New Owner of M-X960, Need Advice

[BoomboxLover48]

Motors need vibration damping grommets.

Grommets - for Motor Mounting | Antique Electronic Supply

Rubber grommets for mounting phonograph motors. 1/2 dia. 5/16" high and ¼" inner dia.

www.tubesandmore.com

 

[Tinman]

Here's an old shot I found from a Sanyo M9994.
The black rubber isolators look basically the same on both sides, maybe a little thicker on the motor side.
Also, usually there are three screws like yours as opposed to two but it'll give you an idea of what they normally look like when installed.
One more thing, when you're done, make sure the capstan and pulleys all line up with the motor pulley where they're supposed to.

 

[caution]

Yeah the 9994 and Big Ben part numbers in the manuals are different. Oddly, the Big Ben part number came up on a Sears site, and for sale.

https://www.searspartsdirect.com/product/46w58q032v-0057-528/id-1412445t11801

 

[mbonn82]

Thanks all for the insight. Pehaps I just took the picture from a bad angle, but they were the original isolators. I took up the slack by putting some tiny washers in and that worked great.

As for the rest, I have mostly good news, I got all the new belts installed and everything put back together. This fixed the issue with the power button not working. The tape deck also mostly works. The Play and Pause buttons are still a bit finicky, they work 75% of the time. Sometimes after after I press Stop, I cant push Play. The button seems to be stuck. Then I have to FF or RW to "reset it". Seems random, but mostly occurs with the Play and Pause buttons. FF and RW seem to work prefectly.

 

[Superduper]

The deck needs a thorough cleaning. Lots of rotating assemblies, pulleys, pivot points, levers and slides... all needs to be free. Probably some plastic parts have wear too.

 

[Tinman]

they were the original isolators

They're the oddest looking isolators I've seen.
All the ones I've dealt with look like the ones in my pic.
Just make sure yours are tightened down securely.
Your other probelm sounds mechanical like parts aren't moving correctly.

 

[mbonn82]

Took everything apart again, cleaned and put it all back together again. The buttons now seems to all be working. However, after a few minutes of playing the tape speed started to slow. I was able to compensate with the pitch control, but after a few minutes it slows down more and just continues to slow. I did clean all belts and belt surfaces so I think I can rule out any slippage. I read on a few other posts that this might be a motor issue?

 

[BoomboxLover48]

Good job!

Slowing down after a while could be a motor issue.

Some motors are not that difficult and clean the tiny brushes and commutator, lube and put it all back together. I've done that once or twice, even fixed a Nakamichi 480 motor. I don't know how easy that would be with the Big Ben motor.

Our experts here can recommend a replacement motor or any other ways to fix the issue.

 

[Superduper]

How about monitor the voltage to the motor while it’s running to ensure this isn’t a circuitry related issue? This may require running wires into the motor housing itself to get to the actual motor bypassing the internal speed control. See the other M-X960 thread.

 

[floyd]

I can tell you that anytime you have copper windings with blackened copper like that , there is a loss of efficiency in the copper and loss of conductivity almost to the point of resistance . this will also cause excessive heat . it will act right until it reaches operating temperature and once it exceeds that the motor will show symptoms related to the armature being at least partially burnt out.

 

[Ken]

Looks like you have to remove the inner frame to access the deck . the tape counter belt is driven by the drive spindle so that would be impossible to replace without access to the front of the tape deck.

Floyd is right, the inner frame is going to have to be removed. There is a bit of work involved with getting to the deck, and repeated actions to access it will make it harder and harder to re assemble each time.

 

[mbonn82]

How about monitor the voltage to the motor while it’s running to ensure this isn’t a circuitry related issue? This may require running wires into the motor housing itself to get to the actual motor bypassing the internal speed control. See the other M-X960 thread.

I will do that, I just don't have a multimeter yet.

In the meantime, do you think it's possible that the replacement flat flywheel belt is too tight? And's that's possibly causing the inconsistent playback speed? eBay listing just said it was compatible but didn't provide actual dimensions. I would think a belt being too tight could overwork the motor which could be why it starts out fine and then slows down. Could you recommend a reputable retailer where I could try ordering a replacement? Thanks