What cassette deck ?
- Thread starter Alex SE
- Start date
and why not also heads spotlighted?
found this one at the shop here below, NOS, without the guide and with a few surface scratches because it was kept for decades into a box together with other heads without the protection cap!
made a light lapping on it to smoothen the surface scratches a bit, and now I am managing to put a suitable guide on it.... hopefully, it will finally start to sing!
found this one at the shop here below, NOS, without the guide and with a few surface scratches because it was kept for decades into a box together with other heads without the protection cap!
made a light lapping on it to smoothen the surface scratches a bit, and now I am managing to put a suitable guide on it.... hopefully, it will finally start to sing!
and the guide is attached! but on the right side because it will go into an AIWA deck.
(in fact, I will also need to modify the head's mounting plate a bit, since I put the guide at the opposite side than it originally was)
It shows some more lamina offset at the PB head, which reduces its effective track width by a small bit... but it should work OK anyway, since the recorded track is a hair larger than the effective playback track. (the opposite would have been a problem, though).
(in fact, I will also need to modify the head's mounting plate a bit, since I put the guide at the opposite side than it originally was)
It shows some more lamina offset at the PB head, which reduces its effective track width by a small bit... but it should work OK anyway, since the recorded track is a hair larger than the effective playback track. (the opposite would have been a problem, though).
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- You never have too much tapedecks ^^
This one!
Finally, this AIWA AD-F880-MAX (MAX stands for Modified and AX heads) is ready... spent the evening checking frequency responses and MOL on a few tapes, to make sure the "AX" amorphous heads transplant went fine and I must say I am really satisfied... it plays better and it records considerably better than when it was in original shape with its own permalloy heads!
Need to finally reassemble the cassette holder/door, remove some dust (it was left open on my bench for a few months), close the chassis and finally put it to regular use.
Finally, this AIWA AD-F880-MAX (MAX stands for Modified and AX heads) is ready... spent the evening checking frequency responses and MOL on a few tapes, to make sure the "AX" amorphous heads transplant went fine and I must say I am really satisfied... it plays better and it records considerably better than when it was in original shape with its own permalloy heads!
Need to finally reassemble the cassette holder/door, remove some dust (it was left open on my bench for a few months), close the chassis and finally put it to regular use.
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one thing to do next...
making a thread here about this modified AIWA, documenting all the modifies I've applied on it.
at first, this deck had its own original permalloy "DX" heads and the usual modifies by Alex/A.N.T. and his more recent modify regarding the REC EQ on normal position.
On top if it, I put these amorphous heads, made the extra modifies needed to make them work properly and, last, I repurposed the timer and memory switches to bias ranges for normal and Cr modes (to make the actual fine bias knob range much larger on those two tape types) and repurposed the mpx filter button to record/listen at 120us setting also at Cr and Metal modes. (on metal tapes, this is just overkill, though)
last, but it's only a matter of look, i should re-print those stickers with the new features at a place where the black background of the sticker is truly black.
My home printer isn't up to this task.
making a thread here about this modified AIWA, documenting all the modifies I've applied on it.
at first, this deck had its own original permalloy "DX" heads and the usual modifies by Alex/A.N.T. and his more recent modify regarding the REC EQ on normal position.
On top if it, I put these amorphous heads, made the extra modifies needed to make them work properly and, last, I repurposed the timer and memory switches to bias ranges for normal and Cr modes (to make the actual fine bias knob range much larger on those two tape types) and repurposed the mpx filter button to record/listen at 120us setting also at Cr and Metal modes. (on metal tapes, this is just overkill, though)
last, but it's only a matter of look, i should re-print those stickers with the new features at a place where the black background of the sticker is truly black.
My home printer isn't up to this task.
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well, it might need some more time because, just this evening, i've finally found how to boost maximum bias current the deck could deliver... something i was hoping to find for quite some time.
These AX heads, in general, need more bias than original ones and my internal bias trimmers were just pushed to the max without being able to properly bias certain brands/models of metal tapes.
(i could still bias any type1 and type2 properly, though)
But, now i found out how to boost the bias current over the previous maximum so, as a consequence, i'll be probably modify some of the REC EQ filters again, to take the obvious advantage of it...
so, still some work to do on it to try to squeeze some more than now.
These AX heads, in general, need more bias than original ones and my internal bias trimmers were just pushed to the max without being able to properly bias certain brands/models of metal tapes.
(i could still bias any type1 and type2 properly, though)
But, now i found out how to boost the bias current over the previous maximum so, as a consequence, i'll be probably modify some of the REC EQ filters again, to take the obvious advantage of it...
so, still some work to do on it to try to squeeze some more than now.
Well, after experimenting some more modifies, which I guessed they were THE way to raise maximum bias current, it seems they are not... but, on the contrary, even if i gained quite some available range at the bias trimpots (they give me the previous max bias levels when they are tuned half way, at now) , it seems I am putting the circuit sort of out of its own specs or something like that.
So, unless someone truly expert will give me a hint about how to do that in this deck, it seems I cannot nicely exploit the metal tapes with the highest bias point I own here (i.e. TDK MA and That's MR-X PRO) and I'd need to stick only to the Sony Metals which work well with some less bias current.
And, of course, I can nicely bias all type1 and type2 tapes which need less bias current than any metals.
On the other deck I had modified with amorphous heads, my Technics RS-M260, I was able to raise the maximum bias but, differently than the RS-M260, this AIWA has also HX-PRO handling the bias levels then it's a more complex circuit and, of course, there is something I am failing to get about it... we'll see... I know that if I go and ask Alex/A.N.T. about how to get more bias on the AD-F880, he will likely be able to tell me the solution in a matter of 5 minutes but I don't want to "disturb" him with such questions... also, if I'll ever happen to find the solution by myself, it would be nice but, keeping experimenting without finding the actual solution risks to be frustrating.
So, for now, I will revert the deck to how it was before this latest attempt to raise the bias current and will record the metal tapes with highest bias point on some of my other decks here, which can do that.
Nice, but it would be a hard work and I don't know anybody here who might make a suitable face plate.
Also, it's not possible to alter the actual layout of the front panel controls, since there is a PCB behind the face plate, and a long row of pins on the main board which insert there in the PCB behind the face plate in a very precise way.
About the selector switches, there are only the timer and memory ones which I repurposed as bias ranges and they are of good quality... of course, i opened and cleaned them inside.
The source/tape and "Rec 120us EQ mode" (previously MPX) button switches, they are not really at the front panel but those are buttons with long plastic pieces behind which go to the main board, where the actual switches are located, so they cannot be replaced.
The remaining switches are all button microswitches which are soldered on the front panel's PCB, then they must also stay as they are.
Last, there is the power on/off switch and the Eject button is totally mechanical and it must stay just as is.
Let's say that some properly printed adhesive labels with a truly black background would look a lot better than what I did here... and this is just something I'll do when the deck will be totally ready.
So, unless someone truly expert will give me a hint about how to do that in this deck, it seems I cannot nicely exploit the metal tapes with the highest bias point I own here (i.e. TDK MA and That's MR-X PRO) and I'd need to stick only to the Sony Metals which work well with some less bias current.
And, of course, I can nicely bias all type1 and type2 tapes which need less bias current than any metals.
On the other deck I had modified with amorphous heads, my Technics RS-M260, I was able to raise the maximum bias but, differently than the RS-M260, this AIWA has also HX-PRO handling the bias levels then it's a more complex circuit and, of course, there is something I am failing to get about it... we'll see... I know that if I go and ask Alex/A.N.T. about how to get more bias on the AD-F880, he will likely be able to tell me the solution in a matter of 5 minutes but I don't want to "disturb" him with such questions... also, if I'll ever happen to find the solution by myself, it would be nice but, keeping experimenting without finding the actual solution risks to be frustrating.
So, for now, I will revert the deck to how it was before this latest attempt to raise the bias current and will record the metal tapes with highest bias point on some of my other decks here, which can do that.
Nice, but it would be a hard work and I don't know anybody here who might make a suitable face plate.
Also, it's not possible to alter the actual layout of the front panel controls, since there is a PCB behind the face plate, and a long row of pins on the main board which insert there in the PCB behind the face plate in a very precise way.
About the selector switches, there are only the timer and memory ones which I repurposed as bias ranges and they are of good quality... of course, i opened and cleaned them inside.
The source/tape and "Rec 120us EQ mode" (previously MPX) button switches, they are not really at the front panel but those are buttons with long plastic pieces behind which go to the main board, where the actual switches are located, so they cannot be replaced.
The remaining switches are all button microswitches which are soldered on the front panel's PCB, then they must also stay as they are.
Last, there is the power on/off switch and the Eject button is totally mechanical and it must stay just as is.
Let's say that some properly printed adhesive labels with a truly black background would look a lot better than what I did here... and this is just something I'll do when the deck will be totally ready.
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Well, you already know me and I use all my decks . Those that I don't use, I rather sell it as I'm not a museum keeper. I keep a "practical" collection where all the pieces must work perfectly, and installed in a working system. All my decks, hardly 10 cassette decks and 10 open reel, are exercised weekly to keep them in form. Usually without a tape, as I don't listen to all of them, all the time. Some are played more than others, as usual, but as I said: now I keep TOL models only. My days of 50+ units just to collect, are long gone. Regards.