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CT-F950 intermittent problem

Strawman said:
Hey Paul, Glad to see that you got it going, I'm still digging thru tools and If I find the gauge I will send it out to you just to be able to double check the tension. By the looks of it, maybe I should send you one of my decks for service since you're now an expert on them, and we wouldn't want you to loose your touch with 'em :D
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I'm not as glad as I used to be. The deck stopped in the middle of a tape yesterday. Hasn't done it again though. But I doubt it was just a fluke.
I'll have to wait 'til it gets more consistant again so I can do more tracking :worried:

Paul
 
kcollins4 said:
On my ct-f1250, The drop out in play mode turned out to be belts and a bad take up motor. With belts off, I realized I could grab the motor spindle and stop the motor which wouldn't turn again until I gave it a twist. It had bad spots on the armature. Once this problem started, it got progressively worse very quickly. Had to have the motor rebuilt, as no replacements are available.
As far as roller tension, if this was a suspect problem, can't you just move the springs down 1 notch to see if relieves the problem? Easy to try (on my model anyway) :)
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Who did you have rebuild the Take-Up motor and how much?

Paul
 
I contacted Bob at Vintage Electronics and he said that his source said they were the same part number. He thanked me for the heads up. I don't know what he will do with his ad.

As for Terry Witt, he said he would be willing to see if he could re-fit our pinch rollers, although he is normally set up to do R2R rollers. I just purchased a CT-F900 basket case (for parts). I am going to take off the the pinch rollers on that unit and send them to Terry for refitting (they ARE the same as the 950). If he can do it, it won't be cheap, but a source is a source. His R2R roller re-fitting is @ $35 each. We'll see how it goes...

Rich P
 
Tripqzon said:
Who did you have rebuild the Take-Up motor and how much?

Paul
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I just purchased a CT-F900 that had been damaged in shipping. I bought it for parts. It uses the same take-up motor as the CT-F950 (RXM-047). The takeup motor is not one of the parts I bought the unit for. If you really think you need a takeup motor (I doubt it), PM me.

I also just purchased 3 new idlers for my CT-F900s (RNK-561), from PartStore.com. The service manuals say they are the same parts as used in the CT-F950s. If you need an idler, it should be available from them.

P.S. http://parts.pioneerelectronics.com/ also has them in stock (go there 1st)

Rich P
 
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Hi Rich,

Thanks for all the info. The idler I currently have is from Pioneer. I purchased it less than a year ago. It does not even have a shine. Still looks brandy new.

I will be in touch with you about the takeup motor. But currently the deck is running fine again. I wish whatever the problem is that it would just die. I'd like to get this problem resolved. Intermittent problems really do suck. Luckily I'm a pretty patient guy.

Paul
 
These decks require a couple of modifications to keep the idler from wearing out. From the factory, the take-up tension is much higher than is necessary. You only need enough tension to turn the tape, plus a little extra to turn tape that have more "drag" inside the housing. I do this by feel, I can't give you a torque spec. The way to fix it is to take apart the take - up clutch and clean it with isopropyl alcohol. then cut off 1 turn from the clutch tension spring and reshape the cut end so it can't bind on the plastic. Then take a piece of 220 grit sandpaper and roughen the edge of the clutch that the idler contacts if it isn't ribbed (can't remember if it is). reassemble the clutch.
Then, tighten the tension spring on the idler by removing a few turns. These mods will prevent premature wear on the idler.
 
dr audio-- it sounds like you work on these decks quite often. is that so? i ask because my ct-f950 is on its third trip back to Bob at VE. 1rst time was for his 'restoration' service @ $140 which included return shipping. second time was for loose wire dangling into the the belts. third time is for the dreaded 'stop while playing' problem. granted he has not asked for more money, but i am building up serious, unrecoverable shipping costs. he has now had it for two weeks, and 'hasn't gotten to it yet'. if it comes back again, and fails again, i will be looking for someone with know how to help with this machine, a beautiful money pit bought from a fellow AK'er last year, having sat on injured reserve almost since i got it.

shrinkboy
 
I fixed many of them when I used to work for B&B Appliance. Haven't seen one in 16 years, the last being my friend's CTF-1000 and it's still working! 'Least he hasn't complained. I don't like to repair mechanical stuff that has to be shipped, too much can go wrong and then you have to return it to me. On a 30 year old deck alot of stuff is wearing out or about to and it's impossible to predict what will go next. I have my local customers for tape decks and turntables and if a belt falls off or even if something I didn't touch wears out, I take care of it for them and of course they don't mind bringing it over to me. But if you have to ship it, that's a big pain, as you have found. So if you're in the Cleveland area, bring it on. Otherwise I'll have to decline.
 
dr*audio said:
These decks require a couple of modifications to keep the idler from wearing out. From the factory, the take-up tension is much higher than is necessary. You only need enough tension to turn the tape, plus a little extra to turn tape that have more "drag" inside the housing. I do this by feel, I can't give you a torque spec. The way to fix it is to take apart the take - up clutch and clean it with isopropyl alcohol. then cut off 1 turn from the clutch tension spring and reshape the cut end so it can't bind on the plastic. Then take a piece of 220 grit sandpaper and roughen the edge of the clutch that the idler contacts if it isn't ribbed (can't remember if it is). reassemble the clutch.
Then, tighten the tension spring on the idler by removing a few turns. These mods will prevent premature wear on the idler.
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Dr Audio,

Thanks for the Tech Tip. Any information is useful and helpful, especially on older equipment. We like to get max life out of the gear we love.

Thanks,
Paul
 
I discovered that the takeup motor apparently has dead spots. When it acts up I can give it a nudge and it starts to run again. I'm in the process of getting another one. I'll let everyone know how I make out.

You're all very helpful.

A special thanks to Rich for hanging in there with me through the troubleshooting process and the motor. Your help has been invaluable and truly wonderful.

Paul
 
Tripqzon said:
I discovered that the takeup motor apparently has dead spots. When it acts up I can give it a nudge and it starts to run again. I'm in the process of getting another one. I'll let everyone know how I make out.

You're all very helpful.

A special thanks to Rich for hanging in there with me through the troubleshooting process and the motor. Your help has been invaluable and truly wonderful.

Paul
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My pleasure Paul. Glad to be able to help. :thmbsp:

Rich p
 
It looked good until he said he reshaped the brushes. The proper way to rebuild a motor is to replace the brushes. Never heard of anyone reshaping them. Still, you might get 5 more years out of the motor vs. buying a used motor that might go bad in one year or a month.
 
Warren,

What would you do? I thought about a parts machine, but with my luck the parts I would need would probably be bad or nearly bad from the parts machine.

Should I just get rid of it and get something newer. Nah!! Why the heck would I do that. Slap me will Ya!!

Paul
 
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CT-F950 intermittent problem update

Just want to let all interested parties know that I've definitely narrowed the problem down to the reel motor. I am sending it out today for rebuild. I will post again after motor is returned and installed. Hope to have it installed by next weekend.

Paul
 
The rebuild was worth it to me. Have had no problems with the motor now. I couldn't find replacements for the 1250 motor so that was my best alternative, and had the motor back in 3 days.
 
I had to send the motor to Utah. Long way from Maine. But I sent it 2Day UPS.
Hopefully I'll have it back around mid week next week. Supposed to be 1 day turnaround and same day USPS Priority return shipping.

I'm really anxious to get it back.

Paul
 
I had a good experiance with Thomas. He emailed me pictures of the motor all broken down and the finished product before he re-assembled it. I don't know how old he is, but he told me he's been an audio tech for almost 50 years! :)
 
kcollins4 said:
I had a good experiance with Thomas. He emailed me pictures of the motor all broken down and the finished product before he re-assembled it. I don't know how old he is, but he told me he's been an audio tech for almost 50 years! :)
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Thanks for the positive reinforcement Kevin. Thomas seems to be extrememly nice and his ebay feedback is superb so I have faith in his abilities.

I did ask him for pics if possible. Hopefully he can oblige. I'm extremely curious about the internal condition.

Thanks,
Paul
 
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