Sanyo RD 5030

derek92994

derek92994

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Picked up this relic for $5, was headed for the metal recyclers. Usual symptoms, tired belts, filthy tape path, dried grease. Got to work on it and have a reasonable result now. There was 1 belt broken which turns the "thingy" that invokes auto-stop when the reels stop in play/ff/rew, because it is not dependent on "exact" speed, I got away with a small rubber band. Surprisingly this thing is still quite accurate speed wise, many of these decks slow down with age and require adjustment, lucky because I cant seem to find one! Was fun working on it, I like to see such an old machine perform well again :toothy10: Will do a video when time permits, I have a Teac V-670 with a hum in the sound to work on next.
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Nick Danger

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Great score! My neighbor just gave me a tape not 2 days ago that he made with his RD 5030. In fact, I listened to it yesterday.

I cleaned and demagged tape path and it sounds pretty sweet, plus VU meters are always fun. His suffers from the same autostop issue, but we are going to order a belt kit in the next few and get it all squared away.
 
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Derek: That's was quite a mess around the tape path area. Was this an easy deck to service?
 
derek92994

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Yes it was easy to service. I subscribed to this thread but did not get an email alert. Looks like this thing never had a head clean in its life. Also I notice that the playback head has two guides (1 either side), you don't see this much except in auto reverse bi-directional heads. Seems pretty stable in fidelity. Vu Meters are stylish and responsive. I certainly enjoyed the few tapes I play through it last night.
 
orange

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You have to specify it in the User CP settings under subscriptions, otherwise it won't occur unless you are set for regular updates already (like WEEKLY/DAILY). The 5030 sunds like a really nice deck...I hope that when I get my PLUS D45 running it will be really nice as well.
 
derek92994

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orange said:
You have to specify it in the User CP settings under subscriptions, otherwise it won't occur unless you are set for regular updates already (like WEEKLY/DAILY). The 5030 sunds like a really nice deck...I hope that when I get my PLUS D45 running it will be really nice as well.
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It sounded much better than I expected once I aligned the azimuth properly, those guides on both sides of the head must help a fair bit. It has very strong/warm bass response and reasonable high end for a deck of its age, surprised me.
 
orange

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Sanyos are pretty nice and it does surprise some that don't expect it.
 
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Same deck: won't play, record, FF or RW

I picked the same deck up for $10 thinking it was a great deal, which it would have been, but I can't get it to engage. When I turn it on and press play, fast forward, rewind, or record, the tape won't advance and I hear a loud whirring mechanical (not audio) sound. The capstan seems to be turning since I put a small mark on it and after I press the motion controls, the mark is no longer where I placed it. I've removed the top and looked inside but nothing jumps out at me as to what the problem is. I would appreciate any ideas, suggestions, or advice. Thanks!
 
derek92994

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peterlab said:
I picked the same deck up for $10 thinking it was a great deal, which it would have been, but I can't get it to engage. When I turn it on and press play, fast forward, rewind, or record, the tape won't advance and I hear a loud whirring mechanical (not audio) sound. The capstan seems to be turning since I put a small mark on it and after I press the motion controls, the mark is no longer where I placed it. I've removed the top and looked inside but nothing jumps out at me as to what the problem is. I would appreciate any ideas, suggestions, or advice. Thanks!
Click to expand...
In general a deck this old will most certainly have belt issues. The belts might have enough strength to turn the capstan on its own for a bit but not enough to perform the other functions of the deck. The main belt has other belts running off it so if that's loose/dry/worn it the deck wont work properly. Have a look at the pictures I first posted in this thread and check there is reasonable tension in the belts and that they are not loose. Try operating the deck with the top off and have a look to see what is turning underneath being wary of any high voltage parts, if you are not sure don't try this as it can be dangerous.
 
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derek92994 said:
Have a look at the pictures I first posted in this thread and check there is reasonable tension in the belts and that they are not loose. Try operating the deck with the top off and have a look to see what is turning underneath being wary of any high voltage parts, if you are not sure don't try this as it can be dangerous.
Click to expand...
I did this and studied the mechanism closely, comparing what I saw to your pictures. Nothing was turning; no belts were moving. Upon looking further I discovered that what I would call the main belt, the one that goes around the large metal wheel and loops onto the small spindle behind what I assume to be the motor (metal cylinder with T-11400 label in your 4th image), was missing. It had broken and was wrapped around the spindle and that was what caused the mechanical whirring sound. Once I removed it, the deck was silent. As a temporary fix and troubleshooting strategy, I installed a rubber band to replace the broken belt and got the deck to operate. :happy7: This was inspired by what you wrote in your post accompanying the pictures. Brilliant! I would never have thought to do this.

I can't thank you enough for your help! I had purchased this deck to listen to an archive of cassettes that have great value to me and I was somewhat dismayed to find that it didn't operate. You've helped change that and I'm very grateful to you.

One other thing. You may already know this, but I noticed one belt on my deck that I don't see on yours. Referencing the 4th image, it loops from the white plastic wheel on the left to the small brass spindle at the center of the large metal wheel. Maybe this is where you used the rubber band, in which case, sorry for the redundancy.
 
derek92994

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peterlab said:
As a temporary fix and troubleshooting strategy, I installed a rubber band to replace the broken belt and got the deck to operate. :happy7: This was inspired by what you wrote in your post accompanying the pictures. Brilliant! I would never have thought to do this.

I can't thank you enough for your help! I had purchased this deck to listen to an archive of cassettes that have great value to me and I was somewhat dismayed to find that it didn't operate. You've helped change that and I'm very grateful to you.

One other thing. You may already know this, but I noticed one belt on my deck that I don't see on yours. Referencing the 4th image, it loops from the white plastic wheel on the left to the small brass spindle at the center of the large metal wheel. Maybe this is where you used the rubber band, in which case, sorry for the redundancy.
Click to expand...
Glad I could help, you may notice the rubber band does not give you a consistent speed in playback so a proper belt kit to replace them all is highly recommended. After this make sure the heads, capstan and pinch roller are clean so it is good to your tapes or it may cause damage to them. Yeah that missing belt on mine I used a rubber band as it is how the deck senses when to auto stop as a quick fix. However its always better to have proper belts especially the one going from the main motor to that large capstan fly wheel as everything else runs off this.
 
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derek92994 said:
a proper belt kit to replace them all is highly recommended. After this make sure the heads, capstan and pinch roller are clean so it is good to your tapes or it may cause damage to them.
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I found a place where I can order a 4 belt kit for $17 US which seems pretty reasonable. And, yes, I'll give it a good cleaning. Thanks again!
 
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derek92994 said:
a proper belt kit to replace them all is highly recommended.
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I received the belt kit which came with 4 belts but I only see 3 in my unit. This is what it looks like with the old belts:

DSCF4486e.jpg

The main belt in this photo is a rubber band which is why it isn't black. The small hub jutting out from the white plastic wheel on the right has a groove which appears to be for a belt. Is this correct and where else would it connect? Or does the 4th belt go someplace else?

Thanks for any help you can provide.
 
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peterlab said:
does the 4th belt go someplace else?
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I've managed to locate the 4th belt. It goes to the tape counter. The first image shows what it looks like in the unit.

It looks like some major disassembly is required to get to it. I tried removing the three screws at the top (2nd image) but it seems more is required. Do you know what it takes to get to the tape counter belt?

Thanks.

Peter
 

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derek92994

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I never replaced the tape counter belt in mine so do not know. If the belt that is on the counter at the moment is working I'd say it would be safe to leave the original one on.

At a guess there will be screws on the bottom side of the unit holding the entire tape mechanism in also. I'm assuming the whole mechanism would have to come out to change that counter belt. I think when I pulled mine apart I had to take the counter belt off the right hand reel before taking the mechanism completely out.
 
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peterlab

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derek92994 said:
If the belt that is on the counter at the moment is working I'd say it would be safe to leave the original one on.
Click to expand...
It is working and I've had the same thought.

derek92994 said:
At a guess there will be screws on the bottom side of the unit holding the entire tape mechanism in also. I'm assuming the whole mechanism would have to come out to change that counter belt. I think when I pulled mine apart I had to take the counter belt off the right hand reel before taking the mechanism completely out.
Click to expand...
I just looked at the unit and I'll bet those bottom screws will do it. But maybe some other time. :)

You know, as often as I've gotten help on forums like this, I never cease to be amazed, pleased, and grateful for the generosity of people willing to take the time and effort to share their knowledge with others. And it still blows my mind a little to have this help come from the other side of the planet. It reignites my hopes for humanity. So, hoping this is proper Aussie language: Good on you, mate!
 
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