Prosonic PQR-9962 project

Hey guys! Brand new here, even though I’ve been collecting for a couple years now. It’s not a large collection by any means (Panasonic RX-5080, RX-5150, a JVC PC-55, and now this Prosonic)

When I bought this one the left speaker didn’t work, but with some repetitive toggling of the line in/radio/tape selector I can persuade it to. Play function doesn’t work on the tape deck, but it does FF and REW. One thing I noticed was the REC. light was always on, with the button in or not, and what sounded like a motor running whenever it had AC power or batteries installed. I reached in to physically turn the capstan myself counter clockwise which made a click and the REC. light finally turned off. Now when I press play I can hear the same motor start and can stop it by, you guessed it, pressing stop. The head and pinch roller won’t raise up to engage a tape though.

In your opinions does this just sound like a belt problem? Or is it more mechanical than that? Will slowly and cautiously try to take it apart today. The only other box I’ve opened up is the RX-5150, which also has a sick deck. The play speeds fluctuate, usually starting at a normal speed and getting slower and slower while periodically screeching? Anyways, that’s a whole other post I’ll make another time. Pictures below!

Yep absolutely sounds like a belt issue

Once you remove the front panel the tape deck is really easy to get to and easy to work on.

Thanks to you both! Neither screwdrivers I found were skinny enough to fit into the recesses on the back, will pick one up tomorrow and chime in with the findings!

These are easy to work on as Floyd said and actually have really good decks to, crack that bad boy open!

Me likee!

If I remember correctly the door has to be off and the tape heads in the down position before you can open this up.

Yep don't forget to take off all the knobs and remove the cover from the cassette door. The best thing to do is invest in a really long skinny Phillips screwdriver preferably with a magnetic tip.

Will do, gonna head to home hardware today. Already have some isopropyl to clean the head and stuff inside the deck. Will be sure to stay away from the pinch roller with it, although I’ve heard that’s a matter of contention... some say it dries out and cracks the rubber, others say it’s fine to clean with isopropyl. What say YOU fine folk?

Also anyone know the belt sizes needed for this box?? I found belts for a TSR-747 on ebay. Would those fit?

Exciting update! Grabbed some bits and bobs for the beginnings of a repair kit today. Got the thing apart, cleaned the line in/radio/tape contact with 99% isopropyl so my left speaker works again without 'encouragement'. Also cleaned the crud out of the deck, at least the visible parts anyways. I tried manually lifting the assembly up to emulate engaging a tape, and it starts to play! But the capstan wouldn't turn without me physically moving it. Upon further inspection and to my surprise, all the belts are intact! The bigger flat belt just seems to have slipped off the large heavy wheel which controls the capstan! I will tackle disassembly of the whole deck tomorrow... seems kind of daunting. SO GLAD I DON'T NEED NEW BELTS. Pics below.






Also not sure all my pictures upload sideways... sorry

I'm glad you're making progress but if that belt slipped off it's probably because it was too loose and means it needs a new one.

Ah. That would make sense wouldn’t it. Thanks man, at least it’s not melted, I could take it off and bring it to a local shop to try and get a similar match hopefully.

If you go to Studio sound electronics.com they sell variety packs of belts and usually one or more belts in the pack fit almost anything.

Another thing that helps for doing cassette deck belts is Dental pick kits you can buy on eBay for as little as $6 these are stainless steel tools that are different shapes that have to get the belts on.

I took apart the tape deck today. The belt drive seat that came out of the motor was misaligned, much too far out which didn't line up with the capstan wheel. I pushed it back into the motor and now have put the belt back on. It's working great now! I also used some 3 in 1 oil on the capstan wheel. Plays wonderfully. I think I lucked out more than anything with the belts. Next up is that faulty motor on my 5150.

I love three-in-one oil .stinks like hell but it gets the job done.

I actually quite like the smell haha, am I weird?? Anyways below are some more pictures of what I had to disconnect as well as the deck itself. Thanks for all the help everyone!