Pioneer RT-909 finally, but.....

dobyman

dobyman

Turntable Addict
.Today I was lucky enough to grab a Pioneer RT-909 and unfortunately I was unable to test it before I got it. The original owner had built it into a wall and the other components were already pulled out so I gambled on it. Luckily I got I for a great price. Problem is, I have a tape on it, but it will not play or rewind or fastfwd or anything. I grabbed the manual from HifiEngine to make sure it was threaded right, and it is, so now I am stumped.
Any help will be greatly appreciated. I really wanted one of these decks and now I am just crushed.
Thanks in advance,
Steve
 
Fuses are good. One thing, it needs a belt(s). Should the motor turn when you power it up? Mine does not.
 
The belt is shot, but the capstan motor should turn when the tension arms are at around 12 o'clock, but it does not.
 
These are in the neighborhood of 40 years old. They are great performers when operating correctly, but usually require some repair and/or restoration to do so. Your primary problem is likely a broken belt. If the capstans do not turn when the tension rollers indicate that a tape is present, the problem is likely bad micro-switches in the tension roller assemblies.

Restoration thread: http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/restoring-a-pioneer-rt-909-reel-to-reel.93227/

Tension roller rebuild begins here: http://audiokarma.org/forums/index....ioneer-rt-909-reel-to-reel.93227/#post-940178

Capstan drive work (including belt replacement) begins here: http://audiokarma.org/forums/index....ioneer-rt-909-reel-to-reel.93227/#post-940210

Good luck,
Rich P
 
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UPDATE: I took it to a guy an hour away from here that is known for his RT-909 work. He replaced the capstan motor, new belt, pinch rollers, tape sensor switches, rebuilt the tensioners, heads cleaned and demagnetized, new 24v regulator, new 24v Zener diode and 4 new H-bridge transistors. And he threw in a bottom panel as mine did not have one. I pick it up next week!:banana::banana::banana: I will post pics when I get it home. Now I will sell my Teac A6300 and A3300SX!
I'm glad I let him do it. I read all of the threads, and it was way beyond my expertise. I would have ruined it.
 
After a very long hiatus from RTR I added mine about 6 months ago. Going through the unit was time consuming but very rewarding. I have been acquiring all the upgraded parts for the pre amp board. The op-amps in this unit are junk, don't want to start a war but one of the biggest bottle necks in audio quality of this RTR. I do think it's a good sounding unit but compared to other RTR's with discreet preamp it's weak. The nice parts is the 909 is a beautiful deck and is way more reliable than most others logic systems used at that time. In my book that makes the 909 a keeper especially since I do repair full time I don't need a unit that's high maintenance. Congratulations on your 909 it looks to be in mint condition. By the way, what do your heads look like, do they need to be re-lapped.
 

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  • RT-909 001.JPG
    RT-909 001.JPG
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Looks great, dobyman! It's an awesome deck, it'll put a smile on your face for a long time to come! And if you ever think about trimming it out with some walnut, it's worth it (IMNSHO ;))

- Jeff

Just a couple of pics...


 
embrown057 said:
After a very long hiatus from RTR I added mine about 6 months ago. Going through the unit was time consuming but very rewarding. I have been acquiring all the upgraded parts for the pre amp board. The op-amps in this unit are junk, don't want to start a war but one of the biggest bottle necks in audio quality of this RTR. I do think it's a good sounding unit but compared to other RTR's with discreet preamp it's weak. The nice parts is the 909 is a beautiful deck and is way more reliable than most others logic systems used at that time. In my book that makes the 909 a keeper especially since I do repair full time I don't need a unit that's high maintenance. Congratulations on your 909 it looks to be in mint condition. By the way, what do your heads look like, do they need to be re-lapped.
Click to expand...

The tech has a place that does re-lapping, but he said mine were good to go. If they were needing it, he would have sent them out.

hertzdonut said:
Looks great, dobyman! It's an awesome deck, it'll put a smile on your face for a long time to come! And if you ever think about trimming it out with some walnut, it's worth it (IMNSHO ;))

I have had this thought even before I bought it. I am thinking wood sides and top. With a metal grill so it can breathe. I am fairly good at that stuff so I am in the planning stage. Here's a base and transformer cover I made for my Maggie tube amp. But I do like yours. Very simple but it shows very well. Hmmmmm
maggie.JPG

PS does anyone have the dimensions for the feet?? Mine has none.

- Jeff

Just a couple of pics...


Click to expand...
 
Sweet, I've seen some of these with heads rusted , never cleaned and pitted. I got lucky mine look like they had less than 100 hours on them. It's nice to get lucky every now and then, you've got a real nice low hour unit also. One of my customers and AK member made a new case from Sapele, picking it up on Thanksgiving day. I like the front rails Hertzdonut has on his, very nice accent. But you know what, they all look great necked or dressed there still one of the best.
 
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dobyman said:
I have had this thought even before I bought it. I am thinking wood sides and top. With a metal grill so it can breathe. I am fairly good at that stuff so I am in the planning stage. Here's a base and transformer cover I made for my Maggie tube amp. But I do like yours. Very simple but it shows very well. Hmmmmm
index.php


PS does anyone have the dimensions for the feet?? Mine has none.
Click to expand...

Nicely done, I like it! Your 909 is in good hands. I think a wood case is an excellent idea if your unit sits out in open. Mine is slid into a makeshift stand with other gear and a case would never be seen. Hence, the trim left and right. (And they cover up the rack notches.)

Someone else may jump in with the feet dimensions, and that's fine, but I can see about grabbing those later.

I had to do the same thing with another one of my decks, a Technics RS-1700. (OK, feet and side panels...)
Technics_RS-1700-feet.jpg

Technics_RS-1700-12.jpg

When you start your build, I'd love to see some pics as you progress along the way!

- Jeff
 
hertzdonut said:
Nicely done, I like it! Your 909 is in good hands. I think a wood case is an excellent idea if your unit sits out in open. Mine is slid into a makeshift stand with other gear and a case would never be seen. Hence, the trim left and right. (And they cover up the rack notches.)

Someone else may jump in with the feet dimensions, and that's fine, but I can see about grabbing those later.

I had to do the same thing with another one of my decks, a Technics RS-1700. (OK, feet and side panels...)
View attachment 1326304

View attachment 1326305

When you start your build, I'd love to see some pics as you progress along the way!

- Jeff
Click to expand...
Oh I will definitely post pics as I go. Probably a mid winter thing. Since mine sits out, I think a case would really be nice. I really like your idea of covering up the mounting holes, so that might be a big part of my design. Maybe have your trim sleeves attached to the case. :idea: Still trying to decide on the wood type too. I'm not a huge walnut fan as most of it is pretty bland as far as grain goes. Which is why I did my amp case in oak. I like woodgrain.
Oh, and nice feet. That's what I need. Should be able to measure the bottom panel and just wing it. In the meantime, hockey pucks work great!
 
Without getting into the exotics, how about a nice quartersawn white oak, with its beautiful ray flake? I don't have any gear outfitted in this species, but here's an example we did for a client's home. (The cabinetry that is, not the floor)

qswo-toekick-dog-feeder.jpg
 
That's what I had in mind. Gorgeous grain!!! Great idea. And damn, nice workmanship too!! Maybe I should let you do it!:rflmao:
 
embrown057 said:
After a very long hiatus from RTR I added mine about 6 months ago. Going through the unit was time consuming but very rewarding. I have been acquiring all the upgraded parts for the pre amp board. The op-amps in this unit are junk, don't want to start a war but one of the biggest bottle necks in audio quality of this RTR. I do think it's a good sounding unit but compared to other RTR's with discreet preamp it's weak. The nice parts is the 909 is a beautiful deck and is way more reliable than most others logic systems used at that time. In my book that makes the 909 a keeper especially since I do repair full time I don't need a unit that's high maintenance. Congratulations on your 909 it looks to be in mint condition. By the way, what do your heads look like, do they need to be re-lapped.
Click to expand...
Would you be so kind as to elaborate on the op amps? Are they easy to swap? Inquiring minds wanna know!
 
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