My new JVC 4RD-1406 Quad Reel

[JRhoBurton]

A local guy posted this in KSL ads. Asking $80. My quad reel fascination kicked in, so I asked if I could come test it. Sure, he said, Saturday. Last night he texted that he had done a basic test and it would FF and REW but not play, I could have it for free.

I got it today. He said he had it "forever" but could not recall if he bought it new. I told him I could Venmo him some money if I got it working. No, he said, just take it. His wife handed me a sack of tapes as well.





Sure enough, no play. The deck is not worth a whole lot of trouble so I tried a quick good-ole-boy fix. I removed the capstan outer cover and gradually got it to spin by hand twisting. I cleaned and lubed it a bit where I could and retried. Now playing, both speeds! No headphone jack so I patched it to the stereo and got pretty clean output. It will join the collection after some real maintenance. I see a belt online. The pinch roller is in poor shape.

It's a real basic deck. One set of level controls. They affect output, must also do mic and line inputs. I don't plan to record with it.

 

[dhnash]

It looks like that pinch roller really needs to go to Terry Witt to be rebuilt. www.terrysrubberrollers.com

 

[JRhoBurton]

Thanks. I've not used him before, but have seen him posted here.

 

[Okke 70s]

Fantastic! Are some of those tapes recorded in quad? I suppose that would be the real treasure. Surely this thing deserves a new/fixed pinch-roller, elco's, belts, and some lubing. I'd feel drawn toward finding a matching quad receiver with it..

 

[JRhoBurton]

Fantastic! Are some of those tapes recorded in quad? I suppose that would be the real treasure. Surely this thing deserves a new/fixed pinch-roller, elco's, belts, and some lubing. I'd feel drawn toward finding a matching quad receiver with it..

I'm just starting to check out the tapes...

 

[JRhoBurton]

Finally nudies. I get nervous with no manual, but got this far with very little trouble.

 

[Okke 70s]

That is a nice bit of wiring in there! Without a schematic at hand I suppose you better leave'm on while working on the PCB's.

Any luck finding replacements for those round belts? At least the 'reverse' belt looks pretty sluggish..

 

[JRhoBurton]

That is a nice bit of wiring in there! Without a schematic at hand I suppose you better leave'm on while working on the PCB's.

Any luck finding replacements for those round belts? At least the 'reverse' belt looks pretty sluggish..

Once I have measurements, I will check with
https://www.thevoiceofmusic.com/
Gary has most any belt, but you need to know the size.

 

[audiojones]

Many of those decks use O rings available at most hardware stores and home centers. To get the proper O ring dimensions you want to measure the diameter when it’s laid out in a circle (as opposed to measuring it like a belt where you measure one side stretched out). The thickness can be measured with a micrometer or you can bring the belt with you and match it up. Thickness is very important for the capstan drive belt, too thick and the deck will run too fast. For the rewind belt it’s not that critical.
Neat tape deck, I had (still kinda have) the matching JVC integrated quad amp. I don’t have the amp chassis anymore but I still have the faceplate and controls in a parts bin. JVC made those decks for Allied and a few other brands too in both stereo and 4 channel (the horizontal control lever is a dead giveaway). The pinch roller may be interchangeable with the ones used in the millions of Sony single motor decks still out there.

 

[JRhoBurton]

This is getting more complicated. No service manual to be found except the 1406/U version, which apparently refers you to the not-to-be-found straight 1406 version for the part I need most: disassembly.

I want to disassemble enough to replace belts and do proper lube. A more thorough visual scan shows some sort of big idler on the back. What does it do? I pulled off most of a gunky belt. The bracket at lower left is the rear end of capstan/flywheel. The belt must also run on that. The triangular pivot plate is linked to, among other things, the tape present sensing lever. Mysteries abound. Maybe I will just measure and replace all belts, clean and lube, and see if that constitutes progress.

 

[Okke 70s]

This is getting more complicated

Doesn't it always..

Maybe I will just measure and replace all belts, clean and lube, and see if that constitutes progress.

Eh, where's your sense of adventure? It's not like you need the thing for work or something right? I'd say take your pictures, take your time and take on the challenge!

 

[audiojones]

Hmmm, that’s a weird one. Maybe it’s got some kind of automatic shutoff that disengages the pinch roller or kicks the mechanism out of gear when the tape ends? I see a metal tab sticking out on that plastic wheel, I could imagine it kicking a lever over when the end-of-tape sensor drops down in the tape path kind of like the Sony TC-366/377 machines. Wish I had one in front of me, I’d love to tear into it!

 

[JRhoBurton]

Slow progress tonight is plenty good enough. Some classic vintage gunk here.







The spring attaches here...



Maybe this mechanism is the panametric fam?

 

[Okke 70s]

Ah, the things we do for love..

I can't tell for sure just from looking at the pictures, but does pulling on the spring tilt the wheel to the side-downwards? Because that might put the metal pin on the wheel in to position to pull that black leaver below it along (when in upright position). And pull that whole leaver thing below it to disengage, like audiojones suggested.

 

[JRhoBurton]

I'm back at it, degunking. Sometimes projects take a while.

 

[JRhoBurton]

I decided this wheel needs an alcohol bath. Scrub, scrub, scrub. Got most of the gunk. It will sit overnight. Or longer.

 

[tom3]

Those melted belts sure make a mess. Does the deck actually record in 4 channel? I have a Kenwood quad deck that plays quad tapes but no record. Discrete quad can be pretty dramatic for sure. I never thought about letting parts soak in alcohol for that cleaning. Does it work?

 

[JRhoBurton]

Those melted belts sure make a mess. Does the deck actually record in 4 channel? I have a Kenwood quad deck that plays quad tapes but no record. Discrete quad can be pretty dramatic for sure. I never thought about letting parts soak in alcohol for that cleaning. Does it work?

It apparently records in quad, but I have not gotten that far. Alcohol soak worked well, see next post.

 

[JRhoBurton]

I think I have learned more about the problem. The "belt" I thought was turning to goo is actually a tire, which fits onto the big white plastic disc. I cleaned off the goo, and it's in good shape. I remounted it.



So where did the goo come from? I reassembled and the plastic idler is too close to the mating surface, which is the rearmost portion of the flywheel. It's rubbing a bit on the lower end of the rear bearing bracket.



Even worse, the tab on the idler contacts the "no tape loaded" sensing arm on every revolution and the transport stops.



There must have been a tire on the mating surface on the flywheel, here...



...which became the goo that I cleaned out.

Now what? Maybe Terry the Rubber Roller guy could make a tire if I send him the flywheel. He could measure it for the inside diameter. I don't know the outside, but a pretty thin one would probably work. I would need to guess. Or I could hack the mechanism with some cutting and filing.

No manuals or parts to be found so far.