VZ-3500 - cassettedeck woes :-(

[Notwister]

Hi all,

I was gifted a VZ-3500 but it was in bad shape. Visually nice but essentially nothing worked. I have since then repaired the turntable, the tuner, the power level indicators and power supply. But now I'm stuck at the cassettedeck. Which is a plastic device so my hopes are low.

I have replaced all belts and lubricated the necessary parts. I will be honest, cassettedecks and me are not friends at all. While i can appreciate the mechanical build it seems I am always struggling with them.

In this case: play, rewind and fast forward all work. Without a load that is.
As soon as I put a cassette in it (tried many new and old) it either doesn't run or very slowly.
It also starts squealing like no tomorrow, it is like I am panhandling a pig on my workbench.
I've tried many different belts (there are several on here) although the belt kit I bought is sound.

And this is where my cassettedeck knowledge ends.
No load: no problem. Put a load on the deck = squealing + extremely slow (or nothing)
If it does spin with a load, it will stop after maybe 4 seconds.

If anyone has any idea what could cause this I would be very grateful!

Kind regards,

Bert

 

[BoomboxLover48]

Worn out idler tire could be culprit. When it is play mode watch how the wheels engage to turn the take up wheel axle. There is an idler tire that goes back and forth to engage the play function. The rubber on those wheels gets worn out and will give to traction to the take up reel axle.

You should be able to replace it and fix the problem.
I have a VZ 3500 and will look for pics. I was unable to find a good pic of the contact wheels. If you look closely you will learn more on the play mode mechanism, how wheels engage to turn the take up reel axle.

In some cases lubrication also helps. Its hard to say what exactly is the issue. On mine I fixed the turntable issue by replacing the belts, did a belt replacement on the cassette. Everything works except the FM. Did all the switch cleaning but still FM won't work.

They sound powerful with around 30W per channel. If you connect them to nice speakers it will sound even better. I have Infinity IL10 connected to my 3500. It sounds awesome!

 

[Tinman]

If your confident that your belts are ok, I'd definitely check the idler tire.
I've replaced several that were hard and/or cracked.
Another thing to check would be a clutch, assuming there is one.
You can also try playing (without a cassette installed) and grab the take up reel and see what's going on.
Is the motor in good working order?

 

[Notwister]

Worn out idler tire could be culprit. When it is play mode watch how the wheels engage to turn the take up wheel axle. There is an idler tire that goes back and forth to engage the play function. The rubber on those wheels gets worn out and will give to traction to the take up reel axle.

You should be able to replace it and fix the problem.
I have a VZ 3500 and will look for pics. I was unable to find a good pic of the contact wheels. If you look closely you will learn more on the play mode mechanism, how wheels engage to turn the take up reel axle.

In some cases lubrication also helps. Its hard to say what exactly is the issue. On mine I fixed the turntable issue by replacing the belts, did a belt replacement on the cassette. Everything works except the FM. Did all the switch cleaning but still FM won't work.

They sound powerful with around 30W per channel. If you connect them to nice speakers it will sound even better. I have Infinity IL10 connected to my 3500. It sounds awesome!

Thanks! Let me check and take some pictures, it might help.
I find it very difficult on cassettedecks to see whether or not an idler wheel is bad. It simply isn't my area of expertise.

What is the problem with your tuner? AM works?
If it is just FM, can you receive channels in mono mode (press the last button in the row).
If you can receive in mono it is most likely the offset of the discriminator.
On the tuner PCB this is the big component with 2 HEX key trimmers.
Tune in to the loudest station you know, then slowly turn the discriminator trimmer.
Until you get a stereo reception. Don't forget to insert an antenna.

If you cannot receive any stations in mono, the primary target is the FM IF chip.

Regards,

Bert

 

[Notwister]

If your confident that your belts are ok, I'd definitely check the idler tire.
I've replaced several that were hard and/or cracked.
Another thing to check would be a clutch, assuming there is one.
You can also try playing (without a cassette installed) and grab the take up reel and see what's going on.
Is the motor in good working order?

In my experience you can never be 100% sure on the belts you order. But i've ordered them from a good source.
That said, it is also the only source I know that could even send me all the belts.

I've checked the idler tire but can't see when it is knackered. It looks OK for it's age I guess.
When spinning a cassette it appears to spin freely, the sound isn't coming from that area.
The giant squealing sound is coming from the motor area (hard to pinpoint though).
It definately sounds as if something is having a difficult time under a load.

Can't say much about the motor unfortunately aside from the fact that:
- It works under no load
- It gets pretty warm when running (especially with a load).

If the motor is the culprit then all bets are off?

Regards,

Bert

 

[Notwister]

Here are some images. I realised that I had to repair the solenoid on the back.
When I removed the backplate that spring flew into the 9th dimension. Be careful!
But it should work with the new spring I made.

 

[BoomboxLover48]

Thanks! Let me check and take some pictures, it might help.
I find it very difficult on cassettedecks to see whether or not an idler wheel is bad. It simply isn't my area of expertise.

What is the problem with your tuner? AM works?
If it is just FM, can you receive channels in mono mode (press the last button in the row).
If you can receive in mono it is most likely the offset of the discriminator.
On the tuner PCB this is the big component with 2 HEX key trimmers.
Tune in to the loudest station you know, then slowly turn the discriminator trimmer.
Until you get a stereo reception. Don't forget to insert an antenna.

If you cannot receive any stations in mono, the primary target is the FM IF chip.

Regards,

Bert

Its like no sound when I push the FM stereo, but FM works and that is what I remember now. I thought it was the switch problem and cleaned it many times with no success.
I need to bring it out and check it again.
~Royce

 

[BoomboxLover48]

Here are some images. I realised that I had to repair the solenoid on the back.
When I removed the backplate that spring flew into the 9th dimension. Be careful!
But it should work with the new spring I made.

May be the plunger and all the connecting mechanical assembly is stuck with dried up grease. You might have to clean and lube those levers with some white lithium grease. If the solenoid function is not fully locking play mode well in place, it can squeal and affect the play mode.

 

[Notwister]

Its like no sound when I push the FM stereo, but FM works and that is what I remember now. I thought it was the switch problem and cleaned it many times with no success.
I need to bring it out and check it again.
~Royce

Nope, your tuner is muting your signal on stereo. This is part of the functioning of the Stereo IC.
It is 99% sure a small alignment of the discriminator.
Using mono tune in to the strongest station you can find. Now set it to stereo (it will mute).
Then use a HEX key to slowly turn the trimmer.
Either clockwise or anti-clockwise (try clockwise first) until you have sound.
Before you start turning mark the position, usually it doesn't take a whole turn.
These tuners are notorious for the muting / discriminator going slightly off whack and muting all.

Bert

 

[Notwister]

May be the plunger and all the connecting mechanical assembly is stuck with dried up grease. You might have to clean and lube those levers with some white lithium grease. If the solenoid function is not fully locking play mode well in place, it can squeal and affect the play mode.

OK I can do this, I have the grease you mention.
Now to see whether or not I need to dismantle the drive.
I sincerely hope I can clean and relube without touching the old plastic gears

Bert

 

[Tinman]

In my experience you can never be 100% sure on the belts you order. But i've ordered them from a good source.
That said, it is also the only source I know that could even send me all the belts.

I've checked the idler tire but can't see when it is knackered. It looks OK for it's age I guess.
When spinning a cassette it appears to spin freely, the sound isn't coming from that area.
The giant squealing sound is coming from the motor area (hard to pinpoint though).
It definately sounds as if something is having a difficult time under a load.

Can't say much about the motor unfortunately aside from the fact that:
- It works under no load
- It gets pretty warm when running (especially with a load).

If the motor is the culprit then all bets are off?

Regards,

Bert

I agree about the belts.
I always give them a quick look over (while I'm cleaning them) then a few small stretches.
I once had a brand new belt snap on me while installing it so that made me a little more careful when installing them.
There can be a cut or flaw that isn't easily noticeable.

As far as the idler tire, as long as it isn't cracked and feels soft, it should be ok.
You'd be able to tell if it was bad.

If the noise is coming from the motor area, you can try removing the belt, run the motor and put some drag on it with your finger.
Also, you might want to verify the motor pulley is in it's correct position on the shaft.
If it's too far down, the belt can be rubbing something.

 

[BoomboxLover48]

OK I can do this, I have the grease you mention.
Now to see whether or not I need to dismantle the drive.
I sincerely hope I can clean and relube without touching the old plastic gears

Bert

Trust me! Those plastic gears on Sharp are well built unlike those on some Korean boomboxes. So no worries working on them. If you have any issues with those gears I can send you a link to get most of those types. In most cases those gears are not the problem and it is all about how they engage easily with the mechanism.

Royce

 

[Notwister]

After much greasing and armwrestling I discovered that most idiotic of things possible.
I had arranged 2 belts incorrectly. There were no belts on mine so I had to make an educated guess.
I guess that my education isn't up to scratch then.
Refit the belts and now it works.

There is some 'warble' (is that what it's called?) however.
I never remember the term, it is as if the tape is a bit 'wobbly' in the sound.

If memory serves me that is most likely the idler tire?

Bert

 

[floyd]

After much greasing and armwrestling I discovered that most idiotic of things possible.
I had arranged 2 belts incorrectly. There were no belts on mine so I had to make an educated guess.
I guess that my education isn't up to scratch then.
Refit the belts and now it works.

There is some 'warble' (is that what it's called?) however.
I never remember the term, it is as if the tape is a bit 'wobbly' in the sound.

If memory serves me that is most likely the idler tire?

Bert

I think what you are referring to is the Azimuth adjustment that aligns the tape head with the track of the tape this can be thrown off by Dirty idler tire .

 

[BoomboxLover48]

Idler tire is the first thing to check, then check the pinch roller and capstan if it is dirty. Clean both and see if that improves the sound quality. If needed I would demagnetize the head and align it also.

 

[Tinman]

Congrats on finding the problem.
Out of everything I was thinking, I would've never suggested that, lol.
If you oiled the capstan shaft, make sure it's nice and clean along with the pinch roller.
I see in the pics above that the washer on the shaft isn't against the bushing.
Make sure that's not interfering with anything.
They're usually tight enough to stay in place.

 

[Notwister]

Grrrrrrr. I checked everywhere but the only place I can find a new idler and rubber for the wheel will set me back €60.
That is above the €50 I already spent for the belts. Ludicrous business model this wholesale rubber sales.
I need to rethink whether the machine is worth plonking this much money into.

That said. I did see that the 'wheel' that drives the primary rotation is in fact seated in a plastic shaft.
This plastic shaft is split. And this might be the cause for the small amount of warbling.
Perhaps. Not sure on this one. But it is impossible to do anything with it, it is what it is.

Let's try the box of spares first, I might have some idlers that will fit.

Bert

 

[Notwister]

Congrats on finding the problem.
Out of everything I was thinking, I would've never suggested that, lol.
If you oiled the capstan shaft, make sure it's nice and clean along with the pinch roller.
I see in the pics above that the washer on the shaft isn't against the bushing.
Make sure that's not interfering with anything.
They're usually tight enough to stay in place.

Hmmmm. It's all lubricated as well as anything.
Do you mean where the arrow is pointing in the image below?
The round wheel sits in a plastic shaft and that shaft is cracked.

I will check to see if there is anything I can do about that.
Being plastic my hopes are low :-(

Bert

 

[BoomboxLover48]

Hmmmm. It's all lubricated as well as anything.
Do you mean where the arrow is pointing in the image below?
The round wheel sits in a plastic shaft and that shaft is cracked.

I will check to see if there is anything I can do about that.
Being plastic my hopes are low :-(

Bert

Where is the arrow? I must be turning blind....

 

[floyd]

Hmmmm. It's all lubricated as well as anything.
Do you mean where the arrow is pointing in the image below?
The round wheel sits in a plastic shaft and that shaft is cracked.

I will check to see if there is anything I can do about that.
Being plastic my hopes are low :-(

Bert

I'll look at my spare VZ 2000 deck tomorrow and see if it has anything like that on it.