Saba RCR 426 aka Sanyo M-X620 aka Fisher PH250 logic tape troubles

[dubout]

I purchased a SABA on ebay recently and I can't get the tape deck working. When I press play (or fast forward / rewind), the wheel with the number 35 makes a complete turn, causing the deck to stop again. It is supposed to stop when the gear underneath the flywheel reaches the first notch, instead it turns further and stops.

This is causing me headaches for a while now as I can't identify the component that stops the wheel at the first notch. Does anyone can give me a hint where to look?

Maybe it was dropped or something as the play and fast forward buttons where broken. But the box is in overall good condition and it would be a pity if I don't get it running.

 

[hopey]

If you operate it by hand you maybe able to figure out the mechanical logic.

 

[dubout]

I did but it is all so tiny and built in multiple layers, I just can't figure it out. I have seen the wheel with the two notches in several boxes so I was hoping someone could give me a nudge in the right direction. Or mabe any resources.

 

[hopey]

It can be the tension on a spring I have resolved (not this Box) by bending the lever of the spring more or less to suit. Did you replace the upper and lower belts? Looks like you need to remove the fly wheel which could have put your mech out of sync.

 

[skippy1969]

Make sure the buttons are not all gummed up with old grease inside the cassette mechanism.
I've seen this several times on Sanyo's with this mechanism and the old gooey grease makes the controls hang up and cause problems like what you described.

 

[Eric]

Agree with Skippy on this. Soft touch decks are susceptible to not functioning correctly when the grease meant to lubricate gears and levers becomes hard. The grease stops certain levers or cogs from falling into position and actuating the mechanism as it should. The only solution that I have found is to remove all moving parts until you come across the one that is not moving freely and it can be tricky to find. Sometimes, you can see the issue once you get into the deck, but other times, the deck needs to be totally disassembled to find it.

 

[dubout]

Yes, teh belts are new and fit well. But you might be onto something with the lever / spring. I already had to bend another lever to adjust the tension of the spring that presses an idle tire against the take up wheel.

Regarding the grease it all looks fine and soft. But yes, inside the layers it still could have dried up just enough to slow the mechanism down to not working properly. Problem is that I am almoust positive that I am not able to put it back together if I disassemble the mechanism completely.

I will dig into the lever / spring problem this weekend hopefully and will report back. Thank you all for helping me think!