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Cassette deck sounds distorted after cleaning ?

T

TrevorBarten

Well-Known Member
I have 2 technics m205 cassette decks and I needed to clean the record switch on both of them. After doing this with some 99.9% alcohol they both suddenly sound distorted. Kinda sounds like the amplifier circuit isn't getting fully powered. The vu meters also don't do anything. Any clue what could have caused this ? I thought the alcohol maybe hadn't evaporated and that caused a short circuit so I waited around a day with the other one but it has the exact same issue. Any clues on what this could be?
 
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I'd clean and assemble it again. Probably some contact is stil dirty, some particle got stuck inside, or the switch lever is in a wrong position, not making proper contact inside the switch.
 
I was strongly reprimanded on a different forum by more than one contributor, for introducing IPA into some problematic switches. And there was merit to that advice.

My reason for using IPA was the thought that liberal quantities injected inside the switches would flush them out. After the alcohol drained or evaporated, the switches were somewhat siezed and required gentle persuasion in order to make them move again.

Consesus was that only contact cleaning fluid should be used in switches.
 
You should use Kontakt S to clean contacts. I ve had very bad results using IPA every single time.
 
Any brand of electrical contact cleaner will work. In the old days they used to call it "tuner cleaner", since it was most often used on mechanical clicker-knob TV tuners.
 
On the other side, I've never had "problems" injecting IPA in a metal switch, and I don't see how that product could damage a metal switch. But for sure there are better products to remove dirty from a metal surface. But in my experience, IPA is usually nice with all kind of switches and that's why I use it very often.
 
I can remember "Electrolube" from the early sixties for scratchy volume controls. Previous cleaners tended to melt plastic components. I've always used Servisol. For those unaware, the last thing you want to use is WD40.
 
Yes, you want to use an actual contact cleaner. AND after that a contact lubricant.

My guess would be that you simply flushed out the contact-lubricant. Making the switch both less conductive and less smoothly running.
 
I have experienced this issue-and was advised to clean again. I would find some true contact cleaner. I use Deoxit 5 all the time. It cleans and seems to have some lubricant properties too
 
I usually use contact cleaner but didn't have any on me at the time. I redid it with contact cleaner and it's working now.
 
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