Yamaha KX 1200 Issue

Jeff,

Probably not belts then, although the last two belt sets that I received were not correct. One had a counter belt that was about two inches too long and the other had a capstan belt that was half as wide as the original. The seller may not have even replaced the idler since if you do it what is probably the correct way you have to remove the transport and the reel motor and reels which have some real tiny washers that you don't want to lose. I thought that I had a bad reel motor on one of mine but it turned out to be a bad capstan motor. One thing that you can do is is remove the cover and then the cassette door and blind plate behind the cassette cover. There are two screws on the blind plate and after you remove them you can wiggle the plate out and out of the way being careful not to damage the heads. To the left of where the right screw was and below the RS on the face plate is a micro switch. If you turn the 1200 on and depress this switch you can push the buttons and observe what is happening or not happening with the idler and reels.. In the case of the one I have in front of me the Idler does not make good contact so I put one on off of a K-1020 "organ donor" which has the same transport. Didn't work so now I am waiting for a replacement from Germany after waiting two months for one from Belarus which never arrived. If that doesn't work then I will take it in. Another thing you can do with the cover off is observe the capstan motor since it will be running when the power is on. Although the reel motor was replaced you can test that too by applying power to it. I cut up a cheap Harbor Freight multi-meter and connected the probes to the 9 volt battery wires and then you can touch the leads to the reel motor. I called my guy and talked to him and he said it could be several things beyond belts, one being the idler. Also if the light behind the cassette is out. Could be the sensor which could just be dirty if I understood what he was saying. Other than the idler I am not sure there is anything I would want to try. If you disassemble it to that point and can't find anything not working as it is supposed to then PM me and I will give you my guys contact info and he will talk you through what
you can do to try and figure it out. You will probably have to take it in but who knows? He is probably an hour and a half south of you. I have a Nakamichi RX-505 that I got real cheap that would not auto-reverse or play. I opened it up and knew that I didn't want to even try to fix it, so I called one of the Nak "wizards" and he said he doesn't do repairs because six months later they break down again, so all he does is overhauls. About $500 dollars and a five month waiting list. I put my name on the list and after four months decided to call my guy. He said he had done a few so I took it in. Took over a month but he tested and calibrated everything while I was picking it up. Total cost $55. Still haven't heard from the Nak guy and its been almost 8 months.


Rob
 
Hi Rob,

Thank you for your instructions. Not sure I want to tackle that with this deck, so I am waiting on the tech I've used before. He's good, but he mostly worked on Sonys before.

However, its interesting that you mention the RX-505. I have one, too, that has multiple problems. I've had other Nak decks and my impression is that they may be good, but require a lot of maintenance. So, I won't be buying any more Naks .

I don't mind driving 1.5 hours, if it gets my deck fixed. It is a very nice deck, as you know, so I want it done right.

Anyhoo, glad you reached out to me. There are a few great guys here in this group who are (relatively) local, and one guy close to you who knows his stuff about turntables (I may be coming that way to pick up a new cartridge from him).
 
I had a KX-1200 that I bought when I was in the business. It started making groaning sounds and when I looked around I saw other owners who had the same issue. It eventually stopped working. Seems it is a transport issue, something more than belts. I sold that one for parts and kept the working one I picked up with a system a few years back.
 
Hi Rob,

Thank you for your instructions. Not sure I want to tackle that with this deck, so I am waiting on the tech I've used before. He's good, but he mostly worked on Sonys before.

However, its interesting that you mention the RX-505. I have one, too, that has multiple problems. I've had other Nak decks and my impression is that they may be good, but require a lot of maintenance. So, I won't be buying any more Naks .

I don't mind driving 1.5 hours, if it gets my deck fixed. It is a very nice deck, as you know, so I want it done right.

Anyhoo, glad you reached out to me. There are a few great guys here in this group who are (relatively) local, and one guy close to you who knows his stuff about turntables (I may be coming that way to pick up a new cartridge from him).
 
Jeff,

Oops, Don't know what happened. I didn't want to quote your post, but it did it on it's own. At any rate I can understand not wanting to take it on. It can seem intimidating and there is a learning curve, but I find that the more I do it the easier it becomes. Got the RX-505 off of Offerup for $115 from a guy who had worked at Magnolia Hi-fi for 30 years. Don't know if you have been around here long enough to know about them but going back to the 50's they carried all the good stuff. Came with the remote which was an option. Apparently one of the difficult things is the auto reverse mechanism. There is a certain way that it has to be aligned. A long story, but it took over a month to get it done, and it sounds great and will most likely be my number one machine forever. Funny thing though when I was talking to my guy I mentioned that from what I had read it was supposed to be a great machine but it was no Dragon. His response was that the only thing special about the Dragon was it's name. There were a lot of reliability issues including one that required a $350 retrofit. He said that the best Nak was the CR-7. Of course when I took the 505 in he had two CR-7's on the bench. One thing he mentioned along with the expensive guy is that these machines have to be used and after asking how often I got an answer of at least every two weeks.

If you know someone down this way who knows turntables ask him if he knows anything about a Yamaha PX-3 and a Technics SL1300-MkII. I have two of each that I am sort of working on in hopes of making one good one.
I think I can do it although with the PX-3 since it is a linear tracker it has photo interrupters that can go bad. Should be able to do what it takes to get them both up and running but it is always nice to be able to find someone who can work on this vintage stuff. Most of the new stuff is just unplugging and plugging in boards. Have a Yamaha M-70 amp that I took into Desco in Olympia. Was assured that they could fix it. They are authorized Yamaha dealers. After two months of getting the run around I just went and picked it up. Found a guy in Federal Way who fixed it.

So, if your guy can't fix your 1200 then let me know and I will set you up with my guy. He is probably 76 or 77 by now so no telling how much longer he will keep going. I don't spend a lot of time on here, just when I am looking for help on something or when I post some of my Goodwill finds, so it could take weeks before I see anything.

Rob
 
I had a KX-1200 that I bought when I was in the business. It started making groaning sounds and when I looked around I saw other owners who had the same issue. It eventually stopped working. Seems it is a transport issue, something more than belts. I sold that one for parts and kept the working one I picked up with a system a few years back.

Haven't had any similar issues. Do have a Marantz 530B that I have had for like 8 years that I just put belts on it for the second time and am planning on selling that makes some kind of low volume shrieking noise when in FF and RW. Will have to figure how and where to lube to see if that solves the problem. I read a comment quite awhile back from someone who is in the repair business who thinks that the 1200 is the best deck that Yamaha made but that he doesn't work on these dual capstan decks anymore. Don't know why.

Rob
 
Jeff,

Oops, Don't know what happened. I didn't want to quote your post, but it did it on it's own. At any rate I can understand not wanting to take it on. It can seem intimidating and there is a learning curve, but I find that the more I do it the easier it becomes. Got the RX-505 off of Offerup for $115 from a guy who had worked at Magnolia Hi-fi for 30 years. Don't know if you have been around here long enough to know about them but going back to the 50's they carried all the good stuff. Came with the remote which was an option. Apparently one of the difficult things is the auto reverse mechanism. There is a certain way that it has to be aligned. A long story, but it took over a month to get it done, and it sounds great and will most likely be my number one machine forever. Funny thing though when I was talking to my guy I mentioned that from what I had read it was supposed to be a great machine but it was no Dragon. His response was that the only thing special about the Dragon was it's name. There were a lot of reliability issues including one that required a $350 retrofit. He said that the best Nak was the CR-7. Of course when I took the 505 in he had two CR-7's on the bench. One thing he mentioned along with the expensive guy is that these machines have to be used and after asking how often I got an answer of at least every two weeks.

If you know someone down this way who knows turntables ask him if he knows anything about a Yamaha PX-3 and a Technics SL1300-MkII. I have two of each that I am sort of working on in hopes of making one good one.
I think I can do it although with the PX-3 since it is a linear tracker it has photo interrupters that can go bad. Should be able to do what it takes to get them both up and running but it is always nice to be able to find someone who can work on this vintage stuff. Most of the new stuff is just unplugging and plugging in boards. Have a Yamaha M-70 amp that I took into Desco in Olympia. Was assured that they could fix it. They are authorized Yamaha dealers. After two months of getting the run around I just went and picked it up. Found a guy in Federal Way who fixed it.

So, if your guy can't fix your 1200 then let me know and I will set you up with my guy. He is probably 76 or 77 by now so no telling how much longer he will keep going. I don't spend a lot of time on here, just when I am looking for help on something or when I post some of my Goodwill finds, so it could take weeks before I see anything.

Rob
No worries. Yes, I do remember when Magnolia was the place to go, many years ago. I had a Dragon for awhile and sold it...too much trouble and not easy to find someone locally to work on it.

The guy I know does know turntables, but largely manual ones. I don't know if he works on them, just that he knows his stuff.

I'll let you know about the 1200. My guy did respond and will look at it again. I'll let you know.

If you have a personal email, and are ok with giving it to me, can you send me a private message? Thanks, Rob.
 
I had a KX-1200 that I bought when I was in the business. It started making groaning sounds and when I looked around I saw other owners who had the same issue. It eventually stopped working. Seems it is a transport issue, something more than belts. I sold that one for parts and kept the working one I picked up with a system a few years back.
Sorry to hear that, of course. I'm hoping that's not it.
 
May just be a bad idler tire. They are inexpensive and something you can replace. Buy one from ES Labs.

When in play does the right reel hub first stop, then 2 seconds later the deck goes into stop mode? That is a bad idler tire.

Remove the plate behind the cassette to see the idler wheel.
 
Hi Tapetech. The seller said he replaced the idler tire, but that doesn't mean he did or did it right. That being said, when I hit play the right reel hub doesn't move at all. The other does, but stops then in a few seconds.
 
Remove the plate and put it into play with no tape. You will need to put a piece of paper in the switch in upper right corner.

Then see if the motor pulley turns when you hit play. If not, it's a bad motor. If it does move, then a bad idler tire.
 
Hi toastrerbin
Whatever happened to your 1200? I'm going to look at one tomorrow. Were you able to get it working?
Thanks
Cc
 
Hi toastrerbin
Whatever happened to your 1200? I'm going to look at one tomorrow. Were you able to get it working?
Thanks
Cc
Thanks for asking. I found a local guy who repairs cassettes as a sideline. It is now working fine and I am quite pleased with it.

Good luck with your search.

Jeff
 
Thanks for asking. I found a local guy who repairs cassettes as a sideline. It is now working fine and I am quite pleased with it.

Good luck with your search.

Jeff
Thats good news. When I went to look at it the guy had it apart! Yikes! He said when he turned it on (1st time in 10yrs!) It wouldn't even turn the capstans. the belt was old and stretched. Believe it or not we found a local shop with the correct belt right in Eugene! Crazy. Put the new belt on and transport is perfect. Other than a few scratches it's in good shape so I bought it. The only issue I have now is some audible power hum with my amp cranked at very high levels. Not audible at normal listening levels but I know it's there so need to do a little ground investigation. I can touch(carefully) the AC main and power transformer secondary wiring and hum is gone. Ever experienced hum on your unit?
Thanks for the inspiration.20190221_094917.jpg
Chris
 
Hey Chris,

I also experience a slight hum, but also not at listening volumes so I actually put it out of my mind til you mentioned it again. If you find out what it is let me know.

It is a superb deck...

Welcome to Audiokarma. There is a lot of good info to be had here, and if you are subscriber ($25/yr), you can participate in Barter Town where good deals can be found.
 
I have 2 KX-800u, one K-720, and a ĶX-630 all working very nicely. I've got a source on a KX-1200 that has been barely used and comes with the original packaging. I will check it out on Saturday and see if its too good to be true.

I think that Yamaha decks are the most underrated decks out there. The two KX-800 I have can easily hold their own against Naks. I've also read that the KX1200 will hold its own against the Dragon .
 
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It's no Dragon, and any "tech" that says one is nothing special against a KX-1200 (or an RX-505) is clueless. Dual direct drive vs FG belt and auto azimuth correct? I love my 505's, and like the KX-1200 a lot, they are great decks, but a well sorted Dragon is killer. Make sure to replace the back tension belt under the beauty plate on the KX1200. They turn to goo, and are a mess to clean up. Without good back tension they eat tapes. Use an SCO3.2 or SCX3.2 depending on the source.
 
I have a Yamaha k1200u I have replace both pinch rollers..new...replaced all belts..set the speed..cleaned everything a hundred times..it still wants to eat tapes sometimes...can I just remove the left pinch roller..just the roller or whole roller assy..to stop the tapes from being eaten!!!!any help would be appreciated
 
Were the original rollers bad? I would hesitate to replace factory rollers if they weren't obviously bad. Just because they are old doesn't mean they are bad. Likewise, just because the replacement rollers are new doesn't necessarily mean they are good. Most rollers respond very well to a deep cleaning with naptha and a cotton swab. I would put the original rollers back on (after cleaning of course) and see if that solves the situation.
 
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