Meant to thank you a couple of weeks ago when I found this video after having the same "caution" display problem with my $10-at-Goodwill Sony DTC-700. The problem with mine ended up just being a small gearshaft in the tape-loading mechanism which had run dry of lubricant. A little ZOOM spout turbine oil here and there completely solved the problem, and I was able to transfer many old DAT tapes for some good friends. You made lots of folks happy with this video. Thanks for taking the time to post it-- oh, and I'm a Volt owner too, so I'd seen plenty of your old videos on the Chevy Volt as I was trying to decide whether to buy one. I did: a 2013 tri-coat diamond white. Talked it up to my friend and now he's got a Volt. You've probably saved the world many tons of carbon emissions and a DAT machine in a landfill just with these videos. Just lettin' ya know. Thanks again!
Dear Sir, just wanted to thank you very much for this video - it helped me a lot to fix my DTC-790. Root cause of the CAUTION message of my device seems to have been dried grease of the cam drive gears (No. 375-378 in the service manual) - they did not really get locked, but moved by far easier after removal, cleaning the shaft and application of some grease. Hope this is helpful for somebody else.
I know the video is 4 years old at this point, and you're unlikely to see the comment, but I wanted to pass on my thanks for doing it. My Sony A6 (which has the identical transport) had the Caution problem. One hour of work, all is good.
I just tried to play a tape on my DAT for the first time in about two years. It loads the tape, but right as it started to play the caution light came on and then nothing. You’re completely right about old electronics dying from sitting. I’m kicking myself in the ass for not having played it at least a little bit once a month.
@@stephanemignot100 I have a Sony turntable from 1979 that I use almost daily that’s never had any issue. Also a Sony carousel CD changer from the early 1990s and a Betamax VCR from the early 1989s that I regularly use that are both still going strong.
just been given a similar machine with the "Caution" error - your video was very useful - I think that'll solve my problem - I'll have to buy some contact cleaner, as I haven't needed any for many years
Hello and thank you for your very comprehensive videos on the mechanical problems of the Sony DTC-790 DAT. I also have the error message "Caution", the mechanism loads the cassette, but the tape guides do not position themselves in place and the playhead drum does not rotate. I'm going to try cleaning the contacts with Kontakt 60 Plus, from Kontakt Chemie, Europe's leading product. Question: in addition to cleaning, is it worth lubricating the gears, guide rails and cams with fine model-making grease (I've already saved a CD player with this product)? I'm a bit worried about dismantling my DAT player, but with your videos I'm sure I can do it. Best regards from Switzerland!
Your voice reminds me of Phillip Seymour Hoffman. 😅 Thanks for posting these vids, and I will continue to watch, sonI fan figure out my PMC-R300. CAUTION problem.
I have a SONY PCM-R300 with the same caution display and Its been like this for years, it doesn't work. Well I did what you did with the switch cleaning and it f-king works now! Thanks a million.
Hi Dave I have the same deck and similar problem. It wouldn't load the tape around the drum. I cleaned all the microswitches but that did nothing so I lubricated the tension arms and that seemed to fix the issue but now as soon as the tape is brought in contact with the drum, the tapes gets eaten. It looks like the takeup reel doesn't spin (but if I take the mech apart it spins freely) and the solenoid for the brakes almost never engage (that click noise every time a tape gets loaded). I have no idea where to look.
I just watched this video. Great. I won a bid on ebay for a the Sony DTC-A6 DAT machine and it was listed as mint condition. Only used a few times to master tapes. It is mint! Of course it has the dreaded CAUTION message and will not do anything. I haven't opened it up yet, but the front panel looks almost identical to the model you repaired in this video. I'm guessing the transport mechanism is the same? Should I be looking for and clean the pin switches first? From just the pristine appearance of the machine, and according to the seller it was used very little. Could the pin switches be that dirty? Something else? This was a very instructional video. I also have the D3 that I want to repair as well, because it won't eject tapes and issues CAUTION too.
I opened up my A6 today, and from all physical appearances it looks identical to the 790 model. It was double-box and shipped to CT from TX, with no obvious damage, so I don't suspect it has suffered from being dropped. But who knows. From observation, it loads the tape fine, the head spins up, but as soon as it trys to play, to stops and I get the CAUTION message. I did remove the small PCB with the pin switches on it in the lower front and Dexoited them. Nothings else seemed broken, or out of place. This particular player was used years ago, but according to the owner has set idol for many, many years. Are there any particular areas I should further examine related to play that I should look at? Any help would be appreciated. It's a beautiful unit, and I'd like to put it into service. Thx.
Good morning my friend, I need help to fix a Sony A6 DAT that when playing the tape turns, skip the track but does not read any music but, shows the time of the song and number of the track. Only with play triggered and moving forward or backward with play has audio. Can you help me, it would take you to fix but, entered Brazil. Thank you in advance!
My Sony dat 670 showed caution on display after my effort to change the reel motor. In the manual it is stated that before removing any cable we must remove the one that powers the main board (con932), however I didn’t do that and the drum stopped turning. After dig in the service manual I found that the q01 transistor on the drum driver board was open also the cfg test point on the main board had 4 volts instead of 2.3 volts so I changed the q01 and also ic02 (lm358) on the drum driver board. I put everything back together again and also the con932 last. The drum spins now and cfg test point is 2.3 volt again.
Hi, Great Video👍🏻 I know this is a very old video, but I have just inherited the same player from my grandad. This has the same caution display. I have stripped and found one of these pin switches has stuck in and won’t free off. Are these available to order? Or are the serviceable? If so could you give me any info you have. Many Thanks
I did order a Sony dtc ez700 for a donor unit from ebay but been let down by the delivery company so not received it😐 so can’t really afford another donor unit
Hi 12voltvids, Enjoy your videos very much, so thank you for them! I'd like to make a suggestion. You should try using a plastic ice cube tray to hold your screws, springs, switches etc... while working on a device. Really helps with keeping things organized as well as getting them off of your bench carpet where they can scratch the device you're working on.
Nice idea, i think I'd tend to knock the tray flying though personally... I use old plastic containers with lids when something's going to be apart for any time, but mostly if it's going back together the parts just sit on the bench.
the pill boxes with individual daily compartments are pretty good - with the advantage that you can snap the lid shut on each day, so you can store the 6 main case screws separate from the single differently sized one from the back, the three that hold the tape mechanism down can go in another compartment ..... and so long as you've clicked the lids shut, it'll survive being knocked on the floor. I used to work on military equipment, so I had to make sure that all the screws went back in exactly the same place they came out from, and that I didn't have any bits left over
Nice video, nice work, just today get same DAT machine from eBay, power switch was cleaned first...after this trying to load cassette...get same as yours... CAUTION ON message... Tomorrow I will try to clean those microswitches.... maybe my machine will be OK
Is it possible to get the unit to take analog input & send digital signal out via coax, even if there is no tape loaded? I tried holding the two sensors in the tray down, but no luck. The meters only light up for a split second, until it realizes there is no tape. My play mechanism isn't working but I could still use it as an ADC Thanks!
+12voltvids I have only recently discovered your channel, and am so glad I did; I spent the early stages of my career in "the trade", before chucking it about 20 years ago when everything started to go el-cheapo, and yet you still had the 'you touched it so you are married to it' mentality. I can only wish to have skills as good as yours - I suppose I didn't stick around long enough. Thank you for your excellent videos, and please keep them coming!
I did it as a career for 20 years, from 84 to 2003 and got out just as the flat panel TVs were starting to hit the market, mainly because I was not going to invest the type of money that the manufactures were demanding I invest to stay current on test gear. So I got out, and got into a high growth industry, telecom. As you say though you are married to it mentally, and I started getting back into the repair side of things about 3 years ago after not doing anything for 10 years. It started out as a joke. Really, my first tech video, power supply repair was done on a dare, that was never really intended for public viewing, it was posted as a private video for a few specific friends, guys that didn't have a clue, what they were doing in the field, and had the attitude that when something breaks that is was never fixable.Well they started sharing the private link, and I started seeing a few thousand views, so I went and made it public, and the rest is history. 100,000 views and over 1000 subs in a few months and youtube is asking me to be a partner, and offering to pay me for advertising. So here we are. I am always looking for new things to do videos on, and have a few that are in the works right now.
I was '92 until 2000, roughly, so like you right at the point when the investment was starting to drop. I still dabble a bit now and then (got a couple of Onkyo (or Shonky-Blow as I call them) AV receivers awaiting repair at the moment - blown output transistors and associated bits. It's quite amazing how things have moved on though - - I remember us getting the very first Mavica cameras in the UK, and if you had told me then that I would have a phone in my pocket one day that would take many more pictures, and also high definition video, I would have laughed at you. I will continue to watch and enjoy your videos, and wish you every success.
Well back in 83, when I worked for Sony they were saying way back then that video tape was not going to be around for much longer. They were already talking about CCD video cameras on a chip, and full digital video recording on bubble memory. I thought they were crazy.Then in 2001 Bill gates made the bold statement "TV as we know it is dead. There is no future in Satellite TV, and Broadcast TV because it is 1 way. In the near future your will get getting your TV service from your phone company, and Microsoft will be there to deliver it"I thought he was on drugs at the time, as our high speed internet of the day could deliver perhaps 2 megs service, and SD as I knew from DVD repair needed 7 - 8 mb to deliver an acceptable picture.Well here we are today, DSL is delivering 100 megs over the same copper phone lines, and we can stream multiple HD streams at once. On my service at home, I can have 5 full HD streams running, and still get my full 25 meg internet service. Pretty impressive if you ask me, and no I am not on glass. Just a single pair copper service for me.
It is truly remarkable, and all part of what keeps me interested. I still get that little kick out of fixing something - as long as I can still get that, I will try and keep my hand in. 25 meg is superb for copper - here in the UK, that would be the absolute upper limit for twisted pair. I am fortunate enough to be in a cable area, and get an unbelievable 200 meg absolutely rock solid - very handy for watching and learning on here - one of the few benefits of living on the edge of London. I would still rather be nearer to home (Scotland) or even Canada or New Zealand though.
On copper right now my modem is trained at 60 megs down, and 12 up, but my internet is capped at 25 down 7 up because that is the plan I am on. If I wanted to pay for 100 meg service I would have a bonded line installed with is 2 pairs. The local Telco is offering 100 meg service, and that will probably go up to 150 as the cable co is starting to offer 150. even on glass there is not much faster than that that is offered.Telco is doing a big glass build now, so eventually I will be on glass, but no big deal, as I don't need anything faster than I have now.
Receive a cordial greeting. Can you tell me how you installed the blue LED lights inside the DAT DTC-790 cassette compartment? Where are they connected, what voltage and what electronic components are used additionally? Thank you very much, your work is great.
It is just a strip of the LEDs with the double sided tape backing. They run directly on 12 volts. You can cut them every 3 LEDS. Just a short strip of 3 LEDS, They are actually white lights not blue.
@@12voltvids Thank you very much for your prompt response. I already found your video where you clearly explain the connection and the complete installation. Could I just place 2 LEDs? Would the installation change anything? His work is great and very valuable because nowadays there are almost no technicians. Greetings from Colombia.
@@ivanordonezmartinez2508 The strips come pre configured for 12 volts, with 3 LEDS in series and a dropping resistor. you could wire 2 in series and use a larger dropper resistor.
Are you a local person in Vancouver since I see the Telus shirt if so please reply I have a DTC75ES Sony with the same problem with the " Caution " I would like you to fix this unit for me. I am a fan of DAT and always will. I have 75 DAT cassette
First off, thanks for all the great informative vids ... been a great help. But what I would like to ask is what do you think was the best mechanical drive made for the dat units. I now have a sony 75es and a 690 that I am working on and HOPE to get repaired. My 75 seems to have a weak reel drive motor as it can’t do rewind. Bought these things just for fun repair ( turning out to be an expensive hobby).
The 75es uses a separate motor for the reel drive, and the bearing gets gummed up. It can be taken apart and oiled and that will fix it. The 670 and 75es use a similar mechanism which I have found to be more reliable than the 790 in this video. I sold off the 790 after repairing it, and now have a Tascam DA40 in addition to my 670 and 75ES. They are cool, even just to just watch them work, with the tiny spinning head. The walkman units are just to bloody small, and have many problem just due to their size.
Well done sir :-D. ive had similar switches cause problems in small 3 1/2 floppy disk drives, i never had a problem with the optical detectors used in the 5 1/4 floppy disk units. I had an old tandon Tmxxx 5 1/4 for years, good old drive, also a nice strobe disk on the underside to check the rpm :-D.
+zx8401ztv I got sucked into the LS120 scam. Remember those? 120 meg 3 1/2" floptical drive. Used a laser to track an optical track on the disk. Still have the drive, and 1 disk. It is an IDE device, and these days finding a controller and drivers would be impossible.
+12voltvids Yes i do remember them :-), i could not afford one at the time so it never happened for me, it seemed like a hell of a big capacity in those days, good thing i didnt have the money really lol. I remember tape drives being handy for donkeys years, but before all the pc's i was into 8 bit home computers, the old spectrum 48 was a fun machine to learn from. I had a tandon Tm100 5 1/4 lump of metal attached to a "Plus D" diskdrive interface, and a massive old psu made by "Power One" from the u.s.a, an open framed beast that was designed to run a whole computer, it only supplied my tandon drive with 5-12v, really daft, but i didnt have any other supply then. Sinclair microdrives were interesting for a while, but troublesome devices.
hello i have the same problem i did everything you explained in the video but the problem is still giving me caution can you help me? i'm desperate thanks in advance sorry for my english i'm using the translator
Hello everyone!) Can anyone tell me how to enter the service menu of DAT-790 to see information about the heads, error correction, etc.? Or is it only in expensive models?
Hi, i have a dtc-57es which also has the caution light. When loading a tape you can see the tape going against the head, so the loading mechanism works, than you see the head move a littlebit but it wont spin up... do you have an idea what it could be?
I have a 690 which has started saying caution. The tape loads and then immediately unloads throwing up the caution. could it be these switches not detecting tape is loaded?
Could be, depending on the mechanism. Some used a mode switch. Also could be rotation sensor not detecting the reel is turning or one of the reels is not turning.
Awesome video :) I love my Sony Dat 670 and has worked awesome sense I fixed the head amp ( surface mount caps ) thanks to your video`s on that I wouldn't be listening to it now .....lol
+Naitoraven951 I have a PS3 here, had it for a dozen of so years. 1st generation with 60 gig HDD. Still works, never had an issue with it, but then it never gets played.
+Naitoraven951 That's correct. Plays all the older games. I know it is rare, and I have seen them go for a pretty penny on Ebay. Mine is mint. Has only had 5 games played on it ever. I bought it as a Bluray player initially. Now it just sits collecting dust for the times I am really bored and fire up Need for Speed, or Rainbow 6 Vegas for a blast.
I have a 59es but the device does not work. When I turn on the device, the light of the pause key blinks 3 times. When I put the tape in, the tape doesn't work. Can you help me with this error?
@@HungTran-gn2kw the mechanism mechanically gets gummed up and the guides do not move completely into place. Also they have a mode switch. I have a chassis that i robbed part from I will use to make a overhaul demo with next week. (I only shoot videos on my days off.
@@12voltvids thank you. I guess so but I don't know where to start. Because the machine is working normally and when I rewind the tape and turn it on, the machine is not running.
+umajunkcollector These machines were all made in Japan, so definitely not slave wages.These DAT machines were actually very well built. This machine is 21 years old,and even though it has had some problems, they have not been major, and this one has hundreds, if not thousands of hours on it.DAT was a format also used extensively by radio stations before they went to hard drive based studios. I know a few DJs. One was very famous out here in my neck of the woods. He would sit at home, with his DAT deck, and record all his intros onto tape for his entire show. Send the tape to the studio, and the on air engineer would play the tape, and mix the CD music and commercials live. Other times he would go to the studio, and record his show onto DAT.The station also had a DAT tape loaded with 4 hours of programming all canned right at the transmitter site. If something happened with the STL, and the dead air alarm activated the tape would start, and cut in. That gave them 4 hours to figure out what happened. FM stations usually used the LP speed as it went to 15KHz, and then stopped, exactly what the transmitter needed. As you probably know, FM has a brick wall bandpass filter that chops everything off above 15KHz so there is no beating with the 19KHz stereo pilot tone, so DAT was the perfect format for FM. No additional bandwidth limiting needed. I bet there are still a few smaller market FM stations still using the format.
OH it's kewl, but not for me, a "consumer". The only DAT I had was a PC drive unit, I think the tapes are same. I would imagine it would play audio with software. Of course it's meant for backup. I pulled the drive, it's buried around here someplace. I may have a couple of DA tapes too. But the only deck that i have is the Optimus DCC. It gets funky sometimes. Tapes are fun, but I just am tired of fixing the unites is all. Don
Meant to thank you a couple of weeks ago when I found this video after having the same "caution" display problem with my $10-at-Goodwill Sony DTC-700.
The problem with mine ended up just being a small gearshaft in the tape-loading mechanism which had run dry of lubricant. A little ZOOM spout turbine oil here and there completely solved the problem, and I was able to transfer many old DAT tapes for some good friends.
You made lots of folks happy with this video. Thanks for taking the time to post it-- oh, and I'm a Volt owner too, so I'd seen plenty of your old videos on the Chevy Volt as I was trying to decide whether to buy one.
I did: a 2013 tri-coat diamond white. Talked it up to my friend and now he's got a Volt.
You've probably saved the world many tons of carbon emissions and a DAT machine in a landfill just with these videos.
Just lettin' ya know. Thanks again!
Dear Sir, just wanted to thank you very much for this video - it helped me a lot to fix my DTC-790.
Root cause of the CAUTION message of my device seems to have been dried grease of the cam drive gears (No. 375-378 in the service manual) - they did not really get locked, but moved by far easier after removal, cleaning the shaft and application of some grease. Hope this is helpful for somebody else.
I know the video is 4 years old at this point, and you're unlikely to see the comment, but I wanted to pass on my thanks for doing it. My Sony A6 (which has the identical transport) had the Caution problem. One hour of work, all is good.
Of course I see the comments.
I just tried to play a tape on my DAT for the first time in about two years. It loads the tape, but right as it started to play the caution light came on and then nothing. You’re completely right about old electronics dying from sitting. I’m kicking myself in the ass for not having played it at least a little bit once a month.
I haven't buy a Sony product in 30 years, dying for using is their thing too
@@stephanemignot100 I have a Sony turntable from 1979 that I use almost daily that’s never had any issue. Also a Sony carousel CD changer from the early 1990s and a Betamax VCR from the early 1989s that I regularly use that are both still going strong.
just been given a similar machine with the "Caution" error - your video was very useful - I think that'll solve my problem - I'll have to buy some contact cleaner, as I haven't needed any for many years
Hello and thank you for your very comprehensive videos on the mechanical problems of the Sony DTC-790 DAT.
I also have the error message "Caution", the mechanism loads the cassette, but the tape guides do not position themselves in place and the playhead drum does not rotate.
I'm going to try cleaning the contacts with Kontakt 60 Plus, from Kontakt Chemie, Europe's leading product.
Question: in addition to cleaning, is it worth lubricating the gears, guide rails and cams with fine model-making grease (I've already saved a CD player with this product)?
I'm a bit worried about dismantling my DAT player, but with your videos I'm sure I can do it.
Best regards from Switzerland!
Your voice reminds me of Phillip Seymour Hoffman. 😅 Thanks for posting these vids, and I will continue to watch, sonI fan figure out my PMC-R300. CAUTION problem.
I have a SONY PCM-R300 with the same caution display and Its been like this for years, it doesn't work. Well I did what you did with the switch cleaning and it f-king works now! Thanks a million.
I had a Sony dtc700 that deck that stop working watch this video went in and fixed it within 10 minutes thank you so much
Hi Dave I have the same deck and similar problem. It wouldn't load the tape around the drum. I cleaned all the microswitches but that did nothing so I lubricated the tension arms and that seemed to fix the issue but now as soon as the tape is brought in contact with the drum, the tapes gets eaten. It looks like the takeup reel doesn't spin (but if I take the mech apart it spins freely) and the solenoid for the brakes almost never engage (that click noise every time a tape gets loaded). I have no idea where to look.
I just watched this video. Great. I won a bid on ebay for a the Sony DTC-A6 DAT machine and it was listed as mint condition. Only used a few times to master tapes. It is mint! Of course it has the dreaded CAUTION message and will not do anything. I haven't opened it up yet, but the front panel looks almost identical to the model you repaired in this video. I'm guessing the transport mechanism is the same? Should I be looking for and clean the pin switches first? From just the pristine appearance of the machine, and according to the seller it was used very little. Could the pin switches be that dirty? Something else? This was a very instructional video. I also have the D3 that I want to repair as well, because it won't eject tapes and issues CAUTION too.
I opened up my A6 today, and from all physical appearances it looks identical to the 790 model. It was double-box and shipped to CT from TX, with no obvious damage, so I don't suspect it has suffered from being dropped. But who knows.
From observation, it loads the tape fine, the head spins up, but as soon as it trys to play, to stops and I get the CAUTION message. I did remove the small PCB with the pin switches on it in the lower front and Dexoited them. Nothings else seemed broken, or out of place.
This particular player was used years ago, but according to the owner has set idol for many, many years. Are there any particular areas I should further examine related to play that I should look at? Any help would be appreciated. It's a beautiful unit, and I'd like to put it into service. Thx.
@@redjr16 Did you ever solve this? I have a 690 which seems to be doing the same, loads but doesn't play then unloads.
What kind of cleaner did you use?
Good morning my friend, I need help to fix a Sony A6 DAT that when playing the tape turns, skip the track but does not read any music but, shows the time of the song and number of the track.
Only with play triggered and moving forward or backward with play has audio.
Can you help me, it would take you to fix but, entered Brazil.
Thank you in advance!
My Sony dat 670 showed caution on display after my effort to change the reel motor. In the manual it is stated that before removing any cable we must remove the one that powers the main board (con932), however I didn’t do that and the drum stopped turning. After dig in the service manual I found that the q01 transistor on the drum driver board was open also the cfg test point on the main board had 4 volts instead of 2.3 volts so I changed the q01 and also ic02 (lm358) on the drum driver board. I put everything back together again and also the con932 last. The drum spins now and cfg test point is 2.3 volt again.
Hi, thanks for the vid! What cleaner did you use?
Hi, Great Video👍🏻
I know this is a very old video, but I have just inherited the same player from my grandad.
This has the same caution display. I have stripped and found one of these pin switches has stuck in and won’t free off. Are these available to order? Or are the serviceable? If so could you give me any info you have.
Many Thanks
I did order a Sony dtc ez700 for a donor unit from ebay but been let down by the delivery company so not received it😐 so can’t really afford another donor unit
Hi 12voltvids,
Enjoy your videos very much, so thank you for them! I'd like to make a suggestion. You should try using a plastic ice cube tray to hold your screws, springs, switches etc... while working on a device. Really helps with keeping things organized as well as getting them off of your bench carpet where they can scratch the device you're working on.
Nice idea, i think I'd tend to knock the tray flying though personally... I use old plastic containers with lids when something's going to be apart for any time, but mostly if it's going back together the parts just sit on the bench.
the pill boxes with individual daily compartments are pretty good - with the advantage that you can snap the lid shut on each day, so you can store the 6 main case screws separate from the single differently sized one from the back, the three that hold the tape mechanism down can go in another compartment ..... and so long as you've clicked the lids shut, it'll survive being knocked on the floor.
I used to work on military equipment, so I had to make sure that all the screws went back in exactly the same place they came out from, and that I didn't have any bits left over
Thanks for the video... just repaired mine with your help... though the CAUTION message still appears with some tapes, strange.
Great help this video! Faced similar problem with my dtc ze700. More of less same config. Works well again. Thanks!
John
Nice video, nice work, just today get same DAT machine from eBay, power switch was cleaned first...after this trying to load cassette...get same as yours... CAUTION ON message... Tomorrow I will try to clean those microswitches.... maybe my machine will be OK
Honestly, this looks easier to work on than most cassette decks I've used.
Is it possible to get the unit to take analog input & send digital signal out via coax, even if there is no tape loaded? I tried holding the two sensors in the tray down, but no luck. The meters only light up for a split second, until it realizes there is no tape.
My play mechanism isn't working but I could still use it as an ADC
Thanks!
I have this exact model with similar issue. I think you solve my problem with this video. Thank you very much.
+12voltvids I have only recently discovered your channel, and am so glad I did; I spent the early stages of my career in "the trade", before chucking it about 20 years ago when everything started to go el-cheapo, and yet you still had the 'you touched it so you are married to it' mentality. I can only wish to have skills as good as yours - I suppose I didn't stick around long enough. Thank you for your excellent videos, and please keep them coming!
I did it as a career for 20 years, from 84 to 2003 and got out just as the flat panel TVs were starting to hit the market, mainly because I was not going to invest the type of money that the manufactures were demanding I invest to stay current on test gear. So I got out, and got into a high growth industry, telecom. As you say though you are married to it mentally, and I started getting back into the repair side of things about 3 years ago after not doing anything for 10 years. It started out as a joke. Really, my first tech video, power supply repair was done on a dare, that was never really intended for public viewing, it was posted as a private video for a few specific friends, guys that didn't have a clue, what they were doing in the field, and had the attitude that when something breaks that is was never fixable.Well they started sharing the private link, and I started seeing a few thousand views, so I went and made it public, and the rest is history. 100,000 views and over 1000 subs in a few months and youtube is asking me to be a partner, and offering to pay me for advertising. So here we are. I am always looking for new things to do videos on, and have a few that are in the works right now.
I was '92 until 2000, roughly, so like you right at the point when the investment was starting to drop. I still dabble a bit now and then (got a couple of Onkyo (or Shonky-Blow as I call them) AV receivers awaiting repair at the moment - blown output transistors and associated bits. It's quite amazing how things have moved on though - - I remember us getting the very first Mavica cameras in the UK, and if you had told me then that I would have a phone in my pocket one day that would take many more pictures, and also high definition video, I would have laughed at you.
I will continue to watch and enjoy your videos, and wish you every success.
Well back in 83, when I worked for Sony they were saying way back then that video tape was not going to be around for much longer. They were already talking about CCD video cameras on a chip, and full digital video recording on bubble memory. I thought they were crazy.Then in 2001 Bill gates made the bold statement "TV as we know it is dead. There is no future in Satellite TV, and Broadcast TV because it is 1 way. In the near future your will get getting your TV service from your phone company, and Microsoft will be there to deliver it"I thought he was on drugs at the time, as our high speed internet of the day could deliver perhaps 2 megs service, and SD as I knew from DVD repair needed 7 - 8 mb to deliver an acceptable picture.Well here we are today, DSL is delivering 100 megs over the same copper phone lines, and we can stream multiple HD streams at once. On my service at home, I can have 5 full HD streams running, and still get my full 25 meg internet service. Pretty impressive if you ask me, and no I am not on glass. Just a single pair copper service for me.
It is truly remarkable, and all part of what keeps me interested. I still get that little kick out of fixing something - as long as I can still get that, I will try and keep my hand in.
25 meg is superb for copper - here in the UK, that would be the absolute upper limit for twisted pair. I am fortunate enough to be in a cable area, and get an unbelievable 200 meg absolutely rock solid - very handy for watching and learning on here - one of the few benefits of living on the edge of London. I would still rather be nearer to home (Scotland) or even Canada or New Zealand though.
On copper right now my modem is trained at 60 megs down, and 12 up, but my internet is capped at 25 down 7 up because that is the plan I am on. If I wanted to pay for 100 meg service I would have a bonded line installed with is 2 pairs. The local Telco is offering 100 meg service, and that will probably go up to 150 as the cable co is starting to offer 150. even on glass there is not much faster than that that is offered.Telco is doing a big glass build now, so eventually I will be on glass, but no big deal, as I don't need anything faster than I have now.
Receive a cordial greeting. Can you tell me how you installed the blue LED lights inside the DAT DTC-790 cassette compartment? Where are they connected, what voltage and what electronic components are used additionally? Thank you very much, your work is great.
It is just a strip of the LEDs with the double sided tape backing. They run directly on 12 volts. You can cut them every 3 LEDS. Just a short strip of 3 LEDS, They are actually white lights not blue.
@@12voltvids Thank you very much for your prompt response. I already found your video where you clearly explain the connection and the complete installation.
Could I just place 2 LEDs? Would the installation change anything?
His work is great and very valuable because nowadays there are almost no technicians.
Greetings from Colombia.
@@ivanordonezmartinez2508
The strips come pre configured for 12 volts, with 3 LEDS in series and a dropping resistor. you could wire 2 in series and use a larger dropper resistor.
@@12voltvids Thank you very much for your attention.
Are you a local person in Vancouver since I see the Telus shirt if so please reply I have a DTC75ES Sony with the same problem with the " Caution " I would like you to fix this unit for me. I am a fan of DAT and always will. I have 75 DAT cassette
Yes Vancouver. You can contact me by email
First off, thanks for all the great informative vids ... been a great help. But what I would like to ask is what do you think was the best mechanical drive made for the dat units. I now have a sony 75es and a 690 that I am working on and HOPE to get repaired. My 75 seems to have a weak reel drive motor as it can’t do rewind. Bought these things just for fun repair ( turning out to be an expensive hobby).
The 75es uses a separate motor for the reel drive, and the bearing gets gummed up. It can be taken apart and oiled and that will fix it.
The 670 and 75es use a similar mechanism which I have found to be more reliable than the 790 in this video. I sold off the 790 after repairing it, and now have a Tascam DA40 in addition to my 670 and 75ES.
They are cool, even just to just watch them work, with the tiny spinning head. The walkman units are just to bloody small, and have many problem just due to their size.
Well done sir :-D.
ive had similar switches cause problems in small 3 1/2 floppy disk drives, i never had a problem with the optical detectors used in the 5 1/4 floppy disk units.
I had an old tandon Tmxxx 5 1/4 for years, good old drive, also a nice strobe disk on the underside to check the rpm :-D.
+zx8401ztv I got sucked into the LS120 scam. Remember those? 120 meg 3 1/2" floptical drive. Used a laser to track an optical track on the disk. Still have the drive, and 1 disk. It is an IDE device, and these days finding a controller and drivers would be impossible.
+12voltvids
Yes i do remember them :-), i could not afford one at the time so it never happened for me, it seemed like a hell of a big capacity in those days, good thing i didnt have the money really lol.
I remember tape drives being handy for donkeys years, but before all the pc's i was into 8 bit home computers, the old spectrum 48 was a fun machine to learn from.
I had a tandon Tm100 5 1/4 lump of metal attached to a "Plus D" diskdrive interface, and a massive old psu made by "Power One" from the u.s.a, an open framed beast that was designed to run a whole computer, it only supplied my tandon drive with 5-12v, really daft, but i didnt have any other supply then.
Sinclair microdrives were interesting for a while, but troublesome devices.
+12voltvids I have 1 stashed away and 3 discs, I don't even remember what's on the discs, probably photo's.
hello i have the same problem i did everything you explained in the video but the problem is still giving me caution can you help me? i'm desperate thanks in advance sorry for my english i'm using the translator
Hello everyone!) Can anyone tell me how to enter the service menu of DAT-790 to see information about the heads, error correction, etc.? Or is it only in expensive models?
Can you do a video on cutting out crinkled parts of DAT tapes?
I have taken apart many electronic devices to recycle them, yet I cannot recall ever recycling a DAT machine.
Hi, i have a dtc-57es which also has the caution light. When loading a tape you can see the tape going against the head, so the loading mechanism works, than you see the head move a littlebit but it wont spin up... do you have an idea what it could be?
This is what happens more or less:
ruclips.net/video/CUyfGNcHFhI/видео.html
Another great repair!
I have a 690 which has started saying caution. The tape loads and then immediately unloads throwing up the caution. could it be these switches not detecting tape is loaded?
Could be, depending on the mechanism. Some used a mode switch. Also could be rotation sensor not detecting the reel is turning or one of the reels is not turning.
What is the actually warning message? does it literally say caution or do you get just a flashing light like the 48Khz light flashing?
It says CAUTION on the display.
12V, the car stereo to repair, is a Alpine DAT 5700?
+LibraAudioLaboratory TDM7526.Just a regular cassette player.
Thanks.
Awesome video :) I love my Sony Dat 670 and has worked awesome sense I fixed the head amp ( surface mount caps ) thanks to your video`s on that I wouldn't be listening to it now .....lol
+Navpers 47 Yup, I had to do that on my 670, 75ES and this one. All of them needed the head amp caps replaced.
Have you ever repaired some PlayStation console?
Should be interesting listening your opinion! :-)
+Naitoraven951 I have a PS3 here, had it for a dozen of so years. 1st generation with 60 gig HDD. Still works, never had an issue with it, but then it never gets played.
+12voltvids Ah, you mean the CECHA04 :)
It's rare and it read all PS games. PS1 and PS2.
+Naitoraven951 That's correct. Plays all the older games. I know it is rare, and I have seen them go for a pretty penny on Ebay. Mine is mint. Has only had 5 games played on it ever. I bought it as a Bluray player initially. Now it just sits collecting dust for the times I am really bored and fire up Need for Speed, or Rainbow 6 Vegas for a blast.
How come there's ELNA Caps on the Circuit Board?
+Bluethunderboom Because that is what they put in at the factory DUH.This isn't a switching power supply, and these ones haven't failed.
I insert the tape the door closes the tape comes out of the cassette but the wheel does not turn
I have a 59es but the device does not work. When I turn on the device, the light of the pause key blinks 3 times. When I put the tape in, the tape doesn't work. Can you help me with this error?
Mech likely gummed up.
@@12voltvids can you be more specific?
@@12voltvids no is the first dat 59es
@@HungTran-gn2kw the mechanism mechanically gets gummed up and the guides do not move completely into place. Also they have a mode switch. I have a chassis that i robbed part from I will use to make a overhaul demo with next week. (I only shoot videos on my days off.
@@12voltvids thank you. I guess so but I don't know where to start. Because the machine is working normally and when I rewind the tape and turn it on, the machine is not running.
Hi can I send you my dat for repair i have the same caution message on screen
I can look at it.
A DAT machine and the main PCB is single sided. Damn they love to penny pinch when making stuff.
I thought that single sided PCB is a good thing. Easy to service.
thanks for sharing...
i love you i fix same model of my fathers DAT to send master songs to discographic
Good Video👍
People donate all kinds of electrics to you - cool and not much to fix it!! - usually
genius engineers design this stuff to be made by slaves and robots.
+umajunkcollector These machines were all made in Japan, so definitely not slave wages.These DAT machines were actually very well built. This machine is 21 years old,and even though it has had some problems, they have not been major, and this one has hundreds, if not thousands of hours on it.DAT was a format also used extensively by radio stations before they went to hard drive based studios. I know a few DJs. One was very famous out here in my neck of the woods. He would sit at home, with his DAT deck, and record all his intros onto tape for his entire show. Send the tape to the studio, and the on air engineer would play the tape, and mix the CD music and commercials live. Other times he would go to the studio, and record his show onto DAT.The station also had a DAT tape loaded with 4 hours of programming all canned right at the transmitter site. If something happened with the STL, and the dead air alarm activated the tape would start, and cut in. That gave them 4 hours to figure out what happened. FM stations usually used the LP speed as it went to 15KHz, and then stopped, exactly what the transmitter needed. As you probably know, FM has a brick wall bandpass filter that chops everything off above 15KHz so there is no beating with the 19KHz stereo pilot tone, so DAT was the perfect format for FM. No additional bandwidth limiting needed. I bet there are still a few smaller market FM stations still using the format.
OH it's kewl, but not for me, a "consumer". The only DAT I had was a PC drive unit, I think the tapes are same. I would imagine it would play audio with software. Of course it's meant for backup. I pulled the drive, it's buried around here someplace. I may have a couple of DA tapes too. But the only deck that i have is the Optimus DCC. It gets funky sometimes. Tapes are fun, but I just am tired of fixing the unites is all. Don
First comment
+saul chm What you want a prize for that?
yes