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Pioneer CT-F500 Runs Slow!

B

Bobarazzi

Active Member
I picked up a Pioneer CT-F500 at the local Goodwill today for $12. The unit looked super clean and the limited test I could do on it at the Goodwill was good but you can only see if it powers up and runs with a tape in it, no sound.
When I hooked it up at home, I discovered that it runs slow. I went through it and did the DeoxIT thing. The unit was pretty spotless on the inside (and outside) so it didn't need too much cleaning.
Anyway, Does anyone know why this unit might be running slow?
 
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Possibly the belt is slipping because it is most likely stretched due to old age. I had a CT-F500 I sold recently that I used for a long time, but then it was put away for a long time and the belts turned to dust from sitting. I would find the service manual to check voltage reading at the motor to make sure it is getting the proper voltage to spin at the correct speed. Also possibly some caps could be bad in the power supply, causing the irregular voltage to the motor.
 
Thanks. I see if I can locate a service manual. This little guy has a few belts! Pretty impressive looking mechanism. I'm not too confident in my abilities to repair this thing but I might just give it a try. Thanks again!
 
When you get the service manual, look to see. There should be a trimmer pot inside of the deck to adjust the speed.
 
Bobarazzi said:
I picked up a Pioneer CT-F500 at the local Goodwill today for $12. The unit looked super clean and the limited test I could do on it at the Goodwill was good but you can only see if it powers up and runs with a tape in it, no sound.
When I hooked it up at home, I discovered that it runs slow. I went through it and did the DeoxIT thing. The unit was pretty spotless on the inside (and outside) so it didn't need too much cleaning.
Anyway, Does anyone know why this unit might be running slow?
Click to expand...

Do you live in Gerogia and were you at the Woodstock Goodwill yesterday? If so I saw that unit too...the JVC was kind of snazzy as well;)
 
kowalski said:
Do you live in Gerogia and were you at the Woodstock Goodwill yesterday? If so I saw that unit too...the JVC was kind of snazzy as well;)
Click to expand...

No, I'm in the extreme northwest on the olympic peninsula in WA. Pretty remote area and we don't see too many vintage items here. So when I see one, I usually grab it and take my chances that it is working. I've had pretty good luck so far.
 
Bobarazzi said:
No, I'm in the extreme northwest on the olympic peninsula in WA. Pretty remote area and we don't see too many vintage items here. So when I see one, I usually grab it and take my chances that it is working. I've had pretty good luck so far.
Click to expand...

Lol - yeah there's one near me for $12 to. I thought about it but I'm holding off until I can pick up a reel to reel or a turntable from that era;)
 
I was looking for info on the correct belt size for my CT-F500 to no avail. I wasn't going to spend $20 on a belt kit for a $10 deck. Besides, if I knew the correct size, I could get a belt for $1. Anyway, I tried wrapping a string around the pulley etc...and then measuring the string. I thought that fixed it, but when I FIRST tested it, I made the mistake of grabbing the first cassette I found. This cassette was a copy of Steven Wrights "I have a Pony" that I just bought at a GW. :nono: If you are familiar with this comedian you know that his delivery is very slow. Long story short, I recently played a music tape, and my deck is actually running fast.

Where is this trimmer pot that I can adjust? It seems like the belt is the correct size, but maybe not. I put on a:

Inside circumference 11.492"
thickness .035"
width .187"
 
go over to turntableneedles.com. Click on "FIND MY PLAYER" Click PIONEER in the Drop down, then CT-F500 in the next drop down. Usually the largest belt is the drive belt and the others are for the counter and other aux mechanisms. Your Belt is FBS 10.7. $8.95 + ship.

Larry
 
larryderouin said:
go over to turntableneedles.com. Click on "FIND MY PLAYER" Click PIONEER in the Drop down, then CT-F500 in the next drop down. Usually the largest belt is the drive belt and the others are for the counter and other aux mechanisms. Your Belt is FBS 10.7. $8.95 + ship.

Larry
Click to expand...

Ok, so maybe my belt is a little too big. Would that make it play fast???
 
larryderouin said:
go over to turntableneedles.com. Click on "FIND MY PLAYER" Click PIONEER in the Drop down, then CT-F500 in the next drop down. Usually the largest belt is the drive belt and the others are for the counter and other aux mechanisms. Your Belt is FBS 10.7. $8.95 + ship.

Larry
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I'll be tearing into it again tonight and I'll try adjusting the motor speed first. If it turns out to be the belts, I'll know just where to go. Thanks! :thmbsp:
 
AAA3330 said:
When you get the service manual, look to see. There should be a trimmer pot inside of the deck to adjust the speed.
Click to expand...

I did find the trim pot (motor speed adjustment). It's located on the back of the motor. I played with the speed until I could match the song I was playing. Got it to within a sec. It seems to start up slowly though. In other words, when I stop it mid-song, then start it again, it lags for a moment. Any ideas?
 
Bobarazzi said:
It seems to start up slowly though. In other words, when I stop it mid-song, then start it again, it lags for a moment. Any ideas?
Click to expand...

My first guess would be that the belt could be dirty, causing it to slip momentarily when the motor is first started up.
 
I'll clean the belts. What is a good way to do that? I'm thinking of a q-tip with maybe some windex and clean the inside of the belt while its running. do you think that will work?
 
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