Been thinking about this deck again. Ruled out the take up torque issue, as even with reduced torque the flutter is still there. Surely the direct drive capstan motor cant be weak, as its hard to stop/slow down, and quartz lock is working as indicated by an led inside being off and then switching on if the speed is adjusted away from the correct tape speed.
Its almost as if the tape is chugging through the take up capstan as if it were being dragged by the take up reel or the pinch roller is losing enough grip for this to occur. But no tape skewing is happening so its not a dead giveaway as to what is wrong. Pinch roller replacement may be worth a try as the problem could go as far as a bad bearing, but to my naked eye it looks perfectly fine and has excellent grip with no cracks, it also turns freely with no resistance. I have never experienced a pinch roller bearing going bad before, only the rubber itself. Could the take up reel motor be 'chugging' like tiny pulsations in the torque or speed that I can't feel by touching the pulley and/or reels, I know that when idlers get old they slip and sometimes vibrate causing wow/flutter regardless of how new the pinch roller is, but this one is not slipping as its new and I have tested it. Capacitors or other circuit board parts could be failing, after all the machine is 30 years old, the possibilities are endless, you can see my frustration here.
Time will tell, much later down the track I MAY just get some parts for it. I really do like the deck and its sound, just this darn mechanical/electrical speed enigma that's bothering me.
I did keep 1 recording made in the deck, and that is a Black Sabbath Mix tape done on a Maxell XLII Chrome, it sounds outstanding and you can't hear the flutter as there are not many high notes. I've had that tape in my car for over a week now and it never gets old, always worth a listen.
Time for some rest.
