JVC M90 Repair in Bay Area (maybe Telefunken Studio as well)

[Mike]

Hello,

I was an occasional member awhile ago, but forgot my username and started a new account. I lived in MA and had the please of meeting a great guy from this forum in Woburn Massachusetts. He fixed my first box..a Toshiba RT-8290S. Now I live outside of San Francisco. Crazy story but I bought a JVC M90 on Feb 3. A person had it listed for $900 bid ($1400 buy it now). I immediately emailed him and offered $900 and would drive to pick up that night, since he was only 100 miles away. I bought it from a very nice Indian gentleman, who is not familiar with this community. He owned it for 20 years...but it had been in storage for there last 10 years. It is the version that has a switch for 120V or 220V (Europe). It is in virtually mint cosmetic condition. Everything works except the tape player. He also provided me with the original glossy manual.

Anyways....I need to get this tape player working!! I called around and all the vintage audio repair shops surprisingly don't like to touch blasters. I found a guy in Sacramento (StereoAdvisor) said he would look at it. I have to pay him..but can't expect it to be fixed. I think this is more then fair.

If anyone has some recommendations on repair I would be happy to hear them. I could offer up some cool stuff (maybe the original manual even) or money.

I have been on cloud 9 this week. I have only seen pictures for the last 10 years. I've felt like a little kid at Christmas. I can't put a price on this box. It is my baby and I am so happy to have found one when I had the money. All the stars aligned for me on that one.

There is also not a light on the tuner glass. Is there supposed to be one? I don't see it in the manual. I also have these "sun spots" on the dark case. They are small (~1/8") circular "dots". You can see 3 of them near the JVC logo. Any ideas on how to fix this?? Is there some cleaner?

Funny thing is, is that I just bought a Telefunken Studio 1M ($450 w/ shipping on EBAY). It is coming in the mail...but needs some fixes (slow deck, apparently not bad, and the tape counter). This was my 2nd favorite....but I may need to sell to recoup some money.

Much love to this community. All of you are awesome and provide advice and encouragement to each other. There is so much knowledge on here, I have a hard time navigating to find what I want sometimes. I've been on it countless hours, and plan to be an active member. I just feel like I don't have a lot to contribute, bc my knowledge level is low.

Mike

 

[jimmyjimmy19702010]

Congrats on a great box!

The tuner window on an M90 doesn't have a light.

Your tape deck is missing the plate that sits behind the tape. Do you have that part?
The circular marks on the finish are common. I've got a Panasonic with the same issue. No amount of cleaning has fixed mine so I'm thinking a repaint is in order.

Good luck with your repairs,

James.....

 

[Superduper]

If I were still in the Bay Area, i might've been able to look at it but I can already tell you that someone has hacked that deck as the backing plate that covers the mechanism and reels is missing. The proper way to sevice that is to remove deck from chassis to access the screws that secure that plate. I have seen that plate literally ripped off to access behind because the person doing the work did not want to do it the proper way. That the plate is gone is disturbing and suggests there's might be more unknowns with that deck.

 

[Mike]

Glad to hear the tuner doesn't have a light. Thanks Jimmy. I don't have the cassette back plate. When I purchased I didn't even realize it was missing. I new it was an M90 though!!!

Thanks Super. You your scaring me a little now The seller seemed very genuine, so maybe it was the guy he purchased it from. Basides the plate, all the screws, dials, etc, look like how it does on the manual. Eject button opens deck smoothly and tape sits in clean. It doesn't seem like it was ripped off...more like taken apart and then the plate wasn't assembled back on.

My friend in Woburn MA (forget his screen name on hear), mentioned the a part that could be the culprit, but I forget now. Whats the best and worst case?

I may bring it to a guy in Sacramento that said he would take a look for $60. I don't know what that means, but would be great if he could fix it.

 

[Superduper]

Basically, the guy (as all such repair centers) charge a fee to "quote" the repair. If you choose to accept the quote, the fee applies to the repair costs. If you decide not to accept their quote, then you need to pay $60 to get it back.

The screw that I'm talking about is situated along the edge of the deck mechanism. You would not be able to see it at all unless the deck was removed from the chassis, which was removed from the cabinet. The reason you can't remove the plate without removing the deck assembly is that this screw sits along the edge of the deck and is not accessible unless the deck is removed from the chassis. Light hearted hacks that want to attempt a repair often don't have the nerve to dig deeper so they remove the front screw and then a few bends of that aluminum plate will snap the top mount tab off of the plate. I'm not saying that the deck is necessarily messed up. But that is frequently an indicator that someone who doesn't belong inside that machine was messing with it. Any qualified person or hobbyist would replace that plate if the repair was done properly. There is absolutely no reason that the plate wouldn't be put back in place in my humble opinion unless it was damaged in that way. So my concern after many years of seeing what unqualified people can do to the insides of boomboxes disturbs me since it's frequently a crapshoot, but to me, it's never a good sign of what I'm likely to find.

Sorry didn't mean to scare you, and maybe everything is fine and it just needs a fresh rebelting. Was just thinking out loud.

 

[JustCruisin]

Check in, Superlew..

 

[Mike]

Well thank you for the further clarification. That is helpful. I realize the inspection is just for a diagnosis...and not indicative of the repair cost. Unfortunately I don't believe I have other alternatives. I've done some searching to see anything within driving distance from Northern California and I have come **** out of luck.

I can only pray that the plate is ripped and nothing else is wrong with it. I could care less about the plate, considering I will (or better) have a cassette in it at all times. Worse case, can I buy a whole new deck, and do they come around frequently?

Hey, I have a date tomorrow night, so I can at least be content for the time being

Yes Superlew it is! Good guy.

 

[superlew]

Mike,

You may want to start by getting a hold of a service manual (paper or .pdf). Take a look at the teardown and deck. I've never been inside an M90, but studying the manual may give you the confidence and info you need to dig in. The missing plate could, like Norm said, just be a half-hearted attempt to access the deck for service (a failed attempt, at that).

I'd tell you to swing by this weekend, but that might be a long commute. I certainly wouldn't visit here voluntarily this time of year, either.

Keep me (and the rest of us) updated. Send some pics - and post them - if you do open it up.

BTW, just a thought, but if you're any good with sheet metal, you could make a pretty convincing backplate for the deck until you source an original.

 

[Superduper]

its not a flat plate, and wont be easy to make. And no, I'm about 99.9987% sure you'll find all deck parts are obsolete however by some stroke of luck you might find some used parts if someone happens to be willing to part out an m90, an exceedingly rare occurrence.

 

[blu_fuz]

Here is a M90 deck if you can stomach the price $235

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JVC-RC-M90-JW-Cassette-deck-mechanism-/151554852994?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item23495f8882

 

[superlew]

its not a flat plate, and wont be easy to make. And no, I'm about 99.9987% sure you'll find all deck parts are obsolete however by some stroke of luck you might find some used parts if someone happens to be willing to part out an m90, an exceedingly rare occurrence.

If someone has one they can scan and give me some dimensions, I'd try my hand at it. I know they're not flat, so it would need to be patterened and bent (on a proper brake).
I handle all sheet metal fab at the company I work for.

 

[Mike]

Thanks for all the information. Sorry, hadn't been on for a bit, b/c of some personnel sh*t happening. Anyways....

I have been just playing with all the other functions and making sure they all work. For some reason when I hook my turntable into the inputs on the back, the speakers sound horrible. Only the top left is loud, while the rest don't play (or they are very low). Like I can hear a little bass coming from the 8" speakers. I plan to dig into the manual today to learn as much as possible.

Superlew.....I wish you were close by still, but I am glad to be out of the cold for now . You are definitely a good resource. I can't believe you'd even consider making a plate. If somehow you are able...I would make it worth your while. I don't have the dimensions though.

Anyways, when I play the radio, it is so loud. My neighbors don't like my new box . I'll just have to crank it down at night!

Thanks blu-fuz for the information. I am going to check out that EBAY post now. Hopefully it hasn't sold. Right now, I would be willing to pay $300 for a working deck. This is my baby. I'd spend thousands on my kid (if I had one) is she was sick, right?

Do most M90s have decks that don't work or something??

I might sell that Telefunkin Studio (which I have yet to receive from NY) to recoup some of the $$. On the other hand, that may be difficult...

Much Love,
Mike

 

[Mike]

Yup it is still on Ebay. What does anyone think? If I buy that and fair at installing, should a junk electronic be able to install?

I'm a civil engineer by trade (so I'm a little technical, and good at solving problems)....but my electronic skills are SEVERELY laking

 

[Superduper]

Unless you want that plate for $235, I wouldn't buy it without first knowing what is wrong with yours. It's not just the M90 with failed decks, it's that virtually all decks 30+ years old has some issues due to the plastic and rubber parts deteriorating, especially belts. Anyone that can take that deck out and swap it is 80% of the way to fixing the most common issues anyhow.

 

[Reli]

$235 for a deck whose description just says "It worked well when I removed it!!!"

Ridiculous.

 

[Mike]

Thanks Reli. In the back of my head I agreed with you....but just didn't want to admit it I guess. Plus the lister has at least one other M90 item and he indicates "works great". Why it doesn't say that with the deck is def a red flag to me.

Agreed with you Superduper. Like I've said I learnt some when I saw Superlew playing around with my toshiba. I tried to suck in as much as I could. From what I understand the M90 deck uses IC based controls, (which minimizes the number of belts??). So my thought was that it may not be a belt issue, because there are more parts in an M90 deck that could be damaged.

I've been told quite a few times that 95% of the time, a failed deck is because of the belts. My impression is that the odds are lower with the M90. If it was just the belts, then I can't see it being THAT bad (although not a walk in the park either!). Like I said, I'm going to dig deep into that manual to attempt at learning the deck inside and out.

 

[Superduper]

It still had 2 belts so unless belts were eliminated (direct drive) which it is not, belts are still problematic. As for manual, it's more for reference and electrical data. These manuals don't go into rebelting. I guess the presumption is that technicians can do that.

 

[Vintage Man]

That M90 was on ebay for 900 starting bid. It ended though. You must have grabbed it locally? Never mind. Just read the top post again.

 

[superlew]

Mike,

It's too damn cold around here, so take a trip to West Palm Beach at the end of the month. Bring a set of clubs and the M90. I can pick you up at the airport. We'll play 18, then we'll fix that M90. I have a perfect work bench in the garage at my Mom's in Port St. Lucie, and her neighbor's won't complain when it's buttoned up and blasting.

*Fatdog, I think we need a "Snowman" smiley for New England members.

 

[Mike]

HAHA. Superlew I wish. I just took a bunch of vacation to drive out to California. But I hope you have fun in Florida. Golf + beer is always a good time. I'll keep in touch and let everyone know the solution...once I find one....if I find one!!

That guy selling the M90 deck on craigslist didn't answer any of my questions properly. I suspect is could be broken.