Chosen Solution
’80s Magnavox Cassette Radio Boombox: I went to verify the cassette player worked and the tape got stuck, play button was stuck and eject wouldn’t work. I opened unit and eventually got buttons unstuck. Now have determined rewind and fast-forward work, the belt turns. In play mode I can see the belt turning but only the left spool is turning, counterclockwise. Thanks in advance for any help. I’m sorry, I’m just a total novice. The right side spool is not turning and from online research, I think it is called the take-up spool. Initially when trying to play a tape, it seemed so much unraveled tape piled up on the take-up side until it jammed and seized. I’ve looked and can’t see that there is a missing belt and haven’t tried to get inside where gears are.
The tape jam you get is because the tape is pulled through the mechanism by the capstan and the pinch roller (marked red) but since the take-up reel (marked yellow) doesn’t turn the tape spills out. The supply reel (marked blue) is not actively driven in play mode, it should be slightly braked to maintain tape tension across the heads. When driven, the take-up reel can only ever turn counterclockwise (in Play and FF mode) and the supply reel can only turn clockwise (in REW mode). In Play mode, the take-up reel is driven through a slip clutch so it can’t pull too hard on the tape. Most likely, the deck is either missing the belt that drives the slip clutch, or the servo mechanism that controls the various tape transport functions has a problem. If you enjoy tinkering, it’s a nice job to cut your teeth on ;)
Hi there, I don’t know your unit but afaik, in play mode, only one spool needs to be actively spun. The other is passively spun by the ribbon being pulled. But if you’re here, I assume it’s not working… So, is it the good one that is spinning? in the good direction? Have you tried to play a tape since you unjammed it? The left side pulley seems to be the take up pulley, it winds the pool. The other one is the supply pulley, and I don’t think it needs to spin in play mode, only in rewind mode, but I might be wrong. Can you spin it with your fingers, does it feel stuck or does it spin with a bit of resistance? Don’t force though :)
