Re: A Malfunctioning Nakamichi CR-2A

[Kong]

Hello…

I have an old Nakamichi deck (bought it on eBay ~12 years ago??), but recently it’s started to malfunction.

* One of the two rear outputs is not outputting. (I imagine a cleaning might be in order??)

* Also, there appears to be something wrong with the motor. Someone in a Redit forum called it “deadspotting”. The play and pause buttons are on, and I cannot open the well and remove the tape. I have tried to press other buttons, but it always reverts back to that combo.

I tried letting it sit with the cord unplugged for a few hours to see if that might release it, but that didn't work. Other than that, I got nothing and am reluctant to open this thing up, even with a YouTube tutorial. And, I contacted the Stereo Repair Guy here near Phoenix, and he estimated $100 to $150 to fix this. I could probably get a "new" one on eBay for far less than the repair costs.

I would like to know if I have any better options? I'll need to break this thing open to free the cassette if I go the eBay route, but I'd rather not destroy this classic piece of equipment. Guys, I'm open to suggestions.

Thank you!

 

[nakmandan]

Anything you find on eBay will likely need service as well, if not immediately, then soon. So you might as well just fix your CR-2. Besides, as a two header machine, the CR-2 is hard to beat, so another reason to fix it.
Your symptoms have all the signs of a dead spotted cam motor. Very common in Sankyo transport based decks. In the short term, at least to get your tape out, the easiest way you can try is with the top cover off and the machine powered up, tap on the cam motor with a screwdriver handle. The shock may be enough to jar it back to life and go to stop mode. If a few tries of the screwdriver handle tapping doesn't work, unplug the machine, pull the transport harness connector out, and directly connect a 9V battery to the cam motor terminals. That may work. If nothing happens, try reverse polarity. If THAT doesn't work, you will have to rotate the cam motor shaft a bit, then try the battery again. It should work after that. Once you have your cassette free, you will need to address the cam motor with a permanent solution, either replacing the motor or opening it up to do the solder fix. Either way, the transport needs to come out and be disassembled to access the motor.

 

[Kong]

Anything you find on eBay will likely need service as well, if not immediately, then soon. So you might as well just fix your CR-2. Besides, as a two header machine, the CR-2 is hard to beat, so another reason to fix it.
Your symptoms have all the signs of a dead spotted cam motor. Very common in Sankyo transport based decks. In the short term, at least to get your tape out, the easiest way you can try is with the top cover off and the machine powered up, tap on the cam motor with a screwdriver handle. The shock may be enough to jar it back to life and go to stop mode. If a few tries of the screwdriver handle tapping doesn't work, unplug the machine, pull the transport harness connector out, and directly connect a 9V battery to the cam motor terminals. That may work. If nothing happens, try reverse polarity. If THAT doesn't work, you will have to rotate the cam motor shaft a bit, then try the battery again. It should work after that. Once you have your cassette free, you will need to address the cam motor with a permanent solution, either replacing the motor or opening it up to do the solder fix. Either way, the transport needs to come out and be disassembled to access the motor.

Ugh... this is WAY over my head. I do not have this kind of experience.