't researched where you could buy replacements so can't help with any first hand knowledge - sorry!Mike

Hi Steve - thanks for your comment.In comparison with modern electronics those Aiwa decks are a real rat's nest but it's good to hear there are easier ones to work on.There are a few websites where I found the belt dimensions but I've struggled to find them again - however, my Instructable has a link to where I got my belts from (a quick check today shows the belts are still available). The deck has been working fine since I fitted them. Incidentally, I found a website with the service manual and specs for the AD-F810 if you're interested - https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/aiwa/ad-... and here's a discussion about AD-F770 idler wheels - http://www.tapeheads.net/showthread.php?s=54c64ac7...Best of luck!Mike

You're welcome and thanks for the feedback. I hadn't considered the non-scratch 'feature' but I can see its merits!I guess if you were keen, you could make one with a small magnet in the base to keep the bit more securely in place but in this particular application of mine magnets are not a good thing...Cheers, Mike

I've started research into how to drive a 4" Bourdon gauge, application TBD - this looks a much more promising approach than ones I'd been considering (eg) direct drive of the spindle via a servo. Space will be the issue but your design definitely gives me food for thought. Thanks!

Oh I wish I had a 3D printer! Thanks for the link.

Thanks - I do feel a lot better about being underneath the thing since I added the restraint, although I always have to remember to duck!