Hitachi 8600E tape mech not staying engaged

[Matty]

Was time to get this bad boy sorted, overall it’s like new still but two known problems were 1) faulty mode switch and 2) tape deck not working.

The mode switch was easily fixed by fitting a new one.

The tape mech, as you can probably guess had barely any belts left, cue plenty of black gunk cleaning. New belts ordered and fitted. Part re-assembled minus the front panel to check everything was working, but the tape mech will select rwd and ffwd and pause but when pressing the play tab, the mechanism/heads move up briefly and then drops back down again, so it doesn’t engage the feed or take up. I have stripped the mech apart and cleaned old grease etc, checked many times that all the cogs, springs etc are correct, which they should be, I always take many photos during disassembly to make sure everything goes back the way it should. But this has me stumped.

Anyone have any ides as to why, when play is pressed, it engages the mech but the detracts again?

 

[Matty]

Fixed it.

The spring under the pinch roller was slightly out of alignment. Bit of tweaking and tape mech now works correctly

 

[Matty]

Is there a trick to refitting the cassette door? It’s like the eject is always active, as in the right hand eject slider is at the uppermost position.

This door is annoying me. Hey, posting this may mean I finally figure it (heres hoping).

But seriously, anyone have experience putting the tape door back in and working with the eject properly?

 

[Matty]

 

[BoomboxLover48]

It was never easy! The first time I tried it was a royal pain.

The best way is to install the cassette door in place and then put the front face in position.
Make sure not to leave it fully open when you place it on. If you leave it open all the way, it will come out of the tracks and will not go in on the tracks.
I remember taping it with a masking tape halfway open and doing it. That worked well!

The lower door under the cassette door can be installed later with the feather touch buttons and a connector.
Make sure the wires on that feather touch connector are tucked in away from the white buttons. If not, transport buttons will not work well.


The lower bottom door can be easily opened and closed. If I remember correctly you need to slide it up and it will come out. Check the back side of that to see how it can be opened.

 

[BoomboxLover48]

Hitachi TRK-8600E - Pause button stuck on and belt replacement

Hello all, new to forum. I have just bought this box, all is well except the tape does not work at all. Upon first inspection the pause button seems not to be working properly, the light is constantly on. I took the unit apart today and discovered that all belts had melted, leaving me with a...

www.boomboxery.com

The button area can be opened up and then readjusted and put back. It is so difficult to put the front cover without removing the whole section of the button cover, align the wires from the switches not to interfere with the soft touch play mode control buttons.

The connecting wires wire must be caught in between the front button and the inside pause lever. It drove me crazy when I was trying to put the front cover without opening the switch cover.

You don't need to take the door out for servicing. Leave the door open when you remove the front cover with speakers. Touch control plug will also unplug when you remove the front cover. If you grab the lower middle part of the touch control cover face upward and pull it out to the front, that section will come out so that you can unplug the short leads for the touch control buttons.

Attachments​

• 
  DSC03411.JPG
  153.5 KB · Views: 15
• 
  IMG_1039.JPG
  127.5 KB · Views: 16
• 
  IMG_1043.JPG
  174.2 KB · Views: 12

 

[Matty]

Good tips

Ok, put it back together and it works, sort of.
The door shuts ok and it now doesn’t think it’s in eject, so tapes now play, rwd, ffwd etc, but when pressing eject, the door doesn’t open firmly like it did, you have to assist it, which obviously isn’t correct, as if it’s not got enough spring to assist it opening.

The lower control panel is easy enough to remove and replace so that’s good.

Tell you what, as much as I like the construction of the Hitachi, compared to the Sharps, it’s a git to assemble, what with having to line up the damn record button and loudness button when refitting the front. That isn’t a good design.

Kind of reminds me of working on the old vintage ARP and Moog synths. Both made in the 70’s in the USA, but the ARP’s always felt cheaply made compared to Moog’s.